Ali makes a near-perfect subject for this eye-catching example of creative nonfiction.
The story of sports icon Muhammad Ali is told through created documents that explore his controversial life and its impact.
Ali was probably the first figure whose time on the public stage brought together issues of sports, race, religion and politics. His larger-than-life persona attracted great media attention, much of it polarizing. To tell his story, Denenberg has created fictional articles from newspapers and magazines, “man-on-the-street” interviews, letters to the editor, and “breaking news” radio and TV transcripts, all well-grounded in the context of the turbulent 1960s and ’70s. Ali’s religious conversion, his adoption of the name that defined him, and his relationships with Malcolm X and Elijah Muhammad are shown generating mixed reactions in both black and white communities. The boxer’s stand against the Vietnam War, the career price he paid and his comeback culminating in his current legendary status round out the narrative. Period photographs and sepia-tone pages support the style of the telling. Similar to other works of nonfiction that employ fictional techniques, the created documents are based on the author’s extensive research and serve to focus on those aspects of Ali’s life that will resonate, and the accessible layout will connect especially with reluctant readers.
Ali makes a near-perfect subject for this eye-catching example of creative nonfiction. (timeline, bibliography) (Biography. 10-14)Pub Date: Sept. 23, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4814-0141-8
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2014
Full of laughter and sentiment, this is a nudge for readers to dare to try new things.
A 1989 summer trip to Europe changes Caldecott Medal winner Santat’s life in this graphic memoir.
Young Dan hasn’t experienced much beyond the small Southern California town he grew up in. He stays out of trouble, helps his parents, and tries to go unnoticed in middle school. That plan gets thwarted when he is made to recite poetry at a school assembly and is humiliated by his peers. When eighth grade is over and his parents send him on a three-week study abroad program, Dan isn’t excited at first. He’s traveling with girls from school whom he has awkward relationships with, his camera breaks, and he feels completely out of place. But with the help of some new friends, a crush, and an encouraging teacher, Dan begins to appreciate and enjoy the journey. Through experiences like his first taste of Fanta, first time hearing French rap, and first time getting lost on his own in a foreign country in the middle of the night, he finally begins to feel comfortable just being himself and embracing the unexpected. This entertaining graphic memoir is a relatable story of self-discovery. Flashbacks to awkward memories are presented in tones of blue that contrast with the full-color artwork through which Santat creates the perfect balance of humor and poignancy. The author’s note and photos offer readers more fun glimpses into his pivotal adventure.
Full of laughter and sentiment, this is a nudge for readers to dare to try new things. (Graphic memoir. 10-14)Pub Date: Feb. 28, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-250-85104-8
Page Count: 320
Publisher: First Second
Review Posted Online: Nov. 28, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2022
PERSPECTIVES
PERSPECTIVES
Hot on the heels of the well-received Leonardo da Vinci (2005) comes another agreeably chatty entry in the Giants of Science series. Here the pioneering physicist is revealed as undeniably brilliant, but also cantankerous, mean-spirited, paranoid and possibly depressive. Newton’s youth and annus mirabilis receive respectful treatment, the solitude enforced by family estrangement and then the plague seen as critical to the development of his thoughtful, methodical approach. His subsequent squabbles with the rest of the scientific community—he refrained from publishing one treatise until his rival was dead—further support the image of Newton as a scientific lone wolf. Krull’s colloquial treatment sketches Newton’s advances in clearly understandable terms without bogging the text down with detailed explanations. A final chapter on “His Impact” places him squarely in the pantheon of great thinkers, arguing that both his insistence on the scientific method and his theories of physics have informed all subsequent scientific thought. A bibliography, web site and index round out the volume; the lack of detail on the use of sources is regrettable in an otherwise solid offering for middle-grade students. (Biography. 10-14)
Pub Date: April 1, 2006
ISBN: 0-670-05921-8
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2006
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