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HOW HOCKEY SAVED THE WORLD*

Name: HOW HOCKEY SAVED THE WORLD*
Author: Alex Charns
ISBN: 0-595-39579-1

(*AND DEFEATED GEORGE W. BUSH, BUT NOT NECESSARILY IN THAT ORDER)

by Alex Charns ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 7, 2006

An amiable meditation to warm even the iciest hearts.

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Charns straps on a pair of beaten-up ice skates to take on the NHL–and the American Way.

The author is many things to many people: a left-wing lawyer working for the good of the people of North Carolina; husband to his saintly wife Tucker; father to a gaggle of small children; and a vehement critic of the current White House. Most of all, he’s a dedicated hockey fan, a condition that he readily admits makes him half-crazy. His well-meaning but meandering book is either a string of very short essays or one very long one. It ties together all of the author’s myriad passions by relating them back to his first love, hockey. In 2004, the quirky, irrational Charns was finally pushed over the edge by the double whammy of Dubya’s re-election and the NHL lockout that canceled the season. To find peace, he looks for solace in unusual places. He mulls over a half-serious, conspiracy-minded lawsuit that accuses the White House of ordering the lockout to punish Canada for refusing to fight in the Iraq War. He also investigates the process of becoming a Canadian citizen, defends clients under serious threat and forms an amateur hockey league with his kids. While conservative readers surely won’t appreciate the political slant, the author’s commitment to his beloved sport is endearing. The best bits occur when this overweight, middle-aged, distinctly American guy decides to get on the ice and finally learn to play for himself. His confessions are disarmingly candid, revealing the effect that hockey has on everything from his sex life to his grief over his father’s death. They’re also quite amusing, especially the author’s discovery that he might legally be able to nominate the Charns Puck Chuckers (his wife, children, dog and fish) to compete in the cancelled Stanley Cup Final. While it’s certainly self-absorbed, the author’s subversive wit and genuine belief in the game’s magic are oddly persuasive.

An amiable meditation to warm even the iciest hearts.

Pub Date: May 7, 2006

ISBN: 0-595-39579-1

Page Count: -

Publisher: N/A

Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
LISTENING TO CHOPIN WHILE FIGHTING NAZIS
by Alex Charns

- BOOK REVIEW
HOW WOMEN'S HOCKEY SAVED THE WORLD
by Alex Charns

- BOOK REVIEW
THE GIRL WHO WORE A HOCKEY HELMET
by Alex Charns

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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.