Biography - Macmillan Library

Spiders and Pigs: The Life of E.B. White

Posted on July 14, 2011 by Ali Fisher

In THE STORY OF CHARLOTTE'S WEB, Michael Sims tells the charming story of E.B. White, the man who created Wilbur, Charlotte, Fern, and, of course, everyone's favorite self-proclaimed glutton Templeton.

Library Journal says, "Sims successfully argues that CHARLOTTE'S WEB unintentionally became a 'summary of what it felt like to be E.B. White.' [...] Scholars of children’s literature as well as fans—child and grown-up alike—of either White generally or Charlotte’s Web in particular will enjoy this biblio-biography."

And Kirkus Reviews says it's, "Packed with the same kind of sensory detail its subject reveled in, this account is an honorable addition to the literature of letters."

This is the type of biography that is so rich with detail and driven with purpose it reads like a novel.*

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Three Stars for The Convert

Posted on May 9, 2011 by Ali Fisher

What drives a young woman raised in a postwar New York City suburb to convert to Islam, abandon her country and Jewish faith, and embrace a life of exile in Pakistan? THE CONVERT tells the story of how Margaret Marcus of Larchmont became Maryam Jameelah of Lahore, one of the most trenchant and celebrated voices of Islam’s argument with the West.

"[A] stellar biography that doubles as a mediation on the fraught relationship between America and the Muslim world. [...] This is a cogent, thought-provoking look at a radical life and its rippling consequences." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"A significant contemporary figure in Islamic-Western relations becomes human, with all the foibles and angst that word implies. General readers will find this story compelling, while scholars will be pleased with the insight it brings to an important 20th-century Islamist voice. Highly recommended." —Library Journal (starred review)

"An important, searing, highly readable and timely narrative." —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Also read the interviews with author Deborah Baker in Publishers Weekly and Shelf Awareness.

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Happy Belated Birthday, Lewis Carroll!

Posted on January 28, 2011 by Ali Fisher

I'm embarrassed to say that we owe Lewis Carroll one of those apologetic puppy or frazzled cat "Happy Belated Birthday" cards since yesterday we straight up missed his 178th. Sorry, Lew, we still love you!

For those of you Carroll fans who were looking for a little Lewis love yesterday we offer recompense: on February 15th we'll be releasing THE MYSTERY OF LEWIS CARROLL by Jenny Woolf. In this biography, Woolf gets her hands dirty exploring some of the yet unanswered questions about that mysterious and brilliant Victorian Age author.

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