Pieces 'N Bits of the Life of Bill Ison

Restlessness. Entrepreneurship. Grit. Bill Ison's remarkable life story exemplifies the best of a unique generation that came of age during World War II and the great boom that followed. In Pieces 'n Bits, Ison, a renowned Hollywood sculptor, looks back on more than eight decades of change-in his family, his work, and his priorities. This frank and humorous memoir details his strict, austere upbringing in rural Wisconsin; service in three branches of the military; a series of loves won...
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Restlessness. Entrepreneurship. Grit. Bill Ison's remarkable life story exemplifies the best of a unique generation that came of age during World War II and the great boom that followed. In Pieces 'n Bits, Ison, a renowned Hollywood sculptor, looks back on more than eight decades of change-in his family, his work, and his priorities. This frank and humorous memoir details his strict, austere upbringing in rural Wisconsin; service in three branches of the military; a series of loves won and lost; and his move to Los Angeles, where he worked first for the world's most successful toy company and, later, as a sculptor on Hollywood sets. Over the years, Ison would be responsible for the set pieces seen by millions of filmgoers. Not bad for a poor kid from the sticks. It didn't come easily. Ison details an endless slew of part-time jobs-from janitor to teacher to paper maker-that he held just to get by, sometimes while living out of his car. What emerges is an honest portrait of the hardworking spirit of a generation, one that refused to give up when the going got tough. Vividly detailed, Pieces 'n Bits mixes an intensely personal narrative with a wry comic streak for an engaging account of perseverance and accomplishment.