Jean HuetsCritiques

I was fortunate to have won this through LibraryThing giveaway! It is truly a gem of a book. Walt Whitman is a treasure, and Jean does a wonderful job with this book!

I enjoy the history as well as the overall layout and information in this book.

I was surprised at the content of this book, because it seems as much or more about nineteenth century America, as about Walt Whitman. However, that's not a complaint, because I like this book very much. I like how Whitman's own words and writings are interwoven with the narrative in a way that flows naturally and is very readable. I think it adds to Whitman's story to see him in the context of other writers and people of note, as well as early Long Island, Brooklyn, and other localities. This book was the first time I had read about his brothers and sisters. I wish there had been more about Whitman's work during the Civil War and his thoughts on the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Otherwise, this was pretty close to perfect.

In this season of Whitman -with glorious exhibits at the Morgan and the NYPL to celebrate his 200th birthday - it is a delight to read this historical companion that seeks to situate the "good gray poet" among the 19th century realities he wrestled with and wrote out of. I learned and re-learned many things as I perused this handsome volume and was charmed by the presentation itself. Here is a great gift to both casual and committed readers of this most excellent poet. Often I pass books like this on to an eager new reader -but I am going to keep this for a while -at least until Whitman's deep generosity moves my soul to do otherwise.

THIS IS AN EARLY REVIEWERS BOOK REVIEW

Rating: 5* of five

The Publisher Says: WITH WALT WHITMAN, HIMSELF immerses the reader in the life and times of the poet called “America’s bard,” with over 300 period images and text including extensive quotes by Walt Whitman and his family and friends (and a few enemies). Explore the fascinating roots of Whitman's great work Leaves of Grass: a family harrowed by alcoholism and mental illness; the bloody Civil War; burgeoning, brawling Manhattan and Brooklyn; literary allies and rivals; and his beloved America, racked by disunion even while racing westward. The coming year 2019 will mark the bicentennial of Walt Whitman’s birth; this book anticipates the celebration with a perspective of Walt Whitman “in the nineteenth century, in America,” as he himself put it.

My Review: What an extraordinarily lovely surprise this book was to me. It is physically beautiful: Printed in four colors, with Whitman's own words highlighted for the reader's eye by being printed in a handsome shade of Process Blue; daguerrotypes and other photos printed in rich and period-appropriate shades of umber and sepia achieved by using the four process colors; paintings and archival materials reproduced in very clear and obviously carefully proofed separations. The paper is uncoated, but is a top-quality book paper; this means it isn't vividly bleached to an eye-hurting whiteness, thus making the text a chore to read. Instead, the whole package, in its design and execution, is meant to be an inviting visual and tactile experience. This makes its contents that much more appealing to view.

This $35 paperback is a coffee-table book. It would look very well on anyone's conversation-starting furniture of whatever description. The purpose of the book is to bring a modern reader, perhaps one not familiar with Whitman or, at most, glancingly acquainted with "Crossing Brooklyn Ferry" or "To A Stranger" (if a gay man over 40), a sense of Whitman the man and the way he became that man. The 19th century brought huge changes to the USA, as your history class sledgehammered into your adolescent brain. The world Whitman was born into on the 31st of May in 1819—two hundred years ago today—resembled not at all the world in which he wrote his poems or in which he died, in 1892, at seventy-two well-lived years of age. Steamships, trains, escalators...a Civil War whose battles we fight to this day...a world that Whitman embraced with wide-open arms and eyes, with reservations he always set aside to be more fully present in his moment. We could all do well to live in imitation of Whitman's way.

If one approaches this volume in the spirit of an interested browser, it will delight and edify; those seeking A Life or, perish forbid!, a monograph on Whitman's poems, will go away dissatisfied, though certainly diverted. I came to the book informed about Whitman, and came away delighted at the quantity of insight I gained from reading it. I loved the images, I knew I'd be sucked in by the 300 or so lovely reproductions, but I was equally edified by the organization of the text into Walt, and his world. It is explicit in the title: You're going to 19th century America with Walt Whitman's life as your tour agenda. As I am a New York City boy, those sections resonated strongly with me; as a Long Islander, Whitman's experiences highlighted for me the unslackening pace of change in this vigorous and vibrant world. Whitman was born in Hempstead, where I spent a decade! Believe you me, if we resurrected Walt and placed him in the Hempstead of today, he'd love it for its vibrant urbanity and be shocked to learn it's his birthplace.

I found Pete Doyle's tale, with whose outlines I was familiar, to be unbearably poignant. Soul father Whitman, 45 at the time, met his 21-year-old life's love on the streetcar where the lad worked. The rest of Whitman's life, and of Doyle's I learned here, they were connected, they were in love. What that means to someone in an intergenerational relationship in this disapproving and minatory world...! The storms of life could separate their bodies, death could knock with her unignorable tattoo, they were in love:

I have Walt's raglan here...I now and then put it on, lay down, think I am in the old times. Then he is with me again. It's the only thing I kept amongst many old things. When I get it on and stretch out on the old sofa I am very well contented. It is like Aladdin's lamp. I do not ever for a minute lose the old man. He is always near by. When I am in trouble—in a crisis—I ask myself, "What would Walt have done under these circumstances?" and whatever I decide Walt would have done that I do.

