An unorthodox and unexpected work that will give readers reason to rethink and re-examine otherwise familiar biblical...
A unique commentary on the first portion of the Hebrew Bible.
The author, writing under the pseudonym B. Conscious, looks at the first 70 chapters of the Old Testament (from the books of Genesis and Exodus) through a very Eastern-styled lens. Having read the Bible during and after a two-year stay in Nepal, the author began to compare it to Hindu and Buddhist texts, and his own interpretations evolved from there. The stated motivation in writing this book is “to share the manner in which the first seventy chapters of the Bible offer humanity models of highly conscious individuals.” As a result, this is a commentary that’s completely set apart from any other on the market. Instead of focusing on common tools of exegesis or espousing a traditionally Jewish or Christian understanding of the text, the author instead presents a sort of parallel version of Scripture that teaches about consciousness and unity through quasi-historical tales of antiquity. The author follows up each scriptural passage with a set of questions and commentary. An oft-repeated question, “Who or what was the ‘God’ that…,” speaks to the author’s ambiguous concept of the deity. “References to ‘God,’ ” the author explains, “are references to that which is boundary-less and one.” These references can take on a variety of forms; for instance, “Consider the ‘God’ that was to allow ‘Noah and his sons’ to ‘Be fruitful’ as the collective voice of the women offering their dark, watery wombs so as to continue the light of consciousness from within their bodies.” In the author’s unusual version of the story of Moses and the burning bush, Moses’ meeting with God represents a “communion with the infinite, eternal, timeless present moment, which just is.” Further, the Ten Commandments are said to be about the qualities of conscious awareness, or, rather, about what life in conscious awareness looks like. The goal of humanity, the author says, is to grasp that state of unity and consciousness and become fully aware.
An unorthodox and unexpected work that will give readers reason to rethink and re-examine otherwise familiar biblical stories.Pub Date: June 16, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4787-8906-2
Page Count: 476
Publisher: Outskirts Press
Review Posted Online: Jan. 15, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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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