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Joanne Lipman
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Strings Attached: One Tough Teacher and the Gift of Great Expectations (LIVRE SUR LA MU) Kindle Edition

by Joanne Lipman (Author), Melanie Kupchynsky (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.6 out of 5 stars 237 ratings
Strings Attached is a powerful memoir about resilience in the face of unspeakable tragedy, an inspiring and poignant tale of how one man transformed his own heartache into a legacy of joy for his students.

His students knew Jerry Kupchynsky as "Mr. K"-the fierce Ukrainian-born music teacher who rehearsed them until their fingers almost bled and who made them better than they ever expected to be. Away from the classroom, though, life seemed to conspire against him at every turn. Strings Attached takes you on his remarkable journey, from his childhood on the run in Nazi Germany, to his life in America caring for his disabled wife while raising their two small daughters, to his search for his beloved younger daughter after she mysteriously disappeared-a search that would last for seven years.

His unforgettable story is lyrically told in alternating chapters by two childhood friends who reconnected decades later: Melanie Kupchynsky, his daughter, and Joanne Lipman, a former student. Heartbreaking yet ultimately triumphant, Strings Attached is a testament to the astonishing power of hope-and a celebration of the profound impact one person can have on the lives of others.
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  1. Print length
    362 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Grand Central Publishing
  4. Publication date
    October 1, 2013
  5. Reading age
    18 years and up
  6. File size
    6.5 MB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Part biography of a beloved teacher and father, part memoir, the book's central character, music teacher Jerry Mr. K Kupchynsky, looms larger than life on the page—just as he did for journalist Lipman, one of Mr. K's violists, and Melanie, his elder daughter, now a violinist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. His teaching methods are extreme—cracking the knuckle on a student's thumb to emphasize correct finger placement—but glimpses of his family life soften his image. We learn about how Mr. K fled from both Nazis and Soviets in his native Ukraine during WWII, and about the stress he endured later in life when his wife was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. The authors provide intimate details from their lives as well. Central to the book is Melanie's relationship with her younger sister, Stephanie. Lipman and Kupchynsky played together in a string quartet organized by Mr. K, of which Stephanie was also a part. In 1991, Stephanie disappeared from her apartment in upstate New York. The ensuing search, led by the Kupchynsky family and aided by Lipman, provides the mystery around which the reminiscences about Mr. K are organized. Though the book contains less educational philosophy than the foreword suggests, the authors' memories are more powerful for not being embellished with preachy conclusions. Photos. Agent: Suzanne Gluck, William Morris Endeavor. (Oct.)

Review

"Makes me believe that one man can make a difference.... This book reveals how music can become an anchor, a binding element for creating friendship and support during times of grief, illness, and tragedy.... Mr. K's work lives on and we are all the richer for it."―Yo-Yo Ma

"A very fine dual memoir.... For those who had a figure like Mr. K in their lives, STRINGS ATTACHED will resonate. Everyone else will wish they had been so lucky."
―The New York Times Book Review

"A wonderful, inspiring story of a teacher who pushed his students to do more than they thought they could--and changed their lives."―--Jeanette Walls, bestselling author of The Glass Castle

"A vivid, often tender portrait...that ends up ripping your heart out." -USA TODAY

"A vivid, often tender portrait.... Writing in alternate sections, Lipman and Kupchynsky tell Mr. K's story in plain prose that ends up ripping your heart out."
―USA Today


"Strings Attached gives us many gifts. It allows us to look into the world of music (Melanie Kupchynsky plays today for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra); it reminds us of the promise of America to immigrants with ambition; it gives us a portrait of a man who struggled against great odds in life, who suffered great adversity, but who always forged ahead in spite of his many trials.... It also reminds us to be thankful for those teachers who made a difference in our lives, those who refused to listen to our excuses, those who terrorized us as did Mr. K., who pushed us to overcome obstacles, who took us out of ourselves and helped carry us toward our dreams."―Smoky Mountain News

"Moving and motivating... While tactics like [Mr. K's] may not have earned his students immediate devotion, they never forgot him and often found they could achieve more than they ever dreamed."―Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B009R9RRC4
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Grand Central Publishing (October 1, 2013)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 1, 2013
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 6.5 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 362 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 out of 5 stars 237 ratings

About the authors

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  1. Joanne Lipman

    Joanne Lipman

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    Joanne Lipman is author of the No. 1 bestseller THAT’S WHAT SHE SAID and the upcoming NEXT! The Power of Reinvention in Life and Work (HarperCollins, 3/21/23). An award-winning journalist, she has served as Editor-in-Chief of USA Today, USA Today Network, Conde Nast Portfolio, and The Wall Street Journal’s Weekend Journal, leading those organizations to six Pulitzer Prizes. She is an on-air CNBC contributor and Yale University journalism lecturer.

