Lost In Place: Growing Up Absurd in Suburbia

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entertaining read

My favorite martial arts related autobiography!!!

Laughed out loud

This book is an absolute gem.

Boy, can I relate

Lost In Place: Growing Up Absurd in Suburbia
Mark Salzman
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Authors | Arts & Literature | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
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Memoirs | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
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Iron and Silk

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The Soloist

The Laughing Sutra

Lying Awake

ASIN: 0679767789
Release Date: 1996-05-28

Amazon.com

The author of Iron and Silk looks back to his tortured youth with self-deprecating humor and wistful fondness. The oldest child in a middle-class household in Connecticut, the son of a piano teacher and a social worker, by age six the author was an eccentric with enormous aspirations - none of them ever fulfilled - who stood out not only from his more conventional parents and brother and sister but from everyone else in his suburban neighborhood. A hilarious memoir in the tradition of Russell Baker's Growing Up.

Book Description

From the author of Iron & Silk comes a charming and frequently uproarious account of an American adolescence in the age of Bruce Lee, Ozzy Osborne, and Kung Fu. As Salzman recalls coming of age with one foot in Connecticut and the other in China (he wanted to become a wandering Zen monk), he tells the story of a teenager trying to attain enlightenment before he's learned to drive.

Customer Reviews:

entertaining read.......2007-09-14

My mother sent me this book for my birthday and I enjoyed every page. Very entertaining, both funny and serious, as well as making some great observations about growing up in Ridgefield, CT. I also grew up in Ridgefield in the 70s and the book is a very accurate description of life in Ridgefield back then. I amazed at how much he was able to remember, I'm not able to remember anywhere near that many details about my own childhood.

My favorite martial arts related autobiography!!!.......2005-09-06

I have read almost every martial arts autobiography that has been published in the English language. I have put together quite a collection of them from all over the world. As proof, check out my book Martial Arts Biographies-An Annotated Bibliography (ISBN:0595348610). So I think I know a little about the subject of martial arts autobiographies. I liked Salzman's first book Iron & Silk. It is a classic to be sure. But I absolutly loved Lost In Place. It is the funniest of any martial arts biography that I have read. It is also very serious in other parts of the book. The story is great, and I recommend it very highly! Beyond being my favorite martial arts autobiography,I would put it in my top five favorite books of all. BUY IT, READ IT, AND LAUGH YOUR BUTT OFF!!!!

Laughed out loud.......2005-01-03

Memoir of Mark Salzman's adolescent years in Connecticut. Outrageously funny in spots, touching in others, and interesting throughout. The author's description of Sensei O'Keefe and the stories surrounding the Kung Fu Dojo are riotous. Ed, his eternally pessimistic father, adds another element of humor to the story. The novel describes an eccentric teenager's failed attempts to "change myself into something I'm not. The story of my life." He obsessively pursues first Kung Fu to become a fearless warior, then years of cello training to achieve a dream of becoming a concert celloist, and majors in Chinese at Yale because "it was the one subject I had a head start in and could therefore look smarter than I really was." The book is a good reflection back on the eccentricities of adolescence with a profound message offered in the end.

This book is an absolute gem........2004-08-08

This book is an absolute gem. How often do you come across a martial arts book that is not just well written but genuinely, heartbreakingly funny? Mr. Salzman has already shown us he can write in his first book, Iron and Silk, the story of his two years spent in China teaching English and practicing wushu with Pan Qing Fu. The book was later made into a critically acclaimed film of the same name. In Lost in Place, the author lets us in on the secrets of his adolescence. Anyone who has ever been seized by the desire to shave his head, dye his pyjamas purple, and abandon the fast food of suburbia for the wandering life of a Zen monk will love this book.
We follow Salzman through the perils of teenage life, goofing off at school and then frantically trying to make up, agonizing about dates, buying his first car, choosing what to study at university, and in general giving his long suffering family a hard time, and all of this while struggling between Eastern and Western worldviews. We meet some strange people he encountered in his attempts to become a Bruce Lee clone, such as the ominous Sensei O'Keefe, the rowdy and foul-mouthed master of the Chinese Boxing Institute, with his dreaded brainwave, "cemetery sparring". Apart from the stories of Salzman's various martial art experiences, some hilarious and some appalling, there are some well drawn scenes of his interaction with his father, who is described as a good natured pessimist, probably not a bad thing to be for someone forced to compete with the glamorous Bruce Lee for his son's affections. There is a lovely scene of his father listening to an outpouring of his son's existential angst. We get a picture of a gentle, mature man with a nice sense of irony. He must be proud now of how his son has turned out. Salzman has written four critically acclaimed novels, one of which was a finalist for the LA Times Book Review Award. He is a great storyteller and this book will not let you down.

