A passionately argued work for Christian readers on an enduring topic of discussion.
DeStefano’s treatise asks why God bestows miracles upon some believers, but not others.
The author, who is Catholic, offers a book that’s primarily directed at fellow Christians with its exploration the concept of miracles. For the author, the existence of miracles, which Jesus performed in the Bible, is a given; in the age of miracles, which DeStefano defines as the period when the early Apostles founded the Christian church, such occurrences were “everyday realities. Healings, raising of the dead, exorcisms, divine interventions, and miraculous signs weren’t the exceptions; they were the rule.” Today, he says, the faithful have troubled hearts and minds, and he addresses their doubts with admirable integrity, as when he recounts the anguish of an unspecified church whose congregation spent weeks praying for a 6-year-old child with a diagnosed terminal illness: “They whipped themselves into a kind of spiritual-emotional frenzy. They were convinced with 100 percent certitude that this little girl was going to be cured.” The child died, leaving the congregation devastated and wondering why the Lord let it happen. To answer readers who, like himself, believe in a just God, DeStefano examines the nature of human desires and free will, arguing that most miracles occur in the course of everyday life, engineered by God’s invisible hand. He also provides accounts of what he characterizes as bona fide modern miracles. Most interestingly, he devotes several chapters to describing what he believes should be a Christian attitude toward miracles, especially in desperate times, as when tragedies occur. The result is a useful primer for religious readers on how to approach miracles and pray for them—believing in God’s omnipotence yet accepting God’s will.
A passionately argued work for Christian readers on an enduring topic of discussion.Pub Date: June 26, 2025
ISBN: 9781644134351
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Sophia Institute Press
Review Posted Online: July 16, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
A frank and funny but uneven essay collection about neurodiversity.
An experimental, illustrated essay collection that questions neurotypical definitions of what is normal.
From a young age, writer and comedian Myers has been different. In addition to coping with obsessive compulsive disorder and panic attacks, she struggled to read basic social cues. During a round of seven minutes in heaven—a game in which two players spend seven minutes in a closet and are expected to kiss—Myers misread the romantic advances of her best friend and longtime crush, Marley. In Paris, she accidentally invited a sex worker to join her friends for “board games and beer,” thinking he was simply a random stranger who happened to be hitting on her. In community college, a stranger’s request for a pen spiraled her into a panic attack but resulted in a tentative friendship. When the author moved to Australia, she began taking notes on her colleagues in an effort to know them better. As the author says to her co-worker, Tabitha, “there are unspoken social contracts within a workplace that—by some miracle—everyone else already understands, and I don’t….When things Go Without Saying, they Never Get Said, and sometimes people need you to Say Those Things So They Understand What The Hell Is Going On.” At its best, Myers’ prose is vulnerable and humorous, capturing characterization in small but consequential life moments, and her illustrations beautifully complement the text. Unfortunately, the author’s tendency toward unnecessary capitalization and experimental forms is often unsuccessful, breaking the book’s otherwise steady rhythm.
A frank and funny but uneven essay collection about neurodiversity.Pub Date: Oct. 28, 2025
ISBN: 9780063381308
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Morrow/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Sept. 12, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2025
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
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