No
Icons Please
Cheeky
Portraits from the 20th Century
By
Ernie Plock
Witty,
Irreverent Take on The Last Century--and This One
Reading No Icons Please is like thumbing
through snapshots. Each of Ernie Plock's "cheeky portraits"
is tiny--a mere poem in length--so the reader can pick and choose
what delights her. Plock's smart take on 20th Century personalities
and events is a delightful way to spritz up a rainy afternoon.
Nothing
and no one escapes Plock's acerbic wit. He is capable of taking
aim at icons. He holds a Ph.D. in International Studies, is the
author of two books on German history, and has taught world politics
at American University in Washington D.C. He has also worked in
radio. Such a varied background contributes to the mini-biographies
he selects, the kinds of word-pictures he chooses to focus on. Only
someone with a handle on politics, government, and a dozen other
assorted interests could paint such an irreverent picture of our
culture in a single volume.
A
good chortle at the foibles of celebrities is therapeutic; so is
the fun Plock has with political issues, personalities, even decades.
No Icons Please is not only impudent but the way it is presented
is wholly original.
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The
Reviewer |
Carolyn Howard-Johnson |
Reviewed
2005 |
NOTE:
Carolyn Howard-Johnson is the author of THE FRUGAL BOOK PROMOTER:
HOW TO DO WHAT YOUR PUBLISHER WON'T, USA BOOK NEWS' PICK FOR
"BEST PROFESSIONAL BOOK 2004." She was named Woman
of the Year in Arts and Entertainment by the California Legislature.
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