An exploration of the lives and moral development of 23 men and women dedicated to ``making the world a better place.'' The authors, both developmental psychologists (Colby at Radcliffe, Damon at Brown), set out to discover whether there is a clear path to the extraordinary moral leadership exemplified by people like Gandhi, Mother Teresa, and Andrei Sakharov. They choose for their searching interviews Americans who are not highly visible, but whose lives are no less dedicated to helping others. Among them are Detroit's Mother Waddles and El Paso's ``Queen of the Dumps,'' Suzie Valadez, both of whom work daily with the poor to provide necessities like food, shoes, and medical care. Others, like Virginia Durr and Cabell Brand, have fought to reform the system to bring equal rights and equal opportunities to southern minorities. Referring to earlier work on moral development (primarily Lawrence Kohlberg's stage theory), the authors outline their own criteria for exploring the lives of their subjects. Most of the ``moral exemplars'' exhibit surprising parallels: certainty that what they are doing is not only right but the only choice they can make; faith (not always in God) and positive outlook (leavened by a sense of humor) that have withstood even devastating setbacks and personal sacrifice; the ability to learn and to draw strength from the communities in which they work; and the ability to grow and to change without losing their moral core. In a decade when the emphasis is said to be shifting from self-satisfaction to the moral and ethical, this look into the experiences of people whose sense of justice or service dictates their lives is both informative and inspiring.
Pub Date: Sept. 21, 1992
ISBN: 0-02-906355-8
Page Count: 325
Publisher: Free Press
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 1992
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
This a book of earlier, philosophical essays concerned with the essential "absurdity" of life and the concept that- to overcome the strong tendency to suicide in every thoughtful man-one must accept life on its own terms with its values of revolt, liberty and passion. A dreary thesis- derived from and distorting the beliefs of the founders of existentialism, Jaspers, Heldegger and Kierkegaard, etc., the point of view seems peculiarly outmoded. It is based on the experience of war and the resistance, liberally laced with Andre Gide's excessive intellectualism. The younger existentialists such as Sartre and Camus, with their gift for the terse novel or intense drama, seem to have omitted from their philosophy all the deep religiosity which permeates the work of the great existentialist thinkers. This contributes to a basic lack of vitality in themselves, in these essays, and ten years after the war Camus seems unaware that the life force has healed old wounds... Largely for avant garde aesthetes and his special coterie.
Pub Date: Sept. 26, 1955
ISBN: 0679733736
Page Count: 228
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Sept. 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1955
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