The Big Book of Dummies, Rebels and Other Geniuses
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Written by Jean-Bernard Pouy
128 pages |
About the Book
An entertaining introduction to 26 important figures from history, the arts, literature and the sciences.
A humorous rediscovery of famous individuals who are recognized as geniuses today but were considered rebels, slow learners or even dunces during their childhood and teen years. A novel combination of historical fact and boldly impertinent illustrations is complemented by informative sidebars about each individual’s historical period and achievements.
Irreverent and provocative, these portraits throw unexpected light on great figures, highlighting the mistakes, failures and wrong turns of their often chaotic early years.
The personalities included have been chosen for the mark they have left on history (Winston Churchill, Abraham Lincoln, Alexandra David-Néel) and from the sciences (Darwin, Edison, Bell), literature (Agatha Christie, Jack London, Balzac), music (John Lennon, Verdi, Armstrong), painting (Picasso, da Vinci, Cézanne) and cinema (Chaplin, Walt Disney, Truffaut).
In this day and age when parents throughout the developed world worry over their children’s pre-school achievements, it is useful to be reminded that there is no formula for success nor a recipe for genius, and that much of what is most wonderful in a human life is born of chance, accident and luck, as well as from missteps and uncertainty. As this book so playfully and provocatively suggests, what would human life really be without the time that is lost, wasted or whiled away?
Awards and Reviews
“…A marvelous collection of quirky biographical sketches of the ‘chaotic beginnings’ of 26 famous people. Readers ages 11 and up will be fascinated (and perhaps comforted) to learn that Albert Einstein and Agatha Christie were both, as children, regarded as rather slow-witted; that in class Pablo Picasso was ‘rowdy, distracted and completely uninterested’…The entries are chatty and handsomely illustrated…This elegant book isn’t trying to debunk anyone’s greatness. Rather, it invites readers ‘to smile at the unruliness of childhood, and the modest zigzags of each of us.’” – Meghan Cox Gurdon, The Wall Street Journal
“This book is ideal for teens who are wondering what will become of their lives. It is also a great catch for biography lovers. This book would be at home in any school or public library with a strong biography collection, but it is also a staple for a growing young adult collection...one in the reader’s hands, it will sell itself. 5Q.3P.J.S.” – VOYA
“...the unusual format will attract readers, who will likely find it comforting to know that not everyone who becomes successful has an easy start.” – School Library Journal
