Finding Oz: How L. Frank Baum Discovered the Great American Story (original 2009; edition 2009)

by Evan I. Schwartz

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jbeckhamlat's review

Evan Schwartz's FINDING OZ is an enjoyable biography of L Frank Baum, as well as of Baum's semi-wicked (threatening, intimidating) mother in law Matilda Joslyn Gage. Matilda was a leading suffragete of the period, with a domineering personality. Life in upstate New York, Aberdeen and Chicago are detailed through good times and panics. Sidebars, if they can be called that in a book, are the Native Americans and a religious movment of the time called Theosophy. Descriptions of the Chicago Worlds Fair are captivation, the intellectual side of the fair not the entertaining.... Finding OZ is as much finding the transition from 19th century to 20th century America at the individual and family levels. The Wizard of Oz is found in the life experiences of L Frank Baum, from childhood to the moment he saw the story in his mind. Joseph Campbell's contemplation of myth and life play a key role in the interpretations. It is a fun read...... now for the movie.

jbeckhamlat | Jun 2, 2009 |

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Excellent overview of Baum's life and how actual events may have influenced the Oz story. Focuses a bit much on the history of women's suffrage due to his mother-in-law's involvement with Susan B. Anthony, but that was obviously part of his life.

The final 3-4 four chapters make an excellent review/summary of all events in a plot review of the story. Additional material relating how the story lived on after Baum's death relates some of the events behind the development of the 1939 movie.

rgherndon | Mar 28, 2010 |

"The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" is going to be the next book I read thanks to Evan I. Schwartz. His book is a fascinating account of the life of L. Frank Baum. The Baum story touches scores of 19th century historical tidbits that have always interested me, for example: "the burned over " district of northern New York State. (From it came our country's greatest hoax, still surviving: Mormonism). Other historical tidbits in this book: Wounded Knee, Chicago World's Fair, Cardiff Giant Hoax, early feminism, early anti-organized religion movement, Sitting Bull's death, Theosophy, and many more.