Book Description
Lara Vapnyar, author of the prizewinning story collection There Are Jews in My House, brings us a poignant and comic first novel about a delightfully sincere modern-day muse. We meet Tanya as a typical Russian girl, living with her bookish professor mother in a drab Soviet apartment. As a teenager, Tanya becomes obsessed with Dostoevsky and settles on her life’s calling: she will be the companion to a great writer. Her memoirs tell of her immigration to New York after college, the stifling expectations of her Brighton Beach cousins, and the crucial moment in a bookshop on the Upper West Side, where Tanya attends a reading by Mark Schneider, a Significant New York Novelist.
Tanya soon moves in with Mark, ready to dazzle in bed, to serve and inspire . . . if only he would spend a little more time writing and a little less time at the gym, the shrink, and the literary soirees where she feels hopelessly unglamorous and out of place. But as she gradually learns to read English—struggling to better understand Mark’s work and her true role as Muse—Tanya also learns more than she expected about the destiny she has imagined for herself.
Animated by Vapnyar’s beguiling grace and vividness—with a narrative richness reflecting the great tradition of Russian realism to which she is a natural heir—Memoirs of a Muse is an altogether wonderful novel. It is a lively meditation on female capabilities and happiness, on the mysteries of artistic inspiration (and the absurdities of artistic life), and, perhaps most movingly, on the pain and wonder of the immigrant experience in New York City.
Customer Reviews:
Problems of a Muse.......2007-09-17
Imagine deciding to become a muse to a famous author when you grow up! That is just what Tatiana (Tanya) Rumer does in this very readable, comic and original novel. The problem is that Tanya craves to become a bad girl muse rather a good girl one. Her model is Apollinaria (Polina) Suslova, Fedor Dostoevsky's muse. She vows to become like Polina and never like the "devoted, calm, domesticated" Anna Grigorievna, Dostoevsky's wife.
Unfortunately for Tanya, things do not go as planned with her writer, but there is a wonderful suprise ending for her ambition. This is a charming story with a twist of Russian irony.
Chick-Lit with Telegraphed Punch.......2007-04-15
============
Ms. Vapnyar constructs lovely sentences of well-chosen words. The main story is juxtaposed with a fabricated diary of Dostoevsky's mistress, whom the heroine, Tanya, of "Memoirs" admires. The entire book is set in Simoncini Garamond, but a second typeface would have served well to delineate between Tanya's writing and the 19th Century diaries of Polina. (This book was published by Mark Z. Danielewski's house, Pantheon Books. They *know* about typeface changes!)
"Memoirs" would have been an excellent piece of short fiction, but it's been padded at the beginning with 88 pages of narrative about the female protagonist's childhood which does nothing for the story. This is almost half of the 212-page book. The second half of the book is much better than the first 88 pages.
The Loss of Self in Another.......2006-11-28
Tanya lives in Moscow with her professor mother upon whose bedroom wall is an array of pictures of the greats of Russian literature. The young Tanya is fascinated by the portrait of Dosstoyevsky. She spends her time reading about him and is especially fascinated by his stormy relationship with the charismatic yet difficult Polina Suslova Dostoyevsky's mistress. When Polina ends their relatioinship Dostoyevsky marries an unpreposssing girl, Anna Grigorievna, 24 years his junior. Anna is placid of temperament, tending to the needs of the great writer. Young Tanya decides it is her destiny to be the muse of a great man, to be the spark that ignites his great female characters as Polina did for Dostoyevsky.
Tanya is an attractive but otherwise unremarkable student who receives her college degree in history writing on such topics as the history of Russian makeup, and breakfast in ancient Rome. After having graduated she receives an opportunity to go to New York to live with her aunt and uncle, poor emigres trying to make lives for themselves and fit into the alien American culture. Finally her chance to be a muse comes when she meets Mark, a published writer at a reading in an upper West Side bookstore.
