A straightforward but largely banal account of Turnbull's formative years and his experiences as founder and director of the renowned Boys Choir of Harlem. Though raised in a single-parent home, Turnbull's boyhood years contrasted sharply with those of many young black males growing up today. Despite an absentee father, there was a strong mother and several supportive constants in his life. In accordance with the well-known African adage he quotes, Turnbull had an entire village to raise him. And growing up away from white people, he contends, allowed him to develop pride and self-esteem. Turnbull's concern for this generation's young black males, combined with his deep love of music, motivated him to found and direct the world- class Boys Choir of Harlem. Turnbull's life and book assert that unswerving faith in young people will reshape lives. Young black males must be taught ``respect, honesty, integrity, discipline, hard work and love, regardless of America's blatant and subtle forms of racism.'' Turnbull is less convincing in his sweeping condemnations of the public schools, which did not create the profound social problems affecting many students. He portrays both public and private schools as ``inflexible and unable to meet the needs of minority children.'' He glibly declares that ``the system is meant to stifle creativity and maintain the status quo.'' Turnbull unfairly compares his own school's alumni to those of others, not considering the exclusivity of his admissions policy. His school began in 1986 as an elementary school, a successful outgrowth of the Boys Choir of Harlem. Marred by Boston Globe reporter Manly's pallid prose and Turnbull's self-congratulatory tone, this is most valuable when depicting the emotional and physical horrors that many of Turnbull's young charges face. The beautiful music here involves the lives orchestrated, and in many cases rescued, by Turnbull's dedication. (Author tour)
Pub Date: Dec. 4, 1995
ISBN: 0-7868-6164-9
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Hyperion
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1995
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis...
Privately published by Strunk of Cornell in 1918 and revised by his student E. B. White in 1959, that "little book" is back again with more White updatings.
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis (whoops — "A bankrupt expression") a unique guide (which means "without like or equal").Pub Date: May 15, 1972
ISBN: 0205632645
Page Count: 105
Publisher: Macmillan
Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1972
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
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