    Lipman began her career as a reporter for The Wall Street Journal, ultimately rising to deputy managing editor – the first woman to attain that post – and supervising coverage that won three Pulitzer Prizes. While there she created Weekend Journal and Personal Journal, and oversaw creation of the Saturday edition. She subsequently was founding editor-in-chief of Conde Nast Portfolio magazine, which won Loeb and National Magazine Awards. Most recently, she served as Chief Content Officer of Gannett, where she was Editor-in-Chief of its USA Today and the USA Today Network, encompassing the flagship publication plus 109 metro newspapers including the Detroit Free Press, the Des Moines Register, and the Arizona Republic. In that role, she oversaw more than 3,000 journalists and led the organization to three Pulitzer prizes.

    Lipman’s work has been published in numerous outlets including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Time, Fortune, Newsweek and the Harvard Business Review. She has appeared as a television commentator on ABC, NBC, CNN, MSNBC, and PBS, among others. She is a frequent public speaker, with engagements including the World Economic Forum in Davos, the United Nations, the Aspen Ideas Festival, TEDx, the International Lean In conference, the Federal Reserve Board, and the Milken Institute Global conference, and has worked with numerous companies on issues of gender equity, diversity and inclusion. She also is co-author, with Melanie Kupchynsky, of the acclaimed music memoir “Strings Attached.”

    A winner of the Matrix Award for women in communications, Lipman was the 2019-2020 inaugural Distinguished Journalism Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton. She has served or is currently serving on boards including Yale University Council; the World Editors Forum; the Knight Commission on Trust, Media and Democracy; the Yale Daily News; Spirited Media; the Yale Alumni Magazine (where she served as chair); the Knights chamber orchestra, and the advisory boards of Data.world, Breastcancer.org, The Wire China, and the Yale School of Music. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. She and her husband live in New York City and are the parents of two adult

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  2. Melanie Kupchynsky

    Melanie Kupchynsky

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    Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read book recommendations and more.

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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
237 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find this memoir well-written and deeply moving, with one review noting it's told from two parallel perspectives. The book features a music teacher who loves music, and one customer mentions it serves as an inspiration to generations of young musicians. Customers appreciate its honest portrayal of tragedy, with one review highlighting the author's survival through war and loss. They value the book's humanistic approach, with one customer describing it as a fascinating look at Jerry Kupchynsky's life.

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62 customers mention "Story quality"62 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the story quality of the book, describing it as a well-written and beautiful narrative.

"...In a world of big headlines and events, it is wonderful to read the story of a man of modest means and position who magnificently accomplished the..." Read more

"...biographical stories go, because it contained several very moving life stories of hardship, struggle, and love that were spread over several..." Read more

"...It was so nice to read the stories that made me see what a kind and loving man he really was...." Read more

"...But if nothing else, it is a darn good read." Read more

49 customers mention "Inspirational content"49 positive0 negative

Customers find the book inspirational, describing it as a heartwarming story that touches deeply, with one customer noting how the teacher's dedication inspired thousands of children.

"...It is endearing and instructive not just for those who reflect back on teachers they had, and not just for those who are concerned with educational..." Read more

"...in life biographies that mitigate life hardship with hard work, self discipline, endless violin/cello practice, and love for other people." Read more

"...pretty much as was described in the book, a pretty, happy and fun loving girl. Also Mr. K as the serious seemingly harsh educator...." Read more

"...of his former students, Joanne Lipman, Strings Attached is a loving, poignant, honest, often humorous portrait of the life of a teacher who survived..." Read more

10 customers mention "Well written"10 positive0 negative

Customers find the book well written, with one mentioning it is told in parallel from two points of view.

"...It was an easy read. The only downside I found in the book was that the narratives and story lines were a bit hard to follow...." Read more

"...The book is beautifully written. I went from laughing to crying and back again throughout the book...." Read more

"Written from two points of view, Lippman and Kupchynsky lived through the times together if tangenitally...." Read more

"...Nothing to fear here. This is a very personal story, told in parallel, complimentary threads by two childhood friends...." Read more

9 customers mention "Music appreciation"9 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's focus on music education, with one customer noting how it inspires generations of young musicians, while another mentions its value as a gift for music teachers.

