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A Boy Named Shel: The Life and Times of Shel Silverstein Paperback – March 31, 2009

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Lisa Rogak (Author)
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3.4 out of 5 stars 24 customer reviews
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Product Details

  • Paperback: 239 pages
  • Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; 2 edition (March 31, 2009)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0312539312
  • ISBN-13: 978-0312539313
  • Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.6 x 8.5 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 13.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #565,672 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Top Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 starsGreat Subject, Poor Writing
By Luxx Mishley on August 3, 2008
Format: Hardcover
"A Boy Named Shel" is really a mixed bag. On one hand, it is an incredibly interesting read, due entirely to its subject matter - Shel Silverstein was a fascinating individual who lived life to the fullest, and his passion for creation and zest for the here-and-now clearly comes through in the telling of his life.

On the other hand, Rogak is a horrible author and biographer. The biography itself is comprised largely of quotes by people who knew him, and in that respect I believe Rogak should only really claim editorial (as opposed to authorial) rights. Her actual writing is poorly organized and even more poorly executed, and would greatly detract from a less luminous subject than Silverstein. It is unfortunate that such a creative and successful person fell prey to such a biographer.
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2.0 out of 5 starsGood Research Does not a Good Book Make
By O. Kagan on December 10, 2007
Format: Hardcover
As soon as I saw the biography of one of my favorite artists on the shelf, I knew I had to take it home with me. Four days after I had the pleasure of starting this book I am relieved to be through with it.

Lisa Rogak's biography is well-researched, that no one can deny. Unfortunately this fact is made very obvious by her constant reliance on quoting her interviews making the book seem more like an magazine article then a full-length biography. Further to the point, after reading less than halfway through the book I began to feel like Ms. Rogak was regurgitating the same descriptive lines (even going as far as using the same syntax) to describe reasoning for different events. Surely, certain personal characteristics stay similar throughout a person's life, but to use the same syntax and employ the same tropes (to give one example: "...nothing in his life could have prepared Shel for the tragedy that would follow..." at least three times, in those very words) is plain lazy on the part of a writer.

Shel Silverstein lived an exciting life, was clearly a complex character, and a beautiful artist. It's too bad my initial thrill at the discovery of this biography quickly dissipated when I realized that its author was simply not up to the task of writing a book to match the complexity of its subject. A good biographer is supposed to make a life seem like an exciting plot, constantly opening up new approaches to its' subject; in this the author failed. Lisa Rogak's "A Boy Named Shel" was more like a chronology interspersed by interview excerpts than a self-containing biography. The only reason I waded through the bad writing was my overwhelming interest in Shel Silverstein and the book's paltry length.

I know there are a couple of other biographies of Shel Silverstein in existence, my hope is that they are better than this one.

Not recommended.
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2.0 out of 5 starsA Book About Shel, How Do You Do...You're Not Very Good!
By Aco on June 11, 2008
Format: Hardcover
I echo the sentiment that this is not a great book. While Shel Silverstein was a remarkable and influential figure (certainly he was in my life), Mrs. Rogak's language and presentation makes for a seemingly unauthorized biography. Why there is one early cartoon featured in the whole book and not one poem I find unforgiveable. A cartoonist and poet and song writer and not a significant representation of such work in a bio? Perhaps the estate didn't authorize, though Rogak seems to have access to many of his friends and has done research to quote previous interviews. Silverstein was a special bird, full of contradictions and ever creative until the end but this book, which covers chronologically his life, doesn't dig into anything of significance.
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3.0 out of 5 starsInteresting, but...
By Robert Whitaker Sirignano on May 10, 2009
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
I tend to agree with the other reviewers here. This book is only half of what it could be. The writing is bad, clumsy and cliche ridden.

However, I read it through in one sitting, found it interesting and bemoaned that it was the only biography of the man so far. It is not overly detailed, but more like surface tension.

With a subject like Shel Silverstein, you could have a book three times as long, with many pictures and photos.
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4.0 out of 5 starsFascinating Subject; Needs an Editor
By Dr H on January 9, 2015
Format: Paperback
When you admire a person's work, it is always interesting to learn more about the life that informed their work -- interesting, and sometimes disconcerting. As with many people, I mostly knew Shel SIlverstein as a writer of quirky books of children's poetry, and a performer of same in both musical and non-musical contexts. And he was very much that, and he did it very well, and it made him a lot of money.

Beyond that, I had heard at one time that Shel had written some country songs, one of which ("A Boy Named Sue") was a big hit for Johnny Cash. Well, that kind of made me blink, but that sort of novelty song seemed very much in the same character as Shel's poetry, so it didn't really change my view of him as a children's writer who occasionally did "other things".

Then, a few years ago I discovered a CD re-release of an album recorded by Shel in 1959, titled "Hairy Jazz".

http://www.amazon.com/Hairy-Jazz-Shel-Silverstein-Onions/dp/B00110YOEG

Wow. Here was an album that sounded like it could have been recorded by Frank Zappa, with dixieland band backup, at a drunken beer blast in a 1920s speak-easy. Decidedly /not/ children's material. While there isn't a single word on the album that couldn't be uttered in polite company during prime time, the lyrics of these songs are incredibly bawdy and risque, loaded with suggestive phrases and double entendres.

Shel Silverstein? THE Shel Silverstein??

Yep.

Well, that experience got me interested in learning a whole lot more about ol' uncle Shelby, and Lisa Rogak's biography of the man who made the shaved-head look work a generation before it became popular, was the first Silverstein biography I came across.Read more ›
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsExtremely interesting read

Shows a much different side of a children's author

Published 4 months ago by Sarah Benton
4.0 out of 5 starsFour Stars

thanks for the help in homework

Published 12 months ago by Tracy Logan
1.0 out of 5 starsClearly the formula for both the author and St. ...

Clearly the formula for both the author and St. Martin's Press is to make money on bios of deceased persons that they know nothing about. Read more

Published 15 months ago by BookLover
1.0 out of 5 starsboring that it's a disservice to a writer as accomplished ...

I don't want to offend the author but the writing in this book is so pedestrian and, frankly, boring that it's a disservice to a writer as accomplished as Silverstein.

Published 16 months ago by Daniel Sieradski
4.0 out of 5 starsWhy all the hate?

I think it's annoying that so many people have given this writer a hard time with her writing style. Read more

Published 20 months ago by R. Trapp
4.0 out of 5 starsMorley Han I ever knew

One of my favorite authors from my childhood but apparently I didn't know him at all. This book was a real eye opener.

Published on February 6, 2014 by Lori Sanders
5.0 out of 5 starsA Boy Named Shel

This book was very thorough and well-written. Shel Silverstein's career and life were amazing. I'm glad that someone wrote a book about him.

Published on August 22, 2013 by Diane Garrett
5.0 out of 5 starsSilverstein

All of this mans book are great. Kids adults just good reading. Read about the author what a man. thank you

Published on May 30, 2013 by KLN
4.0 out of 5 starsGood Read

I really enjoyed this book. Shel Silverstein lived a fascinating life, and for the most part the book does a good job of conveying this. Read more

Published on January 21, 2013 by JAMES CHRISTIE
1.0 out of 5 starsshel sliverstein

why does he not have any of his books on the kindle i have a kindle and i want to read his books on it =)

Published on August 27, 2011 by Nicole Liscoe

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