An energetic, candid remembrance of the compelling moments that shape a young reporter’s career.
An American in Europe plans an overland trip to India to kick-start a career in journalism in this travel memoir.
Buck’s (East, 2013, etc.) colorful autobiography serves as a sequel to her previous book and begins in 1972 as she returns to Germany after a memorable trek to Nepal. She stayed with a friend in West Berlin, an island inside of Soviet East Germany. From the elevated train, she could see the entire city, and on the platforms were intimidating East German guards. Nonetheless, she enjoyed her new friends in the metropolis and the vibrant student community. After a particularly cold winter, she secured a teaching job at an American military base in southern Germany, but her wanderlust still ran strong. Intrigued by the peaceful nature of Swedish society, she soon found herself in Stockholm and got a marvelous introduction to Scandinavian culture. Unfortunately, she could only secure menial work, though somehow she studied free at the university. It hadn’t been that long since she returned from Asia, but she realized that “sometimes a new journey begins when we least expect it.” Deciding on a future as a journalist, she threw a camera and an old Olivetti typewriter into her knapsack and set off for a return trip to India to learn about child care practices in Asia. She traveled in a VW bus driven by a man named Jürgen, and their destination was Gandhi’s ashram and, later, Goa. She was seeking to observe and report and maybe promote some cross-cultural understanding, unaware of how difficult the trip would be physically and of the looming political crisis about to grip India. As a follow-up, Buck’s journey is never a dull one, as she hops around Europe and Asia, discovering such wonders as a youth hostel on a ship in Sweden and mirrored cloth and tie-dye skirts in Rajasthan. The sights and sounds are impressive (at one point, she and Jürgen drive over the Khyber Pass), and her resourcefulness and knowledge are invaluable when traveling with limited funds. The quest to begin journalistic work evolves slowly, sometimes taking a back seat to health and travel issues. But the effort to understand other cultures with an eye toward women’s rights is vividly described.
An energetic, candid remembrance of the compelling moments that shape a young reporter’s career.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: 978-1-73352-200-7
Page Count: 261
Publisher: WriteWords Press
Review Posted Online: June 20, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2019
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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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