The much older Mark is a classic narcissist. He has little interest in Tanya's thoughts, memories even her sexual pleasure. She spends her days tending to his needs, waiting to inspire Mark to begin a new novel. In the process she abandons a career or even just a job and is being 'kept' by Mark as her professor mother reminds her during phone calls to Moscow. But as the years go on Tanya begins to suspect that something is wrong with their relationship. When Mark begins to write a new novel, and Tanya discovers in a biography of Dostoyevsky Mark's real thoughts about her, her belief in the importance of being a muse begins to unravel.
Although the progress of the relationship with Mark is predictable the juxtaposition of the relationship between Dostoyevsky and Polina, Dostoyevsky and Anna and Tanya's own life makes for an engrossing story. Along the way Vapnyar provides insights into the difficulties of the immigrant experience and what it means to lose one's sense of self in another. This is Vapnyar's first novel. She is a fine writer to be watched.
A Fascinating first Novel.......2006-11-20
Tanya is probably one of the most interesting characters I've encountered in a while. Growing up in Russia, she idolized the writer Dostoyevsky, after first seeing his picture as a little girl. Growing up, she hears of Dostoyevsky's muse, a spirited woman who inspirited him to write. At the suggestion of a teacher who is highly attracted to her, she realizes that she too wants to be a muse. She wants to inspire greatness and achieve immortality by having her actions inspire great art. When she travels to America as a young woman, she meets a frustrated writer who seems to be in need of a muse, and seems to be very interested in her. Tanya is overjoyed at first, but as time passes she realizes that something is not quite right about their relationship. As we read Tanya's story we also get to see Polina's story, the life of Dostoyevsky's muse as seen through Tanya's imagination.
There are a lot of great things about this story. As I said before, Tanya is an interesting complex character. As this slim volume is a coming of age story, we see all of the events that make her into the woman that she becomes. The story begins with her life in Russia and her relationship with her family (probably some of my favorite chapters in the book). We see her sexual maturation. We see her fascination with what many people consider to be the mundane and shallow parts of history, such as what people in the 19th century wore for makeup and used for birth control. We also get to see her life as a Russian immigrant. Tanya's move from one walk of life to another is very true to life. The book is written in a dreamy manner that makes it very pleasant to read. Yet my only complaint is perhaps it is too dreamy. Throughout the novel, all off the filler is simply skimmed over but by the end, I felt as if some of what was skimmed over could have been gone into a little more. I wanted to see more of this transformation that was so important for our main character. I wanted to slow down for a bit and watch as her time as a muse ends.
Beyond that speed bump, the story was highly enjoyable. This is an impressive first novel!
Couldn't put it down!.......2006-06-28
Vapnyar is one of those writers who is able to write in a way that transports readers to the scene - I felt, I smelled, I heard, I giggled... I couldn't put the book down.
This is a story of a Russian girl with a rich imagination and a longing for a life that is lived "to the utmost degree!". "But now I was fifteen, and that long-anticipated extraordinary talent still hadn't emerged. My many gifts rattled about like cheap jewelry in a sequined bag - there wasn't a single gemstone. Now what kind of fulfilling life could the likes of me lead?" Her language is honest and sincere (with ought being rude or shocking) and puts the story on a very intimate and familiar level.
Customer Reviews:
Fun!.......2003-04-08
Cassie Jones is coming out of her shell with a serious makeover. Blonded, contacted...she's hot on an interview with Marine Cpt. Sam Wilder. He doesn't recognize her from their first meeting. That's fine. Cassie plans to be keep a professional distance...but discovers distance from Sam doesn't work! Every time she's around him she wants to get closer...much closer!
Humor and sizzle...Sleeping Beuaty and the Marine has it all!
another fantastic Wilder Marine!!.......2003-01-04
US Marine Captain Sam Wilder is an American hero!! Cassandra Jones is an up
and coming journalist on a new assigment. She had once been rebuffed by Sam
when he had "overlooked" her at a press conference. At that time Cassie had
been a bespectacled brunette which she believes is the reason Sam had not
picked her to question him at the press event, instead he had chosen a
blonde. Now, Cassie is doing a hero piece on Sam, however she is now a
blonde bombshell and Sam does not recognize her. He is instantly attracted
to Cassie but she is out for revenge!!
