Maya Lin: Thinking with Her Hands (Middle Grade Nonfiction Books, History Books for Kids, Women Empowerment Stories for Kids) - Hardcover

Rubin, Susan Goldman

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1452108374 ISBN 13: 9781452108377

Publisher: Chronicle Books, 2017

Synopsis

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., is one of the most famous pieces of civic architecture in the world. But most people are not as familiar with the reserved college student who entered and won the design competition to build it. This accessible biography tells the story of Maya Lin, from her struggle to stick with her vision of the memorial to the wide variety of works she has created since then. The carefully researched text, paired with ample photos, crosses multiple interests—American history, civic activism, art history, and cultural diversity—and offers a timely celebration of the memorial's 35th anniversary as well as providing an important contribution to the current discussion of the role of women and minorities in society.

About this title

About the Author:

Susan Goldman Rubin has written art books for children of all ages, including middle grade biographies of Georgia O'Keeffe and the Wyeths. She lives in Malibu, California.

From School Library Journal:

Gr 4–8—For many, Maya Lin's name is synonymous with the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. This biography moves beyond that singular project to provide readers with a fuller picture of Lin. Born in the United States to Chinese parents and a "Class A nerd," she never felt that she fit in until college. Rubin incorporates information about Lin's life and family, while putting the primary focus of each chapter on a specific project. Lin's thinking is outlined in each case, whether it is how to help people understand the civil rights movement (the Civil Rights Memorial, Montgomery, AL) or how to raise hopes and spirits with her design for a chapel for the Children's Defense Fund in Clinton, TN. Pages of large text alternate with black-and-white family photos and striking color images of her designs, both as they were taking shape, and upon completed construction. The spare writing style and the book's uncluttered layout provide a reading experience as thoughtful and emotionally connected as one of Lin's installations. The narrative represents the artist's body of work from the Vietnam Veterans Memorial to her current involvement with What Is Missing?, a project bringing attention to endangered species. VERDICT Thoughtfully written and visually engaging, this biography is a must for elementary and middle school libraries.—Maggie Knapp, Trinity Valley School, Fort Worth, TX

About this edition

• Publisher: Chronicle Books
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 1452108374
• ISBN 13: 9781452108377
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 112