Helen Hayes (American Women of Achievement)

A crisp, straightforward account of one woman's life in and out of the theater. The text is chronological, with only an occasional flash forward or back, packing in amusing details while maintaining an intimate conversational style. Never condescending, the book uses complete quotations rather than paraphrases, giving possibly unfamiliar terms a quick parenthetical explanation and proceeding briskly. Kittredge draws on several longer biographies, but most of the vignettes and quotations are taken from Hayes' own writings. In a life story remarkable for its ordinary middle-class surroundings, Hayes' strong love for the flamboyant Charles MacArthur and their daughter Mary's tragic death from polio stand out. The book is generously sprinkled with black-and-white photos. Perhaps it's lucky that most adolescents skip over introductory essays--otherwise the ponderous generic one that appears in every book in this series might put off the very students who need this sort of dependable biography. --Sally T. Margolis, formerly at The Newport Schools, Kensington,
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.