Ποιος είναι ο Μπομπ Ντύλαν;

Who Was . . . ? Series

by Jim O'Connor, Αντωνία Γουναροπούλου (Translator)

Μπόμπυ Ζίμμερμαν
Μπομπ Ντίλλον
Μπομπ Λάντυ
Τζακ Φροστ
Λάκυ Ουίλμπερυ
Σεργκέι Πετρόφ

Πίσω από όλα αυτά τα ονόματα (κι από μερικά ακόμα..) κρύβεται ένας και μόνο άνθρωπος, ένας άνθρωπος-μύθος: Είναι ο μεγαλύτερος τροβαδούρος του 20ού αιώνα, που ξεσήκωσε ατελείωτες συζητήσεις σε όλο τον κόσμο στις 13 Οκτωβρίου 2016, όταν η Σουηδική Ακαδημία αιφνιδίασε τους πάντες απονέμοντάς του το Νόμπελ Λογοτεχνίας: ο Μπομπ Ντύλαν.
Όμως, ποιος είναι ο Μπομπ Ντύλαν; Τραγουδιστής, συνθέτης, ποιητής, ακόμα και σκηνοθέτης, ο Μπομπ Ντύλαν συνόδευσε εκατομμύρια ανθρώπους στους αγώνες τους, στο μεγάλωμά τους, στη μοναξιά τους - κρατώντας όμως πάντα για τον εαυτό του ένα επτασφράγιστο μυστικό: την ταυτότητά του.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Music, Childrens, Audiobook, History, School

120 pages, Paperback

First published June 27, 2013

Reviews

[JohnnyBear]

7 out of 10

I love Bob Dylan's music, and I really wanted to learn more about the person behind his songs. I know the "Who Was/Is" series are books targetted towards children, but Bob Dylan's Chronicles hadn't had a released audiobook yet, so I decided I might as well try this one. I definitely learned a lot about Bob Dylan with this book. I found it informative, but I did wonder why the author seemed to have something against Bob Dylan. Bob is depicted as a big jerk in this book most of the time, (which may be true, but I wouldn't know). He is depicted as always seeing other women in his relationships, stealing people's songs and vinyl records, being a jerk to people, etc. I don't know if it is all true or not, but it sure seems that the author has something against him.

For the most part, though, I found the book to be very informative. I learned about how he became a performer, his personal life, and the circumstances behind his album releases. It is also a good thing that Bob was pro-civil rights, during a time when African Americans were being greatly oppressed. I did catch a slight mistake in the audiobook where the narrator said, "Highway 51" instead of, "Highway 61", but for the most part, I found the book to be pretty good. Can't wait to learn more about Bob Dylan.

[Ken]

This book should have been called "Who Was Bob Dylan a Dick To?" The author seems to have a giant vendetta against Dylan, and did not want this assignment. The 'Who Was/Is..." series of books never shies away from the darker side of its subjects, but this book just seemed to be a long series of people Dylan has wronged. Sure, he's not exactly known as the nicest guy on the planet, but no kid is going to come away from this book wanting to know anything about the subject. Plus, the last 40+ years of Dylan's career are given a very quick few page gloss over. Usually this series focuses on why a person is considered historically or culturally important, even going as far as claiming Elvis Presley invented rock and roll. "Who Was Bob Dylan?" is more focused on why people who don't like Dylan are important.

[Nina]

i love bob dylan

[Gabriel Awesome]

Bob Dylan got awarded a really awesome medal from Barack Obama because his music influenced people in America. The title is Who is Bob Dylan and the author is Jim O'Connor. The narration is third person because the narrator is disconnected from the story and he says he or she or it in the book. It is a biography of Bob Dylan that talks about his whole lifetime. His music he played on the acoustic guitar and electric guitar, which was interesting to know about. The mood of the book was serious, but it was happy because it talked about people liking his music. However, he did not have very many happy things with his family. You should read this book because it describes Bob Dylan and his road to fame in a cool way.

[Liesl]

An apt alternative title for this book could be Bob Dylan: Kind of a Jerk; I often felt the need to point out to my son while we read together that it was a good thing Bob was so talented since he didn't always treat others in the best manner possible. The book is fine and fairly informative, and we both learned quite a bit about Dylan; I am definitely curious now to see the eclectic portrayal of him in I'm Not There. However, I didn't enjoy this one as much as the ones we've previously read, and the illustrations don't feel up to par.

