Synopsis
Angelina Jolie is a Woman of Contradictions. A natural beauty who covers her skin with tattoos, she fuels the tabloids with her unconventional behavior-from her controversial relationships to jumping into the hotel pool in a designer gown. From the beginning, Angelina Jolie showed that she was a supremely talented actress. She has won numerous awards, including an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
VOYA
These short, high-interest, colorful biographies of people currently in the public eye will appeal to middle school students. The text is easily read with plenty of direct quotes from the celebrity and lots of photos. There are many sidebars labeled cross-currents, which direct the reader to different pages for more in-depth information. The volume on Angelina Jolie details her life from being the daughter of actor John Voight to her current life with Brad Pitt, their children, and her work as a good will ambassador. The author does not shy away from Angelina's early life of depression, self-mutilation, destructive marriages, and wild behavior, giving an accurate account of her entire life. Shaun White won twelve medals at the Winter X Games and an Olympic gold medal, establishing himself as the reigning snowboard champion. As in the Angelina Jolie biography, his life is detailed from birth up to his proposed plan to represent the United States in the 2010 Winter Olympics. There are many, many titles in this series, and some of the subjects profiled could be questioned as real role models, including those in Alex Rodriguez, American Idol Judges, Bono, and Dwayne the Rock Johnson. The books are too short to use for actual research, but students looking for easy reading or browsing are devouring this series. Reviewer: Kathie Fitch