A well-written book relates the compelling and inspiring story of Maria Montessori.
A biographical novel explores the life and work of an educator and reformer.
In this book, Fuglei (Fermi’s Gifts, 2017) follows Maria Montessori, developer of the eponymous education system, from early childhood through the end of her life. Guided by a supportive mother—and occasionally impeded by a traditional father who takes longer to embrace his daughter’s brilliance—Maria pursues education not available to most girls in 19th-century Italy, eventually earning a medical degree and treating underserved populations in Rome. Her work with mentally challenged patients leads her to develop a theory of development that ultimately becomes the Montessori educational system, first implemented in one of Rome’s poorest neighborhoods. As Maria’s methods become popular around the world, she spends years traveling the globe, training teachers, and fighting—particularly against a duplicitous American magazine editor—to retain control of the program. Fuglei also examines Maria’s personal life, from her deep-seated sense of religious commitment to her loving relationship with her son, Mario, the product of a brief affair with a fellow doctor. The book is thoroughly researched, displaying the author’s knowledge of her subject without swamping readers in the minutiae of Italian political unification or turn-of-the-century medical practices. The writing is strong throughout, and Fuglei does an excellent job of telling Montessori’s tale chronologically while also highlighting the repeated themes—obedience and defiance, the value of trust, a sense of self-control—that draw the story threads together. Although the tone occasionally borders on hagiography (“We stood up to Garibaldi. But I wouldn’t want to face that little mite on the battlefield”), the author makes it clear that her subject merits readers’ esteem. (In addition, the book is published in a series that deliberately celebrates the lives of notable Italians and Italian-Americans, so the tone of admiration is intentional.) The result is an extremely enjoyable novel that is also informative, engaging readers in a dramatic tale based on historical events.
A well-written book relates the compelling and inspiring story of Maria Montessori.Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-947431-15-7
Page Count: 254
Publisher: Barbera Foundation
Review Posted Online: Nov. 13, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2019
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
PERSPECTIVES
An autobiography as toxic and addictive as any drug its author has ever ingested.
The legendary booze-addled metal rocker turned reality-TV star comes clean in his tell-all autobiography.
Although brought up in the bleak British factory town of Aston, John “Ozzy” Osbourne’s tragicomic rags-to-riches tale is somehow quintessentially American. It’s an epic dream/nightmare that takes him from Winson Green prison in 1966 to a presidential dinner with George W. Bush in 2004. Tracing his adult life from petty thief and slaughterhouse worker to rock star, Osbourne’s first-person slang-and-expletive-driven style comes off like he’s casually relating his story while knocking back pints at the pub. “What you read here,” he writes, “is what dribbled out of the jelly I call my brain when I asked it for my life story.” During the late 1960s his transformation from inept shoplifter to notorious Black Sabbath frontman was unlikely enough. In fact, the band got its first paying gigs by waiting outside concert venues hoping the regularly scheduled act wouldn’t show. After a few years, Osbourne and his bandmates were touring America and becoming millionaires from their riff-heavy doom music. As expected, with success came personal excess and inevitable alienation from the other members of the group. But as a solo performer, Osbourne’s predilection for guns, drink, drugs, near-death experiences, cruelty to animals and relieving himself in public soon became the stuff of legend. His most infamous exploits—biting the head off a bat and accidentally urinating on the Alamo—are addressed, but they seem tame compared to other dark moments of his checkered past: nearly killing his wife Sharon during an alcohol-induced blackout, waking up after a bender in the middle of a busy highway, burning down his backyard, etc. Osbourne is confessional to a fault, jeopardizing his demonic-rocker reputation with glib remarks about his love for Paul McCartney and Robin Williams. The most distinguishing feature of the book is the staggering chapter-by-chapter accumulation of drunken mishaps, bodily dysfunctions and drug-induced mayhem over a 40-plus-year career—a résumé of anti-social atrocities comparable to any of rock ’n’ roll’s most reckless outlaws.
An autobiography as toxic and addictive as any drug its author has ever ingested.Pub Date: Jan. 25, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-446-56989-7
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2009
BOOK REVIEW
IN THE NEWS
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
