Once Again to Zelda

November 1, 2008
If you have ever wondered about the people mentioned in the author dedications of your favorite books, you may find an answer here. Curious about the dedication in Grace Metalious's "Peyton Place", author and teacher Wagman-Geller began delving into the author's history and the background of numerous other authors. Through her research, she discovered the stories behind the dedications in over 50 well-known books. Was Mrs. Samuel Clemens a prototype for Mark Twain's Aunt Sally in "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn"? Was Harry Potter based in part on a local bully? And how did Amy Tan's mother's Alzheimer's trigger the author's own memory? This collection of intriguing accounts about the people behind the books speaks to the idea that truth is stranger and far more complex than the fiction it spawns. Wagman-Geller has done extensive research on each author and provides a generous list of references. Recommended for public libraries.Nedra Crowe-Evers, Sonoma Cty. Lib. Syst., CA

Copyright 2008 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 2008
Book dedications provide some small clue to the writers personal life, yet most readers accord them little more than a passing glance. English teacher Wagman-Geller became a dedication detective after she decided to research what turned out to be a gripping storybehind the provocative dedication in Peyton Place and now presents a set of zesty biographical literary essays. She begins with the knotty family history behind Mary Shelleys dedication in Frankenstein to her controversial father, William Godwin, and moves forward in time to assemble an almost sinfully eclectic range of classic and contemporary writers. Wagman-Geller is an unabashed romantic, and love stories abound, including the grab-a-handkerchief tale of Laura Hillenbrands simple dedication, For Borden. Wagman-Geller also loves stories of struggle, and opens entire worlds when she writes about Harper Lee, Stephen King, and J. K. Rowling. From dedications by George Eliot to John le Carr', Michael Chabon, and Dean Koontz, this widely appealing book of guilty pleasures provides an unusual portal into the lives of a colorful array of writers.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)