Customer Reviews

Different Dances 25th Anniversary Edition

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

These simple drawings, one or just a few per page, are some of the funniest around. Some have a macabre side, but that is always used to make a point. Others seem to radiate quiet desperation. Still others comment on the compromises people make. Some do all of the above, and more.

There's no text in these drawings, or almost none. The style is spare, even more than in "Where the Sidewalk Ends." My only complaint, and this is a very quiet one, is that that most pages hold only one drawing, and that one is small. I'm used to a lot more density, but the open, airy pages do a good job of framing Silverstein's characters, or of echoing their isolation.

One more thing - unlike the better-known Silverstein books, this one is decidedly not for the kids.

//wiredweird

Shel has taken his acerbic wit and marvelously torpedoed many of the adult social taboos in this wonderful PG-24 rated coffee table book. For those who only know him for his childrens' books, this will be as much of an eye-opening experience as losing one's virginity. He targets everything from blind adoration, to the pill, to suicide. For those lucky enough to have seen his recent plays, you will admire, chuckle at, and re-think your own beliefs about many important social issues...and all in rough line drawing. If you can find it, buy it.

i found my copy of this treasure in a used bookstore 20 years ago. when i took it to the register the clerk looked down at me and said "I wondered who would buy that thing." i can't believe how narrow minded he was! this book is the most clearly drawn picture of the human condition i have ever found. i took it to a pshych. class in college, highlighting some of my favorites. i had to bring back 3 night running because everyone wanted to read/see the whole thing. great extra credit points just for owning it. it is for adults and it will make you laugh, but it will also make you think. enjoy.

My introduction to DIFFERENT DANCES was by way of a trash can. A good friend of mine had given his father a copy of DIFFERENT DANCES his immediate reaction upon opening it was "this is pornographic trash " He then put it into the garbage can . My friend ,being thrifty by nature and knowing that I appreciated both art and humor retrieved it from the trash and his father's trash became my most treasured Christmas gift of that Christmas and many more . Shel's mastery with a pen was unmatched whether he was commenting on "civilization"with words or pictures he ran the gamut from children's books ,Dr. Hook songs ,Playboy cartoons to Different Dances He was most definitley a MAN FOR ALL AGES. We'll miss you SHEL but we are richer due to your legacy,THANKS for showing us a little bit more of ourselves.

Rarely a single day goes by that I don't recall to mind one of the many incredible stories told in this amazing book through pictures. It has changed the way I look at the world over and over again. The last three years or so, I have been miserable without my copy as someone cold-heartedly stole the book from me. Not that I can blame them really, but I fail to believe someone could treasure this work as much as I ever did or will. If you are lucky enough to own a copy - hold it tight. Thank you Shel.

Our school library received this book through the school board's "approved" book list. Obviously, the author's name was enough for the reviewer to okay this title. Upon receiving the book, it was obvious that the list-maker at the school board had relied only on the Shel Silverstein name without actually opening the book for review. Although very cute for the 18+ age group, this is most certainly NOT a children's book. The grapic adult cartoons are funny if you are a "grown-up" but can give your children a crash course in sex-ed if you don't screen this book first. Funny for adults; not intended for children!

I first found 'Different Dances' about 22 years ago when I was 15. I bought two copies and gave them as gifts because they said so much about humanity...and said it without words. My favorites are 'The Bridge' and the story of a woman chained and ignored by her mate hiding behind a newspaper. She manages to slip away from the one only to be attached again to a musician. I found that to be very eye opening for sure. I am in desparate need to find a copy for myself as the copies I bought long ago were given away as gifts. I have searched local and not-so-local book stores and have found none. Please readers, help me locate a copy.

I bought this when it was first published on a whim because a few of the cartoons made me gasp at their expression of simple truths. When my first child was born, I hid it away in the attic for over 20 years until my youngest was in her late teens and I found it again. [You really don't want to have to explain some of these to children.] Now it is more amazing to me in my fifties than it was back in my twenties.

Some will make you laugh, some cry and you might even curl your toes with embarrassment at some of these simple insightful cartoons on their large white sheets of paper.

I thought Different Dances was a generic book of cartoons...boy was I wrong. This book opened my eyes and made me look at things differently, critically, humorously! Thank you Shel, you will be sorely missed as I have yet to see an author with this kind of insight and versatility.

My Mom bought me an autographed copy of Different Dances for my 21st birthday- instead of going bar hopping I spent the evening with my family pouring over the pages. Shel puts reality into cartoon form, creating honest laughter. This book must be accompanied with Uncle Shelby's ABZ Book to complete the experience. -Thank you Shel, you are missed.