A thought exercise delivered in a unique format that provokes more questions than answers.
In screenplay format, four characters debate the real identity of Shakespeare, using Bayesian statistics to justify their conclusions.
English professor Beatrice and mystery novelist Claudia learn about statistical analysis and, under the guidance of statistician Martin and engineer/entrepreneur James, use quantitative methods to investigate the likelihood that Shakespeare’s plays were actually written by a man from Stratford. The book is divided into scenes, each focused on a single aspect of Shakespeare’s identity, although the characters use the name Shake*Speare (“The asterisk should remind us that we are dealing with someone whose identity we have not yet decided”) to minimize the bias for or against their candidates: the Stratfordian William Shakespeare, the Earl of Oxford, or some unidentified person or group. For each question—Was Shake*Speare educated? Did he visit Italy? Is there a hidden message in the sonnets’ dedication?—Beatrice and Claudia produce probability matrices to evaluate the factor. (The reader is invited to complete the same matrices and submit their guesses at the companion website.) The frequent criticisms of Bill Bryson’s The World As a Stage (2007) may leave readers wondering if this book is intended as a reply; if so, it’s a curious decision, since Bryson’s brief pop-history is hardly an authority on Shakespeare studies. This book’s characters are determined to keep an open mind about the authorship question, which gives them plenty of discussion fodder but may be off-putting to anyone who sees no cause for dispute. The screenplay format is an unusual choice, but it works well with the content, despite some stilted dialogue: “Well, of course, I am not a betting person, so I am not used to thinking about probabilities.” Readers may also take issue with the characters’ methodology, as they jump from one “admittedly wild conjecture” to another. A more serious shortcoming is the book’s failure to acknowledge the limitations of probability. Like a hitter’s batting average, the odds Beatrice and Claudia calculate for each Shake*Speare candidate might be useful if this were an experiment that could be repeated numerous times, but they reveal little about a single event in the past.
A thought exercise delivered in a unique format that provokes more questions than answers.Pub Date: Feb. 2, 2013
ISBN: 978-0984261413
Page Count: 344
Publisher: Exoscience Publishing
Review Posted Online: June 20, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
In more ways than one, a tale about young creatures testing their wings; a moving, entertaining winner.
A fifth-grade New Orleans girl discovers a mysterious chrysalis containing an unexpected creature in this middle-grade novel.
Jacquelyn Marie Johnson, called Jackie, is a 10-year-old African-American girl, the second oldest and the only girl of six siblings. She’s responsible, smart, and enjoys being in charge; she likes “paper dolls and long division and imagining things she had never seen.” Normally, Jackie has no trouble obeying her strict but loving parents. But when her potted snapdragon acquires a peculiar egg or maybe a chrysalis (she dubs it a chrysalegg), Jackie’s strong desire to protect it runs up against her mother’s rule against plants in the house. Jackie doesn’t exactly mean to lie, but she tells her mother she needs to keep the snapdragon in her room for a science project and gets permission. Jackie draws the chrysalegg daily, waiting for something to happen as it gets larger. When the amazing creature inside breaks free, Jackie is more determined than ever to protect it, but this leads her further into secrets and lies. The results when her parents find out are painful, and resolving the problem will take courage, honesty, and trust. Dumas (Jaden Toussaint, the Greatest: Episode 5, 2017, etc.) presents a very likable character in Jackie. At 10, she’s young enough to enjoy playing with paper dolls but has a maturity that even older kids can lack. She’s resourceful, as when she wants to measure a red spot on the chrysalegg; lacking calipers, she fashions one from her hairpin. Jackie’s inward struggle about what to obey—her dearest wishes or the parents she loves—is one many readers will understand. The book complicates this question by making Jackie’s parents, especially her mother, strict (as one might expect to keep order in a large family) but undeniably loving and protective as well—it’s not just a question of outwitting clueless adults. Jackie’s feelings about the creature (tender and responsible but also more than a little obsessive) are similarly shaded rather than black-and-white. The ending suggests that an intriguing sequel is to come.
In more ways than one, a tale about young creatures testing their wings; a moving, entertaining winner.Pub Date: Nov. 11, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943169-32-0
Page Count: 212
Publisher: Plum Street Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A YA novel that treats its subject and its readers with respect while delivering an engaging story.
In the ninth book in the Bluford young-adult series, a young Latino man walks away from violence—but at great personal cost.
In a large Southern California city, 16-year-old Martin Luna hangs out on the fringes of gang life. He’s disaffected, fatherless and increasingly drawn into the orbit of the older, rougher Frankie. When a stray bullet kills Martin’s adored 8-year-old brother, Huero, Martin seems to be heading into a life of crime. But Martin’s mother, determined not to lose another son, moves him to another neighborhood—the fictional town of Bluford, where he attends the racially diverse Bluford High. At his new school, the still-grieving Martin quickly makes enemies and gets into trouble. But he also makes friends with a kind English teacher and catches the eye of Vicky, a smart, pretty and outgoing Bluford student. Martin’s first-person narration supplies much of the book’s power. His dialogue is plain, but realistic and believable, and the authors wisely avoid the temptation to lard his speech with dated and potentially embarrassing slang. The author draws a vivid and affecting picture of Martin’s pain and confusion, bringing a tight-lipped teenager to life. In fact, Martin’s character is so well drawn that when he realizes the truth about his friend Frankie, readers won’t feel as if they are watching an after-school special, but as though they are observing the natural progression of Martin’s personal growth. This short novel appears to be aimed at urban teens who don’t often see their neighborhoods portrayed in young-adult fiction, but its sophisticated characters and affecting story will likely have much wider appeal.
A YA novel that treats its subject and its readers with respect while delivering an engaging story.Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2004
ISBN: 978-1591940173
Page Count: 152
Publisher: Townsend Press
Review Posted Online: Jan. 26, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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