A superb storyteller, Tingle has collected Choctaw tales from his great-grandfather’s account of the Trail of Tears to his own tale of a summer with his father. That summer the two—with contrasting ideas and thoughts—worked side-by-side and came to respect one another. The battle, Tingle says, went on for 20 more years until during the last ten when they became best friends. But the most gripping tale is Tingle’s account of his own youth and the day he realized his grandmother was blind, and the day years later when the family all gathered as his grandmother underwent one of the first eye-transplant surgeries. Poetic language and a compelling but quiet voice honor the Native American traditions for both the native and the non-native reader. This collection may need some advertising, but readers who discover it will come to appreciate the tales. (Short stories. 10-15)
Pub Date: June 1, 2003
ISBN: 0-938317-74-1
Page Count: 152
Publisher: Cinco Puntos Press
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2003
The Lightmans have created a massive, illuminating alphabetical listing of 447 Greco-Roman women, who are each profiled in entries that range from a few lines to a few pages. The intriguing information is often presented in a lively manner, profiling women who influenced the times in which they lived. Through their lives, a picture of this particular era, from 6th-century b.c. to a.d. 476, emerges (with details often omitted from other history texts covering the same period) that powerfully evokes the past roles of women. Sources for the information are given following every entry. The format gives rise to one small problem, in that so many of those included have the same name. The book, by necessity, covers 15 Cleopatras; students seeking information on the one who got mixed up with Mark Antony will have to cover almost a dozen entries before locating her. The same is true for all the Agrippinas, Julias, Livias, etc. The glossary and bibliography will be useful to more scholarly readers; the hope is that less-practiced researchers won’t be frustrated by the stumbling blocks of the volume’s organization, and barred from its entertaining, solidly educational gems. (b&w illustrations, map, glossary, bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 12-15)
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-8160-3112-6
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Facts On File
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 1999
This admiring portrait hangs on the theme of freedom: both word and idea recur frequently, not only in chapter headings and picture captions but throughout the text, from terms like ``freedom fighter'' to a comparison between Mandela and our Founding Fathers. Feinberg describes South Africa's history plus Nelson Mandela's life, struggles, imprisonment, and release (and also Winnie Mandela's courageous career) in general terms; recent books such as Denenberg's biography (p. 106/C-18) cover the ground in greater detail but are aimed at older readers. Small b&w photos capture Mandela's presence and dignity. Chronology through June 1990; no bibliography or index. (Biography. 10-13)
Pub Date: May 10, 1991
ISBN: 0-7910-1569-6
Page Count: 76
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 1991
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