In ``The Library of Famous Women,'' a brief but perceptive introduction to Frida Kahlo (1910-54)—``one of the most imaginative, original, and heroic painters in the history of art.'' Plunging into her subject with a discussion of the powerful symbols in one of Kahlo's best known paintings—The Two Fridas—Frazier sets forth the dominant themes in the artist's life: her mixed Mexican-European heritage; her troubled marriage to mentor Diego Rivera; the influence of Mexico's revolution and its folkloric past on her ideas; her loneliness and pain. Using a chronological sampling—Kahlo's parents' lack of affection, the crippling accident of 1925, Rivera's enthusiasm for her art, infidelities on both sides (mentioned, not detailed), a miscarriage—Frazier skillfully shows how the life propelled the art. The descriptions of paintings that demonstrate this are the book's best feature. But many are not shown, and the author says little about technique or design; also, while Frazier intelligently selects and organizes information to create a lively, authentic portrait, her writing is choppy, perhaps in an attempt to lower the reading level—an effort made fruitless by the sophistication of the subject. Still, a useful first look. Photos and reproductions; glossary; further reading (a short, undistinguished list); index. (Biography. 10-14)
Pub Date: Dec. 1, 1992
ISBN: 1-56711-012-6
Page Count: 64
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 1992
This oversized, handsome book is an excellent introduction to one of America’s great photographers and her work, which influenced generations of others who followed her craft. Rubin (Toilets, Toasters, and Telephones, 1998, etc.) covers Bourke- White’s life chronologically, from her youth, when she wanted nothing more than to be a herpetologist, through her college years, when she first took a photography class, to her subsequent struggle to find her place in a largely male-dominated profession, photojournalism. By the time she was 30, Bourke-White had made her mark, and was able to earn a handsome living as she traveled the world, not only consorting with presidents and princes, but photographing some of the planet’s most wretched places, including concentration camps. Some of her most powerful photographs illustrate the book, and also give an insight into era in which she earned her place as an artist. Rubin makes clear that Bourke-White’s reputation continues to grow, providing researchers and browsers alike with a warm, admiring glimpse of a woman and her times. (notes, bibliography, index) (Biography. 10-13)
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-8109-4381-6
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Abrams
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1999
In a sequel to the well-received I Have Lived a Thousand Years (1997, not reviewed), Bitton-Jackson writes of her life as Elli Friedmann in 1945, when she, her brother, and mother were liberated from Auschwitz and sent back to their former home in Czechoslovakia. Finding only a shell of the place they had known, they struggled to rebuild some semblance of life and waited for the return of Elli’s father. When they realized he was gone for good, their only hope through all their efforts was the prospect of obtaining papers that would allow them to emigrate to America. Through the long years that they waited, Elli found work teaching, and helping other Jews escape to Palestine, a dangerous and illegal undertaking. When they finally arrived in New York City, relatives welcomed them; an epilogue collapses most of the author’s adult life into a few paragraphs so readers will know the directions her life took. Interesting and inspiring, this story makes painfully clear how the fight to survive extended well beyond the war years; the discomforts and obstacles the author faced and articulates in such riveting detail will make readers squirm at the security and ease of their own lives. (Memoir. 12-14)
Pub Date: March 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-689-82026-7
Page Count: 258
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 1999
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