This book biographies the exuberant, flamboyant life of Frank Lloyd Wright, a master designer and architect who was years ahead of his time. Frank lived from 1867-1959, but when you study the houses and buildings he designed, they seem so modern. Wright was extraordinary because he never finished college for a degree. Instead, he left school to pursue a job in Chicago with an architecture firm. The rest, as they say, is history. It almost seems like Frank was destined to be a great architect. His over-protective mother, Anna, even claimed as much before he was born. She encouraged his artistic side with toys used for creative play, specifically “Froebel Gifts for Art Building.” These toys allowed young Frank to experiment with geometric forms.

This book has many excellent pictures that punctuate the story. It demonstrates Frank’s complicated design theories in an easy-to-understand manner. The book also tells of Frank’s scandalous personal life, including the divorces, during a time when people did not do these sorts of things. It also tells about his great personal tragedy at Taliesin, the home he built for his girlfriend, Mamah Cheney. Amazingly, Frank moved on from this to continue his stunning career in design. Frank Lloyd Wright was a genius. This was an excellent interesting biography. What a life!