Rabbit Trail Reviews

[meltintall3]

Amazing Dad: Letters from William Wilberforce to his Children compiled and edited, with commentary by Stephanie Byrd

This poor, inoffensive little volume almost got thrown across the room within the first three chapters*. It's extremely frustrating that books purporting to represent Wilberforce in his own words** felt the 'need' to 'update' his writings for the modern reader—and he one of the most eloquent speakers of his era!*** 

Another black, black mark is the commentary. As essays, they're fine informative bits of work; slightly overbearing on the tell 'em what you're going to tell 'em, tell 'em, tell 'em what you've told 'em aspect—but as commentary they overwhelm the snippets and extracts giving us more Byrd and biography than Wilberforce. The 'letters'-such a lofty title with which to dignify the wee paragraphs--have been gone through with scissors and a bucket of whitewash, though a hint of the flavour of the original shines through.

I blame the presentation. Amazing Dad is so cheesy and cashing in on the movie that I have no witty scorn to heap on it. The subtitle promises letters, like in Theodore Roosevelt's Letters to His Children.**** "Compiled and edited" might raise a few red flags, though not nearly as many as "abridged" "revised for modern readers" or "adapted"--those I approach warily and with great skepticism.

In the introduction, it says "There are too many letters to publish complete transcripts in a readable volume. Therefore, excerpts were selected and gathered by topic." Fabulous! I'll take milk if it's too much to expect solid food. But was it too much to expect a pretense of the letters I was promised? Citations of when and to whom each 'excerpt' was addressed?  Small edits of the mundane to leave the selection cohesive and readable would be accepted with grumbling; one sees little enough of a person's character through the way they present themselves in writing that the more verbiage the clearer the picture. But, Gentle reader, there are no 'letters'. There are only essays by Byrd in this book. They are fine, lightweight essays introducing us to Wilberforce and his worldview and how it permeated every aspect of his life that I would have appreciated more if they were what I was led to expect.

Words from{by?) William Wilberforce would be far more honest and more alliterative.  

* I didn't; don't shoot the messenger and all that
** see also Real Christianity by Bob Beltz
*** citation needed 
**** I was going to use Letters from a Self-Made Merchant to His Son by George H. Lorimer as another example of what one would expect, but it's a novel told in epistolary form. Still a good read, especially if you like Kipling's Captains Corageous

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Is that fair? Am I beling unreasonably grumpy? I'm still not sure why it bothered me SO much, especially since I just randomly picked this book up and had no prior expectations at all. 

Comments

[valiantarcher.livejournal.com]

Aww, too bad. :( I think it's fair for you to dislike it and be bothered by it---you were led to believe it was one thing from the title/cover/back/whatever information you read, and it was really something different. I don't think it's wrong to feel like you were cheated. ;))

[ladyadeone.livejournal.com]

Mh, no. I think your complaints are reasonable! From your descriptions I would have been quite disappointed as well. I mean, really, if the title (and I agree on the cheesiness factor there) says Letters I would expect far more actual letters than commentary. Also, given that it was "Updated" for modern readers, it should certainly say that on the cover, not just "Edited". There is a big difference!