BEAUTIFUL JUNK: A Story of the Watts Towers

by Jon Madian ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 19, 1968

The mosaic webs and walls that tile setter Simon Rodia fashioned for thirty years, that became a landmark of Watts (Calif.), are here used to introduce an aimlessly destructive Negro boy to the axiom that ""beauty is in the eye of the beholder."" When Charlie first meets the the old man collecting junk and calling it beautiful, he taunts him, but the man's perseverance piques Charlie's curiosity. One day he follows, and on the promise not to break anything, is shown the whole complex of encrusted and incised structures. He explores, admires, finally offers to help. . . The episode is a fictional reconstruction, of course, and more than a little ingenuous, but the towers, worth seeing and reflecting on, are well photographed from every angle.

Pub Date: Sept. 19, 1968

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Little, Brown

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1968

Categories: NONFICTION