"...I carry with me an appreciation for all types of music, and a deep respect for those who teach and share it with others. Ladies, a wonderful book!" Read more

"...Jerry Kupchinsky was an inspiration to generations of young musicians. His story makes fascinating reading." Read more

"...He selflessly served music, students, and his own family...." Read more

"...is a great read for anyone, but would be especially wonderful as a gift for a music teacher." Read more

8 customers mention "Style"8 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's style, finding it fascinating and unique, with one customer noting it provides an unflinching look at Jerry Kupchynsky.

"This book, written in the unusual and illuminating style of two authors commenting on the same people and events but from their own individualistic..." Read more

"...I remember Stephanie pretty much as was described in the book, a pretty, happy and fun loving girl...." Read more

"...The book offers an unflinching look at Jerry Kupchynsky, or Mr. K, as he was fondly known, a good man and great music teacher...." Read more

"I found this book to be a fascinating look into the life of a dedicated music teacher, who really cared about his students...." Read more

8 customers mention "Talent"8 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the author's talent, with one review highlighting his effectiveness as a music teacher and another noting how he earned respect from his students.

"...Melanie is a natural, an artist with many talents, and writing, like music making, is for sure one of them...." Read more

"...look at Jerry Kupchynsky, or Mr. K, as he was fondly known, a good man and great music teacher...." Read more

"...It will be of interest to the professional musician as well as the enthusiast. Melanie's father, 'Mr. K' deserved to have a book written about him!..." Read more

"...I was moved to tears several times. It is the story of a music teacher, "Mr. K," with unconventional methods...." Read more

5 customers mention "Heartbreaking story"5 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the heartbreaking story in the book, with one customer highlighting its themes of tragedy, survival through war, and loss.

"...It’s a front-row seat on soaring achievement and searing tragedy, with a dash of madcap humor for good measure...." Read more

"...But what a family! It speaks of tragedy and soars to dizzying heights; of fatal illness and amazing strength; of the deepest love, and blunt..." Read more

"...It is also about immigrant assimilation and surviving war and heart-breaking loss...." Read more

"...How important music is in our lives! Inspiring and heartbreaking!" Read more

4 customers mention "Humanness"4 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's deeply human approach, with one customer highlighting its focus on the human side of excellence.

"WELL WRITTEN TRUE LIFE STORY OF DEPTH, HUMANITY AND SOCIAL RESPONSIVENESS BY SO MANY WHOSE NAMES WE WOULD HAVE OTHERWISE NEVER BEEN KNOWN...." Read more

"...powerful in all its lessons taught and learned, and above all, exquisitely human." Read more

"A book about the human side of excellence from two perspectives, the family and the students. A great story for all to read." Read more

"...the relevance & importance of musical training for young people: a deeply human, real-life story...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • J. Taylor
    5.0 out of 5 stars More than story of education
    Reviewed in the United States on December 30, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    This book, written in the unusual and illuminating style of two authors commenting on the same people and events but from their own individualistic perspective, tells an intriguing narrative encompassing the life a man, viewed from the evolving understanding of each author. It tracks the authors' experiences with "Mr. K" from their quite young ages as pupils (and one a daughter) until their mature perspectives as parents themselves and, importantly, as full adults with a greater appreciation of not only the man but life itself. It is endearing and instructive not just for those who reflect back on teachers they had, and not just for those who are concerned with educational styles, but also for those who ask themselves the simple question of "How to live?"

    Not ascribing to the tough treatment of his students and children early described in the book, at first I found it somewhat difficult to be sympathetic to Mr. K. Believing each child's needs are different, I found his universal application hard to swallow. But I learned that in some instances a strict disciplinarian can engender the right responses in the right children. Also, as I learned more about the cruel circumstances of his life, my sympathy and admiration for Mr. K grew.

    By the end of the book I saw his story to be not so much as one of fierce determination and discipline but of the wellsprings of love, which flowed even from such hard grounds as his beginnings. In a world of big headlines and events, it is wonderful to read the story of a man of modest means and position who magnificently accomplished the highest of aims: from his own artistic soul he created meaning in his life, taught his students to do the same and generated love--- for him and the generations of his pupils' children and students.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Amazon Customer
    4.0 out of 5 stars A fragmented, but moving story of hardship, violin, and love
    Reviewed in the United States on January 5, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    I liked this book quite a bit, as biographical stories go, because it contained several very moving life stories of hardship, struggle, and love that were spread over several generations of lives. And for those stories, I am grateful. Let me never complain about my own life - this is yet another biography that shows what other lives can be (and were).

