An earnest if jumbled effort to point out character-building values.
Fifty-two portraits of real-world heroes, from that “troublemaker” Abe Lincoln to Miep Gies, the “lawbreaker” who hid Anne Frank and her family.
Originally issued in 2010 and reprinted with only minor changes, Meltzer’s gallery pairs black-and-white portraits—photos, except for George Washington and Thomas Jefferson—with pithy proofs of, in his view, each figure’s admirable character. Washington, for instance, he touts not for winning a war but for voluntarily stepping down from the presidency when he could easily have remained in power. Some of his choices, such as Charlie Chaplin and George H.W. Bush, may not look so heroic upon fuller examination. Still, it’s hard not to agree when he lauds the courage of Special Olympics swimmer Andy Miyares, the Wright Brothers (“Crash and rebuild. Crash and rebuild. But never ever, ever give up”), and Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi. He also praises Frank Shankwitz, founder of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and other philanthropists; Fred Rogers for teaching kindness; John Lennon for peace activism; and Lucille Ball for, well, being funny. He arranges his entries in no particular order, seldom adds much biographical detail, and occasionally lets rhetoric trump clarity, telling readers that Einstein “questioned the status quo. His idea? Everything is full of energy. His conclusion? E=mc2.” Most of his choices are white, male, and Euro-American, but he does include 15 women, a dozen African-Americans, and a handful of world citizens. He also leaves blank pages for readers to write in heroes of their own.
An earnest if jumbled effort to point out character-building values. (Nonfiction. 10-13)Pub Date: Oct. 25, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-06-243931-4
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Sept. 18, 2016
In no particular order and using no set criteria for his selections, veteran sportscaster Berman pays tribute to an arbitrary gallery of baseball stars—all familiar names and, except for the Yankees’ Alex Rodriguez, retired from play for decades. Repeatedly taking the stance that statistics are just numbers but then reeling off batting averages, home-run totals, wins (for pitchers) and other data as evidence of greatness, he offers career highlights in a folksy narrative surrounded by photos, side comments and baseball-card–style notes in side boxes. Readers had best come to this with some prior knowledge, since he casually drops terms like “slugging percentage,” “dead ball era” and “barnstorming” without explanation and also presents a notably superficial picture of baseball’s history—placing the sport’s “first half-century” almost entirely in the 1900s, for instance, and condescendingly noting that Jackie Robinson’s skill led Branch Rickey to decide that he “was worthy of becoming the first black player to play in the majors.” The awesome feats of Ruth, Mantle, the Gibsons Bob and Josh, Hank Aaron, Ty Cobb and the rest are always worth a recap—but this one’s strictly minor league. (Nonfiction. 10-12)
Pub Date: Sept. 7, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-4022-3886-4
Page Count: 138
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: Aug. 2, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2010
BOOK REVIEW
Hopping wraps her cogent account of how the Nee-mee-pu (Nez Perce) were rooted out of their homeland and only subdued after a long and heroic pursuit around twin character portraits of the group and of its most renowned member. While presenting Joseph as one chief among several—and not a war chief, as sometimes depicted, but “a peace chief, a civil leader” whose greatest skill was the ability to “sway others with well-chosen words”—she places him in a peaceable, prosperous and steady society that enjoyed good relations with encroaching “So-ya-pu” until broken promises, profound misunderstanding and outright aggression escalated into violence. Joseph argued for peace before and during the tragic “War of 1877” and in later years too as he became a nationally known figure. His tale has been told plenty of times to young audiences, but this iteration comes in an appealingly compact format, with plenty of contemporary photos and maps, plus a generous selection of backmatter. (glossary, bibliography, source notes, index) (Biography. 11-13)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-4027-6842-2
Page Count: 124
Publisher: Sterling
Review Posted Online: Dec. 26, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2010
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