Cathie Linz has another winner!! The last Wilder brother is definitely what
a hero should be! "SLEEPING BEAUTY & THE MARINE" is a five star delight with
snappy dialogue and sexy characters. Don't miss this fast-paced, feel-good
military romance...it's fantastic!
Customer Reviews:
The books that turned the tide.......2000-05-19
These books reshaped the the way people thought about Star Wars. Their action, and amazing plot, gave the idea a rebirth which continues to this day. Read these books, they're well worth the time and money.
The books that brought back the Force!.......2000-05-07
There was a time almost a decade ago when SW was dead, a thing from the past, then one day passing by a bookstore something called my attention "Heir to the Empire", What's this? I wondered, and as I was reading page after page of this novel I relived the thrill and excitement and dreams from my childhood. Undoubtely this trilogy (completed by "Dark Force Rising" & "The Last Command") are as close to the original vision of George Lucas as they could have been and it is the best story of all the Expanded Universe. Now with the audiobook version I will have a chance to listen to the story everytime that I desire it. If you haven't read the books, buy this audio version, you won't regret it.
Book Description
A second collection of true stories of beautiful descriptions of what many people saw, and learn about the vital messages imparted by these angels.
Customer Reviews:
Inspiring, Fun, Insightful & Healing!.......2002-02-05
This is a wonderful collection of true angel stories from people of all walks of life that wiill amaze and mesmerize you. Open up your heart to the Divine as you allow yourself to connect with the angelic realm through reading about angel encounters, and and creating some for yourself as well! Part II of this books includes detailed steps that anyone can take to open up to seeing, hearing, and sensing their own angels and angelic companions. A must-read for all angel lovers, and anyone who is interested in true life spiritual experiences. This book could change your life!
Beautiful - again!.......2002-01-16
I have read so many books by Doreen, this second Visions book is just as great as the first! For those who have never had an "encounter" or a "vision", don't dismay - you first need to believe that one doesn't need to be extraordinary to have angels communicate with them. I should know, I am very ordinary, but very lucky to have an open mind & spirit... Remember - our angels cannot help us unless we ask them to!!!
Believe and you shall see!!!! :o} :o}
Average customer rating:
|
Wine Memories: Great Writers on the Pleasures of Wine
Manufacturer: Chronicle Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 Spirits
| Drinks & Beverages
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
Wine
| Drinks & Beverages
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
| Buying Guides
| Cellars
| Champagne
| Collecting
| Food & Wine
| Wine & Winemaking
General
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0811826457 |
Book Description
Most memorable meals--and many of life's special moments--are enjoyed with a glass of wine. In this illustrated volume, 40 renowned writers from the world of food and wine capture the joys of the perfect glass in evocative excerpts from fiction, essays, and memoirs. Interspersed are dozens of full-color reproductions of wine labels from the world's most sought-after vineyards and vintages. Engaging and intimate, Wine Memories is the ideal gift for the wine lover and for all who savor the connnection of great wine with unforgettable moments.
Average customer rating:
|
Advertising trays
Thomas W Polansky
Manufacturer: The Author
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
Coca-Cola
| Advertising
| Antiques & Collectibles
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: B00072G244 |
Customer Reviews:
Great for collectors!.......2005-02-09
Over 100 photographs of trays from the period 1905 to 1920. A few outstanding examples of earlier and later trays are included to show that high quality trays are not limited to a certain era. Adjacent to each tray pictured is technical information for the tray.
Trays are presented in the following categories: Beer Trays - Whiskey Trays - Soda Water Trays - Miscellaneous Trays - Political Trays - Change Trays - Vienna Art Trays.
A Guide to Grading [from Jim Cope's "Soda Water Advertising"] is also included. 100 pages.
