paper 0-8028-5148-8 Paying tribute to both the political skills and the deep spirituality of Plymouth Colony’s guiding light, Schmidt (Sin Eater, 1996) paints a warm and cohesive picture of William Bradford’s role in that colony’s foundation and growth. Orphaned since childhood, Bradford joined the Puritan movement as a teenager, and gave up a fairly prosperous life to accompany local Separatists in their move to the Netherlands. Readers will get a clear sense of the courage it took to make that break, to defy both monarch and established church, and to later board a barely seaworthy ship for a dangerous voyage to an unknown land. Under Bradford’s wise stewardship Plymouth went from a struggling settlement to a flourishing town, surviving deadly winters, suspicious local natives, successive waves of poorly supplied immigrants, fire, rival colonies competing for land and trade, even an earthquake. The author sifts Bradford’s writings for clues to his character—noting such ambiguities as his near- silence at his first wife’s sudden death—and points out Plymouth’s enduring legacy to this country. (illustrations, not seen, notes, bibliography) (Biography. 11-15)
Pub Date: June 1, 1998
ISBN: 0-8028-5151-7
Page Count: 174
Publisher: Eerdmans
Review Posted Online: May 20, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 1998
Categories: TEENS & YOUNG ADULT BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR
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One of the world’s most celebrated creators of civic architecture is profiled in this accessible, engaging biography.
Similar in style and format to her Everybody Paints!: The Lives and Art of the Wyeth Family (2014) and Wideness and Wonder: The Life and Art of Georgia O’Keeffe (2011), Rubin’s well-researched profile examines the career, creative processes, and career milestones of Maya Lin. Rubin discusses at length Lin’s most famous achievement, designing the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. Chinese-American Lin was a reserved college student who entered and won the competition to design and build the memorial. Her youth and ethnicity were subjects of great controversy, and Rubin discusses how Lin fought to ensure her vision of the memorial remained intact. Other notable works by Lin, including the Civil Rights Memorial for the Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery, Alabama, a library and chapel for the Children’s Defense Fund, the Museum of Chinese in America, and the outdoor Wave Field project are examined but not in as much depth as the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Attractively designed, the book is illustrated extensively with color photos and drawings.
An engaging, admiring, and insightful portrait of an uncompromising, civic-minded, visionary artist. (bibliography, source notes, index) (Biography. 12-15)Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4521-0837-7
Page Count: 112
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 21, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2017
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A dry but serviceable look at the career of the oldest Marsalis brother, currently enjoying an enviable gig as musical director of the Tonight show. Despite the obvious talents of Wynton and his other brothers, Branford's mother allows that he was the child with the most natural musical ability; after other career options failed to pan out, he turned pro in 1980, toured with Art Blakey and other greats, and helped to spark a revival of popular interest in jazz. He is a versatile musician, playing both clubs and arenas, composing for (even appearing in) films, touring with pop singer Sting, recording with his own band and others; his loose, cheery style is said to complement brother Wynton's more serious, controlled approach. Basing his narrative entirely on secondary sources, mostly magazine articles, Bernotas (Spike Lee: Film Maker, 1993) barely mentions Marsalis's private life, discusses his music only in general terms, and salts his narrative with plenty of sound-bite quotes. This last, plus a tendency (common in jazz writing) to mention nearly every player in every band, makes for occasionally laborious reading; still, this is the fullest account yet of a musician who is sure to become more popular and influential as time goes on. End notes; index; source list; chronology and discography (through early 1994); 12 full-page b&w photos (not seen). (Biography. 12-15)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 1994
ISBN: 0-89490-495-7
Page Count: 112
Publisher: Enslow
Review Posted Online: May 20, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1994
Categories: TEENS & YOUNG ADULT BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR
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