Reviews

Gr 7 Up‘This well-rounded, informative portrait of the filmmaker is appealing and engaging to read. Lee's Brooklyn childhood is chronicled, as are his college days and film-school experiences. Haskins offers insight into his subject's relationship with his family and other factors that shaped him as a youth. The majority of the discussion, of course, is devoted to his professional career and fierce determination to succeed. His abilities as a shrewd marketer and entrepreneur, the controversies nearly all of his films have generated, and the filmmaker's tireless work as an advocate for more opportunities for black artists are also discussed. Black-and-white stills from Lee's films and candid photos appear in a center insert. Fans will welcome this biography, and those unfamiliar with the man will find it an enlightening introduction. K. Maurice Jones's Spike Lee and the African-American Filmmakers (Millbrook, 1996) looks at the director specifically in the context of the history of African-American film. For biographical information, Haskins's book is the better choice.‘Edward Sullivan, New York Public Library