Customer Reviews

Boy on a String: From Cast-Off Kid to Filmmaker Through the Magic of Dreams

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Joe Jacoby has survived an incredible life. It's hard to believe that someone could become an orphan at seven, go through the revolving-door of foster homes and institutions, and somehow come out a normal human being. He brought tears to my eyes -- and also made me laugh a lot, especially about Joseph E. Levine and Match Game. An uplifting book.

This book shows how imagination and the human spirit can overcome a tragic, mixed-up childhood. Joe Jacoby took a few early images and turned them into a successful and fascinating career. It's a good lesson for today's whiny and privileged kids who don't get the concept of paying dues.

A poignant, yet unsentimental self portrait of a life created solely through a passion for movies, puppetry and the entertainment industry. A good read, especially for those who feel they might otherwise have gone further in life but for different parentage or role models. Jacoby's childhood background appears to be a modern-day Dickensian one; but to him, apparently, motivational and testament to the phrase "the child is father of the man". His story also includes some interesting, personal and amusing vignettes of some entertainment industry luminaries. Read in one sitting.