Boy, can I relate.......2004-05-13

In addition to a memoir, this book is an effective mediation on what it really means to master something. We see Salzman try to become a martial artist, and, later, a cello soloist, the first with considerable dedication, the latter with a certain amount of natural ability; in both cases, though, he eventually realizes that he just doesn't have what it takes to really master the discipline. In the case of Kung Fu, after three years of study, he encounters a drugged-out man who threatens him with a lead pipe. In spite of the fact that he could probably easily disarm him, Salzman's nerve fails him and he hands over his wallet. Later, with the cello, he gives up after seeing one performance by legendary cellist Yo Yo Ma. He ends up finding his greatest success as a mailboy for an attorney.

One thing that struck me as interesting is that (I read somewhere) 'Kung Fu' refers to any human skill in Chinese (making a 'Kung Fu skills' redundant, like ATM machine); it's sort of a metaphor, then, for everything Salzman pursues.

Book Description

“When a war ends it does not go away,” my mother says.“It hides inside us . . . Just forget!”
But I do not want to do what Mother says . . . I want to remember.

In this groundbreaking memoir set in Ramallah during the aftermath of the 1967 Six-Day War, Ibtisam Barakat captures what it is like to be a child whose world is shattered by war. With candor and courage, she stitches together memories of her childhood: fear and confusion as bombs explode near her home and she is separated from her family; the harshness of
life as a Palestinian refugee; her unexpected joy when she discovers Alef, the first letter of the Arabic alphabet. This is the beginning of her passionate connection to words, and as language becomes her refuge, allowing her to piece together the fragments of her world, it becomes her true home.

Transcending the particulars of politics, this illuminating and timely book provides a telling glimpse into a little-known culture that has become an increasingly important part of the puzzle of world peace.

Customer Reviews:

Choosing to Remember.......2007-10-09

This sweet memoir of Palestinian experience is written with so much creatively poetic description that one can get lost in the beauty of the words. The story of a little girl and her family set around the Six-Day War with Israel is a gently written narrative of displacement and loss, family ties, and Palestinian culture that is a rare look at a part of the world and a situation that we Americans generally know little about. I did wish to learn more about the parent's thoughts and how they avoided feeling hatred for their enemies. This is a nonpolitical story, however, and readers are left fascinated by the cultural details and impressed by the perseverence of this close-knit family as they struggle with the realities of war. The author chooses to remember in order to "give my story to the world in the hope that no others ever lose their home, and that the world would lend them a hand if they fell." Amen.

Children Have No Politics.......2007-06-02

At three and a half, Ibtisam lives in Ramallah, West Bank in her happy home at the top of an isolated hill with her parents, her infant sister, and her two older brothers. Basil is six, and Muhammad is five. Every
evening, she runs barefoot to meet her indulgent father at the end of the gravel path when he comes home from work with sweets in his pocket. But when father comes home on June 5, 1967, he scares Ibtisam by
yelling for her to turn back and run. He rushes into the house shouting that the war has started. After a frightening night in a trench on the property, her parents decide to join the refugees streaming past the house heading for Jordan. Her mother tells Ibtisam to grab her shoes. Having trouble with the laces on one shoe, the child loses sight of her parents in the stream of refugees and runs down the road to find them with one shoe off and one shoe on.

Countless children have been lost forever in the eternal streams of war refugees. By her own stubborn refusal to stop walking, despite a severely damaged foot, this tiny child finally caught up with her distraught
family on the second day. Her terror, however, which comes to life in this memoir, never leaves her. Eventually returning home, her childhood can never return to the idyllic. In the straightforward, linear text,
the author shares her frightening experiences. They are universal to the experiences suffered by children everywhere who are trapped in the machinations of adults waging war. Children have no politics.

APPROVED

Tasting the Sky.......2007-04-29

Barakat, Ibtisam, Tasting the sky: A Palestinian Childhood, FSG, 2007

In this very touching memoir, the author describes the hardships her family endured during the six-day war with Israel in 1967 and then her subsequent existence growing up as a refugee in an occupied homeland. The story is gripping as it presents both the difficult and the hopeful aspects of her life; she remembers the fears and turmoil but also the joy of learning to read and write and the promise these skills held for her to navigate her way out of Ramallah to a future of possibilities. She corresponds with pen pals from other countries, "Paper and ink, poems and my postbox are medicines that heal the wounds of a life without freedom." She describes poignantly her relationship with her parents: how her father recognizes that Israeli soldiers rather than he are truly in charge of their family life, and that his authority over her is diminished. "My love for language and words seems to come between us" as books become her "references" and her world begins to encompass so much more than his. She describes how her mother copes with their situation by being harsh with her. They only seem able to communicate in writing. Her mother says, "When a war ends, it does not go away...It hides inside us...Just forget!" Itbitisam chooses not to forget but instead to remember. In one of her poems, she writes, "I reach for the raft of remembering. Where the small girl I once was stands alone...and awaits the day when she will find her home by asking her heart to take her there". We are invited to share in her memories, and by so doing, acquire insight into the tragedy of the forcibly evicted Palestinian People from their homelands. This book is a quick read that holds a powerful punch. Every library should have at least one copy.