I hope with all the fibers of my being that my Pete, my Young Gentleman Caller Rob, has occasion to remember as fondly after I am dead.

It was such points of commonality, uncommon to find in a work about a long-dead author, that kept me returning to the book with a curious mind and an eager eye. After reading WITH WALT WHITMAN, HIMSELF, I was soul-satisfied that I had found my spiritual ancestor. No poet I, nor truth to tell much of a poetry consumer; but Walt Whitman, comme d'habitude, pursued me down the street to talk to me.

I am so very glad that I stopped to listen.

As it has been years since I read some of the poems from Leaves of grass, I was interested in learning more. The description of this book intrigued me and I was not disappointed. In With Walt Whitman, himself, Jean Huets treats us to the life, times and work of Whitman in words and pictures. She includes the life of Whitman; the United States, political and industrial, during his lifetime; and his contemporaries, both literary and otherwise, some of which shaped the world view of Whitman. The chapters are roughly in chronological order.

The book is lavishly illustrated with drawings and photographs, some from the 19th century and others more modern. As expected, there are quotes by Whitman from his poetry and prose, all in blue ink and quotes from others in brown ink to differentiate between them. There is a source list, chapter by chapter, in the back of the book for the illustrations and the quotes but be aware that there are no footnotes so matching the items with the citations is a bit difficult. Huets tended to use the Walt Whitman Archive as well as online sources so the citations can easily be checked. And frankly, this is a not meant to be a scholarly work at all.

What an amazing book and the perfect companion to Leaves of grass! In fact, I dug out my copy of the book which includes some prose and plan a leisurely read over the summer. Thank you, Ms. Huets, for a wonderfully readable book. Biographies and textual criticisms abound, but this book has a unique place in Whitman studies.

A worthwhile read for any fan of Whitman. The book provides a glimpse into a fascinating life with photos and illustrations on every page, and many excerpts from his work. In particular, I enjoyed that it shares Whitman's encounters with and opinions of other famous people of his time. I need a book like this for all of my favorite literary figures!½

Jean Huets’ Walt Whitman, Himself: In the Nineteenth Century, In America is a beautifully conceived tribute to the great American poet. The cover photo of Whitman superimposed against the American flag conveys the essence of the man: leisurely, comfortable, confident, and unapologetic; it symbolically and proudly seems to proclaim the title of the book. Generously illustrated, the book effectively places Whitman in the context of his times, and well-chosen excerpts of his writing illuminate both his ideas and his personality. It inspired me to make the worthwhile short trip to revisit Walt Whitman’s Birthplace (State Historic Site) in West Hills, Long Island, NY.

This is primarily a picture book with commentary and excerpts from Whitman's poetry and prose. As such it provides a good sense of the man and his times but does not allow for the greater depth a biography.½

I enjoyed reading this book which cleverly displayed not just Whitman’s
poems but other contemporary poets as well. While I have never been a
reader of poems, I could not put this book down until I finished reading the
whole book.

I really enjoyed this attractive book which recaps the history, contemporaries, and influences of the 19th century on the life and work of poet Walt Whitman (1819-1892). Packed with quotes, pictures and literary excerpts the layout is entertaining. Whitman's personality is portrayed in an open assessment of his ideas and in the context of his generation. He comes across as a forward looking and sensitive individual; a champion of women's rights, abolition of slavery, and intense friendships. I have Leaves of Grass waiting in the wings to read and am looking forward to reading it with the background Jean Huets has provided.

I am tired. I feel like I just visited an imaginary major museum exhibition for the past two days. Don't get me wrong. It was a fine and interesting imagined exhibit. I have this exhibition styled catalog to show for it with every picture and word!
It was about the life and times of Walt Whitman. An early exhibit window had a photograph of Whitman's phrenologists. Yes, the exhibition is that well researched. It even shows the findings by the bumps on various parts of his head. Yes, he apparently did believe. That's understandable for the times and he was of and about those 19th century Brooklyn times.
Each display window features interesting paintings and many photographs. In all, the illustrations number more than 300. A generous number of Whitman and other figures of his time are also represented with quotes. This exhibition has panels (pages) and chapters by subject matter that is not necessarily in time sequence. Understandably, quotes from "The Leaves of Grass" are too good and personal to wait for anyway. The section on the transcendentalists was a highlight for me.
A strong case could be made that Whitman is America's poet. He certainly deeply loved his country but the country's love was not returned in kind. He knowingly threw conventionality out the window in favor of originality.