Average customer rating:
- Wonderful pictures, not all US, values not always traceable
- Interesting,but could have been better
- A good book, but very limited in scope.
|
Collectible Beer Trays (A Schiffer Book for Collectors)
Gary Straub
Manufacturer: Schiffer Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Company Profiles
| Biography & History
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Production & Operations
| Management & Leadership
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Bottles
| Antiques & Collectibles
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Antiques & Collectibles
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Industrial, Manufacturing & Operational Systems
| Engineering
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Similar Items:
-
New England Breweriana
-
Pennsylvania Breweries
ASIN: 0887408400 |
Book Description
Sit back, pop a cold one, and let Gary Straub introduce you to the colorful world of beer tray collecting. With over 800 bright color photographs of different trays and an engaging text, the reader follows the rise and fall of the lithographed tin beer tray from its 1890s introduction, through its golden years, and eventual post-World War II decline. The fortunes of the breweries are charted in their trays through the boom years prior to 1920, the staggering losses of the Prohibition era, and the conservation during World War II. Discover the alternative materials used when tin was in short supply. Manufacturers of the trays, their artwork(often sold to more than one brewery) and their marks are described in detail. Breweries emblazoned on the trays include Ballantine, Bartels, Genessee, and Narragansett. The names of some of the brews themselves provide occasional surprises, like OLE MULE ALE and ANTRACITEBEER.
Customer Reviews:
Wonderful pictures, not all US, values not always traceable.......1999-05-25
Nice book, but wish it would incorporate all US areas. Quite some mistakes when trying to assign values to the trays. Would like to see values with description and picture instead of in index. Also, an alphabetical index by brewery name would be very helpful. Overall, very nice book for a beer memorabilia collector.
Interesting,but could have been better.......1999-05-17
Author did a good job on norheastern states but forgets the rest of the country.Also I've noticed a few mistakes trying to match the pictures with the value guide.
A good book, but very limited in scope........1997-12-23
A good book, but limited to the northeast states. It would be nice if this was mentioned in the title, because if you're looking for the major breweries operating today, you're not going to find them. It would also be nice if the history (ie. years of operation) of the breweries was included. This being said, it is a valuable book for the tray collector, and enjoyable to browze.
Book Description
Dick Sing has directed his creative wood turning skills to the design of six attractive projects with variations. Three variations of bottle stoppers and decorative jar lids can transform the practical into the beautiful. The weed vase and the small mirror can make charming gifts; the spinning top and baby rattle will delight any young child. Instructions for each project along with step-by-step photographs make these fun projects easy to learn and fun to do. Variations provide a challenge for the more experienced turners,and a gallery with numerous examples encourages the adventurous to experiment., 250 color photos, 8 1/2" x 11"
Customer Reviews:
Useful Beauty.......2007-06-01
I found this book to be interesting and informative. It had some good suggestions for, as it says, useful beauty. Although most books are on the how to's only, this book did include design ideas. However, the items were not all that unknown and different, so I found myself interested more in the technique he used than in the ideas themselves. I think it is a good beginner book but not really interesting to a more experienced turner.
Nice general instruction in a good and well organized book.......2007-05-20
Dick Sing is one of the better woodturners that can explain things to my level as an average person. I like them!
useful beauty: turning practical on a woodlathe.......2007-01-04
i thouch it was a very good book and come in handy
Fun Projects.......2005-09-07
The author (D. Sing) really likes his work. It shows in this book. He has put together a lot of just fun to do projects that still have usefullness beyond beauty.
My only real complaint about the book is it isn't always easy to understand how to construct the project. Some of the turing can be tricky, and there needs to be more explanation on some of these turnings.
One problem I have found with most "how to" books is the person writing the book really has a knack for this kind of work. They just breeze through painting, drawing, wood working, wood turning etc and often just can't recongnize what the problems are for those of us who do not have the built in knack. And, of course the person has been doing these projects for years and can do a lot of basic things by eye or they just "know" how to hold the skew (or paint brush or whatever). This book suffers somewhat from that problem. What is just no big deal or not even thought about by Mr. Sing is very hard for me to do.
Overall, a good book with a lot of fun projects.
Average customer rating:
|
The Practical Woodworker
Manufacturer: Ten Speed Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Crafts & Hobbies
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
Reference
| Crafts & Hobbies
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Woodworking
| Crafts & Hobbies
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
Projects
| Woodworking
| Crafts & Hobbies
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Industrial, Manufacturing & Operational Systems
| Engineering
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 1580081460 |
Customer Reviews:
Can't live without it.......2004-04-20
The Headmaster to aspiring galoots. Explains basics of pre-WWII woodworking in Britain and America.