Reading it is a tender and powerful experience.......2007-04-25

A truly exquisite book. The words weave together experiences and feelings in amazingly beautiful ways. Hearing her story of humanity in the midst of harshness is very hopeful. She doesn't pull any punches, yet shares her story without blaming.

Poignant Memoir.......2007-04-18

Ibtisam Barakat's "Tasting the Sky," is written with both a backward glance toward lost innocence, and an eye toward the future, as she offers her hope, extended without reservation, for a just and lasting peace for all people in Palestine/Israel. Her words describe what she saw with her eyes and felt with her skin as her childhood erupted in the violence of war. Despite the shattering of any remaining innocence by being hauled into a detention center during her high school years, Ibtisam responds without malice or hatred. She became determined to succeed in obtaining her education, and she has triumphed with her bittersweet memoir. She has somehow recaptured the elusive innocence of her youth , nurturing her memories, fond and stark alike, into letters, (like alef, the first letter of the Arabic alphabet) and then forming the letters into words that are coaxed onto the page. Barakat's yearning to tell her story was formed at a very young age and has become a reality in "Tasting the Sky," despite all the obstacles and hardships she faced growing up under illegal military occupation. Her memories are rather like the wild, red poppies that push their way up through the thin, rocky soil of the olive groves in the hills surrounding Ramallah....they are beautiful and delicate, with odds against their surivival, yet they are indomitable! Having recently journeyed to Ramallah and surrounding villages, the images conveyed in Barakat's gently-woven tapestry of language were all the more vivid and compelling. What a pleasure to read it and to see hope and future possibilities for her homeland through the author's eyes.

Estrellas Peregrinas / Walking Stars: Cuentos de Magia y Poder / Magic and Power Stories

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Estrellas Peregrinas / Walking Stars: Cuentos de Magia y Poder / Magic and Power Stories
Victor Villasenor
Manufacturer: Pinata Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1558854622

Book Description

First ever Spanish-language edition of the critically acclaimed collection of short stories for young adults by a master of Latino literature

"We're all walking stars," the eighty-four year old guide tells Victor Villaseñor as he travels to his mother's birthplace, La Lluvia de Oro. "Don't you know what we all are? We are all stars that come from the heavens." In Estrellas peregrinas, the Spanish-language edition of his critically acclaimed collection of short stories for young adults, Villaseñor shares that enchanted world with the reader.

Magic rains down from the heavens like stars, coating each of the family stories in a sheen of la vida as it should be: filled with power and surprises that give each character the strength to endure. The stories brim with a cast of extraordinary characters in challenging situations: the young girl on her first day of school who shows bravery even in the face of school-yard taunts . . . a young man about to be hanged that can only be saved by the miracle of song . . . and the young boy who faces El Diablo in a dark peach orchard.

Through it all, the characters truly show themselves to be walking stars, tiny luminous sparks of light, and they are able to affect change in their lives and the world around them by relying on their bravery, their strength, and their faith in themselves. These are the stories of ancestors long-past, stories that will scrape off the dust of modernity on the reader's skin to show the glowing beings that Villaseñor and his family believe we once were and can still be.

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Relatively (ha ha) good

Odd boy out is one great book!

Odd Boy Out: Young Albert Einstein (Bccb Blue Ribbon Nonfiction Book Award (Awards))
Don Brown
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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One Green Apple

ASIN: 0618492984

Book Description

When he was born in 1879, Albert was a peculiarly fat baby with an unusually big and misshaped head. When he was older, he hit his sister, frustrated his teachers, and had few friends. But Albert's strange childhood also included his brilliant capacity for puzzles and problem solving: the mystery of a compass's swirling needle, the intricacies of Mozart's music, the secrets of geometryset his mind spinning with ideas. In fact, Albert Einstein's ideas were destined to change the way we know and understand the world and our place in the universe. In spare, precise text filled with graceful detail and accompanied by sometimes humorous, sometimes lonely portraits, Don Brown introduces us to the less than magnificent beginnings of an odd boy out. The result is a tender rendering of the adventures of growing up for one of the most important thinkers of the twentieth century.

