A quirky, clever memoir.
A woman recounts her adventures experimenting with wigs as she wrestled with her own identity.
In this debut memoir, Harshman writes candidly and humorously of her rather unusual attempt to reinvent herself. As she recovered from depression and bipolar disorder, she impulsively decided to buy a red wig, and she was heartened by all the attention she received when she wore it. Out of curiosity and a desire for a new sense of purpose, she began to try on different colored wigs and compare the reactions she received. Each new wig brought on a new personality, complete with an exotic name (such as “Kali Amsterdam” or “Nada Jolie”). Thanks to a Craigslist ad, Harshman gained a sidekick, Bonnie, nicknamed “Agent Thorn,” who helped her keep records and steer clear of trouble. The two women had some entertaining high jinks as they navigated different parts of New York, but the heart of the story is Harshman’s continuing search for self. She writes that she realized that she’d lost her way and had fallen out of love with her longtime boyfriend, and the wig experiment aided her process of remaking herself. The author’s idea is a highly entertaining one, and her final revelation is predictable but still meaningful. The story does start to get repetitive after a while, though; for example, there are a few too many scenes in which Harshman states lines such as, “I feel irreparably defective since I’m not getting attention.” This point will be clear to readers from the outset and didn’t need to be reiterated so often. The memoir nicely includes some photos of Harshman in the different wigs, but color images would have been better; after all, the wigs’ colors seem to have made all the difference (the Kindle edition of the book contains color images). In the end, however, what makes the strongest impression isn’t the author’s hair color but her candor and bravery in confronting her mental illness.
A quirky, clever memoir.Pub Date: June 14, 2016
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: Andarina Publishing
Review Posted Online: March 31, 2016
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Dogged original research and superb narrative skills come together in this gripping account of pitiless evil.
Greed, depravity, and serial murder in 1920s Oklahoma.
During that time, enrolled members of the Osage Indian nation were among the wealthiest people per capita in the world. The rich oil fields beneath their reservation brought millions of dollars into the tribe annually, distributed to tribal members holding "headrights" that could not be bought or sold but only inherited. This vast wealth attracted the attention of unscrupulous whites who found ways to divert it to themselves by marrying Osage women or by having Osage declared legally incompetent so the whites could fleece them through the administration of their estates. For some, however, these deceptive tactics were not enough, and a plague of violent death—by shooting, poison, orchestrated automobile accident, and bombing—began to decimate the Osage in what they came to call the "Reign of Terror." Corrupt and incompetent law enforcement and judicial systems ensured that the perpetrators were never found or punished until the young J. Edgar Hoover saw cracking these cases as a means of burnishing the reputation of the newly professionalized FBI. Bestselling New Yorkerstaff writer Grann (The Devil and Sherlock Holmes: Tales of Murder, Madness, and Obsession, 2010, etc.) follows Special Agent Tom White and his assistants as they track the killers of one extended Osage family through a closed local culture of greed, bigotry, and lies in pursuit of protection for the survivors and justice for the dead. But he doesn't stop there; relying almost entirely on primary and unpublished sources, the author goes on to expose a web of conspiracy and corruption that extended far wider than even the FBI ever suspected. This page-turner surges forward with the pacing of a true-crime thriller, elevated by Grann's crisp and evocative prose and enhanced by dozens of period photographs.
Dogged original research and superb narrative skills come together in this gripping account of pitiless evil.Pub Date: April 18, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-385-53424-6
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Doubleday
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2017
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.
A compendium of charts, time lines, lists and illustrations to accompany study of the Bible.
This visually appealing resource provides a wide array of illustrative and textually concise references, beginning with three sets of charts covering the Bible as a whole, the Old Testament and the New Testament. These charts cover such topics as biblical weights and measures, feasts and holidays and the 12 disciples. Most of the charts use a variety of illustrative techniques to convey lessons and provide visual interest. A worthwhile example is “How We Got the Bible,” which provides a time line of translation history, comparisons of canons among faiths and portraits of important figures in biblical translation, such as Jerome and John Wycliffe. The book then presents a section of maps, followed by diagrams to conceptualize such structures as Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple. Finally, a section on Christianity, cults and other religions describes key aspects of history and doctrine for certain Christian sects and other faith traditions. Overall, the authors take a traditionalist, conservative approach. For instance, they list Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) without making mention of claims to the contrary. When comparing various Christian sects and world religions, the emphasis is on doctrine and orthodox theology. Some chapters, however, may not completely align with the needs of Catholic and Orthodox churches. But the authors’ leanings are muted enough and do not detract from the work’s usefulness. As a resource, it’s well organized, inviting and visually stimulating. Even the most seasoned reader will learn something while browsing.
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005
ISBN: 978-1-5963-6022-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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