CONFUCIOUS is a biography written by respected author Russell Freedman. At the beginning of the book, the author
gives a kind of disclaimer about the fact that little is actually known about Confucius's life. He works with what he
does have, the Analects. The Analects were written by Confucius's students shortly after his death and it is filled
with remembered conversations and philosophies shared by Confucius. As he never wrote anything himself, this is the
closest glimpse one can get into the true man.
Freedman writes the story of Confucius's life in a flowing, witty style that involves the reader from the very beginning.
He weaves legend into the telling in areas such as when his mother was supposedly encountered by a unicorn two days before
Confucius's birth. The book is told in a mostly linear fashion, with sections marked off with titles such as, "At Fifteen,
I Set My Heart on Learning" and "The Unicorn Returns." Freedman relates each anecdote in a way that puts the reader
right there. The author also references all of his quotes at the end of the book.
The illustrations are made to look old and weathered and each is within a sort of a frame. Placed on top of the
art are what seem to be real pieces of fruit and flowers. This gives the illustrations a three-dimensional feel and
seem to show the old-style art even more. The frame even has a "shadow." Small touches like these are part of
the reason that this biography comes across as very authentic and carries the ring of truth.