Customer Reviews:

Relatively (ha ha) good.......2005-10-03

If every adult biographer has his or her own personal style, why should the case be any different for children's book biographers? And when it comes to picture book biographies, certain names come to mind. David Adler, of course, though his books are so uncommonly dull that I tend to pity the children I hand them to (being a children's librarian and all). Peter Sis, though his bios require a great deal of time and patience to parse. James Rumford to some extent, though "Sequoyah" is probably his best bio to date. No, when it comes down to it Don Brown is the picture book biographer that nine of ten kids prefer every time. I don't have any actual statistics to back that statement up, I just say what I see. And what I see is an author who is able to take unknown heroes (Mary Kingsley, Alice Ramsey, Ruth Law, etc.) and too well-known heroes (Albert Einstein, Mark Twain, etc.) and give them interesting picture book biographies that kids will both relate to and love.

We all know some basic facts about Einstein. He was a guy with a head of white unruly hair. When you yell, "Hey, Einstein!", you are making reference to the fact that he was once a genius. So how much do you know about this great man as a child? In this book, Brown introduces us to Albert from day one (March 14, 1879, to be exact). As a boy, Albert has his good moods and he has his bad moods. In a good mood he can create a house of cards fourteen stories high and ponder the mysteries of a compass for fun. In a bad mood he is prone to hitting his little sister, terrifying his tutor, and getting so upset that his nose turns white. As we watch, Albert is given an amazing amount of freedom. He wanders the Munich streets alone at the age of four. He discovers geometry with the help of a friendly medical student. The book progresses and we learn a little about Albert's personality from offhand comments. "Soldiers on parade excite the boys. They disturb Albert". At end of this journey, Albert comes up with theory of relativity and, "For the world, Einstein comes to mean not fat baby, or angry child, or odd boy, but great thinker". And now our children can understand where all genius has its beginnings. In the ordinary and familiar.

What I enjoyed about the book was that Brown doesn't linger on just the good things in Einstein's life. No child's a saint, and Albert is no exception. Brown humanizes this latter-day god, giving him a family, a childhood, and a history that kids today (in spite of their love of computerization and high-tech toys) will understand. Who amongst us doesn't recognize Albert's reluctance to engage in organized sports as something we, or someone we know, have also felt? The story is laid out beautifully. The illustrations are little more haphazard. Granted, I really liked the picture of Albert engaged in a temper tantrum. His little fists are clenched and his nose, true to the text, is a slightly whitish color. By and large these pen and ink pictures colored in with watercolors work well. There's just the occasional oddity. When teachers wonder if Albert is dull-witted, Brown illustrates a disturbingly glazed-eyed kid who reinforces their concern. It's a peculiar picture, but there's no denying that it conveys the text well.

I saw Mr. Brown speak not too long ago to a gathering of librarians, and I found that I was not especially impressed with him as a person. Nonetheless, the man does nice work. And of the work that he has done, "Odd Boy Out" is probably one of his best. It's a beautifully rendered story that kids will prefer far above and beyond similar Einstein biographies. Not genius, but pretty darn close.

Odd boy out is one great book!.......2004-11-15

Odd boy out is a wonderful book with nice illustraions of the life of Albert Einstein.
Albert was born a fat baby with a big head. He had a bad temper
and was condsidered very odd. He didn't like to play sports, and he was disturbed with the things other boys liked. Einstein grows and soon becomes what we know as the famous scientist Einstein.

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Diego for young people
The boy who was born to paint
Viva Diego!
Great
The Life of Diego Rivera Simplified

Diego
Jonah Winter
Manufacturer: Knopf Books for Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0679819878
Release Date: 2007-01-09

Book Description

Diego was a boy who loved to draw; he drew on everything, even the walls. In time, he would become known as one of the greatest muralists in all of Mexico—in all the world. "An accessible picture book about the life and work of Diego Rivera sounds like an oxymoron, but Winter and Winter succeed beyond belief," announced School Library Journal in a 1991 starred review. With spare, lyrical text—featured in both English and Spanish on every page—accompanying miniature murals done in Rivera's own vibrant style, this celebrated picture-book biography now makes a much deserved return to hardcover after a seven-year absence.

Customer Reviews:

Diego for young people.......2007-09-01

This is a concise little biography about the artist, Diego Rivera. Winter (The Librarian of Basra, 2005) begins Rivera's story with his birth. He was a sickly infant who survived because of the devoted care of an Indian healer. His twin brother did not live. He was a daydreamer in school but his parents encouraged his artistic abilities. He studied art in Europe but was inspired by his memories of life in Mexico. Winter ends the book as Rivera's career as a painter whose "murals told the story of the Mexican people" is just beginning.

