A sharp assessment of the dark threat to democracy posed by the Trump-controlled GOP.
The former Republican representative from Illinois reflects on the abhorrent fanaticism of the current GOP.
When Kinzinger was elected to the House of Representatives in 2010, his conservative religious upbringing and distinguished service in the Air Force were assets that propelled him forward as a rising star within the GOP. However, due to his decision not to support Trump’s candidacy in 2016 and subsequent condemnation of Trump following the 2020 election, his standing within the Republican Party was severely diminished, leading him to not seek reelection in 2022. “I had dedicated my working life to becoming a kind of star within the GOP and for a time, that was who I was,” writes the author. “Now, to my surprise, all that effort has led me to the point where, instead of acting as a GOP champion, I am required to act as its critic.” Kinzinger’s book joins a spate of other works by Republican leaders condemning the escalating destructiveness within the party. The author delivers a compelling insider’s view of the chaos of Congress, from the partying (“think of Animal House but with expensive whiskey instead of beer, aged steaks instead of pizza, and no cash required”) to the laborious, often failed efforts to get measures approved on the floor. He offers piercing critiques of the most damaging obstructionists, headed by Jim Jordan, Mick Mulvaney, and Kevin McCarthy (“a political windsock”), and he shines a favorable light on John Boehner, praising him for his ability to get things done. The author is at least respectful of many of his Democratic counterparts, with positive remarks grudgingly applied. Kinzinger’s outspoken crusade culminated in his participation in the Jan. 6 hearings, and he provides an in-depth perspective on the details involved in that investigation.
A sharp assessment of the dark threat to democracy posed by the Trump-controlled GOP.Pub Date: Oct. 31, 2023
ISBN: 9780593654163
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Open Field
Review Posted Online: Oct. 31, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2023
Top Chef fans might savor this detailed account, but others will find it bland.
The Top Chef host describes her journey to new heights.
For those who don’t know, Kish is a “gay Korean adopted woman, born in Seoul, raised in Michigan” and “a chef, a character, a host, and a cultural communicator—as well as a human being with a beating heart.” Though this book covers every step of her journey, every restaurant job and television role, and also discusses her experience as an adoptee (very positive) and a queer woman (late bloomer), the storytelling is so straightforward, lacking in suspense, character development, or dialogue, that it is basically a long version of its (longish) “About the Author.” Seemingly dramatic situations are not dramatized—when she was eliminated on her first Top Chef run, she assures us that she did the best she could, and drops it. “I can spare you the gory details (bouillabaisse and big personalities were involved).” Later, she cites a belief in protecting the privacy of others to omit the story of her first relationship with a woman. With no character development, neither does the reader get to know those who fall outside the privacy zone, like her best friend, Steph, and her wife, Bianca. When she gets mad, she says things like, “It’s a gross understatement to say I was crushed, beyond frustrated, and furious with the situation.” The fact that “I’ve never been a big reader” does not come as a surprise. It is more surprising when she confesses that “I believe the universe is selective about the moments in which it introduces life-changing prospects.”
Top Chef fans might savor this detailed account, but others will find it bland.Pub Date: April 22, 2025
ISBN: 9780316580915
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025
An ebullient nature lover’s paean to birds.
A charming bird journey with the bestselling author.
In his introduction to Tan’s “nature journal,” David Allen Sibley, the acclaimed ornithologist, nails the spirit of this book: a “collection of delightfully quirky, thoughtful, and personal observations of birds in sketches and words.” For years, Tan has looked out on her California backyard “paradise”—oaks, periwinkle vines, birch, Japanese maple, fuchsia shrubs—observing more than 60 species of birds, and she fashions her findings into delightful and approachable journal excerpts, accompanied by her gorgeous color sketches. As the entries—“a record of my life”—move along, the author becomes more adept at identifying and capturing them with words and pencils. Her first entry is September 16, 2017: Shortly after putting up hummingbird feeders, one of the tiny, delicate creatures landed on her hand and fed. “We have a relationship,” she writes. “I am in love.” By August 2018, her backyard “has become a menagerie of fledglings…all learning to fly.” Day by day, she has continued to learn more about the birds, their activities, and how she should relate to them; she also admits mistakes when they occur. In December 2018, she was excited to observe a Townsend’s Warbler—“Omigod! It’s looking at me. Displeased expression.” Battling pesky squirrels, Tan deployed Hot Pepper Suet to keep them away, and she deterred crows by hanging a fake one upside down. The author also declared war on outdoor cats when she learned they kill more than 1 billion birds per year. In May 2019, she notes that she spends $250 per month on beetle larvae. In June 2019, she confesses “spending more hours a day staring at birds than writing. How can I not?” Her last entry, on December 15, 2022, celebrates when an eating bird pauses, “looks and acknowledges I am there.”
An ebullient nature lover’s paean to birds.Pub Date: April 23, 2024
ISBN: 9780593536131
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2024
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