Ruminations, 115 in all, recast by DeSena (Lies: The Whole Truth, 1993, not reviewed) from taped conversations with a South Bronx teenager, on drugs, sex, teachers, school food, and other topics dear to an adolescent's heart. Alicea comes across as an opinionated, reasonably articulate 15-year-old with a realistic combination of naãvetÇ and self-awareness, offering sweeping solutions to social problems, but also cogent observations about the dangers of hanging out, the realities of life at school and on the block, and dozens of other subjects. Despite DeSena's introduction and a set of imaginatively composed black-and-white photos, readers will learn more about Alicea's concerns than about him; there's no clear chronology to these pieces, and the only ``tales'' are infrequent, fragmentary anecdotes. He has little or nothing to say about his friends, day-to-day home life or future plansthe note that he chose to start tenth grade in a private school outside New York City comes out of the blue. While a sense of humor and optimistic view of life's possibilities suggest that not every inner-city resident is beaten down by the mean streets, Alicea's rambling narrative seems more like a wall than a window, lacking the intensity or clarity of purpose that fires books like Alex Kotlowitz's There Are No Children Here (1991). (Autobiography. 11-15)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1995
ISBN: 0-8118-1048-8
Page Count: 134
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1995
The Lightmans have created a massive, illuminating alphabetical listing of 447 Greco-Roman women, who are each profiled in entries that range from a few lines to a few pages. The intriguing information is often presented in a lively manner, profiling women who influenced the times in which they lived. Through their lives, a picture of this particular era, from 6th-century b.c. to a.d. 476, emerges (with details often omitted from other history texts covering the same period) that powerfully evokes the past roles of women. Sources for the information are given following every entry. The format gives rise to one small problem, in that so many of those included have the same name. The book, by necessity, covers 15 Cleopatras; students seeking information on the one who got mixed up with Mark Antony will have to cover almost a dozen entries before locating her. The same is true for all the Agrippinas, Julias, Livias, etc. The glossary and bibliography will be useful to more scholarly readers; the hope is that less-practiced researchers won’t be frustrated by the stumbling blocks of the volume’s organization, and barred from its entertaining, solidly educational gems. (b&w illustrations, map, glossary, bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 12-15)
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-8160-3112-6
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Facts On File
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 1999
A hearty collection of Polish and Ruthenian tales recalled from Kuniczak's youth, featuring plucky peasant lads, imprisoned princesses, cruel squires, ghosts, hidden treasures, sorcerers, and plenty of demons. Jauntily told, the stories combine quick action and familiar motifs (magic shoes, tasks, journeys) with clever twists (a ``Changeling'' helps a needy family by capturing Gnawing Poverty and knocking out its teeth). Kuniczak mentions ``the marvelous geography of the fantastic,'' but there's little sense of a particular culture here, and most places and people are unnamed. Sex roles are drearily traditional (all the independent women are old witches) and, despite many happily-ever-afters, the last story—a malicious gossip teaches a devil how to ruin a marriage—ends the collection on a sour note. Still, lively and readable. Illustrated with a few mannered pen drawings. (Folklore. 11-13)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 1992
ISBN: 0-7818-0087-0
Page Count: 153
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1992
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