"WRESTLERS ARE LIKE SEAGULLS"

Name: "WRESTLERS ARE LIKE SEAGULLS"
Author: James J. with Scott Teal and Philip Varriale Dillon
ISBN: 0-9745545-2-9

FROM MCMAHON TO MCMAHON

by James J. with Scott Teal and Philip Varriale Dillon ‧ RELEASE DATE: N/A

Readers’ opinions of professional wrestling may well be effected by Dillon’s story; on the other hand, their expectations...

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Dillon looks back on his 40 years of experience in professional wrestling, both inside and outside the ring, in this tell-all autobiography.

As a high-schooler, Dillon revered wrestling legends like Bruno Sammartino, Killer Kowalski, Haystack Calhoun, Gorilla Monsoon and Two-Ton Harris. He recounts the transition from simply admiring this fraternity of strong, costumed men from afar to becoming one of them. We learn that these strange characters were not only exceptionally devoted to their fans and their craft, but that they counseled Dillon to get a college education before turning pro. He effectively captures the feeling of being in the ring, initially as a referee and then as â€œtalent”–how the fights were scripted and how blood was spilled (typically from a condom inserted in the mouth and bitten). He includes descriptions of signature moves from the greats, including the figure-four leg lock, the squash in the corner and the bionic elbow. At the same time, Dillon ably depicts the camaraderie, when fighters would drive together hundreds of miles to perform a piece of crowd-pleasing, athletic showmanship, and then do it all over again the next day, all the while dreaming up new moves to keep the fans satisfied. Moving to the front office of the wrestling business, first with the World Wrestling Federation and then with World Championship Wrestling, Dillon proves that wearing a tie instead of tights often can be meaner than anything that goes on between the ropes. He chronicles the kind of back stabbing and dirty business that would sicken any professional wrestler, as it did Dillon.

Readers’ opinions of professional wrestling may well be effected by Dillon’s story; on the other hand, their expectations for business executives will remain dismal. (photographs throughout)

Pub Date: N/A

ISBN: 0-9745545-2-9

Page Count: -

Publisher: N/A

Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010

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

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

- BOOK REVIEW
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.