The text is in English and Spanish. Each of Winter's illustrations is edged in a unique painted frame. I wish they had chosen to feature the illustrations in a larger format. The paintings are colorful and engaging and deserve more page space.

The boy who was born to paint.......2007-02-27

Told in simple, straightforward text, this small children's book relates the story of Diego Rivera, a famous Mexican artist who loved his art and the people of his country. Diego spent his whole life painting, drawn to the vibrant colors and magical rituals of Mexico as well as the troubles of the people as they fought for equality and better working conditions.

At birth, Diego was not a strong child. He had a twin bother, Carlos, who died before he reached the age of two. Diego's parents, fearing their other son would die from the same illness as his small brother, sent him to a nurse, Antonia, who was also an Indian healer and lived in the mountains. Her cozy hut fragrant with burning candles and healing herbs, Antonia's mountain home was filled with fresh air and the natural plants necessary to make the boy well. Diego entertained himself with the animals around him; he even had a pet parrot and was soon well enough to return home to his parents.

Upon Diego's homecoming, his imagination already infused with the brilliant colors of nature, the boy began to draw and paint on very surface. He had difficulty in school, constantly distracted by the paintings he was dreaming of creating, unable to concentrate on anything but the wonderful world his mind inhabited. Finally Diego attended art school, but even that failed to stimulate the artist, for he felt constrained by the rules and the life drawings the teachers expected from their students. The paintings Diego imagined were of the bright fiestas, the celebration of the Day of the Dead and the struggles of the people confronting soldiers in the streets. Holding nothing back, it was Diego's plan was to show it all, the many faces of his beloved land. Returning from a visit to Italy, where he was impressed by the religious murals that covered the walls of the churches, Diego knew what he wanted to do.

He spent the rest of his life painting murals throughout Mexico, drawn to the folklore, rituals and struggles of the Mexican people, hiding from nothing, even the sometimes brutal street battle between soldiers and the workers. Diego Rivera is revered in Mexico, his paintings as popular today as when he first created them. Surely this little boy was destined to write the history of his country on the walls and churches of Mexico, a gift to last through time. The illustrations are small and filled with brilliant colors, retaining the same style as Diego's murals, the faces of people and place recognizable in their simplicity and natural beauty. Luan Gaines/ 2007.

Viva Diego!.......2006-03-27

Diego Rivera's biography is told in this superbly illustrated text. The story begins as he is born, and ends many years later after Rivera has become a famous Mexican muralist, however much of the text focuses on Rivera's childhood. The text is written in both English and Spanish on every page. Both languages are written in concise sentences that clearly convey information about Rivera's life and work. Each page also has a brightly colored picture that reinforces the text's message.The illustrations by Jeanette Winter are beautiful, richly colored accompaniments to the colorful life of Diego Rivera. The motifs in them are those typically found in Mexican folk art and include appropriate colors and subjects, often echoing those found in Rivera's work. This is a delightful and age appropriate introduction to an artist whose tempestuous personal life sometimes overshadows his outstanding artistic accomplishments both inside and outside of Mexico. Students who are interested in art or Mexican history will find this book to be a treasure. Native Spanish speakers could use this text in the classroom to share their knowledge of the Spanish language and Mexican culture.

Great.......2005-02-09

Writing a book about Diego Rivera in terms that young children can understand is not an easy task, however this book does a great job. The story is engaging, the pictures are wonderfully colorful, and can hold a kid's attention. I purchased this book when my daughter was only 3 and even though she didn't understand much of the text, she was captivated by the pictures. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to expose a young child to art and artists' lives.

The Life of Diego Rivera Simplified.......2003-06-13

This is a very simplified life story of Diego Rivera, famous Mexican artist. It is filled with pictures that are artistic and designed in the style of the artist. Any child, especially those interested in art, would find this book of interest.

Sacagawea: American Pathfinder (Childhood Of Famous Americans)

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My granddaughter loves these books
Sacagawea Review
Interesting

Sacagawea: American Pathfinder (Childhood Of Famous Americans)
Flora Warren Seymour
Manufacturer: Aladdin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0689714823

Customer Reviews:

My granddaughter loves these books.......2007-03-31

Sacagawea was the latest book my granddaughter requested from the "Childhood of Famous Americans". She has at least twelve, loves them and enjoys asking us informative questions. How much better does it get: having fun learning about the history of our great country? This 5 star rating is based on feedback from previous ones: I haven't seen her lately.

