Anne Frank

VOYA - Jamie S. Hansen

Does your library really need yet another biography of Martin Luther King Jr., John F. Kennedy, or Anne Frank? The answer is a resounding "yes" if they are volumes from The Importance of... series. These books move beyond the scope of traditional juvenile biographies to include extensive background on the historical and cultural forces that shaped their subjects' lives. The amount of information included in these short books is extraordinary. The authors allow their subjects to speak for themselves by quoting extensively from primary source material, including tapes, letters, and diaries. Each incident is carefully footnoted. Fortunately, they do not use fictionalized dialogue, that mainstay of the juvenile biography. Well-reproduced contemporary photographs on brilliantly white pages, a lively layout, and pleasing typeface make each volume a pleasure to read. Each book has a chronology, suggestions for further reading, and a copious index. In an effort to select individuals who have made unique contributions to history, the editors have chosen both traditional and delightfully innovative subjects for their biographies. Other titles cover Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Edison, Sir Isaac Newton, Dian Fossey, Stephen Hawking, Tecumseh, James Baldwin, Golda Meir, the Beatles, and Charlie Chaplin. The Importance of Martin Luther King Jr. offers an excellent, brief history of the Civil Rights Movement as well as a sensible and truthful assessment of King and his influence on race relations in the twentieth century. The author neither sensationalizes nor deifies his subject, but succeeds in showing that King's true greatness lies in his very humanity, with all of his virtues and failings. The thousands of students who have read The Diary of Anne Frank will find The Importance of Anne Frank a valuable summary of the additional information that has come to light about this amazing and tragic teenager. The author succeeds in placing Frank in a historical context. In spite of the breadth of the subject matter, he provides readers with a fine, short history of the rise of Hitler and the Holocaust. Quotations from the most complete edition of the Diary are linked seamlessly by the author's narrative. The Importance of John F. Kennedy depicts the thirty-fifth president of the United States as an astute and driven man, not above abetting the creation of the "Kennedy myth" for his political advantage. The author's clear exposition of the Kennedy milieu, as well as his lucid discussion of the national and international events during JFK's administration, will capture and hold his readers. Middle school students will find the Lucent biographies excellent for assignments, and reluctant high school readers will appreciate the lively format. The style is colloquial and clear, occasionally marred by careless editing, resulting in some confusing sentences and a surprising number of split infinitives. Even with these flaws, the series is a useful and attractive addition to libraries serving a young adult population. Note: This review was written and published to address The Importance of John F. Kennedy, The Importance of Anne Frank, and The Importance of Martin Luther King Jr. Index. Illus. Photos. Maps. Source Notes. Further Reading. Chronology. VOYA Codes: 4Q 3P M J S (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Will appeal with pushing; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12).