Publishers Weekly - 09.03.2020

76 BOOKLIFE, MARCH 9, 2020

MEMOIR

Confessions of a Helmet-

Free Childhood

Cinnia Finfer | Finfer Group

68 pages, hardcover, $19.95, ISBN 978-1-

73430-740-5

Finfer’s quick, humorous debut

recounting the high and low points

of her formative years in the 1960s

and ’70s, when bad fashion was the

rule and not the exception, will

bring smiles of remembrance to

many. References to (and photos of)

Schwinn Stingray bikes, Crissy dolls with “growing” hair, and

cooking with fondue pots evoke a time when kids were

expected to go outside and play unsupervised until dinner.

Finfer tells wry, often riveting stories of facing a school bus

bully, inadvertently destroying her sister’s banana-seat bike,

and becoming entangled in scrapes not always of her own

making. Teen readers will recognize many similarities to their

own lives even as they marvel at the idea of going through

adolescence without mobile phones or social media.

The brief tales in this slender book are enjoyable and occa-

sionally provide laugh-aloud moments: for example, the list of

lessons learned from an autonomous childhood include “Even

if something happens by accident, it’s still on your watch” and,

perhaps related, “Read the label before igniting anything.”

However, readers may wish for a tighter framework to give

context to the stories, and will sometimes struggle to make

sense of who the major players

are and how they relate to one

another. Finfer only briefly

introduces her parents and

siblings, and it’s not clear why

they endured the many house

moves that form the backdrop

for some of the anecdotes.

Finfer’s writing is reminis-

cent of the late humorist Erma

Bombeck’s essays about a

suburbia that no longer exists.

Readers may wonder how

Finfer survived being allowed

to play with no grown-ups

hovering nearby, and she did

run into difficulties that prob-

ably warranted an adult’s

attention, but this is primarily

a fond look back at a very

different time. This wonderful

Wayback Machine of a memoir

may leave readers wanting to

wear terrible plaid and reac-

quire their long-lost childhood

toys.

NONFICTION

Vocabulary for Champions

Joe Oswald | Threshold

276 pages, trade paper, $24.95, ISBN 978-0-

9709734-3-6

Longtime high school history

teacher Oswald assembles a genu-

inely useful and enjoyable guide to

building vocabulary. Most such

guides are meant to be used by

students preparing for standard-

ized tests, but Oswald aims his at

working adults looking to bolster

their interviews and presentations, suggesting that a bigger

vocabulary can lead to a higher income. The guide is orga-

nized in a practical and intuitive way. Oswald starts with the

basics, discussing tone and listing common prefixes and

suffixes that can help students guess the meanings of words.

These sections are followed by sets of relatively common

words that readers can use in multiple everyday situations.

To avoid overwhelming the reader with heaps of words,

Oswald builds in short quizzes at regular intervals, ensuring

that the lessons are absorbed and the reader can recognize

words in context.

The topic sections include science, grammar and literature,

math, economics and finance, and history. The finance section

is especially useful, as Oswald digs into terms relating to

mortgages, assets, and savings plans, educating readers on

basic financial literacy as well as vocabulary. Learners of

English as a second language will get a lot out of the discus-

sion of commonly confused and misused words such as elicit

and illicit.

Oswald keeps the guide fresh with fun study aids such as

crossword puzzles and word

searches. By the time the

reader reaches the general

vocabulary section, the

rhythm created by Oswald’s

method makes it simple to

approach new words without

a guiding theme. Though the

book is short and doesn’t

include advanced vocabulary

words, it packs a lot into 276

pages. Some odd formatting

choices are a bit distracting,

and the layout cries out for

occasional graphics, but the

core content is valuable and

presented well. This breezy,

fast-moving guide can help

anyone looking to build their

word power.

These charming

tales of childhood

before smartphones

will evoke nostalgia

in older readers and

wonder in younger

ones.

Production grades

Cover: B

Design & typography: B-

Illustrations: –

Editing: B-

Marketing copy: B

Production grades

Cover: A

Design & typography: B

Illustrations: B+

Editing: B-

Marketing copy: B

Teens and adults at

all stages of life can

benefit from this

well-constructed

workbook for

learning mid-level

English vocabulary.

Great for fans of Chris

Lele’s The Vocabulary

Builder Workbook.

Great for fans of

Tom Purcell’s

Misadventures of a

1970s Childhood,

Jenny Lawson’s Let’s

Pretend This Never

Happened.

PAID REVIEWS