Jack Kirby: The Epic Life of the King of Comics

Title:  Jack Kirby: The Epic Life of the King of Comics

Author:  Tom Scioli

Publisher:  Ten Speed Press

Date Published:  June 30, 2020

Genre:  Biography, Graphic Novel, Non-Fiction

Rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

My Thoughts:

-    Jack Kirby's life told in a graphic novel? Yes please!

-    I am a Jack Kirby fan. He does not get enough credit for his contribution to the world. Comic books would not be what they are today without this man! He worked for both Marvel and DC, and both companies wanted their artists to mimic Kirby's art style. His art is the OG of comic book art! 

-    I knew a little about why Kirby had a falling out with Stan Lee and left Marvel, but I loved getting Kirby's POV. I've only heard/read Marvel and Stan Lee's side. It would be super frustrating to not get the acknowledgement you rightly deserve. If Stan Lee had played nice with Kirby and given him the credit he deserved, can you imagine what they could have done together!? I feel like we were robbed of some amazing characters and stories. 

-    I am glad Kirby is getting more credit for stuff now, but it isn't enough, and I kinda feel like it is too little too late. 

-    I have always wanted an original Jack Kirby drawing. It would be amazing! I might have to just settle with some trading cards or reproduction though.

-    Just to be clear, I love both Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. I believe they both contributed to the characters and stories we love today. Just look at what they created when they worked together! 

My Thoughts in a GIF:

Invincible Louisa: The Story of the Author of Little Women

Goodreads Says:    Biography tracing the fascinating life of Louisa May Alcott from her happy childhood in Pennsylvania and Boston to her success as a writer of such classics as Little women.















My Thoughts:

-    I didn't know Little Women was based on Louisa May Alcott's life. There were so many similarities!

-    The story was only interesting because I was learning about a beloved author. It was pretty slow and boring for most of the time. Most of the book was telling and not showing. 

-    Woo! Another Newbery read!

How to be Lovely: The Audrey Hepburn Way of Life

Goodreads

My Thoughts:

-    It is no secret that I adore Audrey Hepburn, so when I saw this at the library, I had to pick it up. I'm so glad I did!

-    I loved all of Audrey's quotes. She had such a beautiful perspective on life. Her love of nature inspires me. I love that her tips for beauty revolved around being happy and not how you look.

-    I also loved all the quotes about Audrey. Everyone who met her was inspired and in awe. She was so full of grace and kindness. I aspire to be like her.

-    I liked all the photos. I hadn't seen some of them. 

Andre the Giant: Life and Legend

From Goodreads:    Andre Roussimoff is known as both the lovable giant in The Princess Bride and a heroic pro-wrestling figure. He was a normal guy who'd been dealt an extraordinary hand in life. At his peak, he weighed 500 pounds and stood nearly seven and a half feet tall. But the huge stature that made his fame also signed his death warrant.

Box Brown brings his great talents as a cartoonist and biographer to this phenomenal new graphic novel. Drawing from historical records about Andre's life as well as a wealth of anecdotes from his colleagues in the wrestling world, including Hulk Hogan, and his film co-stars (Billy Crystal, Robin Wright, Mandy Patinkin, etc), Brown has created in Andre the Giant, the first substantive biography of one of the twentieth century's most recognizable figures.

My Thoughts:

-    I was really disappointed with this book. 

-    I was hoping for more of Andre's life and him dealing with his physical condition. Instead the story is about Andre's career as a wrestler and the wresting world. 

-    I wanted more on his role in The Princess Bride. The movie only got a couple pages, and it didn't go into detail on anything. It was just a few fun panels.

-    I didn't like how Andre was portrayed. Cary Elwes describes him as a very kind and gentle soul. He only had high praise for Andre, and this graphic novel paints him in a darker light with very little to no mention of his kinder side.

-    There is a lot of F-bombs. It was a bit ridiculous how often that word showed up. 

-    Overall, I wouldn't recommend this. If you want to know about Andre, read As You Wish.

A Disciple's Life: The Biography of Neal A. Maxwell

Goodreads Says:    The story behind the writing of this book really began in 1976, when Elder Maxwell invited me to take a leave from Brigham Young University and work for two years under his daily direction in the new Correlation Department at Church headquarters. In later years, when I was an administrator and a teacher at Ricks College and then at BYU, I saw him often in Church Educational System meetings, where he was a key figure on the Church Board of Education. In 1996 I was called to the Seventy and assigned to an Area Presidency in Australia, where I remained until returning to Utah in August of 2000. Like so many other Church members, my wife, Marie, and I were stunned by the news of Elder Maxwell's leukemia in late 1996, and we worried and prayed about his health. During October conference 1999, he invited me to come by his office. As we talked, he indicated he was not certain about his condition. He said he was receiving an experimental treatment but "one of these days" the leukemia just might fully return. That was the main reason, he said, why he'd finally yielded to prodding from others that he allow the writing of his biography. I thought a book on his life story would be wonderful until he asked if I would write it. As honored as I felt, I honestly thought my doing this was not a good idea. I believed that he, his family, and the Church deserved thorough research and writing, and the work needed to be done at once to maximize the possibility of being published during his lifetime. He shared those hopes. But given the frightening uncertainty about his health; given that acceptable biographies can take years to document and write; given that he hadn't kept a personal journal, which would necessitate additional months of original research; and given that I was half a world away on a Church assignment I replied that someone who could give this project immediate and full-time attention was needed. Nonetheless, after more visits with Elder Maxwell and with others, within a few days I had agreed to begin the project and to move as quickly as possible. In the weeks that followed, I worried about having committed myself to something as unreachable as this task seemed. As I would awaken to hear the colorful birds that rule those fresh Australian mornings, I would sometimes wonder if indeed, I would hope that I had agreed to write Elder Maxwell's biography only in a dream. Then the reality would hit me again. At times I would remember Nephi's words about the Lord preparing a way for people who have a work to do.

