Likely to fill in some gaps even for devoted fans of the Notorious RBG.
Fabulous facts and foibles from the life and career of the legendary Supreme Court justice.
As it happens, Ruth Bader Ginsburg was not only a poor driver, but also such a terrible cook that her husband took over both driving and kitchen duties. Following the format of other entries in the Wait! What? series, this title sees bookish sibs Paige and Turner exchange in dialogue biographical bits and bobs that, taken together, make up a colorful profile of the late, great Ginsburg—with value-added side lists like other southpaws of renown, statistics that trace the rising number of women attending law school over her lifetime, and exclamations of amazement that the Supreme Court justices get their own parking garage, gym, basketball court, and spittoons (the last repurposed as trash cans). Though Gutman does plant one potential bomb by name-dropping Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita (the author was a professor of hers at Cornell), in general, he offers a judicious selection of facts to illuminate her character and career, including encounters with gender discrimination and antisemitism, nods to some of her most prominent cases as she climbed the judicial ladder, and her unlikely friendship with archconservative colleague Antonin Scalia. Steinfeld adds plenty of simply drawn vignettes and thumbnail portraits…mostly of White figures, though the two young narrators present as African American.
Likely to fill in some gaps even for devoted fans of the Notorious RBG. (further reading) (Biography. 8-10)Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-324-03069-0
Page Count: 112
Publisher: Norton Young Readers
Review Posted Online: July 12, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
It’s an often-told story, but the author is still in a position to give it a unique perspective.
The author of Promises to Keep: How Jackie Robinson Changed America (2004) tells her father’s tale again, for younger readers.
Though using a less personal tone this time and referring to herself in the third person, Robinson still devotes as much attention to his family life, youth and post-baseball career as she does to his achievements on the field. Writing in short sentences and simple language, she presents a clear picture of the era’s racial attitudes and the pressures he faced both in the military service and in baseball—offering plenty of clear reasons to regard him not just as a champion athlete, but as a hero too. An early remark about how he ran with “a bunch of black, Japanese, and Mexican boys” while growing up in Pasadena is insensitively phrased, and a sweeping claim that by 1949 “[t]he racial tension was broken” in baseball is simplistic. Nevertheless, by and large her account covers the bases adequately. The many photos include an admixture of family snapshots, and a closing Q-and-A allows the author to announce the imminent release of a new feature film about Robinson.
It’s an often-told story, but the author is still in a position to give it a unique perspective. (Biography. 8-10)Pub Date: March 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-545-54006-3
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013
A squeaky-clean biography of the original Mouseketeer.
Scollon begins with the (to say the least) arguable claim that Disney grew up to “define and shape what would come to be known as the American Century.” Following this, he retraces Disney’s life and career, characterizing him as a visionary whose only real setbacks came from excess ambition or at the hands of unscrupulous film distributors. Disney’s brother Roy appears repeatedly to switch between roles as encourager and lead doubter, but except in chapters covering his childhood, the rest of his family only puts in occasional cameos. Unsurprisingly, there is no mention of Disney’s post–World War II redbaiting, and his most controversial film, Song of the South, gets only a single reference (and that with a positive slant). More puzzling is the absence of Mary Poppins from the tally of Disney triumphs. Still, readers will come away with a good general picture of the filmmaking and animation techniques that Disney pioneered, as well as a highlight history of his studio, television work and amusement parks. Discussion questions are appended: “What do you think were Walt Disney’s greatest accomplishments and why?” Brown’s illustrations not seen. An iconic success story that has often been told before but rarely so one-dimensionally or with such firm adherence to the company line. (bibliography) (Biography. 8-10)
Pub Date: July 15, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4231-9647-1
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Disney Press
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2014
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