A thorough examination of authenticity that may be too technical for the average reader.
Kopelman shares strategies to foster authenticity in this psychoeducational guide.
Authenticity, according to the author, is “the alignment between our inner selves and the personas we present to the world.” Kopelman frames it as an ongoing practice represented by the acronym WHOLE: being a witness, being honest, being open to growth, loving yourself, and expressing your inner truth. The book discusses the philosopher and psychologist William James’ concepts of “I-self” (the part that thinks, knows, and acts) and “Me-self” (knowledge and beliefs about the self), and how these concepts change across developmental stages. Kopelman contemplates the impact of social connections and community on the development and perception of the self, he addresses shame and social stigma as barriers to authenticity, and he emphasizes skill-building. The author also encourages empathic listening and undivided attention as essential tools for connecting with children. Kopelman recommends using the “Gates of Speech” (or asking “Is it true? Is it necessary? Is it kind?”) before speaking. The author’s “Where I’m From” poems serve as conduits for understanding children’s life narratives, and engaging with kids’ big questions is also a big part of what he tackles. The book concludes with a reminder for adults to “commit to nurturing our children’s spiritual growth.” In this well-informed guide, Kopelman gently urges adults to examine their own understanding of (and alignment with) authenticity before they can meaningfully teach the concept to children. He illustrates the book’s concepts with concrete examples from his work as the co-founder of the Children’s Arts Guild, a child development nonprofit, such as using a “Raid the Kitchen” cooking project to spark creativity. Insightful and actionable exercises include a “celestial map of our inner universes,” in which elements of outer space serve as metaphors for parts of the self. However, some may struggle with the occasionally convoluted language (“It is our responsibility to halt the cycle of distorting socialization and validate the lived experiences of the children in our lives.”)
A thorough examination of authenticity that may be too technical for the average reader.Pub Date: June 9, 2026
ISBN: 9781774587256
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Page Two
Review Posted Online: May 29, 2026
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
PERSPECTIVES
Striking research showing the immense complexity of ordinary thought and revealing the identities of the gatekeepers in our...
A psychologist and Nobel Prize winner summarizes and synthesizes the recent decades of research on intuition and systematic thinking.
The author of several scholarly texts, Kahneman (Emeritus Psychology and Public Affairs/Princeton Univ.) now offers general readers not just the findings of psychological research but also a better understanding of how research questions arise and how scholars systematically frame and answer them. He begins with the distinction between System 1 and System 2 mental operations, the former referring to quick, automatic thought, the latter to more effortful, overt thinking. We rely heavily, writes, on System 1, resorting to the higher-energy System 2 only when we need or want to. Kahneman continually refers to System 2 as “lazy”: We don’t want to think rigorously about something. The author then explores the nuances of our two-system minds, showing how they perform in various situations. Psychological experiments have repeatedly revealed that our intuitions are generally wrong, that our assessments are based on biases and that our System 1 hates doubt and despises ambiguity. Kahneman largely avoids jargon; when he does use some (“heuristics,” for example), he argues that such terms really ought to join our everyday vocabulary. He reviews many fundamental concepts in psychology and statistics (regression to the mean, the narrative fallacy, the optimistic bias), showing how they relate to his overall concerns about how we think and why we make the decisions that we do. Some of the later chapters (dealing with risk-taking and statistics and probabilities) are denser than others (some readers may resent such demands on System 2!), but the passages that deal with the economic and political implications of the research are gripping.
Striking research showing the immense complexity of ordinary thought and revealing the identities of the gatekeepers in our minds.Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-374-27563-1
Page Count: 512
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: Sept. 3, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2011
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