[Andy Hickman]

“Who Is Bob Dylan?” (Who Was/Is...? series) by Jim O'Connor, Nancy Harrison

Interesting take. Seems to focus on his breached relationships and who he ripped off!
I guess it fills in the gaps that hagiography omits, assuming it’s true and not conjecture, which most biographies probably are anyway.

“Bob put away his acoustic guitar and switched to a Fender Stratocaster electric guitar.” (p68)

[Tina]

The answer my friend is blowing in the wind

[Henry]

My favorite part was when it talked about singers Bob Dylan admired like Bono, the Beatles, Joan Baez, and Johnny Cash.

[Hailey Vittrup]

This is a pretty decent book overall, but several reviews point at the author’s implied bias against Bob Dylan. I will say that due to the way that Dylan’s relationships with others was discussed, maybe this is true. This “Who Is…” book is not entirely appropriate for children or a book that I’d recommend to students. However, I do like that the author takes the time to show Dylan’s conversion to Christianity. This pivotal moment in his life and career is important. I’ll be honest, I would not have known about it if I hadn’t listened to this audiobook. I truly hope that Bob Dylan has a saving relationship with God.

[Jenn]

Read to my kids in the car. My FIL’s favorite music artist was Bob Dylan so we decided to learn about him. This short summary of his life (so far) did not leave a great impression about him! A lot of info that even my husband didn’t know. A lot of reviewers feel that it’s an unfair look into the musician’s past—I don’t know much about him so it’s hard to say if that’s true or not, but maybe it’s motivation to learn more.

[Brooke]

This book really wasn't a good introduction to Bob Dylan. It seems like the author has something against him for some reason. If you want your kid or you are a kid or even an adult who wants to learn about Bob Dylan. Don't read this book or give this book to your kid. There are better books or resources on the internet to learn about him.

[Colleen]

James and I are enjoying reading these books - together and separately - and discussing. I appreciated that this book didn't shy away from revealing what a dick Bob Dylan could be! Stealing other peoples' songs? Come on. But it's good to know that our heroes are flawed, as are we. And now it's time to introduce James to his music!

[Dr. Suganthi Ramanathan]

""There is not a bigger giant in the history of American music," the president (Barack Obama) said." (4)

"At times in my life the only place I have been happy is when I am onstage." (96)

Edition Read - Grosset & Dunlap, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group, New York, 2013.

[Jamie Bozif]

I just love these “Who is ____?” books. Even as an adult these are great to read or listen to, just to find out some basic information about someone. Almost like the old school CliffsNotes for biographies and that’s not a negative.

[Steve S]

It was strange to listen to a biography of a living person where the author listed a lot of unknowns about him. I already knew about B0b Dylan and so I got more out of it than my wife or son. I don't think it really grabbed readers about why Bob Dylan is special.

[CalebWebb]

It was a good book. I recommend to read it. It has a lot of good informatinal facts about Bob Dylan.

[Shahd Rdawi]

AudioBook

[DJ]

Interesting intro to Dylan for kids

[Lionheart]

Rated 5 stars
Ages 12+
-
This guy interests me. He is now on my list of people that I have to meet before they die :)

[Miss Sarah]

Im not sure what to believe about Bob Dylan other than he is a chameleon constantly reinventing himself. an interesting life of an always changing musician. elementary and up

[Vinod]

Not a bad starter bio of Dylan's life, though it entirely skips over the best album of all-time.

[Justin Hill]

A disorganized sprint through Dylan’s life.

[Karen Gregory]

I learned a little about Bob Dylan, but the book left me with more questions to research. :)

[Carl A]

lol this was funny whoever wrote this hated bob dylan

[Alex]

Fascinating creature.

[Klyon]

learned some things

[Penny Evenson]

Learned a lot about Bob Dylan!

[Cindy]

Who knew Dylan was such a skunk!

[Brent]

Fun little into book on Dylan. I should make my daughter read this book.

[IsAK Reads]

This book was helpful to know more one of the best singers in my opionion. He lied a lot in his early life to be intresting, that was inresting. And he's real name was Robert Zimmerman. 7/10.