Overview

A groundbreaking new look at an American icon, The Wizard of Oz.

Finding Oz tells the remarkable tale behind one of the world's most enduring and best loved stories. Offering profound new insights into the true origins and meaning of L. Frank Baum's 1900 masterwork, it delves into the personal turmoil and spiritual transformation that fueled Baum's fantastical parable of the American Dream.

Prior to becoming an impresario of children's adventure tales--the J. K. Rowling of his age--Baum failed at a series of careers and nearly lost his soul before setting out on a journey of discovery that would lead to the Land of Oz. Drawing on original research, Evan Schwartz debunks popular misconceptions and shows how the people, places, and events in Baum's life gave birth to his unforgettable images and characters. The Yellow Brick Road was real, the Emerald City evoked the Chicago World's Fair of 1893, and Baum's mother-in-law, the radical women's rights leader Matilda Joslyn Gage, inspired his dual view of witches--as good and wicked.

A narrative that sweeps across late nineteenth-century America, Finding Oz ultimately reveals how failure and heartbreak can sometimes lead to redemption and bliss, and how one individual can ignite the imagination of the entire world.

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9780547055107

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Reviews

Finding Oz is a guided tour to the invention--or is it the discovery?--of that quintessentially American dreamscape, the Land of Oz, written with heart, brains, nerve--and a touch of magic. --Gregory Maguire, author of Wicked and A Lion Among Men<p> <p> Wow, imagine learning about American history through the prism of America's greatest fairytale. If you love amazing but true stories, you've got to read Finding Oz, --Doris Kearns Goodwin, author of Team of Rivals <p> The Wizard of Oz has been a formative influence in my own life's journey, so Finding Oz comes as an absolute revelation to me. Read this book! --Chris Gardner, author of The Pursuit of Hapyness

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