Tag Archives: biography
Wicked Women
Biography & Autobiography
TwoDot
2015-01-20
224
This collection of short, action-filled stories of the Old West s most egregiously badly behaved female outlaws, gamblers, soiled doves, and other wicked women by award-winning Western history author Chris Enss offers a glimpse into Western Women s experience that's less sunbonnets and more six-shooters. Pulling together stories of ladies caught in the acts of mayhem, distraction, murder, and highway robbery, it will include famous names like Belle Starr and Big Nose Kate, as well as lesser known characters."
Review:
“Wicked Women” is a fun read that also includes a wealth of little-known history. It’s obviously well-researched and written from a point of love of the wild west. The stories feature a wide variety of women whose stories will have you laughing and horrified, sometimes both at the same time.
I definitely recommend “Wicked Women” for anyone with an interest in women’s history, the wild west, or even history in general. It’s an easy read that can appeal to anyone.
This review is based upon a complimentary copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warning:
As this is a book meant for an adult, there is no content warning.
Pioneer Girl: The Annotated Autobiography
Biography & Autobiography
2014-09-01
Laura Ingalls Wilder's unedited, and unpublished, draft of her autobiography that was written for an adult audience and eventually served as the foundation for her popular Little House on the Prairie series includes not-safe-for-children tales that feature stark scenes of domestic abuse, love triangles gone awry and a man who lit himself on fire while drunk off whiskey.
Review:
As with many readers, much of my early reading involved the Little House on the Prairie books by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Of course, that world was also brought into our homes through the television series of the same name. It is not a stretch to say it has been a beloved staple of childhood for generations, including my own. Therefore, I was thrilled to get an advanced copy “Pioneer Girl: The Annotated Biography” through the Goodreads First Reads program in exchange for an honest review.
Here comes the honesty: this edition of “Pioneer Girl” is an absolute must have for all Laura Ingalls Wilder fans, fans of either form of Little House on the Prairie, as well as anyone interested in the history of the great plains. It is everything I hoped it would be and more.
The annotations are thorough and include little known facts about Mrs. Wilder herself, but also about the daily living of her time. Photos give a wonderful glimpse into the real people behind the stories and include such additions of schoolyard play in small towns. Her life comes alive in the minds of readers thanks to the photography and annotations.
Perhaps the biggest draw of “Pioneer Girl” is it was written as more of a diary of memories, skipping back and forth as her mind saw fit, and it was not changed as the Little House on the Prairie books were to add that little zing of which publishers are so fond. This is her story, stark, detailed, and wonderful, as she meant it to be.
I give “Pioneer Girl: The Annotated Autobiography” a hundred stars, but the rating system will only allow me to put five of them here. And don’t forget, this would make an excellent gift for the fans of Little House in the prairie in your life!
Cinderland: A Memoir
Biography & Autobiography
Beacon Press (MA)
2014-10-07
216
"Amy Jo Burns grew up in Mercury, PA--a small, conservative Rust Belt town fallen sleepy a decade after the steel industry's collapse. But the year Amy turned ten, everyone in Mercury woke up. That was the year Howard Lotte, Mercury's beloved piano teacher, was accused of committing indiscretions during his lessons. Among the girls questioned, only seven dared to tell the truth that would ostracize them from the community. Amy Jo Burns was one of the girls who lied. Her memoir, CINDERLAND, navigates the impact that lie had on her adolescent years to follow--tracing all the boys she ran from and toward, the girls she betrayed, and the endless performances she put on to please a town that never trusted girls in the first place. CINDERLAND is literary memoir of the highest caliber. A slim, searing feat of narrative beauty, it is full of psychologically nuanced grappling, imagery of fire and steel, and eerily universal shadows of adolescence"--
Review:
It is difficult to write a review of a memoir, due in part to it being someone’s life story that was partially laid out for them by circumstances of birth, as well as the fact that the author is an inherently flawed narrator by only having their own thoughts to base it upon. In fiction, even if written in first-person, at least the author has an idea of what is going on in the other characters. “Cinderland: A Memoir” is particularly difficult due to the subject of molestation. Anyone being able to write about it deserves credit for that alone.
That all being said, this review took me days to finish, and I finally decided to review as I would any other story, fictional or not. It is based upon a complimentary copy provided through the Goodreads First Reads program in exchange for an honest review.
