bookshelf

The Power To Excel

Name: The Power To Excel
Author: Azuka Zuke Obi
ISBN: 978-0615706443

REACHING FOR YOUR BEST

by Azuka Zuke Obi ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 22, 2013

A motivational guide to improving one’s life through changing one’s mindset.

bookshelf

A debut self-help guide that aims to put the power of change in readers’ hands.

What does the word “power” mean? To some, it might mean the ability to control another person, but to Obi, in this guide, power means the ability to control one’s self. Raised in a small village in West Africa, the author’s formative and young-adult years were fraught with difficulties, including abusive teachers, poverty and other hardships. However, his positivity never wavered due to his strict, demanding parents, who insisted that he succeed at everything he tried, despite the challenges. They pushed him to attend university in Africa, where he was often forced to go without food and other necessities. Through these difficulties, however, Obi learned the power of positive thinking and how people have the power to change their lives if they simply adopt an optimistic view. Obi managed to turn his own fortune around simply by focusing on the things he wanted and imagining that he had them, which in turn motivated him to work harder to create a better life. The author cites several examples of people who excelled due to their own determination, including Oprah Winfrey and Michelle Obama, insisting that “[t]here is no special formula for success. There is no advanced university degree….Success is only a function of dedication, struggles, hard work, learning, falling, rising, persistency, and consistency.” He reinforces this thesis by telling stories of his friends who persevered and ended up successful. Although the writing is often repetitive, Obi’s message is clear and inspiring, and it’s obvious that he deeply believes in his advice. His anecdotes are quick and focused, and the book, as a whole, is immensely readable.

A motivational guide to improving one’s life through changing one’s mindset.

Pub Date: March 22, 2013

ISBN: 978-0615706443

Page Count: 124

Publisher: Azuka zuke Obi

Review Posted Online: June 4, 2013

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

bookshelf

NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

bookshelf

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

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

bookshelf

TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

bookshelf

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.