Biographies G-K

Clark Gable, actor - Somehow "actor" seems like an understatement. Gable was the king. The only one in recent times who has come close is George Clooney. This author was annoying, in that she kept trying to psychoanalyze him. But otherwise it was a very interesting book.

Jim Henson, puppeteer - Again, an understatement. Henson was responsible for Sesame Street and The Muppet Show. A wonderfully creative mind. I would have loved to watch him and Frank Oz at work.

Ishi, Native American - Ishi was part of a tribe living in northern California. As the region was settled, his people were driven out or killed. Soon they had dwindled to ten survivors. Then there were four. Finally, only Ishi remained. He lived all alone for several years before his loneliness led him to the white men, sometime in the early 1900s. He provided a vital glimpse into a vanishing culture.

Reggie Jackson, baseball player - Jackson lived baseball, which, to me, seems a boring, empty, one-dimensional existence. You'd think he'd broaden his horizons a little bit. Maybe he should read biographies in alphabetical order. Anyways, Jackson played back in the days when my brother collected baseball cards. I was proud of myself for recognizing the names of most of the players mentioned in the book.

Sister Elizabeth Kenny, nurse - There's a hospital in Minneapolis that has a Sister Kenny wing (or something like that), so it's a name I've heard but knew nothing about. Turns out, she wasn't a nun (like I'd always assumed) - she was Australian, and in Australia they call nurses 'sister'. Technically, though, she wasn't a nurse either. She never had any formal training. She'd read a few medical books and used a combination of common sense and trial and error. Her biggest contribution was in the treatment of polio. So now I can thrill people with trivial bits about her.