Customer Reviews

Fiddler to the World: The Inspiring Life of Itzhak Perlman

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

 

 

This is a beautifully-written biography about a great artist whose disability did not prevent him from attaining great heights. The story of his life from his birth in Israel, his struggle with polio, his musical education in the U.S. and his subsequent enormous success both personally and professionally is told in a concise and interesting manner that is inspiring for adults as well as young people. The reader is also offered a fascinating glimpse into the world of classical music and the concert stage as well as an illuminating, illustrated chapter about the history and structure of violins. The only problem is that it is so difficult to obtain a copy of this book. The publisher should consider reissuing it in a new edition.

I thought that the book was great. It did mention a lot his disability and how it makes him look clumsy sometimes but I think that that isn't the point of the book. The point is that it inspires young performers to go out there and fulfill their dreams and not let anything stand in their way.

Fiddler to the world was a great book, although I somestimes felt as though the author was trying to pity Itzhak. He dosen't mind his disability! In the book, she gave a lot of great information, from his parents, to his family.
But what really got me is that she sometimes seemed to mention his disability just to get the story across. She would make references to how he must get on stage. That is okay, but the way she did it was questionable. She made it seem as though he was a klutz, which he is not!!!!!
She did do a great job of conveying the sense that he really is a great person, no matter what. She treated him fairly, except for those few spots where she went on a pity heist.

I bought this book as a limited edition. I had been trying to get a copy of the book for a long time and when I finally did, I was thoroughly dissappointed.

It seems that that author has got most of her information and history about Itzhak Perlman from his own interviews on television or video etc. She obviously did not interview the violinist himself.

I am aware that the book is written for teens but it has to be said that I do not advise anyone to buy this book. Moreover the book is patronizing of Perlman's handicap and I find it hard to believe that Perlman every authorized this writing.