Face to Face - Hardcover

Pettepiece, Thomas

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 039921951X ISBN 13: 9780399219511

Publisher: Philomel, 1990

Synopsis

Presents short stories and excerpts from novels by American and Soviet writers such as Robert Cormier, Victor Dragunsky and Cynthia Voigt that explore aspects of adolescence

About this title

From School Library Journal

Grade 5 Up-- A laudable idea lamentably executed defeats the purpose of this collection of 18 examples of contemporary writing for children by Russian and American writers. While the preface speaks of the universal need of children for love, adult respect, and attention to help their dreams come true, few of the characters in the short stories or excerpts from novels fulfill this need. The adults in the Russian stories are particularly harsh, while the American selections reach too hard for ethnic diversity at the expense of strong story lines. Some of the American selections are excerpts from novels and fail as short stories. A prime example is the piece from Voigt's The Runner . Its power is severely reduced because readers need the time frame and the character development from which it was removed. "Brother Leon" from Cormier's Chocolate War and Hamilton's The People Could Fly work well, but can't offset the problems with the entries from the Russian stories. The translations are stiff and repetitious, while the tone is occasionally condescending or coy. The themes are monotonously moralistic, and hold virtually no child appeal. The book is intended as a celebration of glasnost, but, except for Fritz' selection from Homesick , there's no joy in the stories, no levity to ease the solemnity. Instead, children are offered visions of life as rough and cruel. No salutes . . . about face. --Trev Jones, School Library Journal
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Publishers Weekly

Brought together in this richly textured anthology are 18 examples of Soviet and American literature by such authors as Yuri Yakovlev, Robert Cormier, Anatoly Aleksin, Scott O'Dell, Jane Yolen and Cynthia Rylant. Carefully selected and impeccably arranged, the stories offer a wide variety of writing styles, moods, characters and settings which reflect life in different regions of both nations. Rather than focusing on the contrasts between cultures, the collection affirms the universality of young people's experiences and examines children's relationships with their parents, teachers and peers. Readers will find that the translations in this book are as readable and relevant to their lives as the more familiar American selections. Themes of death, war, loyalty and love are clearly and movingly expressed by writers from both countries. This extraordinary book's timely publication represents an enormous amount of work and a strong desire to promote international friendship through the sharing of ideas. The editors' efforts are to be commended. Ages 10-up.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Philomel
• Publication date: 1990
• ISBN 10: 039921951X
• ISBN 13: 9780399219511
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 233