A novice poet delivers intriguing meditations on culture, politics, and humanity.
A physician offers a cultural critique in free verse.
In this “arrangement of words,” Ahmad grapples with his identity as a Muslim and a Pakistani immigrant in the post–9/11 American Midwest. “I use the written word to emote, often untamed and exact out of my heart,” he tells readers in the introduction. He begins by considering “your average Muslim Joe and Mary,” who are rejected both by Muslim fundamentalists for not being “Muslim enough” and by Americans for being too different. As a cardiologist, he contemplates “the disparity of effort between the acts of saving life and taking life. One is so hard, difficult, and temporary. The other seems so easy, effortless, and permanent.” He rails against the Muslim registry proposed by President Donald Trump in 2016 in “American Shame,” while in “Where Are the Mandelas, the Gandhis of This Century?” he wonders where the modern peacemakers are. He commends former President Barack Obama for “carrying his color and poise” and calls Pope Francis “impressive.” Ahmad’s writing sometimes reads less like poetry and more like a list of thoughts. He treads little new ground here, as in “It Is Time,” in which he states the obvious: “Discrimination is alive and well. / Against minorities, on religious, racial, and social lines, sexual preferences, and gender orientation.” The collection is entirely cerebral, without any scene-setting or sensory details. That said, he does share some clever insights, like these lines about the Covid-19 pandemic: “Top economies now on their knees / if panic and fear were solutions / this by now would be behind us.” His work resonates the most when it is focused on his specific experiences as a Muslim and a Pakistani immigrant in an often antagonistic country. A strong example is “US Muslims”: “This is our circus, our monkeys / The question begs how to best respond to all this… / each of us is a brand ambassador, I believe for a Muslim today, just / showing up is not enough.”
A novice poet delivers intriguing meditations on culture, politics, and humanity.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-73739-292-7
Page Count: 192
Publisher: RF Publishing
Review Posted Online: March 30, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.
A compendium of charts, time lines, lists and illustrations to accompany study of the Bible.
This visually appealing resource provides a wide array of illustrative and textually concise references, beginning with three sets of charts covering the Bible as a whole, the Old Testament and the New Testament. These charts cover such topics as biblical weights and measures, feasts and holidays and the 12 disciples. Most of the charts use a variety of illustrative techniques to convey lessons and provide visual interest. A worthwhile example is “How We Got the Bible,” which provides a time line of translation history, comparisons of canons among faiths and portraits of important figures in biblical translation, such as Jerome and John Wycliffe. The book then presents a section of maps, followed by diagrams to conceptualize such structures as Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple. Finally, a section on Christianity, cults and other religions describes key aspects of history and doctrine for certain Christian sects and other faith traditions. Overall, the authors take a traditionalist, conservative approach. For instance, they list Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) without making mention of claims to the contrary. When comparing various Christian sects and world religions, the emphasis is on doctrine and orthodox theology. Some chapters, however, may not completely align with the needs of Catholic and Orthodox churches. But the authors’ leanings are muted enough and do not detract from the work’s usefulness. As a resource, it’s well organized, inviting and visually stimulating. Even the most seasoned reader will learn something while browsing.
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005
ISBN: 978-1-5963-6022-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A virtuoso performance and an ode to an undervalued medium created by two talented artists.
The veteran actor, comedian, and banjo player teams up with the acclaimed illustrator to create a unique book of cartoons that communicates their personalities.
Martin, also a prolific author, has always been intrigued by the cartoons strewn throughout the pages of the New Yorker. So when he was presented with the opportunity to work with Bliss, who has been a staff cartoonist at the magazine since 1997, he seized the moment. “The idea of a one-panel image with or without a caption mystified me,” he writes. “I felt like, yeah, sometimes I’m funny, but there are these other weird freaks who are actually funny.” Once the duo agreed to work together, they established their creative process, which consisted of working forward and backward: “Forwards was me conceiving of several cartoon images and captions, and Harry would select his favorites; backwards was Harry sending me sketched or fully drawn cartoons for dialogue or banners.” Sometimes, he writes, “the perfect joke occurs two seconds before deadline.” There are several cartoons depicting this method, including a humorous multipanel piece highlighting their first meeting called “They Meet,” in which Martin thinks to himself, “He’ll never be able to translate my delicate and finely honed droll notions.” In the next panel, Bliss thinks, “I’m sure he won’t understand that the comic art form is way more subtle than his blunt-force humor.” The team collaborated for a year and created 150 cartoons featuring an array of topics, “from dogs and cats to outer space and art museums.” A witty creation of a bovine family sitting down to a gourmet meal and one of Dumbo getting his comeuppance highlight the duo’s comedic talent. What also makes this project successful is the team’s keen understanding of human behavior as viewed through their unconventional comedic minds.
A virtuoso performance and an ode to an undervalued medium created by two talented artists.Pub Date: Nov. 17, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-250-26289-9
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Celadon Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2020
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