The History of Opera For Beginners

May 1, 2014

This documentary comic combines black-and-white drawings with primarily nontechnical language ("Nobody Loves the Fat Lady," "French Dudes," "The La Scala Gang") to explore the history of opera and specific opera singers and offer tips for learning to enjoy opera, summaries of "listener-friendly operas," and a list of YouTube videos. David (former editor in chief, Readers and Writers Publishing; Toni Morrison Explained: A Reader's Road Map to the Novels) touts the "commonness" of his background and maintains that finding individual singers who please the ear, rather than plots or sets, are the key to learning to love opera. Woolley's illustrations, along with shaded boxes and boxed quotes, fill at least half of every page, making this a fast read. A friendly book, it demystifies opera and counters the idea that the art form is only for the elite. David directs readers to Google and to YouTube clips to experience great opera moments for themselves. VERDICT Consider when updating selections, especially where David Pogue and Scott Speck's Opera for Dummies and Barrymore Laurence Scherer's Bravo! A Guide to Opera for the Perplexed have been popular.--Maggie Knapp, Trinity Valley Sch., Fort Worth, TX

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