I am so NOT a fun of modern abstract art, but I did broaden my horizons. ( )

"For Louise this inconvenient birth was the beginning of a turbulent story that would shape her art."

I must admit, I did not think I would enjoy this book about artist Louise Bourgeois. The title "Runaway Girl" was originally what caught my eye, but once I looked closer I thought it would be just another dragging biography about an artist. I could not have been more wrong!Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan did a phenomenal job writing this enthralling biography. From the slightly sarcastic tone at times to the cause and effect setup of the entire biography of Louise's life, I could not put the book down. To make it even better, the pictures were not just cartoon or drawn illustrations, but real pictures of Louise, her family, her art work, etc. Once again, the possibilities for incorporation into the classroom are absolutely endless.

In telling the story of Louise Bourgeois, Greenberg and Jordan show students how an artist's life affects their work. Learning about Bourgeois' parents sheds light on her unique style as a sculptor and an artistic trailblazer. Witness the giant spider as figure of maternal protection. ( )

“It takes a kind of fearlessness in your art making to cut your parents up into little pieces and put them down the drain. It is in a world of fantasy. But then you wake up, you are afraid of what you’ve done. But then comes the reparation and exorcism. All my work is that. I start with these incredible murderous scenes. But I won’t leave the studio until I’ve done something to exorcise the murder I’ve committed. Then I feel fine. “ (17). This book is an Abrams book. That translates into a beautifully bound, extremely well illustrated, high quality piece of art in its own right. I knew virtually nothing about Bourgeois before picking up this book; now I want to visit Bourgeois exhibits, collect Bourgeois replicas, and encourage people to read this superb book! Greenberg and Jordan include an introduction for looking at a piece of sculpture, a guide to galleries displaying Bourgeois’ art, glossary of terms, bibliography, and endnotes. Bourgeois was born in Paris. Runaway Girl reveals Bourgeois’s secret family life. It follows her through Paris until the time she meets, marries, and moves to New York City with her art historian husband. Bourgeois created and kept hundreds of pieces of art that ran counter to the prevailing, male dominated view of art at the time. While Bourgeois’ art is said to be “feminist,” her art really tells the personal story of who she is. Bourgeois states that she is reluctant to explain anything she created. She believes her art should speak for itself. Runaway Girl depicts a poignant personal story that has much broader implications for society as a whole. The authors should be commended for their three dimensional look at a fascinating artist. Those readers in the Grand Rapids area may want to travel to Meijer Gardens to see for themselves one extra large example of Louise Bourgeois’ work. One of her huge spiders, Maman, crawls around the garden. Read this book before you go see it! ( )