Four Years of Freedom

Name: Four Years of Freedom
Author: Dean Jacobs
ISBN: B00A3KTH7O

by Dean Jacobs ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 7, 2012

A rare glimpse inside a shattered life buoyed by the enduring possibility of redemption.

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A repentant gangbanger recounts how it all went wrong in this rough-hewn but nevertheless riveting in-and-out-of-prison memoir.

Dean (formerly “Lonely”) Jacobs was charged with a murder he says he didn’t commit. But maintaining his innocence isn’t the focus of his heartfelt tell-all; instead, it’s an introspective meditation and cautionary tale about how a privileged kid from a stable family chucked it all away in a nearly inscrutable quest to be “cool.” Tired of being picked on at school, and obsessed with social status, young Jacobs decided that the answer to all his problems was to transform himself into a hard-core “Cholo”—one of the predominantly Mexican-American street-toughs that commanded the gang hierarchy in his Southern California town. According to Jacobs, that fateful decision put him on a crooked path that inexorably led to his incarceration. In this part-confessional, part-jailhouse exposé, the author unflinchingly casts a critical eye on both himself and the California criminal justice system. He may be a hardheaded punk in need of course correction, but the justice system is proven to be a profoundly corrupt institution in need of immediate reform. The title refers to the protracted period of time Jacobs spent out on bail traveling abroad, earnestly taking steps to shake off his gangster mentality while also waiting for his murder trial to finally convene. The tone of that sojourn is both inspiring and disheartening, as the author displays a kind of steely aplomb that forges ahead in spite of the looming danger. His prose may be unpolished (groups are often indicated numerically, as in 2 guys and 3 girls), but Jacobs has an innate sense of drama and never tips his hand regarding his ultimate fate until the very end. He may or may not be innocent, but his incredible journey cannot be ignored.

A rare glimpse inside a shattered life buoyed by the enduring possibility of redemption.

Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2012

ISBN: B00A3KTH7O

Page Count: 198

Publisher: CreateSpace

Review Posted Online: April 25, 2013

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

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THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.