An animated, refreshingly vivid biography of a woman who made the stage her home.
A biography of the 19th-century stage actress praised by Walt Whitman for the “towering grandeur of her genius.”
In the early years of American theater, women did not receive good roles; they often played prostitutes and harlots, and men characterized many of them that way offstage. Nonetheless, Charlotte Cushman (1816-1876), who “was often described as ‘mannish,’ ” was determined to become a famous actress, and she spent her life doing just that. Known throughout America and, later, abroad, she rose to heights that inspired envy among her male contemporaries. In this engaging and entertaining biography, Guernica senior nonfiction editor Wojczuk packs the narrative with well-chosen, vibrant details of Cushman’s life as she traveled and worked at a variety of theaters. “To men,” writes the author, “she embodied the man they wanted to be, gallant, passionate, an excellent sword-fighter. To women, she was a romantic, daring figure, their Romeo. American artists and writers who later became famous were starstruck by her, and she was a household name on two continents.” Early on, Cushman took simple roles, but her talents were soon appreciated, and she rose to the lead positions, playing her own renditions of Lady Macbeth and, later, Romeo, beating out other talented women. The author also respectfully discusses elements of Cushman’s private life, including her sexuality and the people with whom she spent much of her time, “an entourage of female friends, ambitious, unorthodox artists like herself who longed for more freedom than they could find in America or in England.” Regardless of Cushman’s intimacies outside the playhouse, both men and women loved her performances of classic Shakespeare roles, which she embodied with new energy, making them accessible to the masses. Wojczuk successfully reinvigorates this significant 19th-century artist.
An animated, refreshingly vivid biography of a woman who made the stage her home.Pub Date: July 7, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5011-9952-3
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Avid Reader Press
Review Posted Online: April 19, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2020
A well-rendered cowboy tale that fleshes out a larger history of the Old West.
The life of a Texas cowboy who ranged the wild frontier paints a broader picture of bygone times in the American West.
Charlie Siringo (1855-1928) herded cattle and drove livestock to slaughter, learning his cowboy skills from the age of 12. In this lively and detailed account, Ward, author of The Lost Detective and Dark Harbor, creates “a portrait of the American West through which he traveled as such a compelling witness—from the birth of the cattle trail and railroad cow town to the violence of the mining wars and the Wild Bunch’s long last ride.” Siringo captured the era in what is considered to be the first cowboy autobiography, A Texas Cowboy; or Fifteen Years on the Hurricane Deck of a Spanish Pony (1885), "a work of celebration and mourning for the raucous cowboy life that was ending." Ward devotes just as many chapters to Siringo's later career as a detective, going undercover "to track, befriend and betray" criminals ranging from anarchist bombers to Butch Cassidy. The author also recounts the tangled publishing history of Siringo's memoir A Cowboy Detective (1912), its editions repeatedly quashed due to nondisclosure agreements with the agency that employed him. Ward's consideration of his subject as a working cowboy quickly broadens into that of Siringo as a literary figure whose many books included a life of Billy the Kid, whom he knew well. Siringo was also well appreciated as a "font of authenticity" on cowboy lore during his work as a consultant on Western films in Hollywood in his later years. Illustrations, vintage photos, and maps throughout the text add atmosphere and context to this stirring, multivaried life. If Ward doesn't quite prove that Siringo helped create the foundations of the literature of the American West, he shows that this original cowboy certainly lived out the most fertile period of that time and place.
A well-rendered cowboy tale that fleshes out a larger history of the Old West.Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9780802162083
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Atlantic Monthly
Review Posted Online: June 8, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A chatty autobiography brimming with heart and humor.
Debut memoir from the popular comedian, actor, and writer.
In his debut memoir, Rainbow (“my very real last name”) shares his memories, beginning with his star turn in a backyard production of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs on his eighth birthday. Growing up on Long Island with a “showbiz-positive family,” the author depicts a flamboyant childhood influenced by his grandmother and her celebrity fascinations. “My eight-year-old childhood bedroom,” he notes, “looked more like the men’s room at a gay bar in Hell’s Kitchen.” Rainbow’s engagement with ballet classes and musical theater provoked relentless schoolyard bullying until a family move to Florida introduced him to the unique strengths to be found in coming out and celebrating his obsession with his “lord and savior,” Barbra Streisand. As his parents’ relationship deteriorated, Manhattan beckoned. In between auditions, Rainbow worked as the “jovial gay boy at the host stand” at Hooters. Honing his stand-up comedy skills, he started a blog, which branched off into a series of comedic video sketches that satirized, among other topics, a fictional relationship with Mel Gibson and a tryout for American Idol. When Rainbow began delving into political parodies, particularly his skewering of the chaotic 2016 presidential campaign, his fame exploded. “For the first few years of Trump,” he writes, “I basically lived inside a giant green screen.” Still, he admits that his career has been a constant hustle and that the isolating cross-country tours “ain’t for sissies.” Rapidly paced comic absurdities fill the remainder of the book, as the author provides anecdotes about his struggles to remain upbeat and social media relevant in the fickle entertainment world despite multiple Emmy nominations. In the concluding chapters, the author openly discusses the public backlash from past controversial comments on Twitter, which he attributes to “sloppy efforts as a young comedian” to be funny. Buoyant and campy throughout, Rainbow’s revelations and lighthearted banter will entertain fans and newbies alike.
A chatty autobiography brimming with heart and humor.Pub Date: April 19, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-250-27625-4
Page Count: 256
Publisher: St. Martin's
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
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