A retired teacher remembers her parents, particularly her father, in this memoir of a Depression-era Bronx childhood. Recalling incidents great and small in sharp detail, from her tenth birthday party to births and deaths, as well as the growth of her Jewish identity, the author takes readers on a tour past shops and houses, neighbors and relatives, returning repeatedly to two themes: the Depression's debilitating effect on the pride of men who could no longer support their families, and the contrast between her father, a dreamer, and her mother, a worrier. As her father was a small-time bootlegger, her mother had reason to worry, but not all her hand-wringingnor two police raidskept him down for long. Sonnenfeld is fond of generalizations, frequently falls into passive voice, and breaks the boundaries of childhood with adult, often sentimental, observations. Her story doesn't read like a novel, but as a coherent reminiscence, with a varied, colorful cast of characters and a compelling sense of what it was like to live in those now-distant hard times. (Memoir. 11-13)
Pub Date: March 1, 1998
ISBN: 0-525-45961-8
Page Count: 229
Publisher: Dutton
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 1998
Marguerite Henry died barely two years ago, after living the life of which most writers dream: She wrote from the time she was young, her parents encouraged her, she published early and often, and her books were honored and loved in her lifetime. Her hobby, she said, was words, but it was also her life and livelihood. Her research skills were honed by working in her local library, doing book repair. Her husband Sidney supported and encouraged her work, and they traveled widely as she carefully researched the horses on Chincoteague and the burros in the Grand Canyon. She worked in great harmony with her usual illustrator, Wesley Dennis, and was writing up until she died. Collins is a bit overwrought in his prose, but Henry comes across as strong and engaging as she must have been in person. Researchers will be delighted to find her Newbery acceptance speech included in its entirety. (b&w photos, bibliography, index) (Biography. 9-12)
Pub Date: March 10, 1999
ISBN: 1-883846-39-0
Page Count: 112
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 1999
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
At Home With The Presidents (176 pp.; $12.95; Sept. 24; 0-471-25300-6) Morris offers succinct biographical information and anecdotes about all 41 presidents with brief information about homes they grew up it, historic sites dedicated to them, or libraries in which their artifacts are housed. Included are small pictures of the presidents and some of the buildings discussed. Readers will find the book of limited use for research, since the sources for quotations are not given, there is no index, and material considered controversial is not attributed. Appearing out of context are statements such as “George Washington adored his older brother” and “George’s mother was jealous of the two brother’s relationship.” The information on historic sites is upbeat but bland, and could have come right out of tourist brochures. (b&w photographs, illustrations, further reading) (Nonfiction. 10-12)
Pub Date: Sept. 24, 1999
ISBN: 0-471-25300-6
Page Count: 176
Publisher: Wiley
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 1999
BOOK REVIEW
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