Books

Light reads: The Who, The What, and The When

Side characters to some of history's great acts get the limelight in an illustrated anthology

Updated 5 years ago · Published on 29 Apr 2021 9:00AM

Light reads: The Who, The What, and The When — ‘The Who, The What and The When’ celebrates the unsung heroes of history. – YUEN LYNETTE/ The Vibes pic, April 28, 2021

by Yuen Lynette

IN the shadow of celebrated names and influential people, the tales of those who played a role in building their brand are often overlooked.

‘The Who, The What and The When’, made it their goal to celebrate these individuals.

“Behind every great person is someone who enabled his or her ascension.”

The trio of Jenny Volvovski, Julia Rothman and Matt Lamothe worked tirelessly over eight years alongside over 60 writers, artists, illustrators and designers to compile names, stories and even personalised illustrations of these obscure characters.

With its simple English, this anthology would not only serve as a great bedtime storybook at a personal level, but also as a great resource for teachers to use in the classroom regardless of subject matter.

(L) Basketball coach Holger Geschwinder and (R) John Allan, the stepfather of writer Edgar Allan Poe. – Illustrations taken from 'The Who, the What and the When'

Paired with tailored illustrations for each story, the compilation of images itself makes this book a unique experience.

Featuring many significant figures such as Andy Warhol, Roald Dahl, Walt Disney, Richard Nixon and many more, this collection reflects a diverse array of personalities we have had throughout time.

While we do get a majority of American appearances, global stars like Coco Chanel and Emily Dickinson have not been left out.

Although these are quick reads, they also hold the potential to conjure conversations and food for thought, bringing more depth to each character and bringing light to issues that they faced during their time.

“The most fortunate among us are all each other’s secret accomplices, and that the secrets should be revealed.”

One story that particularly stuck out was of Ian Stewart, the honorary sixth member of the Rolling Stones.

Illustrations on (L) architect Eileen Gray and (R) Ian Stewart, the sixth member of the Rolling Stones. – Pic taken from 'The Who, the What and the When'

Without giving too much away, Stewart, as a founding member, was pushed to the sidelines and spent the rest of his life serving and playing techie for the band.

Bringing the bad and the good, the just and the unjust stories into the light, we are now being given every side of the story.

For Volvovski, Rothman and Lamothe, ‘The Who, The What and The When’ is not just a book for fun and pleasure, but a book of learning and self-discovery.

“We hope this book will not only introduce you to new figures and bring dimension to these historical personalities, but also help you recognise and honour the same relationships in your own life.” – The Vibes, April 29, 2021

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You can purchase this title online at www.bookxcessonline.com. There will be a different promo code for each book reviewed, so do watch this space for more interesting titles featured fortnightly on The Vibes.

Promotion:
The Who, The What and The When – 29th April 2021 (Thursday)
Code: VIBES15OFF4
Duration: 29th April - 12th May 2021
Mechanics:
a. 15% off all non-fiction books on BXOS with a minimum spend of RM50 in a single transaction.
b. Discount code is limited to one time use per customer only.