bookshelf

Why You Won't Go To Hell

Name: Why You Won't Go To Hell
Author: Benjamin Vande Weerdhof Andrews
ISBN: 978-1-4602-7488-0

by Benjamin Vande Weerdhof Andrews ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 21, 2015

A rational case for the need for humanity to move beyond faith.

bookshelf

A personal attempt at crafting a comprehensive handbook of atheism.

In his nonfiction debut, Andrews embarks on a calm, systematic study of organized religion in human history, seeing faith as a psychological or even biological compensation rather than an indication of the divine. He establishes early on that although he respects some of the good that religion has done in the world, he is an atheist who views religion as self-serving delusion on the part of the faithful, and, as such, his book is addressed to fellow nonbelievers: “There is plenty of evidence now, that in spite of the pseudoscientists’ claims,” he writes, “the supernatural is just wishful thinking by people who desperately want an afterlife to exist, mostly because they cannot handle the idea that this is their only chance to enjoy the majestic universe.” He asserts the superiority of secular action over religious faith (“Helping one child survive, without the promise of a reward in the afterlife, is a far greater deed than praying to a non-existing entity to cure a sick child”), and he spends the bulk of his book refuting popular arguments of Christians and other religious adherents, such as the creationist tactic of characterizing atheism as just another religion, the Christian assertion that the New Testament must be divine because it fulfills so many prophecies from the Old Testament, and the idea that the Quran predicted many modern scientific discoveries. He summarizes each of these arguments fairly and then dispels it with a combination of common sense and deductive reasoning. The text itself, though earnest, is filled with typographical errors (one page, for example, refers to Thomas Paine as “Thomas Paine,” “Thomas Payne,” and “Thomas Pain”), so a stronger edit should precede any future editions. But the heart of Andrews’ case will be engaging reading for atheists new and old.

A rational case for the need for humanity to move beyond faith.

Pub Date: Oct. 21, 2015

ISBN: 978-1-4602-7488-0

Page Count: 276

Publisher: FriesenPress

Review Posted Online: Dec. 16, 2015

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.