The subtitled is misleading. A more accurate description would be "The Story of the People Behind Sesame Street." I wanted to learn more about Grover'The subtitled is misleading. A more accurate description would be "The Story of the People Behind Sesame Street." I wanted to learn more about Grover's development and less about Joan Ganz Cooney's husband's depression. I wanted more analysis of the educational theory around which the cartoon clips were developed and less about Joe Raposo's off-camera personality. More about the reason for the Twiddle Bugs, the Yo-Yo Master, the Yip-Yips, the Honkers, Herry Monster, Frazzle Monster, Betty Lou, Guy Smiley, Lefty, Sherlock Hemlock, Harvey Kneeslapper, the Amazing Mumford, the Teeny Little Superguy and less about the endless business deals. The socio-political views and offbeat art that were merged into Sesame Street are presented in some detail, but it left me craving so much more.
Michael Davis obviously has a reverence for Sesame Street's creators that leads him to see them as royalty, but the result is a disappointing overdose of backstage gossip that leaves too little room for the concepts from which the show stemmed. MuppetWiki satisfies in all the ways that Davis's book does not....more
Houses are where history ends up. Could there be a better premise for such a book? Bryson is impressively adept at planting seeds of interest in the lHouses are where history ends up. Could there be a better premise for such a book? Bryson is impressively adept at planting seeds of interest in the lay reader.
Yet I seem to be the only one who wishes he would prune away the mini-biographies that bloom and overshadow the ideas at the root of his projects. He's a hopeless storyteller and often a great one, but I had to roll my eyes and then send them skimming when a brilliant concept like the essence of stairs devolved into yet another anecdote about the personal life of someone who only tangentially had something to do with their development. (Do you know he had a cousin who had a maid who had an affair with...?)
While Eleanor Roosevelt's insistence that "Great minds discuss ideas... small minds discuss people" shouldn't be misappropriated as dogma, there could not be a better summary of my frustration with what felt like about 200 pages of gossip. ...more
This book is quite informative for amateur font fans and amusing at times. But while the author is obviously passionate about the subject, his writingThis book is quite informative for amateur font fans and amusing at times. But while the author is obviously passionate about the subject, his writing style is not as sexy as the letters he fawns over....more
No one outside my family shares my love for the bizarre sport/art that is figure skating, and even I'm surprised at my 16 years of fanaticism. But it'No one outside my family shares my love for the bizarre sport/art that is figure skating, and even I'm surprised at my 16 years of fanaticism. But it's ballet with blades. I like duality.
As for the book, it's out of date but offers lots of history with a special focus on Canadians. There is a multitude of pretty pictures (hence my according it three stars), but the writing is TOO pretty. This makes sense when considering the title of the book, but it is disingenuous to gloss over the sexism, lookism, nationalism and heteronormativity so overt in this sport (not to mention every sport) when trying to offer a comprehensive history.
I still enjoy the beauty of figure skating almost as much as I did when I was twelve, but I'm glad someone gave me LITTLE GIRLS IN PRETTY BOXES to read when I was fourteen. It's entrancing to behold, but no one should deny the insanity that goes into making champions....more
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