A collage of impressions and historical anecdotes by the author who over the years has become the guru of the Second City. Certain to be popular "in the state of Elanoy," this brief (144 pages) reminiscence may fare less well in the remaining 49. Terkel assumes his readers will be familiar with many of the personalties and events he depicts. And, while it is true that much of the material is well known—the career of Al Capone and the Haymarket Riot, for example—all too often Terkel fails to provide much in the way of background and exposition of his more obscure references. From time to time, colorful details surface which briefly capture the attention but much of the time the material is too specialized and/or minor to hold much interest for the general reader. As he had before (The Good War, Working and Hard Times, among others), Terkel brings his own individual voice to the work. As an "oral historian," it is in recreating his conversations with fellow Chicagoans that he is most appealing. Here he exhibits the breezy vitality that seems characteristic of the Windy City. The re is no denying that Terkel's enthusiasms are wide-ranging. They include everything from inner-city murals to Greek coffeehouses; from Pablo Picasso's controversial sculpture to the Dreamland Ballroom; from blizzards to "no-hitters" at Wrigley Field. For "out-of-towners," however, these glimpses of Chicago life are just not striking enough to rivet the attention. Fifty-five black-and-white photographs "by several generations of the city's most renowned photographers" (not seen) will doubtlessly do much to flesh out this paean to Terkel's hometown. As text, however, Chicago is too obviously aimed at those Second City dwellers who wish to revel in nostalgia and self-congratulation. For others, it is likely to prove frustrating and less than completely satisfying.
Pub Date: Sept. 15, 1986
ISBN: 0517050668
Page Count: -
Publisher: Pantheon
Review Posted Online: Oct. 14, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 1986
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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