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Summary
Summary
Hedy Lamarr wasn't just a famous Hollywood actress. She was also an important inventor!
In one of the first books written for children about the amazing life and work of actress and inventor Hedy Lamarr, and one of the final books written by Coretta Scott King Honor and Christopher Medal-winner Jan Wahl, readers will be entranced by all that Hedy accomplished on and off the big screen. In chapter-picture book style, Hedy and her Amazing Invention teaches kids about the pioneering scientific work and inspiring courage of Hedy Lamarr, the famous Hollywood actress who fought against old-fashioned parents, a domineering husband, prejudice, and stereotypes to become an accomplished inventor whose work helped pave the way for many of the communications technologies we enjoy today, from Wi-Fi to GPS to signal-blocking devices. Through collage-work illustrations and accessible text, Wahl and Wallace provide context to the concept of Lamarr's most famous invention with fun and ease. This story is for anyone looking for an uplifting biography about a fearless 20th century woman who knew her worth and was determined to utilize all of her talents to make the world a better place. The first book in Penny Candy's Amazing Women series.
Author Notes
Jan Wahl was born in Columbus, Ohio on April 1, 1931. He received a bachelor's degree from Cornell University in 1953 and a master's degree from the University of Michigan in 1958. He worked with director Carl T. Dreyer on the film Ordet. He was also the secretary for author Isak Dinesen but was fired for misspelling two words.
His first children's book, Pleasant Fieldmouse, was published in 1964. He went on to write more than 100 books for children including Humphrey's Bear, Furious Flycycle, How the Children Stopped the Wars, I Met a Dinosaur, The Fieldmouse and the Dinosaur Named Sue, The Art Collector, and Hedy and Her Amazing Invention. He received numerous awards including the Bologna (Italy) Book Fair Young Critic's Prize in 1969, the Ohioana Book Award in 1970, the Parents Choice Award in 1987, the Redbook Award in 1987, the Christopher Medal in 1987, and the Coretta Scott King recognition in 1992. He died of prostate cancer on January 29, 2019 at the age of 87.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (2)
Kirkus Review
No one suspected that an actress would create a groundbreaking technology.From childhood, Hedwig Kiesler had two interests: the way things worked and the way people acted. Straightforward text coupled with engaging full-page and spot illustrations made primarily with paper collage tells the eventful story of the girl who would become Hedy Lamarr. The account moves chronologically from her curiosity as a child living in poverty-stricken Austria through her development as an actress, her fledgling attempts at invention, and her escape from an unhappy marriage to America to her support of Allied troops during World War II and her continued interest in science and new ideas. Hedy's co-creation of frequency hoppinga technology still used widely in missiles, microwaves, software, and cellphonesis shown to be a major accomplishment even though it was not recognized as such until many years later. Although there is insufficient contextualization of how her opportunities may have been limited by gender roles of the time, this is a clear and interesting portrait, and Hedy is portrayed as a strong, intelligent woman full of talent and innovation and is sure to provide young readers with inspiration and encouragement to investigate new ideas of their own. Divided into chapters, the book has lengthier text than the simultaneously publishing picture-book biography Hedy Lamarr's Double Life, by Laurie Wallmark and illustrated by Katy Wu.A solid, factual addition to the STEM and notable-women shelves. (Biography. 7-12) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
*Starred Review* While a list of movie stars during the 1930s and 1940s includes many who have faded from public memory, the name Hedy Lamarr is regaining prominence, though perhaps less for her acting career than for her little-known role as an inventor. Opening in Vienna in 1918, the simply written, pithy text introduces Hedy as a four-year-old returning from a movie theater and asking her father to explain how the pictures got on the screen. Later, as a young woman married to a wealthy older man, she left after he denied her a space where she could make things. Wahl portrays her as a curious child who loved to tinker, a beautiful woman with a mind of her own, and a successful Hollywood actress who found it more satisfying to work on her inventions, which included a frequency-hopping communications technology still used in electronics. The main narrative offers an engaging introduction to Lamarr, and, in an appended note, Wahl shares his recollections of meeting her on three occasions. A Canadian artist, Wallace contributes richly colored illustrations created with layers of cut paper, pen and ink, and watercolors. Notable for portraying their subject with consistency, clarity, and beauty, these distinctive collages enhance the book's appeal to a broad audience.--Carolyn Phelan Copyright 2019 Booklist