Average customer rating:
- I love this book!
- A bit of everything
- A good book, but not a great one
|
The Complete Practical Woodworker: A Comprehensive and Easy-to-Follow Course for the Home Woodworker
Stephen Corbett
Manufacturer: Lorenz Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| Crafts & Hobbies
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Woodworking
| Crafts & Hobbies
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
Projects
| Woodworking
| Crafts & Hobbies
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Industrial, Manufacturing & Operational Systems
| Engineering
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
All Titles
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
ASIN: 0754806316 |
Book Description
This is the definitive reference guide for the beginner and the accomplished woodworking enthusiast alike. With clear step-by-step instructions that are easy to follow and accompanied by glorious full-color photography, it provides a comprehensive course on woodworking with extensive sections on every aspect of the craft.
Customer Reviews:
I love this book!.......2004-03-14
The close-up photography is great! You can actually see what they are doing in detail. I also like it because they use hand tools, so you get to see close-ups of the uses for rabbet planes, spokeshaves, chisels, handsaws. This is something the other books I have seem to barely cover and I even have some dedicated to hand tools.
This is a great book for a beginner!
A bit of everything.......2003-04-30
This book has a bit of everything. There is a section about wood, another of tools, a section about techniques and a section with projects. This book is like an abridged version of "The Compete Book of Woodworking" which has twice as many pages, is twice as thick and has twice as many projects.
A good book, but not a great one.......2002-08-11
This book has a little bit of everything. It starts with an explanation of what wood is, how it's produced, and what the differences are between woods. Then tools are examined, everything from screwdrivers to bandsaws. Next is a quick section on getting started (plans, safety equipment, etc.) and then one on fasteners and fittings. The next three sections are very good sections on techniques (basic techniques, joints and advanced techniques), and after those are a section on wood finishing.
The last, and largest, chapter is the one containing the plans. For some reason, the projects are not delineated in the table of contents or anywhere else, which is a bit of a pain. For your knowledge they are: wine rack, picture frame, CD rack, mirror frame, magazine rack, (wall-mounted) bookshelf, bar stool, occasional table, storage chest, three-legged chair, display case, bedside cabinet, computer cabinet, butcher's block, bookcase, corner cabinet, (small) dining table, settle (wooden bench), conservatory bench, and kitchen base unit. Each project has a list of materials, exploded diagrams, and color pictures to accompany the step-by-step directions. (Very nice!)
As might be expected from a book that tries to cover everything, it is something of a mixed bag. Some of the information is quite informative, while some is bound to be common knowledge of most woodworkers. Overall, though, I do think that this is a good book for any woodworker, or woodworker-want-to-be to read.
As for the projects, all of them were of the style that I would call Swedish Modern (that may not be the right term, so please do not take this as gospel). That is, they are of a simple, almost stark design, shown with a blonde finish. I must admit that I didn't particularly care for any of the projects, and have not made any of them.
Overall, though, let me say that this is a well-produced book, one that would be of use to most woodworkers. It is a good book, but not a great one.
Book Description
No matter how simple or complex your woodworking projects may be, the same basic skills are--choosing the rights tools, selecting and cutting the wood, and shaping, assembling and sanding the components.
