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THE LAST DIVING HORSE IN AMERICA

RESCUING GAMAL AND OTHER ANIMALS—LESSONS IN LIVING AND LOVING

The history of an admirable organization that falls short in its delivery.

A memoir about the rescue of a sideshow animal as part of the work of a flagship animal rights group.

Branigan shares her experiences working for the Fund for Animals and its president, Cleveland Amory, one of the main architects of the modern animal protection movement. As a case study, the author focuses on the organization’s rescue of a horse named Gamal, believed to be the last diving horse used at the Atlantic City Steel Pier, and the bond that formed between them. Based on extensive research, Branigan shares the history of the diving horse attraction (“animals trained to leap, with a woman on their backs, from a forty-foot platform into a ten-foot-deep tank of water”), details regarding other horses that were parts of the show, and her traumatic experience as an audience member. The author includes the heartwarming stories of other animals that the Fund for Animals rescued during her tenure at the organization, including burros from the Grand Canyon, another diving horse named Shiloh, and a llama named Hot Britches. Unfortunately, the author’s narrative does not offer the same respect for the humans who have assisted the organization in caring for the rescued animals. When discussing the organization’s facility in Texas, Black Beauty Ranch, Branigan makes clichéd comments about the culture and accent of Texans, even though, at that point, she admittedly had not yet visited Texas or met a resident from the state. Regarding a business trip she later made to the ranch, she shares stories that focus more than necessary on the appearances of several individuals as well as innuendo regarding the actions of others. Though these details may be intended as local color to set the scene, their abundance detracts from Branigan’s message about her organization, which clearly does important work.

The history of an admirable organization that falls short in its delivery.

Pub Date: Sept. 28, 2021

ISBN: 978-1-101-87195-9

Page Count: 288

Publisher: Pantheon

Review Posted Online: July 26, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2021

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  • New York Times Bestseller

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TANQUERAY

A blissfully vicarious, heartfelt glimpse into the life of a Manhattan burlesque dancer.

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  • New York Times Bestseller

A former New York City dancer reflects on her zesty heyday in the 1970s.

Discovered on a Manhattan street in 2020 and introduced on Stanton’s Humans of New York Instagram page, Johnson, then 76, shares her dynamic history as a “fiercely independent” Black burlesque dancer who used the stage name Tanqueray and became a celebrated fixture in midtown adult theaters. “I was the only black girl making white girl money,” she boasts, telling a vibrant story about sex and struggle in a bygone era. Frank and unapologetic, Johnson vividly captures aspects of her former life as a stage seductress shimmying to blues tracks during 18-minute sets or sewing lingerie for plus-sized dancers. Though her work was far from the Broadway shows she dreamed about, it eventually became all about the nightly hustle to simply survive. Her anecdotes are humorous, heartfelt, and supremely captivating, recounted with the passion of a true survivor and the acerbic wit of a weathered, street-wise New Yorker. She shares stories of growing up in an abusive household in Albany in the 1940s, a teenage pregnancy, and prison time for robbery as nonchalantly as she recalls selling rhinestone G-strings to prostitutes to make them sparkle in the headlights of passing cars. Complemented by an array of revealing personal photographs, the narrative alternates between heartfelt nostalgia about the seedier side of Manhattan’s go-go scene and funny quips about her unconventional stage performances. Encounters with a variety of hardworking dancers, drag queens, and pimps, plus an account of the complexities of a first love with a drug-addled hustler, fill out the memoir with personality and candor. With a narrative assist from Stanton, the result is a consistently titillating and often moving story of human struggle as well as an insider glimpse into the days when Times Square was considered the Big Apple’s gloriously unpolished underbelly. The book also includes Yee’s lush watercolor illustrations.

A blissfully vicarious, heartfelt glimpse into the life of a Manhattan burlesque dancer.

Pub Date: July 12, 2022

ISBN: 978-1-250-27827-2

Page Count: 192

Publisher: St. Martin's

Review Posted Online: July 27, 2022

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WAR

An engrossing and ominous chronicle, told by a master of the form.

Documenting perilous times.

In his most recent behind-the-scenes account of political power and how it is wielded, Woodward synthesizes several narrative strands, from the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection and Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel to the 2024 presidential campaign. Woodward’s clear, gripping storytelling benefits from his legendary access to prominent figures and a structure of propulsive chapters. The run-up to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is tense (if occasionally repetitive), as a cast of geopolitical insiders try to divine Vladimir Putin’s intent: “Doubt among allies, the public and among Ukrainians meant valuable time and space for Putin to maneuver.” Against this backdrop, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham implores Donald Trump to run again, notwithstanding the former president’s denial of his 2020 defeat. This provides unwelcome distraction for President Biden, portrayed as a thoughtful, compassionate lifetime politico who could not outrace time, as demonstrated in the June 2024 debate. Throughout, Trump’s prevarications and his supporters’ cynicism provide an unsettling counterpoint to warnings provided by everyone from former Joint Chief of Staff Mark Milley to Vice President Kamala Harris, who calls a second Trump term a likely “death knell for American democracy.” The author’s ambitious scope shows him at the top of his capabilities. He concludes with these unsettling words: “Based on my reporting, Trump’s language and conduct has at times presented risks to national security—both during his presidency and afterward.”

An engrossing and ominous chronicle, told by a master of the form.

Pub Date: Oct. 15, 2024

ISBN: 9781668052273

Page Count: 448

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Review Posted Online: Oct. 15, 2024

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2024

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