Thanks to Penny Candy Books for the copy of this biography by Jan Wahl, illustrated by Morgana Wallace. This is the first of a series of biographies about women in history, will be out February 5th.
This short chapter book shares the life of Hedwig Kiesler (Hedy LaMarr) who was born at the beginning of World War I, from the age of four when, though most in Austria lived in poverty, nearly everyone could afford a movie. It shows her curiosity even then as she asked how projectors put that picture on the screen. That is the interesting thread throughout her life, that curious mind trying to understand how things worked, and at times trying to fix them. She defied stereotypes and rebelled when told she couldn't do something.
Full page illustrations for each chapter show Hedy growing up, show still other examples of her attempts to understand how something works. She received a watch for a birthday gift, wanted to take it apart to understand the spinning of those tiny wheels. A favorite illustration shows the public part of her life as a movie star and the private part as an inventor. This text also tells of some other inventions.
She did begin acting early, then married and her husband wanted her to quit, also refused to allow her a room for tinkering. Hedy realized it was too much like a prison, sneaked out on a bicycle, took a train to London. The story of how she got to Hollywood, how she got her name and how she invented something that is still being used in our technology today is fascinating. Those who loved her as a movie star, until now, have rarely known this full story of a beautiful actress with a brilliant mind who often asked "How" something worked. It's a book that will spark further interest in this long ago actress as well as inspire readers to continue with their passions.