by Anu Vaidyanathan ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 5, 2016
The author’s observations about Indian society and its expectations for women give this engaging and perceptive book an...
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A debut memoir chronicles the experiences of an endurance athlete who became the first Asian woman to compete in the Ultraman Canada.
Vaidyanathan is an unlikely endurance athlete. A native of India, which is not known as a breeding ground for female athletes, she didn’t even consider participating in an Ironman competition until she reached an emotional dead end after studying at five colleges and spending six years in the U.S. “I asked myself, ‘Am I doing this for fun?’ ” she recalls in her memoir. “The answer came almost immediately. ‘Hell, no! I am doing this to buy me my oblivion.’ ” On one level, the book tracks Vaidyanathan's progress through a grueling series of Ironman races in Ottawa, Brazil, New Zealand, and China, culminating in her becoming the first Asian woman to compete in the three-day Ultraman Canada. In her training, she had to overcome such obstacles as being chased by a pack of dogs while running in India and dive-bombed by magpies on a group bicycle ride in New Zealand. “Luckily, the more experienced Kiwis upfront fielded most of the attacks, with no casualties,” she writes. The pace of the narrative can be slow at times, but the author livens things up with her wry humor. A cycling tour in New Zealand attracts “hard men and women with shiny quads,” while sports psychology might be a nice profession because “it paid a neat amount and I could do monologues.” In perhaps the most compelling sections, Vaidyanathan captures her journey away from the constrictive expectations and prejudices of Indian society. At a swimming pool, a reputed coach tells her, “Not worth it. Give up swimming. Get married.” And she doesn't get much support from her family either. “My parents did not speak of it to me, but my relatives put intense pressure on them to find me a man so I could ‘settle down,’ ” she writes. “What are Indian women anyway? Sediment? Settling is so boring.” It is through her physical endurance tests, in fact, that the author ultimately finds self-realization: “Sport itself had taken me to unexpected places...I visited repeatedly the dwelling of my inner goddess, the forests, and ran free.”
The author’s observations about Indian society and its expectations for women give this engaging and perceptive book an extra dimension.Pub Date: July 5, 2016
ISBN: 978-2919947904
Page Count: 176
Publisher: Harper Sport
Review Posted Online: July 14, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2017
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996
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
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by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955
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.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
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