Although the Armstrong character—a macho man with a laudable mission—occasionally calls to mind a comic-book superhero,...
The street-savvy founder of the Seekers (a group of bounty hunters who see their mission as not just finding men who have skipped bail but saving their souls as well) briskly recounts his own life and the work of his unique organization.
When Armstrong, a self-educated African-American from Elizabeth, New Jersey, captures a fugitive at home, he leaves a copy of a 17th-century prayer behind to comfort the man's family, and when new members join the Seekers, they must take up both rigorous physical training and the reading of ancient Egyptian philosophy. Armstrong's memoirs, written with the assistance of crime writer Bruno (The Iceman, 1993, etc.), are fast-paced and packed with gritty detail about what bounty hunters do and how they do it in an ugly, dirty, drug-ridden, and dangerous world. Armstrong left New Jersey after high school, became a fisherman in Alaska, and, in the off-season, learned first-hand how not to catch a fugitive and then picked up the basics of the trade. Influenced by New Age bookstore owner Kanya McGee, he became interested in self-improvement through meditation and the study of Eastern philosophy, taking as his goal to become "a stellar man in a world that desperately needs stellar men." When he returned to New Jersey in the 1980s, he developed the idea of a bounty hunting operation that would "combine compassion and street smarts." While there's ample technical data about the surveillance and protective equipment and the arms that the Seekers carry with them, it is their mode of operation that fascinates. The cases described emphasize intelligence gathering, planning, patience, cool nerves, and teamwork rather than gunslinging; in fact, only once has Armstrong fired his gun during an arrest. His Seekers now hunt fugitives only to fund Earth Church, a center for spiritual, mental, and physical growth.
Although the Armstrong character—a macho man with a laudable mission—occasionally calls to mind a comic-book superhero, Million Man March supporters should find this agreeable reading.Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-06-19343-3
Page Count: 336
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2000
An enjoyable slice of 20th-century music journalism almost certain to provide something for most readers, no matter one’s...
Music journalist and musician Wald (Talking 'Bout Your Mama: The Dozens, Snaps, and the Deep Roots of Rap, 2014, etc.) focuses on one evening in music history to explain the evolution of contemporary music, especially folk, blues, and rock.
The date of that evening is July 25, 1965, at the Newport Folk Festival, where there was an unbelievably unexpected occurrence: singer/songwriter Bob Dylan, already a living legend in his early 20s, overriding the acoustic music that made him famous in favor of electronically based music, causing reactions ranging from adoration to intense resentment among other musicians, DJs, and record buyers. Dylan has told his own stories (those stories vary because that’s Dylan’s character), and plenty of other music journalists have explored the Dylan phenomenon. What sets Wald's book apart is his laser focus on that one date. The detailed recounting of what did and did not occur on stage and in the audience that night contains contradictory evidence sorted skillfully by the author. He offers a wealth of context; in fact, his account of Dylan's stage appearance does not arrive until 250 pages in. The author cites dozens of sources, well-known and otherwise, but the key storylines, other than Dylan, involve acoustic folk music guru Pete Seeger and the rich history of the Newport festival, a history that had created expectations smashed by Dylan. Furthermore, the appearances on the pages by other musicians—e.g., Joan Baez, the Weaver, Peter, Paul, and Mary, Dave Van Ronk, and Gordon Lightfoot—give the book enough of an expansive feel. Wald's personal knowledge seems encyclopedic, and his endnotes show how he ranged far beyond personal knowledge to produce the book.
An enjoyable slice of 20th-century music journalism almost certain to provide something for most readers, no matter one’s personal feelings about Dylan's music or persona.Pub Date: July 25, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-06-236668-9
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Dey Street/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis...
Privately published by Strunk of Cornell in 1918 and revised by his student E. B. White in 1959, that "little book" is back again with more White updatings.
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis (whoops — "A bankrupt expression") a unique guide (which means "without like or equal").Pub Date: May 15, 1972
ISBN: 0205632645
Page Count: 105
Publisher: Macmillan
Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1972
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