A thorough, glowing biography that sheds light on the achievements of an extraordinary scientist.
Valente details the life, struggles, and revolutionary research of Nobel Prize–winning Italian scientist Rita Levi-Montalcini (1909-2012).
Born in Turin to a prominent Jewish family, Levi-Montalcini began life as a painfully shy child in a stringently patriarchal society. She studied medicine at the University of Turin against her father’s wishes, under the tutelage of histologist Giuseppe Levi (no relation).She showed determination and skill as a neurobiology researcher, but her life was upended, like those of so many other Italian Jews, by the rise of fascism and World War II. As antisemitic laws banned Jewish people from nearly all aspects of public life and the Nazis occupied Northern Italy, Levi-Montalcini carried out her research precariously and in secret. Conducting experiments in a bedroom lab on chicken eggs, she began her study of a neuropeptide that would eventually be called nerve growth factor—the co-discovery of which won her a 1986 Nobel Prize. After the war, she accepted a research position at Washington University of St. Louis, eventually joining forces with biochemist Stanley Cohen. Together, they broke new ground regarding nerve growth factor, proving to the scientific community that the nervous system could be influenced by external factors. This discovery facilitated breakthroughs in developmental neurobiology and disease and wound treatments. Levi-Montalcini was also a lifelong advocate for women’s equality, education, human rights, and the use of science as a force for good. Over the course of this book, Valente’s prose can feel dry or clinical at times, particularly when it’s discussing scientific research: “Their main objective was to understand the role of the intrinsic, genetic factors vis-à-vis the extrinsic or environmental ones in the differentiation of the nervous centers.” However, the book’s style is otherwise straightforward, which makes it a good fit for young readers, and Levi-Montalcini’s remarkable life is nothing short of inspiring. Valente’s attention to detail and immense admiration for her subject shine through on every page of this work, which also includes such backmatter as Levi-Montalcini’s Nobel Prize acceptance speech and an excerpt from her memoir.
A thorough, glowing biography that sheds light on the achievements of an extraordinary scientist.Pub Date: May 19, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-947431-36-2
Page Count: 278
Publisher: Barbera Foundation
Review Posted Online: June 11, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
PERSPECTIVES
A blissfully vicarious, heartfelt glimpse into the life of a Manhattan burlesque dancer.
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
A slick, vacuous glimpse into the former first lady’s White House years.
A carefully curated personal portrait.
First ladies’ roles have evolved significantly in recent decades. Their memoirs typically reflect a spectrum of ambition and interests, offering insights into their values and personal lives. Melania Trump, however, stands out as exceptionally private and elusive. Her ultra-lean account attempts to shed light on her public duties, initiatives, and causes as first lady, and it defends certain actions like her controversial “I REALLY DON’T CARE, DO U?” jacket. The statement was directed at the media, not the border situation, she claims. Yet the book provides scant detail about her personal orbit or day-to-day interactions. The memoir opens with her well-known Slovenian origin story, successful modeling career, and whirlwind romance with Donald Trump, culminating in their 2005 marriage, followed by a snapshot of Election Day 2016: “Each time we were together that day, I was impressed by his calm.…This man is remarkably confident under pressure.” Once in the White House, Melania Trump describes her functions and numerous public events at home and abroad, which she asserts were more accomplished than media representations suggested. However, she rarely shares any personal interactions beyond close family ties, notably her affection for her son, Barron, and her sister, Ines. And of course she lavishes praise on her husband. Minimal anecdotes about White House or cabinet staff are included, and she carefully defuses her rumored tensions with Trump’s adult children, blandly stating, “While we may share the same last name, each of us is distinct with our own aspirations and paths to follow.” Although Melania’s desire to support causes related to children’s and women’s welfare feels authentic, the overall tenor of her memoir seems aimed at painting a glimmering portrait of her husband and her role, likely with an eye toward the forthcoming election.
A slick, vacuous glimpse into the former first lady’s White House years.Pub Date: Oct. 8, 2024
ISBN: 9781510782693
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing
Review Posted Online: Oct. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2024
PERSPECTIVES
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