The Cosmobiography of Sun Ra

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Public Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: May 11, 2015

Review

An exuberantly playful, informative short biography about musician Sun Ra that celebrates his eccentricity ("Sun Ra always said that he came from Saturn. Now you and I know that this is silly. No one comes from Saturn. An yet. If he did come from Saturn, it would explain so much...") and presents his remarkable cross-genre contributions to music through this lens. Raschka moves through the facts of the musician's life rapidly, touching on his experience as a teen composer, conscientious objector during WWII, the formation of his band the Arkestra and includes some great bits of trivia - that Sun Ra rarely slept for more than a few hours at night but sometimes dozed during rehearsals, for instance.

Raschka's fluid, bold, bright illustrations fit beautifully into this fascinating biography, sometimes laid out 3 or 4 per page spread, but somehow never seeming cramped, and at times seamlessly include details, such as the names of all the musicians in the Arkestra, within them.

An endnote and list of selected recordings complete this picture book biography that provides an engaging and accessible introduction for young readers who are unfamiliar with his music.

Overall Book Score: excellent