Average customer rating:
|
Garden Furniture: A Practical Handbook for Woodworkers
George Buchanan
Manufacturer: Cassell
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Furniture & Carpentry
| Woodworking
| Crafts & Hobbies
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
Gardening & Horticulture
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
| By Climate
| By Plant
| English Gardens
| Essays
| Flowers
| Fruit
| Garden Design
| Garden Furnishings
| General
| Greenhouses
| Herbs
| House Plants
| Japanese Gardens
| Landscape
| Lawns
| Organic
| Ornamental Plants
| Outdoor & Recreational Areas
| Reference
| Regional
| Shade
| Shrubs
| Soil
| Techniques
| Trees
| Vegetables
| Weed & Pest Control
| Wild Plants
General
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Engineering
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0304342912 |
Average customer rating:
|
Practical upholstery: Detailed instructions for chairs of all kinds, suites, settees, divan beds, etc., also materials, tools, frames, covers, springs, etc (Woodworker handbooks)
C Howes
Manufacturer: Lippincott
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0007EFUTA |
Average customer rating:
|
The practical wood turner, (Woodworker handbooks)
F Pain
Manufacturer: Drake Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
General
| Crafts & Hobbies
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
How-to & Home Improvements
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
| Buildings & Construction
| Carpentry
| Cleaning, Caretaking & Relocating
| Decks & Patios
| Decorating
| Design & Construction
| Do-It-Yourself
| Electrical
| Estimating
| Furniture
| Green Housecleaning
| Hand Tools
| Heating, Ventilation & Air Conditioning
| Home Repair
| Household Hints
| Masonry
| Outdoor & Recreational Areas
| Plumbing & Household Automation
| Power Tools
| Reference
| Remodeling & Renovation
| Roofing
| Security
| Small Appliance Repair
| Swimming Pools
| Woodworking
ASIN: 0877497052 |
Customer Reviews:
Production Wood Turning.......2003-11-18
Having read several wood turning books including books
by Raffan I decided to give this book a try.
The text is well written and an easy read. The book contains
very clear descriptions of how to sharpen and use the various types of wood turning tools.
Some of the advice in the book is a little outdated and
some of the practices are clearly ones that the casual
wood turner will not want to engage in.
All in all a very good read.
Book Description
Seasonal ideas from the authority in country style
Book-of-the-Month Club Main Selection
Quick decorating ideas that bring a sense of the season indoors
Chapters divided by season
From the staff of Country Home magazine
Dust jacket printed on translucent stock
Customer Reviews:
A pleasure for the eyes and a real treat for creative souls!.......2001-06-25
Featuring around 200 easy and beautiful decorating projects,complete with clear instructions and an invaluable resource guide to find supplies, this book, photograph after photograph also is a real pleasure for the eyes. Whether you are simply looking for country-style inspiration to decorate you home, or just enjoy creating beautiful yet affordable pieces for your home, look no more, this is the book you need. You will enjoy gathering pebbles from the beach, twigs and moss from the garden, and mixing them with an old crock, or treasured antique linen for your grand-mother, to create a stylish everyday look for your home. As an interior designer, this book is among my favorites and now belongs on my resource shelf in the office.My girlfriends have been known to borrow it as well, more than once. A must-have...
Book Description
Letters from the Avant-Garde presents designs for business?ephemera -- including stationery, envelopes, postcards, and?business cards -- created by F.T. Marinetti, André?Breton, Herbert Bayer, Kurt Schwitters, El Lissitzky, Mies van der Rohe,?Jan Tschichold, Ladislav Sutnar, Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, and many others.?
?Working in Europe and the U.S. between 1909 and 1950, these designers used?printed stationery to project the public identities of avant-garde?movements to an international community, disseminating modernist theory?and practice around the globe via the postal service. Letters from the?Avant-Garde features over 150 illustrations, in color and black and?white, of printed ephemera from the collections of Elaine Lustig Cohen and?other sources. Letters from the Avant-Garde is an invaluable?resource for all those interested in graphic design, typography, and the?history of modernism.?
?Critical essays show how artists and designers mobilized the techniques of?commercial communication to promote their ideals and ambitions. Gathered?together for the first time, the materials presented in this book are?typographic self-portraits of the most influential people and institutions?in the development of modern design.?
Customer Reviews:
Paul is Right.......2000-09-16
As Paul said, a great book. I first met Paul out dancing out at the Limelight. I trust him with my life. You can trust him with this book review.
a hard book to find.......2000-03-26
A nice solid spark if you do identity work. Untitled Books in Soho and Amazon are the only places I've been able to find it, a good inspiration-resource and a refreshing alternative to the overflow of tacky pretentious desin books like Flatness Is God and 007 License To Design.