Sacagawea Review.......2001-06-11

This book was VERY exciting!! I am done with this book now, but I still think about it!! Sacagawea went through ALOT!! For instance like moving, making alot of stuff like: her clothes, shoes, tents, and baskets. Think about it!! Having to make all this stuff. It would take days!! I am sure thankful we have machines now to make different things!! I highly recommend this book!!

Interesting.......2000-05-01

I think that this book included a couple of true facts, but a lot of imagination, how could you know what someone about 100-110 years ago was thinking.I think Flora Seymour did fairly well job, considering that she was writing a children's storybook. I applaud you Flora Seymour!

Home Before Night: Memories of an Irish Time and Place

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Da
A must read...
Nostalgic and loveable.

Home Before Night: Memories of an Irish Time and Place
Hugh Leonard
Manufacturer: Atheneum
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0689110472

Customer Reviews:

Da.......2007-01-03

Hugh Leonard, an Irish playwright and journalist, was born in Dublin in 1926. He spent fourteen years working for the Irish Civil Service, before he was able to concentrate fully on his writing. Leonard - known in 'real' life as John Keyes Byrne - received the Tony Award in 1977 for the play "Da", which was largely based on his own youth and his relationship with his adoptive father. (It was also made into a movie, with Martin Sheen playing the Hugh Leonard role). "Home Before Night" tells part of his life story in prose form.

This is a hugely enjoyable book - it's very easily read, though some might say it's a touch sentimental. Parts are told from Leonard's own perspective ("I choked and retched, and the wind knifed through my wet clothes"), though other parts are written about Jack ("Jack's da was too slow to take Sonny's meaning"). It's a bit strange to begin with, but it doesn't interfere with the story at all. In fact, some of my favourite parts involve Jack and his pet dog - also called Jack ! Not surprisingly, it's also a little old-fashioned in places - though it's worth pointing out that certain words and phrases didn't mean then what they mean today. Definitely recommended, as is its follow-up "Out After Dark".

A must read..........2001-10-22

Hugh Leonard writing heals the soul the way a crackling fire warms a body on a winters night. His skill at capturing a life in Dalkey, a place I am so familiar with albeit a more modern one, is unique, setting in place a slice of historical life for generations to come. His settings and story capture a more simple Dublin yet one that we are all familiar with. It breathes life into a lovely town set in a beautiful part of Ireland. This book is my favourite...ever.

Nostalgic and loveable........2000-08-18

This is the tale of a boy growing up in Dalkey in the 1940's and 50's. It is autobiographical and gives an intimate view of Leonard and the influences that effected him in his youth. The book is a collection of cameos of life in a small Irish village just south of Dublin. Dalkey is now part of the greater Dublin Sprawl, but this book captures a time when it was only a village. Leonard regales us with hilarious tales, the dog who attacks priests and policemen, his job interview in a pub where he learns the one great truth in life ( in a pub toilet incoming traffic has right of way). If you know Leonard through his plays (Da and a Life especially) you will have seen some of this material. Even so, the impeccable writing and a real feel for prose makes this book worth a read.

Uncle Andy's: A Faabbbulous Visit With Andy Warhol

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A look at an artist's family life
A Modern Masterpiece
A Little Boy and His Wierd Uncle
Not-so raggedy Andy
Faabbulous....

Uncle Andy's: A Faabbbulous Visit With Andy Warhol

Manufacturer: Putnam Juvenile
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0399238697

Book Description

When James Warhola was a little boy, his father had a junk business that turned their yard into a wonderful play zone that his mother didn't fully appreciate! But whenever James and his family drove to New York City to visit Uncle Andy, they got to see how "junk" could become something truly amazing in an artist's hands.

Uncle Andy's offers an exciting and unique perspective on one of the most influential artists of our time. Through James' eyes, we see the things that made his family visits memorable-including the wonderful disarray of Andy's house, waking up surrounded by important art and incredible collected objects, trying on Andy's wigs, sharing the run of Andy's house with his twenty-five cats (all named Sam), and getting art supplies from Andy as a goodbye present. James was lucky enough to learn about art from an innovative master and he shows how these visits with Uncle Andy taught him about the creative process and inspired him to become an artist.

Customer Reviews:

A look at an artist's family life.......2007-05-14

This story held my 4 year old's interest. I have purchased many art history for kids books so that my daughter will be exposed at an early age to art, but this is a great story that deals more with the personal side of Andy Warhol. Indirectly, readers get a description of Warhol's background and mannerisms. Great read.

