by Keith Bowden ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 2007
Part cultural study, part environmental espionage, part adventure, this is a welcome look at one of the most heavily guarded...
An account of the author’s journey—by canoe, raft and mountain bike—down the Rio Grande.
An avid outdoorsman and adventurer, Bowden set out to explore the winding river that divides Mexico and Texas, from El Paso to the Gulf of Mexico, despite numerous warnings from friends and experts about drug cartels, the Border Patrol, the dangerous rapids and aggressive wildlife. Not to mention the river itself, allegedly full of murdered bodies, pollution and desolate stretches through which no man or woman in memory has navigated alive. The warnings, while exaggerated, are not misinformed—news reports from the months leading up to Bowden’s journey were filled with violent murders and kidnappings that would make any Sopranos fan shudder. But the author persevered, embarking on his 70-day jaunt to the sandy bank that marks the end of the river and the beginning of the Gulf. Deft writing keeps the narrative moving at a brisk pace, and Bowden—a loner who can happily subsist on scant portions of tortillas, beer, beans and cheese without complaint—is an astute observer. Equally adept at describing wildlife, stinking garbage dumps and the endless stream of illegal workers crossing the river naked with clothes bundled atop their heads, Bowden is a welcome guide. (His fluency in Spanish certainly helps.) The minute details about each obstacle in the river—to portage or not to portage seems to be the prevailing question—occasionally become tedious, and the lack of a map is a glaring omission. But Bowden offers a unique view of this border barrier and the fate it suffers under political tensions.
Part cultural study, part environmental espionage, part adventure, this is a welcome look at one of the most heavily guarded yet mysteriously neglected waterways in the United States.Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2007
ISBN: 978-1-59485-077-6
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Mountaineers Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2007
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by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996
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
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by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955
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.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
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developed by Ludwig Bemelmans ; illustrated by Steven Salerno
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