Arthurdale, West Virginia, is the site of an important social-engineering project initiated by Eleanor Roosevelt. Designed to improve the lives of coal miners and their families who were suffering from the economic effects of the Great Depression, the planned community included farms, homes, schools, shops, and medical facilities. The government bought the land with the understanding that the residents would homestead it and repay the loan after achieving a self-sustaining community. The community and others like it were to be models for eliminating poverty. Roosevelt’s pioneering effort in community-building offers an interesting commentary on how government support made a difference in people’s lives but could not resolve their economic or social problems. It was Roosevelt herself who entered peoples’ homes, engaged them in conversation, brought modern educational methods into the school, and made a lasting impression on the people she touched. Hoffman’s debut effort weaves the historical context of Arthurdale with a biographical approach to Eleanor Roosevelt’s life and personality. She attempts to capture and recreate the spirit of the times by quotations of former residents describing their lives in the town. However, the story never quite comes alive. The voices of the townspeople are not connected in a seamless narrative that pulls the reader into what should be a dynamic piece of historical writing. The biographical information is necessarily sketchy and sometimes superfluous. Black-and-white historical photos illustrate the text. Notes, bibliography, and an index are included. (Nonfiction. 10-12)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-208-02504-9
Page Count: 110
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2001
The grandiloquent subtitle captures the heavily earnest tone of this artist’s tribute to 16 modern men and women who might—broadly, in several cases—be characterized as peacemakers. Most of Zalben’s choices are familiar ones, from Mahatma Gandhi and Albert Einstein to Anne Frank, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Mother Teresa, but the final three—Kikuyu conservation activist Wangari Maathai, Burmese Nobelist and political prisoner Aung San Suu Kyi and Princess Diana—do give the roster a personal tilt. She profiles each with a page of basic biographical facts and quick looks at significant activities or achievements, adding a pithy quote from each and also an evocatively designed border and a strong, semi-abstract collage illustration. Closing with notes on the art, plus generous lists of further sources of information, this might not light fires under many readers, but it supports the author’s theme that “one person can make a difference.” (Collective biography. 10-12)
Pub Date: March 1, 2006
ISBN: 0-525-47734-9
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Dutton
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2006
Slipping occasionally into first person to give the narrative a personal tone, this engaging if superficial history takes American professional football from “unorganized mess” in the 19th and early-20th centuries to its sleek, media-savvy modern incarnation. Despite periodic lists of rule changes and even some formation diagrams, the discussion rarely approaches any sort of technical level, focusing instead on a chronological tally of major names and watershed games. Madden steers carefully clear of controversial topics, but his special interest in defense does ensure that the likes of Lawrence Taylor and the Steelers’ “Steel Curtain” share the limelight with the Don Hutsons, Jim Browns and Joe Montanas. Readers coming into this a little hazy on the differences between halfbacks and fullbacks, or wondering why hash marks are exactly 23 yards, 1 foot and 9 inches from the sidelines will leave unenlightened—but they will enjoy the plethora of game photos and glimpses of the game’s greats in action. (multimedia resource list, index of names) (Nonfiction. 10-12)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2006
ISBN: 0-525-47698-9
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Dutton
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2006
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