The positive of “Cinderland” is that it does an excellent job of exploring the feelings that stay with abuse victims throughout their lives. It takes an emotional and developmental toll. It was also extremely honest in terms of the guilt the author felt over not having spoken out about the abuse she suffered, leaving the fallout to the other girls who did speak out. As uncomfortable as it is to read, I feel that it’s very important to expose the way people blame victims, even if it is unintentional.
Unfortunately, the author comes across as someone who feels like those around her are beneath her in some way, especially those who have no goals to get out of the town. While she admits to loving to the town, it is implied that those who are content there have no ambition and are trapped. It is as though she never begins to think that they may love living there and want that life. In keeping with this trend, while she writes that the need for the spotlight was to hide what she was truly feeling, it is very obvious she was smart and popular. That is not a bad thing, but again, there was a feeling of dismissal of those who were content to be in the background of things.
In spite of this, the positives would have led me to give “Cinderland” four stars. That is, until the part that dealt more with Aaron. For someone who meant so much to her, his deepest scars were revealed with very little empathy and absolutely no follow-up. I could understand if it was a protection of privacy, but if that was the case, his secrets should have been left out entirely. The broken-hearted boy who was obviously being taken advantage in a relationship by someone in a position of power, physically abused, and had stood by her throughout her life with not much acknowledgement until the end of high school, was in my opinion the most sympathetic character in the book. As it was written he was used by and disposable to the author. Of all people, she should have understood his hurt, but all that was written was what he did for her. Unlike what the author wrote, leaving a town does not mean having to make a clean break from those you love.
I am not afraid to admit that I searched the thank you notes hoping that “Aaron” would have been mentioned. He helped her through, but apparently did not even warrant that.
The disregard for those around her are what makes me absolutely not recommend this book. It reads like a self-congratulatory slap on the back and is, quite frankly, grating.
Content Warning:
As this is an adult book, the only warning I will included is that there is frank discussion of child molestation, so please keep that in mind if it may trigger you.
The Scarlett Letters: The Making of the Film Gone With the Wind
Biography & Autobiography
Taylor Trade Pub
2014-10-08
560
The Scarlett Letters is a collection of letters written by Margaret Mitchell, author of the classic American novel, Gone With the Wind, about the making of the 1939 motion picture version of her novel. It features more than 300 letters she wrote to fans and members of the film s cast and crew about the making of the movie, its premiere, and its worldwide success. Her ability to weave a story makes for delightful reading in her correspondence with a who s who of Hollywood, from producer David O. Selznick, director George Cukor, and screenwriter Sidney Howard, to cast members Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh, Leslie Howard, Olivia de Havilland, and Hattie McDaniel."
Review:
In “The Scarlett Letters”, author John Wiley Jr. has given fans the most comprehensive history of the behind-the-scenes making of the movie. There is a wealth of information contained within the pages, and I cannot fathom the amount of research such a book required, but thank Mr. Wiley from the bottom of my Scarlett and Rhett loving heart.
The letters from Margaret Mitchell range from to the largest players in bringing her beloved novel to screen to some of the smallest. It is easy to see that the movie would not have been the same were it not for her extensive involvement and somewhat iron hand. Even more endearing is the humor she expressed at every turn, and the way she handled gossip and scandal was delightfully surprising. There is almost as much to learn about the customs of the time as there is about the movie itself.
I cannot think of a better way to see history than through the direct correspondence of those involved. Mr. Wiley has set the bar high for others who come after him, and all of us fans owe him a great debt of gratitude.
You may think you know “Gone With the Wind”, but you don’t know the half of it until you read “The Scarlett Letters”.
This review is based upon a complimentary copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Walt Before Mickey: Disney’s Early Years 1919-1928
Biography & Autobiography
2014-09-01
384
The untold story of ten critical, formative years in the great producer's life
Review:
This review is of a complimentary copy provided through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
“Walt Before Mickey” by Timothy S. Susanin is one of the, if not the, most exhaustive accounts of Disney’s early years that can be found. The research is thorough, and it shows.
I have mixed feelings on “Walt Before Mickey”. As a historian, and a huge Disney nerd, the facts presented are a treasure trove. Almost all of the information is rare, the sources are solid and well-documented, and it brings a feeling of closeness to Disney himself.
On the other hand, there is almost too much information. Every single person he met has a painstaking account of their looks and history. Not that those things are not important, but it slows it down and takes away from what is important. More than once I found my mind wandering during these descriptions, and it really is a shame that it mars what is otherwise an exceptional account of a great man.
I can highly recommend “Walt Before Mickey” to historians or those with an intense interest in Disney himself, but would recommend those with a casual interest to give this one a pass.
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