My Thoughts:

-    This was my third attempt to read this book, and I finished this time!! Woo!! Elder Maxwell was my favorite speaker as a teen, and it has always been a goal of mine to finish this book. I DID IT!

-    This book was part text book, part biography, part BYU history, part church history, and part uplifting. I wish it had been mostly biography and uplifting. I really didn't need the all the BYU history and church history. Those parts were tedious to read.

-    I was really moved by Elder Maxwell's obedience, especially during World War II.

-    I like that the author didn't sugarcoat the horrors of war. The chapters about World War II were some of my favorite. It was thrilling to read about, and I loved how Elder Maxwell's faith got him through.

-    I love how highly Elder Maxwell praises his wife. They supported and loved each other, and they were true companions and partners. It is nice to read about marriages like that.

-    A lot of Elder Maxwell's university days read like a textbook. It was very boring, and I didn't really understand much of it.

-    I liked finding similarities between Elder Maxwell and myself. I also get bored in church and start reading my scriptures, I am having to learn empathy, and I'm often impatient and in a hurry to get things done. 

-    I love how the author addressed the way Neal Maxwell spoke. It was very interesting to read how he developed his cadence of speech. His love for language and words was fun to read about, and I love the quotes from the other apostles about Elder Maxwell's speech. 

-    Elder Maxwell was an incredible man, and he accomplished so much in his life. Even though I struggled through some of the book, I'm really glad I read it. His story is inspiring. 

Unbroken

My Thoughts:

-    This was a good adaptation of the book, but the book, as usual, was so much better! The book was even more moving and even more powerful.

-    I wish the movie had gone into Louis's life after the war. His struggle with PTSD and overcoming it was amazing! 

-    This story is SO powerful, and I think the movie did a good job of portraying that. 

-    The cast was perfect! Wow! Louis, the bird, and everyone else were great!

-    The movie moved really fast, and I know they couldn't cram everything in, but I felt like it moved really fast. It was still good.

-    I felt like they toned a lot of things down, which I was grateful for. I think it is harder to watch certain things than it is to read it. I'm really glad they toned it down, and it still portrayed how brutal captivity was.

-    Great movie! I'm glad I got to see it. 

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption

Goodreads Synopsis:    On a May afternoon in 1943, an Army Air Forces bomber crashed into the Pacific Ocean and disappeared, leaving only a spray of debris and a slick of oil, gasoline, and blood. Then, on the ocean surface, a face appeared. It was that of a young lieutenant, the plane’s bombardier, who was struggling to a life raft and pulling himself aboard. So began one of the most extraordinary odysseys of the Second World War.

The lieutenant’s name was Louis Zamperini. In boyhood, he’d been a cunning and incorrigible delinquent, breaking into houses, brawling, and fleeing his home to ride the rails. As a teenager, he had channeled his defiance into running, discovering a prodigious talent that had carried him to the Berlin Olympics and within sight of the four-minute mile. But when war had come, the athlete had become an airman, embarking on a journey that led to his doomed flight, a tiny raft, and a drift into the unknown.

Ahead of Zamperini lay thousands of miles of open ocean, leaping sharks, a foundering raft, thirst and starvation, enemy aircraft, and, beyond, a trial even greater. Driven to the limits of endurance, Zamperini would answer desperation with ingenuity; suffering with hope, resolve, and humor; brutality with rebellion. His fate, whether triumph or tragedy, would be suspended on the fraying wire of his will.

In her long-awaited new book, Laura Hillenbrand writes with the same rich and vivid narrative voice she displayed in Seabiscuit. Telling an unforgettable story of a man’s journey into extremity, Unbroken is a testament to the resilience of the human mind, body, and spirit.

My Thoughts:

-    My book club read this right before the movie came out, but I didn't read it. I was very hesitant to read it because the subject matter scared me.

-    After hearing about how good the story was, and after hearing about how good the movie was, I decided to finally give this book a chance, and I'm SO glad I did.

-    This story is AMAZING! Louis Zamperini is an astonishing person! Wow!

-    I felt so bad for poor Louis's mom. Louis was one crazy kid, and I'm sure she had a lot of sleepless nights worrying about him. Then as an adult Louis is lost as sea and they think he is dead. His poor family! I felt for them!

-    It is so sad and a little maddening that so many soldiers died from plane accidents. I know we were fairly new to airplane technology, but you'd think they would have learned from a lot of these accidents and made better planes sooner! Maybe they didn't have the funds, I don't know, but it really sucks that a lot of soldiers died because of poor engineering.

-    The story is VERY engrossing. I couldn't stop reading! The story itself is amazing, but the writing is phenomenal. I didn't feel like I reading at all, especially a nonfiction book. I felt like I was witnessing an incredible journey. 

-    It is hard to believe that some of these stories are real. They seem so supernatural, but you can't make some of this stuff up either. 

-    Some of my favorite parts were after the war. I was so sad to see Louis struggle with PTSD. I kept cheering for him and hoping his life would get better, and OMG! Louis once again proves that he can't be broken! His redemption story at the end is so powerful!

-    I cannot praise this book enough! It is a fabulous read! I highly recommend it to ANYONE! Great great book!