by Benjamin Vande Weerdhof Andrews ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 21, 2015
A rational case for the need for humanity to move beyond faith.
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
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by William Strunk & E.B. White ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 15, 1972
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis...
Privately published by Strunk of Cornell in 1918 and revised by his student E. B. White in 1959, that "little book" is back again with more White updatings.
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis (whoops — "A bankrupt expression") a unique guide (which means "without like or equal").Pub Date: May 15, 1972
ISBN: 0205632645
Page Count: 105
Publisher: Macmillan
Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1972
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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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