Brings much-needed focus and unprecedented access to an oft-ignored community.
An introduction to the experiences of the visually impaired as well as the misconceptions about blind and low-vision artists.
Part art book, part sociological text, Howell’s debut boldly presents itself as “the voice of the blind and low-vision” in the artistic community, providing numerous firsthand sources to illuminate the accomplishments and hardships of visually impaired artists. Howell, a professional artist whose vision has been impaired since his teens, brings his own experiences to a series of interviews with 15 of his peers, from journeyman artists and appreciators to better-known figures such as Braldt Bralds and Bruce Hall. The result is an honest study of how the blind and low-vision both engage with their creativity and explore other artists’ work. Focusing less on medical or scientific aspects, the book instead analyzes how each subject perceives their world and art, with Howell theorizing the possibility of a self-created “inner vision” independent of actual sight. Along the way, a better understanding forms as to how the aid of other people, touch and, in some cases, limited vision contribute to each artist’s process, as well as the ways in which ableism has hindered them. The book’s interviews are easily its greatest asset, and each interviewee’s perceptions and experiences are coupled with numerous samples of their work (including Howell’s own), giving impressive visual reference to many of the concepts that might otherwise be difficult for readers to comprehend without experiencing them firsthand. The introductions to the individual interviews are inconsistent, however, with some participants receiving in-depth bios, while others only provide background information in the interview itself. Also, Howell too often takes the attention away from his subjects, at times asking leading questions and using their answers as a chance to interject his own opinions. Despite this, the book remains a remarkable and shockingly honest resource, not only for readers interested in these misrepresented, sometimes tokenized members of the artistic community, but for anyone looking for an intimate examination of an artist’s creative process.
Brings much-needed focus and unprecedented access to an oft-ignored community.Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2013
ISBN: 978-0615709055
Page Count: 234
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: April 22, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
In more ways than one, a tale about young creatures testing their wings; a moving, entertaining winner.
A fifth-grade New Orleans girl discovers a mysterious chrysalis containing an unexpected creature in this middle-grade novel.
Jacquelyn Marie Johnson, called Jackie, is a 10-year-old African-American girl, the second oldest and the only girl of six siblings. She’s responsible, smart, and enjoys being in charge; she likes “paper dolls and long division and imagining things she had never seen.” Normally, Jackie has no trouble obeying her strict but loving parents. But when her potted snapdragon acquires a peculiar egg or maybe a chrysalis (she dubs it a chrysalegg), Jackie’s strong desire to protect it runs up against her mother’s rule against plants in the house. Jackie doesn’t exactly mean to lie, but she tells her mother she needs to keep the snapdragon in her room for a science project and gets permission. Jackie draws the chrysalegg daily, waiting for something to happen as it gets larger. When the amazing creature inside breaks free, Jackie is more determined than ever to protect it, but this leads her further into secrets and lies. The results when her parents find out are painful, and resolving the problem will take courage, honesty, and trust. Dumas (Jaden Toussaint, the Greatest: Episode 5, 2017, etc.) presents a very likable character in Jackie. At 10, she’s young enough to enjoy playing with paper dolls but has a maturity that even older kids can lack. She’s resourceful, as when she wants to measure a red spot on the chrysalegg; lacking calipers, she fashions one from her hairpin. Jackie’s inward struggle about what to obey—her dearest wishes or the parents she loves—is one many readers will understand. The book complicates this question by making Jackie’s parents, especially her mother, strict (as one might expect to keep order in a large family) but undeniably loving and protective as well—it’s not just a question of outwitting clueless adults. Jackie’s feelings about the creature (tender and responsible but also more than a little obsessive) are similarly shaded rather than black-and-white. The ending suggests that an intriguing sequel is to come.
In more ways than one, a tale about young creatures testing their wings; a moving, entertaining winner.Pub Date: Nov. 11, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943169-32-0
Page Count: 212
Publisher: Plum Street Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A YA novel that treats its subject and its readers with respect while delivering an engaging story.
In the ninth book in the Bluford young-adult series, a young Latino man walks away from violence—but at great personal cost.
In a large Southern California city, 16-year-old Martin Luna hangs out on the fringes of gang life. He’s disaffected, fatherless and increasingly drawn into the orbit of the older, rougher Frankie. When a stray bullet kills Martin’s adored 8-year-old brother, Huero, Martin seems to be heading into a life of crime. But Martin’s mother, determined not to lose another son, moves him to another neighborhood—the fictional town of Bluford, where he attends the racially diverse Bluford High. At his new school, the still-grieving Martin quickly makes enemies and gets into trouble. But he also makes friends with a kind English teacher and catches the eye of Vicky, a smart, pretty and outgoing Bluford student. Martin’s first-person narration supplies much of the book’s power. His dialogue is plain, but realistic and believable, and the authors wisely avoid the temptation to lard his speech with dated and potentially embarrassing slang. The author draws a vivid and affecting picture of Martin’s pain and confusion, bringing a tight-lipped teenager to life. In fact, Martin’s character is so well drawn that when he realizes the truth about his friend Frankie, readers won’t feel as if they are watching an after-school special, but as though they are observing the natural progression of Martin’s personal growth. This short novel appears to be aimed at urban teens who don’t often see their neighborhoods portrayed in young-adult fiction, but its sophisticated characters and affecting story will likely have much wider appeal.
A YA novel that treats its subject and its readers with respect while delivering an engaging story.Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2004
ISBN: 978-1591940173
Page Count: 152
Publisher: Townsend Press
Review Posted Online: Jan. 26, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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