GOOD LOOKIN' MAN LIKE ME

Name: GOOD LOOKIN' MAN LIKE ME
Author: Lyle Jacobson
ISBN: 978-0615492957

by Lyle Jacobson ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 25, 2011

A luminous portrait of a life that transcends constraints.

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Awards & Accolades

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A mentally disabled man feistily perseveres in this wry, heartwarming memoir.

Born with cerebral palsy after he was deprived of oxygen during a troubled delivery, the author’s brother “Wendy” Jacobson suffered partial paralysis and permanent mental retardation. (To top it off, he developed epilepsy in his teens.) Rejecting doctors’ advice to institutionalize him, his parents raised him as normally as possible, and he grew into a man of limited intellect, halting speech, spastic gait and expansive soul. Writing with a limpid prose style and a clear-eyed empathy, Jacobson pens an evocative portrait of his brother and the blessings and burdens of his existence. Now in his 70s, a grizzled coot with the mind of a child, Wendy is often stubborn and exasperating (especially on matters of personal hygiene) and obsessive about pestering people on the phone. But he also has an open, welcoming attitude toward others and himself—“good-lookin’ man like me” is his cheerfully ironic characterization of his own off-beat looks—a stern work ethic and an exuberant, garrulous charm that makes friends of everyone he meets. Jacobson is frank about Wendy’s limitations, which are severe and at times heartbreaking, but he also shows us the meaning and satisfaction his brother draws from simple pleasures. Wendy’s triumphs are as inspiring as they are commonplace—in a miracle of patient resolve, his father manages to teach him to ride a bike even though he can barely walk—and the impact of his life on those around him significant. Jacobson’s account of Wendy’s long, tender relationship with a woman even more handicapped than himself is especially moving. The author draws homespun morals from his brother’s struggles, but they are hardly needed; there’s plenty of uplift just watching Wendy play the difficult hand he was dealt with gusto.

A luminous portrait of a life that transcends constraints.

Pub Date: Aug. 25, 2011

ISBN: 978-0615492957

Page Count: 122

Publisher: Lyle Jacobson

Review Posted Online: Oct. 14, 2011

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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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

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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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.