A Modern Masterpiece.......2006-07-09

James Warhola's "Uncle Andy's : A FAABBBULOUS VISIT WITH ANDY WARHOL" is a complete joy from cover to cover. Even for kids who've never heard of Warhola's famous uncle, this is a marvelous book that's certain to inspire children to reach for the paints and crayons. But that's just the start of this book's appeal. For anyone interested in Andy Warhol, this is an indispensible portrait of the man behind the pop art, "superstars," and Manhattan nightlife. It reveals a very warm, loving and dare I say "normal" side of a great artist whose sharp eye for modern culture was grounded in the blue collar practicality of his Pittsburgh roots. James Warhola, whose own keen eye is apparent in his wonderful words and pictures, has filled every page with fond and detailed memories. And reading his description of Uncle Andy, it's obvious that affection was mutual.

A Little Boy and His Wierd Uncle.......2006-02-21

"Uncle Andy's" isn't realy about Andy Warhol. It's about a boy who has a wacky uncle who lives in a wacky home and does wacky things. It reminds me of the movie "Unsung Heroes" with Mike Richards and Andie McDowel, where a boy retreats to his offbeat uncles in the 1960's.
James Warhola lived with his HUGE family in rural Pennsylvania, where his father is a (happy) junkman. They take trips to New York, where they crash at Uncle Andy's brownstone. The place is like a funhouse, full of cast-off tchotchkes and Andy's wierd art. They spend their time helping Andy with his paintings, exploring the house, and playing with his 20 cats. What kid wouldn't want to visit a place like this?
When I did a school project on Warhol at age 16 I was fascinated by this guy, but I wondered what it would be like to have him for a relative. Did he behave around his family the way he did with the press? The answer is YES, but that's what makes it so humorous. People say he hid under a wig and glasses, but Andy gives them all his old wigs to play with, and that's a funny twist on his personality; he made no secret of what he did with himself.
Some critics say that in truth, Andy's mother was bipolar and lived in the basement, smoking and drinking all day. We'll never know how he realy felt about the arrival of these country mice to his townhouse, but from the boy's perspective, the guy's cool. Uncle Andy's Place is the ultimate children's book about a wierd relative. I'm not as eccentric as Warhol, but I bought my nephews this book, and after 3 years they love to read it again and again.

Not-so raggedy Andy.......2004-06-16

With all the great picture books out there, it's no wonder that one or two fall through the cracks. I was very partial to "Uncle Andy's" when it came out last year, but no one seemed to pay it any mind. And this is a real shame when you sit down to look at it. Imagine, if you will, being related to one of the hippest New York artists working in the Pop Art scene. James Warhola has taken one of his childhood experiences and woven it into a faabbbulous story about visiting his rather well known uncle, Andy Warhol.

Living with his family in the countryside just a little ways from Pittsburgh, James Warhola always looked forward to the regular trips to Uncle Andy's. James's father was Andy's eldest brother, and worked in a junkyard. Always taking Andy a couple choice junk pieces, the family would pile into their station wagon and make the trip to visit Andy and their Grandmother Bubba. Once there, Andy's home was a kid's dream house. It was filled with crazy junk, pop art, and millions of different peculiar odds n' ends. It had twenty-five cats (all named Sam), paint by number paintings, wigs, art, you name it. Warhola goes on to recount some amusing problems that would arise from staying with Andy. For example, Andy was prone to staying out late partying and then sleeping in. One morning, James's little sister Maddie got tired of waiting for Andy to wake up so she walked right in. The house was pierced with a shriek (on the part of Andy) when it was clear that he hadn't put his wig on yet. James then goes on to explain that everyone in the family knew that Andy was bald, and that once Andy sent a box of his old wigs to his brother, allowing the family to goof around and try them all on. In the end the family would usually leave in the early morning when Andy was asleep, but he'd always leave a box of gifts for the kids by the front door to take home with them.

There's something so bizarre about this story that it makes perfect sense. For anyone doubting the possibility that Andy Warhol (he dropped the extra "a" from the end of his name when he moved to New York) would have country nieces and nephews, you need only look at a photograph supplied on the back book flap. There, beside two clean-cut early 1960s youngsters grins a devilish Andy Warhol, sunglasses and white wig intact. The authenticity of the tale doesn't stop there, however. Warhola has a wonderful sense of detail and intricacy that help him to tell his story well. When little James wakes up in a makeshift bed (a door set atop four strategically placed paint cans) he finds himself in a room filled with junk, art, and scattered clothing. There are Fantastic Four comic books and cats perched in every nook and cranny. Every picture in this book has at least fifty different tiny details and moments in it that make it worth rereading again and again.

