A clearly written but uneven work about human survival.
An analysis argues that the science of finance provides the key to humanity’s continued survival.
Criniti contends that “money has become an essential survival tool for everyone in our globalized civilization.” In that case, it becomes an absolute imperative to master finance—“the science of management of wealth”—since it is prosperity that most effectively draws people safely back from the “edge of survival.” The author expounds on this insight in biological terms—specifically Darwinian evolutionary theory—by arguing that humans have evolved in such a way that technological progress and wealth are now the key features of their fitness. These governable variables demonstrate that evolution, at least for humans, has itself evolved. Criniti describes the demands of the future in idiosyncratic terms: “Robotic forms and other technology are slowly filling this planet through the use of money. You need money to purchase the robotic parts for a cyborg, and you need money to make an android. If the nonliving come alive one day, then they may also need money to survive. The survival of the richest would then continue.” The author’s approach is a comprehensive one—for example, he devotes a large amount of time to defining life, death, and survival, though the book could have taken notions such as these for granted. At one point, while discussing survival in the wilderness, he defines wilderness. He even discusses at length the thorny issue of “why we should want to survive.”
Criniti’s prose is unfailingly lucid and offers some rich and informative details along the way. But he would have been better off deferring to convention, since some of his definitions can be counterintuitive. For example, he includes “thinking” as a criterion of life and simply stretches what counts as thinking beyond all reason: “All living things (such as bacteria, fungi, or plants) must make big decisions at some point in their life cycles.” The author’s overall strategy is to replace rigorous arguments with peremptory definitions and assertions. For example, he claims “everything must subordinate to the goal of survival,” a philosophically dubious statement, and encourages readers who disagree to discontinue perusing the book. In addition, he claims his work “may also serve as a direct learning tool to help you create your own path to economic and financial independence,” but he provides no specific or actionable counsel. Overall, Criniti’s book is a collection of thoughts leading up to a few sweeping and arguable main points. He dramatically promises to disclose uncomfortable truths about human nature, but that warning will strike many readers as a bit histrionic: “If you do not have the stomach to read about the horrors of survival or the truth about the current human predicament, then I suggest that you do not read this book. The conclusions are not easy to accept, and acceptance may only come after breaking down the inner walls of safety that our minds put up to protect us.”
A clearly written but uneven work about human survival.Pub Date: Dec. 11, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-9884595-4-0
Page Count: 528
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: Aug. 27, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
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
A pleasure for fans of old-school historical narratives.
Avuncular observations on matters historical from the late popularizer of the past.
McCullough made a fine career of storytelling his way through past events and the great men (and occasional woman) of long-ago American history. In that regard, to say nothing of his eschewing modern technology in favor of the typewriter (“I love the way the bell rings every time I swing the carriage lever”), he might be thought of as belonging to a past age himself. In this set of occasional pieces, including various speeches and genial essays on what to read and how to write, he strikes a strong tone as an old-fashioned moralist: “Indifference to history isn’t just ignorant, it’s rude,” he thunders. “It’s a form of ingratitude.” There are some charming reminiscences in here. One concerns cajoling his way into a meeting with Arthur Schlesinger in order to pitch a speech to presidential candidate John F. Kennedy: Where Richard Nixon “has no character and no convictions,” he opined, Kennedy “is appealing to our best instincts.” McCullough allows that it wasn’t the strongest of ideas, but Schlesinger told him to write up a speech anyway, and when it got to Kennedy, “he gave a speech in which there was one paragraph that had once sentence written by me.” Some of McCullough’s appreciations here are of writers who are not much read these days, such as Herman Wouk and Paul Horgan; a long piece concerns a president who’s been largely lost in the shuffle too, Harry Truman, whose decision to drop the atomic bomb on Japan McCullough defends. At his best here, McCullough uses history as a way to orient thinking about the present, and with luck to good ends: “I am a short-range pessimist and a long-range optimist. I sincerely believe that we may be on the way to a very different and far better time.”
A pleasure for fans of old-school historical narratives.Pub Date: Sept. 16, 2025
ISBN: 9781668098998
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: June 26, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2025
SEEN & HEARD
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