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Love Me for Who I Am

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PreS-Gr 4—"Who Wants to Wear Shoes?" "Not me! Not me!" chorus the kids as Brady Rymer extols the joys of nudity on his sixth album for kids. This one was created especially to honor the thoughts and feelings of children on the autism spectrum, and proceeds from the CD sales will benefit Autism Speaks, a non-profit research and advocacy group. Grammy nominee Rymer's vocals are versatile, adeptly handling several varieties of rock and roll, from heavy metal to gospel to folk rock. Guest artist Laurie Berkner enhances the songs with her dulcet tones. Among the other songs are "Love Me for Who I Am," "Picky Eater," "So Many Ideas," "I Don't Like Change," "Squish Me Squeeze Me," "Soft Things," "Keep Your Wiggle Alive" (starts out slow and somber, like Young's "Heart of Gold" and then segues into very bouncy Elvis-type rock), "Tune Out," and "Bein' with You." The CD's bright cover illustration was provided by Zoe Kakolyris, a deaf artist with Asperger's Syndrome. An entertaining album with memorable songs that will appeal to children and adults of all abilities.—Beverly Wrigglesworth, San Antonio Public Library, TX
In this beautiful, heartrending, yet horrifying film, North Koreans tell their stories of imprisonment, sexual slavery, torture, murder, and escape to China or South Korea during the nearly 50-year regime of Kim Il Sung (1912—94). The interviews are illustrated through the interspersion of dance sequences, archival news footage, and drawings. Particularly interesting are the North Korean propaganda films celebrating Kim Il Sung as God and showing in the face of mass starvation happy workers, elaborate military displays, and the creation of a new flower in 1988 in honor of the 46th birthday of Kim's son and successor, Kim Jong Il. A valuable time line traces 20th-century events in Korea. Bonus features include previously unreleased footage of camp refugees. This mesmerizing film displays excellent production values and is highly recommended for Asia collections.—Kitty Chen Dean, formerly with Nassau Community Coll., Garden City, NY
Reviewed by Kitty Chen Dean , Aug 01, 2011

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