K.L. Going shares about The Shape of the World: A Portrait of Frank Lloyd Wright + Giveaway

Dear Readers,

This week we’re celebrating K.L. Going’s first Non-fiction biography, The Shape of the World: A Portrait of Frank Lloyd Wright. Kelly is, once again, generously giving away a free copy of the book. All you have to do for a chance to win, is leave a comment at the end of the post. Look for the small word comments. Click on it and scroll until you see the comment box. THANK YOU! The LUCKY winner of Bumpety, Dunkety, Thumpety-Thump! is announced at the end of the post.

Inspiration -- Part Two:

The Shape of the World: A Portrait of Frank Lloyd Wright

by 

K.L. Going

“Talent is good, practice is better, passion is best.” Frank Lloyd Wright

I never paid much attention to architecture growing up. Buildings – even the most beautiful ones – were something I took for granted. It wasn’t until later in life that I started to think about architecture as something to be admired and appreciated, and that appreciation began with my father.

K.L. Going and her dad

The Shape of the World is dedicated to my dad because it was his love of Frank Lloyd Wright’s work that made me take a second look at the world around me. At first, I looked at Wright’s buildings and appreciated the way they mimicked the natural world. This led me to thinking about how buildings can be works of art within our daily existence or mundane functional objects that add little to our lives. What do our buildings say about us? When the minutia of society has crumbled away, what will future archeologists find revealed in our architecture?

Winston Churchill once said, “We shape our buildings; thereafter they shape us.” Just like books, architecture is a gift we give to our children. 

“Every great architect is – necessarily – a great poet. He must be a great original interpreter of his time, his day, his age.” These are the words of Frank Lloyd Wright, and I believe they are true.

Appreciating the world we’ve built, leads inevitably to appreciating the world that nature has built. When we stop to admire beauty in one form, we will appreciate it in all forms. These are wonderful lessons for adults and children alike.

K.L.Going’s son with her dad

My hope for The Shape of the World, is that this book will inspire children to take a look at the world around them much earlier than I did. I hope they’ll be challenged by Wright’s example to make the world that they create as beautiful as the natural world around them. 

As Frank Lloyd Wright once said, “If you foolishly ignore beauty, you will soon find yourself without. But if you invest in beauty, it will remain with you all the days of your life.” 

We create the shape of the world. All of us, together.

It is our sacred task.

May we rise to the challenge, and may we equip our children to do the same.

Reviews for The Shape of the World: A Portrait of Frank Lloyd Wright:

A spot-on introduction to Wright and an evocative recognition of the way a child is father to the man."—Booklist, starred review

Simple prose set in a light type that reflects Wright’s art serves as a jumping-off point for each of the expansive illustrations, giving young readers ample opportunity to discover hidden gems in the pages, such as the red squares that are scattered throughout Wright’s work. A lovely introduction to the impact that a creative mind can have on the world."—Kirkus

Book Summary: A little boy who loves to find shapes in nature grows up to be one of America’s greatest architects in this inspiring biography of Frank Lloyd Wright. When Frank Lloyd Wright was a baby, his mother dreamed that he would become a great architect. She gave him blocks to play with and he learned that shapes are made up of many other shapes. As he grew up, he loved finding shapes in nature. Wright went on to study architecture and create buildings that were one with the natural world around them. He became known as one of the greatest American architects of all time.

Learn more about K.L.Going and her books: www.klgoing.com 

Follow her on Facebook: facebook.com/KLGoing

Twitter: @klgoing



K.L. Going is the author of many critically acclaimed novels, including King of the Screwups, The Garden of Eve, Saint Iggy, The Liberation of Gabriel King, and Fat Kid Rules the World. She lives with her family in Glen Spey, New York. 

Thanks so much for sharing insights and inspiration for your new books, Kelly. I was especially touched by your words, "We create the shape of the world. All of us, together. It is our sacred task. May we rise to the challenge, and may we equip our children to do the same.” 

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The winner of last week’s comment contest is:  Carol Baldwin  

!!CONGRATULATIONS!! 

(Please email me claragillowclark(at)gmail(dot)com with your mailing address and to whom you’d like the book inscribed.) 

Dear Readers, Thanks for joining the birthday celebrations with K.L.Going here on Writing from the Inside Out. . .  

Next up is Kara LaReau and her new early reader with the Infamous Ratso Brothers. 

~Clara