    The book was well written in general - grammar, spelling, Kindle formatting, pace, and focus were all fine. It was an easy read.

    The only downside I found in the book was that the narratives and story lines were a bit hard to follow. The story is told through the eyes and memories of several different people, with each chapter being the viewpoint of another person. All the jumping around, with no visible timeline structures, event structures, or location structures made the story seem disjointed. It was even hard to figure out which names were associated with which people, and which string instrument. I'm hoping the authors will modify and update the Kindle book to address this problem, since the book will live on for many years.

    I recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in life biographies that mitigate life hardship with hard work, self discipline, endless violin/cello practice, and love for other people.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Jeanie Obst
    5.0 out of 5 stars So glad I read this book
    Reviewed in the United States on December 29, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    I graduated from ebhs in 1981. I was in the concert band, jazz band, marching band and in the orchestra for awhile. I remember Stephanie pretty much as was described in the book, a pretty, happy and fun loving girl. Also Mr. K as the serious seemingly harsh educator. It was so nice to read the stories that made me see what a kind and loving man he really was. I remember as a young girl getting a letter from the school that I scored well on the music aptitude test. My parents said the letter stated that I may be suited to play the violin. I protested strongly, and wanted to play my fathers old decrepit trumpet. I later played the clarinet, saxophone, oboe and bassoon, and none of them well according to my siblings. I never became a famous musician or educator. In fact I don't play at all anymore. However, I think the music program saved my childhood. I was one of seven children, and the extra time and money necessary to cultivate my talents just wasn't there. Even so, the patience and guidance given to me by teachers like Sandra D., Gordon T., Mr. K., and not to forget Mr. D. , The indigos jazz man, provided me with a welcome escape from a sometimes difficult life. I carry with me an appreciation for all types of music, and a deep respect for those who teach and share it with others. Ladies, a wonderful book!
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  • Peter Vogel
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read
    Reviewed in the United States on October 22, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    Long before the world heard of "Tiger Moms", there was Mr. K. Before "No Child Left Behind", there was Mr K. And before Jaime Escalante, there was Mr K. A man who believed that every child could succeed if they worked hard enough. A teacher who did not reward mere attempts or give faint praise. A man who knew that failure was a critical part of learning and that students grew by overcoming their failures. A man who inspired his students to work harder than they ever thought possible, simply to hear the words "not bad". An educator who knew that success was its own reward and devoted himself to his students success. Now we call it "tough love". Back then, it was just Mr K.

    Told alternately by his daughter, Melanie, and one of his former students, Joanne Lipman, Strings Attached is a loving, poignant, honest, often humorous portrait of the life of a teacher who survived multiple tragedies and who taught his students not only music, but also confidence, poise and how to succeed in life.

    Strings Attached is a must for teachers, parents, and even students. But if nothing else, it is a darn good read.
    6 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Mirjam
    5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 18, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    I loved this book from page one. The story of Mr K, his family and students is truly inspirational. Highly recommended!
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  • reader
    4.0 out of 5 stars Good reading
    Reviewed in Canada on June 6, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    Enjoyed the book. I liked it because it was based on a true story. He was a loveable but bumbling character.
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  • R P Rochford
    4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent story - but not quite what it appears.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 11, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    I'd love to give this book 5 stars but I just don't feel I quite can because I did find aspects of the narrative rather disappointing. I bought the book based on an article in The Wall Street Journal last year. The article cited a number of important educational studies as an introduction to what promised to be a well researched book weaving theory around the story of a man whose life put that theory into practice.

    In reality, this is the story of a man (MR K), his family, his history, his background and his achievements. It's a biography. The fact that this man was a teacher and that he was well respected is important but not, I felt, central to the book. In fact, beyond the demands to practice, practice, practice it seems that little or no actual method went into his pedagogy and the book, unlike the article, makes very little attempt to ground Mr K's success as a teacher in any theoretical base.

    This is a well written biography which certainly grips the reader at times. It could be enjoyed by anyone from any background but the 'teaching' and 'perfection' hooks are really just that: hooks on which to hang a sales pitch.
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