Hedy's Folly

Hedy's Folly: The Life and Breakthrough Inventions of Hedy Lamarr, the Most Beautiful Woman in the World by Richard Rhodes
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I liked that the book had a lot of information about George Antheil. I've seen Ballet Mechanique (the film) several times, but hadn't realized that the composer for that music had been Hedy Lamar's co-inventor! :D Not in-depth on either Lamar or Antheil, it's a good overview of the basics of their lives and how they happened to intersect and invent together.

Recommended for people interested in World War II-era inventing, or in Lamar/Antheil's work.

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Art Attack

Art Attack: A Brief Cultural History of the Avant-Garde by Marc Aronson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Not a lot of new information here for me, but it's an excellent introduction to the avant garde in the arts during the course of the 19th and 20th centuries. Written with teens & young adults as the target audience, it would also be appropriate for any layperson looking for a place to start on this subject. Very readable. Aronson has done well - the only way it would be better would be if the illustrations were in color.

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