Posts Tagged ‘biography’

Two Brave Men, a Century Apart

I just finished reading two biographies of men born a century apart.  Even though they were born into very different circumstances and faced different problems, both men were leaders who helped our country through difficult and violent times.  I was struck by both the similarities and differences between Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King, Jr., in how they faced the turbulent times of their lives.  I was also surprised by how much I still have to learn about both men.  Even though I have studied both men in history classes, I was surprised by some of what I read, in particular the controversy and criticism that each faced.

Lincoln:  A Photobiography by Russell Freedman (Scholastic 1987)

First off, I love the photographs that help tell this story.  There are pictures of Lincoln, of course, but also of people, places, and even documents that surrounded and filled Lincoln’s life.  We may never fully unravel the mystery and legend that have grown up around Lincoln, but Freedman gives us a glimpse of the man behind the public figure.  Did you know that Lincoln’s in-laws tried to prevent their daughter’s marriage to Abe?  They thought he was well beneath their station in life.  In addition to showing how Lincoln’s early life led to his political career and his changing views of slavery, Freedman includes extra material at the back that I enjoyed.  “A Lincoln Sampler” gives quotes from Lincoln’s speeches and writings, both famous and not so much.  “In Lincoln’s Footsteps” describes historic sites related to Lincoln’s life that you can visit.  Then Freedman also highlights some of the many books about Lincoln that readers might want to pursue for more information.

10 Days:  Martin Luther King, Jr. by David Colbert (Scholastic 2012)

I wasn’t sure about the organization of this book at first.  How could you give a sense of such a complex and dynamic individual as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in just 10 days?  By focusing on 10 pivotal days in King’s life, Colbert weaves in many of the issues facing King and the history of the Civil Rights movement.  Once again, I am shocked and horrified at the violence that met the protesters.  I am impressed with the courage with which King met white bigotry and violence and with which he brought together people with very different philosophies.

 

Temple Grandin: How the Girl Who Loved Cows Embraced Autism and Changed the World

Sy Montgomery has written a compelling biography of one of the most inspiring people I have ever read about in Temple Grandin: How the Girl Who Loved Cows Embraced Autism and Changed the World (Houghton Mifflin Books for Children 2012).  As a teacher who has taught several students with autism, I thought I understood at least a little about this spectrum of disorder, but Temple Grandin had much to teach me from her life and work.

From her earliest childhood to her work as an adult, Grandin has overcome obstacles that would have flattened many others.  She did not learn to speak until age 5 and still thinks in images rather than words.  Many doors closed on her (struggles in school, teachers without any understanding, prejudice against women),  but she found a way to open another way to reach her goals.  During school her school years, she found friends who shared her interest in building and inventing.  Her connection with animals allowed her to design facilities that work animal behavior instead of against it.  Those designs have revolutionized the way cattle and other animals are raised and brought to market.

I was horrified at some of the things Grandin had to endure.  If her father’s temper and her classmate’s bullying wasn’t bad enough, the reaction of cattle ranchers to a college educated woman from the East was much worse.  Some would cover her car with entrails or deliberately sabotage her  designs, but she persevered any way.  Often it was the differences in her brain from autism that allowed her to succeed.  Her ability to think in images enabled her to identify what spooked cows and how to create designs to avoid problems.  Her “fixation” on her ideas enabled her to persevere until people paid attention and enacted the changes she suggested.

In addition to telling the story of Grandin’s life, Montgomery also includes information about autism, the nature of genius, and factory farming.  It’s no wonder that Temple Grandin is the only person to be honored by both PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and the Meat Industry Hall of Fame.  Now I want to read more about and by Temple Grandin.