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The Covering

Hill (Forgiving Them, 2013, etc.) details her journey from a childhood of poverty to an adulthood of success.
Growing up with a difficult mother, a sexually abusive acquaintance and an awful diet—“A typical meal might be spaghetti with butter, salt, and pepper on it or potatoes with butter, salt, and pepper….No fruit, no vegetables, no nutrients, in my mind”—Hill had a childhood that was far from simple. Born in 1949 in an America still in the thralls of racial discrimination, Hill, who is black, found that race was always an issue. And whether in the form of institutional segregation, the views espoused by her mother or in the opinions of other people, race is a frequent issue throughout the book. In response to her outgoing personality as a child, Hill says, “I was singled out as an ‘Oreo,’ people saying that I was ‘trying to be white.’ ” Despite racial animosity, a teenage pregnancy, and a variety of other trials ranging from learning to drive to learning to forgive, the author nonetheless relates a success story founded on hard work and an unfaltering belief in God. After developing a desire to become an electroencephalogram technician, she overcame adversity through perseverance, a faith in the Almighty, and a general belief that everything happens for a reason. “Through tenacity, I know that what happened to me was not accidental—was not coincidental, but providential,” she says. Alive with details and inner reflections, the book makes the author’s journey a truly personal one, with the different stages of her life made real and understandable for readers. Why did she become so entranced with becoming an EEG technician? Why was it so important for her to learn how to drive? The answers here are fleshed out with the thought processes that surrounded them. Occasional portions (such as early struggles with her mother) can prove repetitive, yet the overall result is an authentic, ultimately triumphant story.
An inspirational memoir born from the fruits of hard work and faith.

Pub Date: May 21, 2014

ISBN: 978-0615948584

Page Count: 302

Publisher: Rosie M. Hill

Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2014

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NUTCRACKER

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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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

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

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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