A thoughtful, well-written sampling of religious uncertainty.
Newhall explores the porous boundary between skepticism and belief in this debut work of nonfiction.
In a time when religious people and atheists both seem to be taking a harder line, Newhall considers those whose spiritual leanings fall somewhere between faith and doubt; a category into which she herself fits. After a childhood of strong belief, she found, in adulthood, much more reason to question God’s existence: “Every once in a while…I’ll feel God’s presence. And for a breathless moment, I’ll remember and think, yes, God is here. Of course God is here. How could it be otherwise? But that is only some of the time. Most of the time I have lived with the otherwise.” She tells the stories of similar people she’s met: a Catholic who left the religion of his childhood for Buddhism; an atheist who attempts to prove God’s existence by asking that he lift a pea; a Muslim musician who is distraught by the changing face of Islam; a Congregationalist minister who questions her faith after losing a pregnancy. The book contains representatives of many traditions: Evangelicalism, Mormonism, Hinduism, the religion of the Miwok of California. Most end up erring on the side of belief, yes, but only after periods of uncertainty. Told with the practiced rhythms of a longtime storyteller (Newhall has been a staff writer at a number of newspapers), the prose is crisp and accessible. The accounts of her subjects are told in the first person, which lends a bit of intimacy to their experiences. The book will likely find its readership among those people who see themselves reflected in its pages—those who have been looking for but not finding God. It succeeds in its reminder that while religious certainty may be an ideal, it’s far from the norm: most are unsure of what powers might exist at the other end of death or prayer or enlightenment. Readers are unlikely to come away feeling closer to any cosmic truths, but they may feel a bit less alone.
A thoughtful, well-written sampling of religious uncertainty.Pub Date: Feb. 19, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-939221-25-4
Page Count: 270
Publisher: Patheos Press
Review Posted Online: Aug. 2, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2016
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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