Average customer rating:
- An Honest and Compelling Review of the Lives of Prodigies
|
Whatever Happened to the Quiz Kids: The Perils and Profits of Growing Up Gifted
Ruth Duskin Feldman
Manufacturer: Backinprint.com
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
| Humor
| Movies
| Music
| Performing Arts
| Pop Culture
| Puzzles & Games
| Radio
| Sheet Music & Scores
| Television
Entertainers
| Arts & Literature
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Education
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
Gifted Students
| Education Theory
| Education
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
Adolescent Psychology
| Psychology & Counseling
| Health, Mind & Body
| Subjects
| Books
Development
| Child Psychology
| Psychology & Counseling
| Health, Mind & Body
| Subjects
| Books
Psychology
| Child Psychology
| Psychology & Counseling
| Health, Mind & Body
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Performing Arts
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0595007279 |
Book Description
The Quiz Kids radio and television program was a national institution in the 1940s and 1950s. Did the Quiz Kids fulfill their youthful promise? What were the fruits — bitter and sweet — of their childhood experience? What are the lessons learned for gifted children today?
Customer Reviews:
An Honest and Compelling Review of the Lives of Prodigies.......2001-11-05
Several years ago, I used this book in a study of gifted children. It was a fascinating look at the lives of child prodigies. But I'm sure that many will identify with the statement made by one man who was asked about what became of the Quiz Kids: " I hope they all turned out to be garbage collectors!"
It would be a tragic waste if that man had gotten his wish. But that is a realistic summary of the the feelings that many people have towards child prodigies. The photos of Ruth Duskin Feldman as a child reminded me of an overacheiving girl I once knew, and any body who has ever suffered the childhood indignity of verbal comparisons between themselves and someone who was considered more brilliant might not wish such children very well.
Of course, they didn't all turn out to be garbage collectors, and they can count a Nobel Prize Winner (James D. Watson) among them, as well as an actress (the late Vanessa Brown), a Jesuit Priest (Jack Lucal), and actor and dialect coach (Bob Easton), and a producer (Harve Bennett) among their ranks. On the the other hand there was the early death of one of the most promising Quiz Kids, Gerard Darrow, for whom certain social and academic needs could never really be met.
As is the case with many child celebrities, some of these Quiz Kids feel that their parents exploited them. As a Jew, Feldman discusses the bias against her and other Quiz Kids of the same faith. The story of how the non-Jewish Quiz Kids were sent to shake hands with the anti-semitic Henry Ford during a visit before she and the others could, in order to curry favor with the famed auto maker, was quite an attention-getter.
Duskin also sheds light on the sexism of the time, stating that girls often had to allow themselves to be deferential to boys on issues in order to continue to appear "feminine".One girl even advised her not to appear too brilliant if she wanted to get dates.Thank Heaven times have changed!
What Ruth Duskin has ultimately given us is a longitudinal study of gifted children that is sincerely told. No one could accuse her of being too arrogant about her prodigiousness, especially when she discusses the rejection she suffered.
Incidentally, I myself did very well on the report in which I used this book, and would highly recommend it to others. It's a fascinating study.
Books:
- Memoirs of a Shape-Shifter
- Mutant Message from Forever : A Novel of Aboriginal Wisdom
- My Father's Notebook: A Novel of Iran
- Nearer Than the Sky
- Nop's Hope
- Nowhere in Africa: An Autobiographical Novel
- One Foot in Eden: A Novel
- Our Ecstatic Days: A Novel
- Out of the Girls' Room and Into the Night: Stories
- Pincher Martin: The Two Deaths of Christopher Martin
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Rough Weather Seamanship for Sail and Power : Design, Gear, and Tactics for Coastal and Offshore Wat
- Morning Comes Softly
- Glasshouse
- Inorganic Scintillators for Detector Systems: Physical Principles and Crystal Engineering
- Looking Out, Looking In
- Judge & Jury
- How to Meditate With Your Cat: An Introduction to Meditation for Cat Lovers
- Connecticut Valley Furniture by Eliphalet Chapin And His Contemporaries, 1750-1800:
- House and Home in Modern Japan: Architecture, Domestic Space, and Bourgeois Culture, 1880-1930
- Mark of the Lion: A Jade Del Cameron Novel
There Are Jews in My House
Absurdistan: A Novel
Russian Debutante's Handbook
Natasha: And Other Stories
Suite Francaise
