by Tomi Ungerer ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 1, 1998
One of the éminences grises of children’s literature recasts memoirs originally published in French and German for this lively, sardonic account of the multiple occupations of his native Alsace in WWII. Ungerer views those “absurd and tragic times” from both adult and childish perspectives, recalling his mother’s taste for practical jokes and unfailing ability to charm her way around the demands of officialdom, describing the radical changes imposed on every aspect of daily life by the Nazis and the quiet, clever Alsatian resistance, regarding all of the armies, including the “gallinaceous” French and aloof, insensitive American, as invaders—if sometimes welcome ones. Due in part to his own family’s habit of never throwing anything away, and in part to gifts from readers of the foreign-language editions, the author supplies a mind-boggling array of illustrations: photos, postcards, cartoons, advertisements, stamps, posters, old school assignments, childhood drawings, propaganda leaflets, souvenirs, and more, many reproduced in full-color, nearly all at least partly translated in explanatory captions. Ungerer does not deny the prison camps, anti-Semitism, and general terror of the experience, but serves up more tributes here than indictments—and by looking for the humor, or at least the irony, in every situation, he effectively demonstrates the triumph of spirit over circumstance. (Memoir. 11-15)
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 1998
ISBN: 1-57098-163-9
Page Count: 188
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 1998
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More by Tomi Ungerer
BOOK REVIEW
by Tomi Ungerer ; illustrated by Tomi Ungerer
BOOK REVIEW
by Tomi Ungerer ; illustrated by Tomi Ungerer
BOOK REVIEW
by Tomi Ungerer & illustrated by Tomi Ungerer
by Martin S. Schwartz with Dave Morine & Paul Flint ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 1998
A Wall Street trader exercises a rich man’s prerogative and offers financial advice and his life story. “See how much money I made!” is the message. “I’m pretty smart and damned tough, too.” To be sure, Schwartz (“Buzzy” to his pals) is the prototypical hard driver, a truly successful day trader, buying and selling in lightning strokes for his own account. His is a talent for exquisite market timing, a tricky game for even the most proficient professionals. His specialty is S&P futures, a technique using the marvel of leverage to greatly multiply the chances for gain—or loss—on each tick. It requires an inordinate amount of research as well as stamina, acumen, and nerve, but it can be worth millions every year. The alternative, as Buzzy frets, is “going tapioca.” Buzzy dearly wanted his kids to say, “ ‘My daddy’s the Champion Trader!’ That was all I cared about,” he admits. With success came Lutäce lunches, expensive artworks, Armani suits, Bally alligator shoes, and other trophies. Schwartz essays a little false humility, but the book’s evasive charm is based on chutzpah. In an effort to leverage with OPM (other people’s money), the author established his own hedge funds until investors (the bastards) pestered him about their money. Don’t be surprised to learn the result was heart disease. Now in Florida, trading again for himself, the quondam Champion Trader reveals, with some repetition, his story. It moves nicely, though, with a certain egomaniacal verve. An appendix gives the author’s daily schedule (e.g, “7:20-7:30 Clean out the plumbing”). His investment methodology is also appended, but only the most devoted professional will utilize this rigorous lesson. An archetypal text, true to life on the Street, destined to be discussed over drinks at trader hangouts after the market closes—and better than going tapioca. (Author tour; radio satellite tour)
Pub Date: April 1, 1998
ISBN: 0-88-730876-7
Page Count: 304
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 1998
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by Megan Howard ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 11, 1999
Distilled from published or televised sources, this biography of Reeve from troubled childhood to triumphant re-emergence into public life focuses more on what he’s done than who he is. As a precis of his acting career and post-accident involvement in medical and social causes, this outdoes its nearest competitor, Libby Hughes’s Christopher Reeve (1997, not reviewed) in small—and sometimes insignificant—details while carrying his story forward to early 1998 (ending before he took on the remake of Rear Window last year, and lacking any mention of his autobiography, Still Me). A mix of posed full-color and black-and- white shots, show Reeve in school, on the stage, in his films, with his family, and appearing at public events; endnotes, plus a generous list of articles and books, will launch readers searching for insight into his career, if not his person. Utilitarian and coherent. (index) (Biography. 11-13)
Pub Date: May 11, 1999
ISBN: 0-8225-4945-X
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Lerner
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1999
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