Author: Lorilee Craker
Release Date: August 28, 2008
Publisher: Center Street
Purchase: Amazon for $10.39
When I was offered the book A is for Atticus by Lorilee Craker I had no idea who the author was. After a little digging, I learned that Craker is an entertainment writer that has authored and co-authored a number of books. Despite being an entertainment writer she has penned books on parenting and family. She even has another baby naming book under her belt, though the first had more to do with biblical names and less to do with literary influence and the world of celebrities.
Her newest book will be out in September. Sure to be a hit, especially with gossip mavens, this next book was co-authored with the infamous celebrity non-parent, Lynne Spears. This focus on the entertainment world makes it hard to take her literary chops seriously, but I entered A is for Atticus with an open mind, considering I have always had a fondness for the character paid homage to on the cover.
Unfortunately, the literary mark is not hit as hard as you might want it to be. Craker uses her extensive knowledge of celebrities to write a book about the name choices of famous celebrities (some with unique literary meaning and others not so much). The book does not focus on all of the great names of literature or even all of the ones that book lovers could think of off the top of their heads. This makes the book feel halfhearted at best.
I am not sure how much (if at all) this would matter to the future parent, because this book is necessary only for a limited niche. Chances are, more authors are going to use this book for inspiration and less parents will when choosing the name for their child. While some parents do use baby name books, when it comes to choosing one of a literary fashion, people have their favorite names from their favorite books and will likely choose a name they already know and love.
The one thing that gets on my nerves here is the ego-stroking offered to celebrities. It is nice that Craker knows all of the names of Angelina Jolie’s children or that she feels that Heath Ledger’s daughters name will become popular thanks to his choosing it, but these are unnecessary facts that feel like they were brought in to stuff the book. Granted, interesting facts and choices do exist, but this is a book that only offers half what it claims by the title on the cover.
On the cover, you are promised more than 450 fresh, in-depth name profiles. While I did not count the exact number I am sure that many are present. It leaves out more good books than I can count, but the claims on the cover are true, in part. I don’t know how in-depth I would say many of these profiles are in keeping with the themes of literature and good books.
For example, the name Scout, made famous by the Pulitzer Prize winning, To Kill a Mockingbird, receives more mention for being suitable as a middle name and becoming popularized thanks to the baby naming skills of Bruce Willis and Demi Moore. Additionally, there are many names that are commonly thought of beyond their literary connotations that could have been left off for more daring reads and offerings.
Names like Sophie and Alexander, while beautiful names are, often names that top baby name lists and could have easily been left off in lieu of other choices. Craker also tends to talk less about the literary meaning of the names, opting to just end most profiles with the name of the author and the book where the name came from. This gives her more time to offer opinions and dish on celebrities.
In the end, A is for Atticus is a book that offers some positive findings, but only if you plan to leaf through it for names that you could easily find on the Internet and any baby name website for free. Sadly, the Internet findings might even offer you a better profile result in the process. I recommend you approach this one with caution.
Technorati Tags: To Kill a Mockingbird, Center Street, New Books, Non-Fiction, Book Review, Baby Names, A is for Atticus, Lorilee Craker, Entertainment Writer, Celebrities, Great Names from Good Books, Internet, Baby Name Websites
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