An entertaining and humorous introduction to 26 famous individuals from history, the arts, literature and the sciences, who were considered rebels or dunces during their childhood and teen years.
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From School Library Journal
Grade 7 Up—Pablo Picasso couldn't sit still in class; Winston Churchill took the entrance exams to military school three times before he passed. Who would believe that one day they would be famous? This collection of biographical sketches introduces 26 figures in literature, art, science, and history, all of whom had "chaotic beginnings." Most are familiar to American students, though some, like Olympe de Gouges and François Truffaut, may be new. The chapters center on the subjects' early lives, though sidebars provide some context and explanation of their adult accomplishments. Some sections are written in first person: John Lennon's begins, "I am one of the Beatles. No, not Paul. The other one, John." Walt Disney's story is told by his cartoon characters. Bloch has altered existing paintings and photographs to add to the informal tone (for example, he has drawn a group of soldiers marching up Churchill's shoulders). The biographies are reminiscent of Kathleen Krull's Lives of the Artists: Masterpieces, Messes (And What the Neighbors Thought) (Harcourt, 2005), though for more sophisticated readers. Unfortunately, the translation is awkward at times, and the creativity of the text (and lack of an index) limit the book's use for student research. However, the unusual format will attract readers, who will likely find it comforting to know that not everyone who becomes successful has an easy start.—Jackie Partch, Multnomah County Library, Portland, OR
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
About the Author
Jean-Bernard Pouy, a big name in French detective fiction, turns his attention here to some real life characters, with humor, bit and tenderness. Serge Bloch's illustrations have appeared in newspapers, magazines and both adult and children's books. His easily recognizable caricatures, which are both witty and humane, brilliantly succeed in overturning cultural icons. About his own style he has said: "I like to combine illustration and photography more and more because a photograph really makes us believe that it's true." Anne Blanchard currently thinks up and oversees books on various themes, occasionally writing them herself. She was formerly a social science and children's book editor. Another of her brainstorms, The Big Book of Dummies, Rebels and Other Geniuses, has also been published by Enchanted Lion Books.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
great book,
By
This review is from: The Big Book of Dummies, Rebels and other Geniuses (Hardcover)
My 8-year-old son loves this book. It's a great way of getting a first introduction to some of the great geniuses of our civilization. Each entry is short, funny and informative. You can't go wrong with this one!
7 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
If the "big book" is a little gem,,
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The Big Book of Dummies, Rebels and other Geniuses (Hardcover)
it's flawed. The basic premise is cool: take a handful of geniuses, those who lived at evolution's edge, and note in brief bios that each was considered less-than-stellar in youth--failure, misfit, rebel or slow student. The reader is free to draw her own conclusions, and I dug the editorial slant--that these are competitive times--my read, that societal recognition goes most easily to those of "optimal" intelligence, neither too high nor too low, who tend to be competitive, short-term, and insecure. (Just attended a wedding of MBAs, and the groomsmen muscled me--mommy holding thirsty toddler, waiting for water--out of line at the bar to get their gin; such is life.)
However, I am made uneasy by an (ironic) implicit equivalence the book seems to make. I worry that the average browser will look at the cover (Einstein sticking out his tongue), skim the bios that read like Internet research conducted over lunch breaks, absorb cheesy prose (maybe it sounded better in the French) and slacker-doodle illustrations--and then--equate the intense and joyful work, the difficult pleasures of the genius (too different, too far ahead of the curve, unusual in temperament, too sensitive, impatient with authority and convention, who values play and risk-taking) with a celebration of the merely sloppy and irreverant.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
