A tell-all-and-then-some from the original Captain America. Fonda has been up and down the ladder of fame, from B movies with Roger Corman to the massive hit Easy Rider and back to B movies (albeit with filmmakers much less talented than Corman). With the success of last year’s Ulee’s Gold, directed by the talented independent filmmaker Victor Nu§ez, Fonda’s acting career is apparently revivified, which makes the publication of this lengthy autobiography felicitous. If only the book itself were as serendipitous as the timing of its publication (right around Oscar time). Fonda has resolved to spare himself—and his readers—nothing. We learn in copious detail of his strained relationship with his famous father, a cold and disapproving presence in his childhood; the way that his mother drifted away from her offspring, eventually into a suicide that was hidden from Peter for many years; his constant womanizing; and the excesses of his drug and alcohol use. To his credit, Fonda is nothing if not candid, and he has the strength of mind to apologize when he feels an apology is merited. The lengthy section in the middle of the book on the making of Easy Rider is riveting. And Fonda reveals an unexpected talent for writing about the joys of sailing, one of his great passions. But too much of this book is a catalog of dope smoked, repetitious confrontations with authority in which the author always comes out on top, and encomia to his family and friends. Readers who believe that Easy Rider is one of the greatest films ever made will love this book. Others may wish to give it a wide berth. (16 pages b&w photos, not seen) (TV satellite tour)
Pub Date: April 6, 1998
ISBN: 0-7878-6111-8
Page Count: 512
Publisher: Hyperion
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 1998
An enjoyable slice of 20th-century music journalism almost certain to provide something for most readers, no matter one’s...
Music journalist and musician Wald (Talking 'Bout Your Mama: The Dozens, Snaps, and the Deep Roots of Rap, 2014, etc.) focuses on one evening in music history to explain the evolution of contemporary music, especially folk, blues, and rock.
The date of that evening is July 25, 1965, at the Newport Folk Festival, where there was an unbelievably unexpected occurrence: singer/songwriter Bob Dylan, already a living legend in his early 20s, overriding the acoustic music that made him famous in favor of electronically based music, causing reactions ranging from adoration to intense resentment among other musicians, DJs, and record buyers. Dylan has told his own stories (those stories vary because that’s Dylan’s character), and plenty of other music journalists have explored the Dylan phenomenon. What sets Wald's book apart is his laser focus on that one date. The detailed recounting of what did and did not occur on stage and in the audience that night contains contradictory evidence sorted skillfully by the author. He offers a wealth of context; in fact, his account of Dylan's stage appearance does not arrive until 250 pages in. The author cites dozens of sources, well-known and otherwise, but the key storylines, other than Dylan, involve acoustic folk music guru Pete Seeger and the rich history of the Newport festival, a history that had created expectations smashed by Dylan. Furthermore, the appearances on the pages by other musicians—e.g., Joan Baez, the Weaver, Peter, Paul, and Mary, Dave Van Ronk, and Gordon Lightfoot—give the book enough of an expansive feel. Wald's personal knowledge seems encyclopedic, and his endnotes show how he ranged far beyond personal knowledge to produce the book.
An enjoyable slice of 20th-century music journalism almost certain to provide something for most readers, no matter one’s personal feelings about Dylan's music or persona.Pub Date: July 25, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-06-236668-9
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Dey Street/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis...
Privately published by Strunk of Cornell in 1918 and revised by his student E. B. White in 1959, that "little book" is back again with more White updatings.
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis (whoops — "A bankrupt expression") a unique guide (which means "without like or equal").Pub Date: May 15, 1972
ISBN: 0205632645
Page Count: 105
Publisher: Macmillan
Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1972
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