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SEEKING THE FACE OF LOVE

Name: SEEKING THE FACE OF LOVE
Author: Hadrian Bradley
ISBN: 978-0692301272

by Hadrian Bradley ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 6, 2014

Passionate writing on a plethora of topics that might have delved deeper into its positive philosophy.

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A searing indictment of the heterosexual patriarchy and evangelical institutions that posits that true spirituality is found through love, not religion.

Bradley’s debut offers what many readers may see as a radical idea: that Jesus Christ’s message of love was ultimately hijacked by straight men in powerful religious organizations that promote inequality and impede civil rights. These institutions, he says, cultivate an atmosphere that threatens Christ’s nurturing love by empowering propagators of “dark thoughts”—including political conservatives and their “values voters.” As a result, Bradley’s book encourages a rejection of religion and dark thinkers in favor of a spirituality focused on love, self-reliance and personal well-being. Along with an introduction to this philosophy, he offers an array of commentaries on disparate subjects, including gun ownership, the benefits of meditation, the lie of the American dream, and the dangers of pornography and video games. The timeliest of these looks at the long-term effects of bullying, drawing on the author’s own experiences as a gay teenager. Although this book clearly champions the rights of the LGBT community in general, it hardly touches upon bisexual and transgender issues, instead focusing primarily on those of gay men. As is fitting for its subject matter, the book reads like a sermon, filled with fiery rhetoric and plentiful vitriol (“Barbaric violence between testosterone-driven alpha male masters is abnormal”), but it still manages to digress in an easy, conversational matter. It also includes a smattering of biblical references, along with some vague anecdotes and unsourced figures. However, for a text that focuses so heavily on love being the path to spirituality, it’s surprisingly negative. It’s clear that the author’s indignation comes from a candid place, so it is impossible not to feel sympathetic and share his outrage. But because so much of the book bristles with anger, many of its most promising ideas remain unexplored.

Passionate writing on a plethora of topics that might have delved deeper into its positive philosophy.

Pub Date: Nov. 6, 2014

ISBN: 978-0692301272

Page Count: 260

Publisher: Bradley House

Review Posted Online: Jan. 13, 2015

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.