Me and Orson Welles - Softcover

Robert Kaplow

3.48

586 ratings by Goodreads

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0099540193 ISBN 13: 9780099540199

Publisher: Vintage Books USA, 2009

View all copies of this ISBN edition:

Book by Kaplow, Robert

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

About the Author:

Robert Kaplow is a teacher and writer who for over fifteen years has written satirical songs and sketches for National Public Radio's Morning Edition, where he created 'Moe Moskowitz and the Punsters'. His acclaimed young adult novels include Alessandra in Love and Alex Icicle: A Romance in Ten Torrid Chapters. He is also the other author of two literary satires: The Cat Who Killed Lilian Jackson Braun and Who's Killing the Great Writers of America?

From School Library Journal:

Adult/High School-In November, 1937, Richard Samuels, 17, a high school senior drifting relatively painlessly through school and relationships, feels there might be more to life. The New Jerseyite spends weekends wandering in Manhattan looking for a connection, preferably theatrical, that would excite him. He happens upon the yet to open Mercury Theatre and is noticed by its mercurial muse, Orson Welles. He is given a small part in Julius Caesar, which is ultimately a grand success, and spends a week in a fantastic whirl as part of the troupe. The following few days are exciting, frustrating, and, finally, both triumphant and devastating to the would-be thespian. Kaplow brings the New York of the late 1930s vividly to life, especially the theatrical world. The novel is fast paced and very funny, and the brilliant but unpredictable Welles is a perfect foil for the sardonic but inexperienced young man. Welles at 22 is close to Richard's age, but far from the center of his moral compass. Incidents of anti-Semitism and misogyny distress the teen, yet the actor/producer's brilliance and daring are like a magnet. Richard's dreams of a Broadway career soon fade, but he emerges from the experience with a desire to write, possibly a new romance, and certainly an important new friendship. This unusual coming-of-age story will intrigue teens; while the circumstances and time are very different from today, the feelings and ideas are universal.
Susan H. Woodcock, Fairfax County Public Library, Chantilly, VA
Copyright � Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.