Well, you can tell by the way I use my walk, I’m a woman’s man, no time to talk. The Bee Gees almost had it right in this Saturday Night Fever anthem. Had they said, Renaissance man, it would have come closer to the truth. Aviator, scientologist, actor, father, singer, dancer, lover, fighter, Travolta is all these things and more. And in Travolta: The Life, British writer Nigel Andrews chronicles this protean fellow’s rise to superstardom. This book is essential reading for Travolta fans, but for those not yet converted, it’s worth a look just for the photos. For one thing, author Nigel, that wily (desperate?) sleuth, includes a few shots of (not from) a scrapbook of Travolta’s childhood neighbor. Could the faceless blur in that plastic sheath possibly be the icon of today lounging in a lawn chair circa 1970? It just might be.
Valiant Women is a vital and engrossing attempt to correct the record and rightfully celebrate the achievements of female veterans of World War II.