Review by Twylla -- Winners and Losers in words and cart...

Twylla · Post by **Twylla** » 18 Apr 2020, 21:23

[Following is a volunteer review of "Winners and Losers in words and cartoons" by Arthur Hartz.]

4 out of 4 stars

Share This Review

Arthur Hartz partnered with cartoonists Aleksandar Jovic, Mike Wolfe, and Heroud Ramos to write Winners and Losers in Words and Cartoons. The book takes a satirical look at America’s obsession with winning. This fun collection of cartoons and short observations is a clever and thought-provoking social commentary.

The book contains an introduction and a total of nine chapters, a short 143 pages with 84 mostly single-panel cartoons. The first four chapters are about winning; the importance of winning, the types of people we admire and call winners, how society perceives winners, and the rewards that come with being a winner. The next four chapters are about losing; the types of people we tend to disrespect, how society treats the people we perceive to be losers, coping strategies for losers, and the diminished value placed on losers. The final chapter is about what winning means in America.

Mr. Hartz and his cartoonists have very successfully captured the ideals that we hold dear in America about the winners and losers in our society. Beauty is often valued more than intelligence and achievement. The one quote that best captures the spirit of the book is “Good things come to those who look good.” So true.

The visual medium of the cartoons is very well done. I could look at the illustration of the cartoon without looking at the text and have a strong idea of what was happening in the cartoon. The word balloons fit nicely in the space. The text and cartoon art were inextricably linked in all of the cartoons. The text does not stand alone without the artwork and vice versa. The words on the page and the cartoon illustrations worked together beautifully to communicate the message of the cartoon.

My favorite cartoon, the one that made me laugh out loud, was “The Great and Powerful Oz.” There are a couple of very funny cartoons, but most of them have very subtle humor. I liked them all. There is nothing about the book that I didn't like. It is well written and professionally edited. I didn’t find any errors.

The purpose of writing a book review is to draw attention to good books. This one deserves much attention. I am giving this book a rating of 4 out of 4 stars. Even though it is a short book, it is not a quick read. It is best to read a few pages at a time to get the most from it. I would recommend it to an adult audience because of the subtleness and the ambiguity of the humor. I am not an artist, but I appreciate the artwork in the cartoon illustrations. The writing of the text, the illustrations, and the entertainment value all came together very nicely in this humorous book.

******
Winners and Losers in words and cartoons
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

JKO · Post by **JKO** » 03 May 2020, 05:27

The colorful illustrations would make this book more appreciable for the reader. I also look forward to laughing hard as this book has a lot of humor. Thanks for the excellent review.