Trojan Horses
Another Chance To Get It Right
A Children's Book for Adults
by Andrew Vachss
Prose/Poetry/Allegory/Parables — Illustrated
Another Chance To Get It Right first debuted as the cover of Parade magazine in 1991. When Oprah Winfrey read it aloud in during her 1993 interview with Andrew Vachss, Dark Horse was deluged with phone calls ... and this work has been in (continual) print ever since. Now, 25 years later, Dark Horse is offering this widely-acclaimed book in an updated version, featuring the original stories, poetry, and allegory in a unique celebration of the potential of parenting, with additional new material, prose and art, plus a new cover by Geof Darrow. The beautiful illustrations add a dimension to the book that is rarely seen in the parenting genre, making it as much inspirational as it is instructional.
 Dark Horse, October, 2016, 4th Ed. Trade Paperback, E-Book cover illustration by Geof Darrow for pre-orders (at discount) |
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I forgot how good this book is...and how there has never been quite another book like it. I remember being stunned by this. I read it again, and I was stunned all over again. A must read.
RATING: A+” ForcesofGeek.com http://tinyurl.com/j722vkm
Here's a peek at Geof Darrow's illustrations for the book! |
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There's all kinds of reviews ... and all kinds of reviewers. But when a giant such as Charles de Lint takes notice of a work, that alone is a review. We are honored. |
Excerpted from "COMICS Guide"
by Don Thompson
Originally published in COMICS BUYER'S GUIDE #1000, January 15, 1993
The book is called Another Chance To Get It Right and it is a tad difficult to classify. It isn't a novel, it isn't a book for children (though a portion here or there certainly should be made available to children), and it isn't entirely nonfiction. It is primarily an essay, illuminated by vignettes, about children—our greatest resource and our hope for the future—and the horrible things we permit to happen to them. Vachss calls it "A children's book for adults."
 Dark Horse, February 2003, 3rd Ed. cover illustration by Geof Darrow |
 Dark Horse, 1995 (trade paperback) cover illustration by Paul Chadwick |
 Dark Horse, 1993 (hardcover) cover illustration by Geofrey Darrow |
The book is packed with vignettes, powerful ones which pack an enormous amount of emotion and importance into a minimum of words. I will quote one in full and describe a couple of others (inadequately) and hope (fervently) that you will buy the book—and educate yourself.
"I saw an infant lying against a tree deep inside a war-torn jungle, too weak to cry. A woman ran past me, covered only with a strip of cloth, a tiny knife in her hand. She stopped, scooped the baby into one arm, and kept running. A blood-bonded adoption, driven by an instinct no war could kill."
Think about that paragraph for a few minutes and realize how much is contained in those 57 words (59 if you count two hyphenates as two words each). It is a complete story as it stands or the opening chapter of an epic novel, without an unnecessary word or phrase. The man is good, no two ways about it.
Other vignettes are varied in length and mood. A boy set upon by bullies drives them away with just a few chilling words. A child's battle against Japanese beetles takes on a larger meaning in the context of this book and Vachss' own chosen career.
And, in a moving and incredibly well done chapter (this is the one you should read aloud to small children), two small boys and their wooden spaceship form an allegory for world peace and brotherhood which does not preach at all, but which gets its message across in an unforgettable way.
Oh, yes—one other thing about Another Chance To Get It Right; It is illustrated by Tim Bradstreet, Paul Chadwick, Geof Darrow, Rick Geary, Dave Gibbons, and Warren Pleece. The editor is Jerry Prosser, who does as superb a job on this as he does on Hard Looks.
It's a vital, important book. It's a great book. Don't miss it.
"... filled with a spirit of redemption ... another on-target hit by an author who has made children his primary concern."
—People Magazine
"This book is a collection of some of the most beautiful prose I've ever read. Cherished poets have not written with greater sensibility and perception. Each section in this book, each allegory, if you will, is laced with insight and charm and compassionate warning. Each is lovingly illustrated."
