WINTER-SPRING '25 PICK
"We are curious about how the lyrics in Porgy and Bess came to be and his collaboration with George Gershwin…"
Ira Gershwin: A Life in Words
by Michael Owen
Publisher Description The Pulitzer Prize–winning American lyricist Ira Gershwin (1896–1983) has been hailed as one of the masters of the Great American Songbook―songs written largely for Broadway and Hollywood from the 1920s to the 1950s. Now, in the first full-length biography devoted to his life, Ira Gershwin steps out at last from the long shadow cast by his younger and more famous brother George.
How to present this to library customers: Sometimes you have to use the familiar to get people interested in the unfamiliar. Although Ira Gershwin was very instrumental in many American works, he is often linked to his famous brother, George Gershwin. I would present this books with biographies of George Gershwin, the famous opera Porgy and Bess along with other famous jazz pieces by George Gershwin and his contemporaries.
Audience Key:
NOVICE:
A patron who does not know about the arts but is looking for new interests. These items are for public collections that call for you to introduce the arts to patrons and ignite their interests. They often know much more about popular culture than what’s happening in the arts.
EXPLORER:
These items are for customers who have some knowledge of the arts and want to learn more. Oftentimes these patrons stream music from your music streaming service, take out music and art biographies and they may attend music and art programming at your library.
AFICIONADO:
Ordering for aficionados requires knowledge about their habits when consuming the arts. These patrons are aware of the arts through museums, classical music, jazz and more. Oftentimes, these patrons attend music and art programming at your library, are professionals in the arts world with thorough knowledge of visual and/or performing arts.