So let's say you want to introduce your children to the great artists of the 20th century, but the last thing you want to do is to bore them. "Uncle Andy's" is not only the perfect choice, it is the ONLY choice in many respects. You can keep your Jasper Johns and Sally Manns to yourself. I'm an Andy fan through and through. And unlike other biographies of artists, this book is remarkable because it is:

a) A true story
b) A tale in the vein of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. You know. The mysterious proprietor and his amazing collection of wonders and marvels.
c) Well illustrated and well written.

There are other reasons to read this book to your kids (or to have them read it to you) but I think the ones I've listed should be sufficient. There may have been only one Andy Warhol, but he was a heckuva uncle and friend to his nieces and nephews. Take a little time to read something a little wild and I guarantee you'll enjoy it. That goes double for your kids.

Faabbulous...........2004-03-30

I was drawn to this book due to its wonderful drawings and the first page that said something about a junk yard... only when I brought the book home I learned that the wonderful drawings were no coincidence as we soon understand - and nor is the junkyard connection.
My son was immediately hooked and has asked me to read this story for the past three nights in a row. There are many things to like about this book: the large eccentric family (where the eccentric uncle fits like a glove), the very rich drawings that have you checking details on every page, and the interesting different story which seems to appeal to all ages.
There are many things to look for when reading the book together and our favorite page seems to be the one showing Uncle Andy's house "which is like an amusement park". What occupies us is our search for the twenty-five cats ("all named Sam"). Mysteriously we can only find twenty-four cats and are still looking for the missing Sam. We also have many other questions and wonders such as "Can't Bubba cook anything other then Salami and Cheese"? (that's the mother asking) and "What job did Uncle Andy assign to the young members of the family"? (that's the child asking).
The story has a very inherent artistic philosophy (art is everywhere and can be found everywhere) which is very easily understood by children and seems to perfectly suit their way of thinking. Also a lot of legitimacy to any kind of "art".

Average customer rating:

Captivating and lyrical!
Adjusting to New Culture
We have to teach a proper Spanish foundation
The Upside Down Boy

The Upside Down Boy / El niño de cabeza
Juan Felipe Herrera
Manufacturer: Children's Book Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0892391626

Book Description

The Upside Down Boy is Juan Felipe Herrera's memoir of the year his migrant family settled down so that he could go to school for the first time. Jaunito is bewildered by the new school and misses the warmth of country life. Everything he does feels upside down: He eats lunch when it's recess, he goes out to play when it's time for lunch, and his tongue feels like a rock when he speaks English. But his sensitive teacher and loving family help him find his voice through poetry, art, and music.

Customer Reviews:

Captivating and lyrical!.......2006-12-12

My seven-year old was absolutely captivated by this book. It is a heart-warming story, perfect for those who know how it feels to be a newcomer and at the same time illuminating to those who do not. The words are poetic and lyrical. The playful illustrations are strikingly beautiful, full of color, emotion, and expression. It is especially appropriate for children who have moved or are moving. However, anyone can enjoy the poetic message of love and support.

Adjusting to New Culture.......2006-08-30

In this sequel to Calling the Doves, Juanito's farm-worker parents settle down so that he can go to school. Suddenly, everything Juanito does feels upside down, but a sensitive teacher and devoted family help him make a place for himself. A 2000 Smithsonian Notable Book for Children. (summary by the Latino Recommended Reading List from the Association of American Publishers's * Publishing Latino Voices for America Task Force)

We have to teach a proper Spanish foundation.......2005-11-18

Porque este empeno en publicar libros en un espanol tan mal hablado?? porque enredar a la gente con palabras como 'troca'?? Aparte de que suena horrible y naco, es super incorrecto!

The Upside Down Boy.......2000-07-11

This multi-cultural storybook celebrates diversity through both the telling of the story and the inclusion of two languages: English and Spanish. Juanito is the son of migrant workers from Mexico. Neither of his parents had the opportunity to complete school, but realize the importance of education. When Juanito reaches school age, his parents settle down so that he may regularly attend. At first the new schedules feel strange to Juanito and he is often doing the wrong thing during designated times. However, once he adjusts, he discovers his beautiful singing voice, artistic talent, and receives high marks for a poem he wrote. He and his parents are proud of the success Juanito finds in school despite the challenge of adapting to an unfamiliar language and culture. The vibrant illustrations promote the positive feeling towords multiculturalism portrayed in this picture storybook.

A Place for Us: A Greek Immigrant Boy's Odyssey to a New Country and an Unknown Father

Average customer rating:

A fascinating lens
Highly recommended

A Place for Us: A Greek Immigrant Boy's Odyssey to a New Country and an Unknown Father
Nicholas Gage
Manufacturer: Chandler House Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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