American Originals: The Private Worlds of Some Singular Men and Women

American Originals: The Private Worlds of Some Singular Men and Women

A collection of profiles of forty men and women whose accomplishments have altered history describes such well-known figures as Hemingway, Twain, Eleanor Roosevelt, Frederick Douglas, Abraham Lincoln, Shirley Temple, and others YA-- Thumbnail sketches of several heroes and villains of American history from Harry Truman and Mark Twain to John L. Sullivan and Billy the Kid. Ward has culled some of the best of his book reviews and biographical essays, mostly from American Heritage , to offer some brief, entertaining profiles of American personalities that should not only please and inform YA readers but, in many cases, pique their curiosity about these figures. Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. Ward, the principal writer of the PBS series and book The Civil War ( LJ 9/1/90; Video Reviews, LJ 8/91) and biographer of Franklin Roosevelt ( Before the Trumpet , LJ 6/1/85; The First Class Temperament , LJ 7/89), here gives us 40 separate pieces. Many are short essays reviewing new biographies. All have been published before, and most are unrevised. But since Ward's writing is so uniformly good, and since he focuses on the internal motivations of his subjects, this book is sure to be popular. The people profiled include entertainers, political leaders, generals, and artists, from Dorothy Thompson, who was so often right, to Roy Cohn, who was always despicable. The book is directed to a popular audience but it is not all fluff. Ward includes some new information about FDR's Delano grandfather as a participant in the opium trade with China. Even smaller public libraries will need it for their browsing collections. - Robert W. Frizzell, Hendrix Coll. Lib., Conway, Ark. Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.