Interesting and accessible way to learn about early U.S. history through a remarkable young woman’s life.
The life and times of Theodosia Burr (1783-1812), daughter of Aaron Burr, third vice president of the United States, best known today from the hit musical Hamilton.
In presenting the story of Burr, the author uses correspondence and memoirs of contemporaries to provide a portal to the past. Readers learn that Theodosia had an unusual childhood. Her father believed in Mary Wollstonecraft’s feminist theories; Theodosia studied a curriculum equal to that of boys. As an upper-class girl from a prominent New York family, she had opportunities to meet and mingle with men who became household names in the early history of the U.S. Details about Theodosia’s upbringing, education, and activities are interspersed with information providing additional historical context. The writing is crisp, clear, and engaging. Full-color illustrations add visual appeal. The book does not delve much into issues of racial or ethnic diversity; there is a brief note about the Lenape, and the book notes that although Burr married a Southerner and lived on a plantation, there is no record of her thoughts on slavery. Although she died young under tragic and mysterious circumstances, Burr’s prominence as an educated, modern woman made her a role model for her time.
Interesting and accessible way to learn about early U.S. history through a remarkable young woman’s life. (timeline, glossary, source notes, selected bibliography, further information, index, photo credits) (Nonfiction. 13-18)Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5415-4275-4
Page Count: 104
Publisher: Twenty-First Century/Lerner
Review Posted Online: Nov. 16, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2019
A wonderful tribute to the greatness of the human spirit.
The first blind man to climb Mount Everest narrates his kayaking descent of 300 miles of the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon.
On one level, this is a tale of grit, determination, courage, and overcoming tremendous odds. With co-author Levy, Weihenmayer (The Adversity Advantage: Turning Everyday Struggles Into Greatness, 2007, etc.) presents an exhilarating adventure story of arduous mountain climbing and whitewater kayaking, but he also offers broader life lessons. Over the course of eight years, the author organized his kayaking team as a byproduct of helping others, including blind orphans in Tibet and Nepal, blind teenagers in America, and veterans of our recent wars recovering from physical and mental wounds. Among them was Kyle, an amputee who pledged to scatter a fallen comrade’s ashes from the top of Mount Kilimanjaro, and a shy blind kid named Joey, who had never peeled an orange. Weihenmayer’s organization No Barriers is intended to address those in need in many different ways. For one, the author works intensively with youth. “For blind kids to succeed,” he writes, “they don’t just need other blind people. They’ll need to work with seeing people to harness those abilities and learn to thrive in the sighted world.” Weihenmayer elaborates on the skills required to achieve significant goals, including finding the right people, technologies, and methods necessary to accomplish these goals. It took a team of 10 to help the author make his descent down the Colorado, and the stories of the team members, some of whom had been with the author through many adventures, add to the narrative. Together, they developed a plan of attack for each of the rapids and unique communication and power supply methods, and they were backed by a logistics operation moving tons of equipment. Ultimately, in this highly inspirational tale, the Grand Canyon, like Everest and other summits, becomes a metaphor for life: “physical, mental, and psychological and…never ending.”
A wonderful tribute to the greatness of the human spirit.Pub Date: Feb. 7, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-250-08878-9
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Dunne/St. Martin's
Review Posted Online: Dec. 7, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
Captivating, powerful, and thought-provoking.
This multilayered biography vividly introduces photographers Robert Capa and Gerda Taro, setting their careers in the context of the Spanish Civil War, the run-up to World War II, and the birth of modern photojournalism.
The prologue grabs readers with scenes of Capa risking his life to photograph Allied troops landing on D-Day. The narrative then moves back to Paris in 1934, when Capa and Taro first met. The chronological chapters quickly shift to Spain, where the couple repeatedly faced danger to capture the civil war in images, hoping to bolster the anti-fascist Loyalist cause while establishing themselves in their profession. Chapters labeled “interlude” discuss the dawn of modern photojournalism and the international participation in the war. Going beyond details of the two lives, the complex account also explores issues surrounding refugees of war, the relationship between journalists and soldiers, the nature of artistic collaboration, and the overlap of photojournalism and propaganda. The writing offers clarity while also evoking emotions and the senses. The present-tense narrative gives a sense of immediacy, although it also leads to sometimes-awkward juxtapositions with the past-tense quotations from those who knew the couple. Black-and-white photographs, many of which are described in the text, grace nearly every page.
Captivating, powerful, and thought-provoking. (cast of characters, timeline, authors’ note, sources, notes, bibliography, resources, index) (Nonfiction. 13-adult)Pub Date: March 28, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-8050-9835-8
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: Nov. 15, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2016
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