Though the language is not always accessible, the work is both welcoming and revelatory.
Cochran offers a guide to understanding the spiritual side of humanity in an ever-changing universe.
In this entry in his Emerging You series, the author explores a range of ideas related to a posited shift in how the world operates; as Cochran explains, the old ways of competition (rooted in things like fear) are giving way to new compassionate approaches (rooted in things like love). This shift calls for people to think of themselves and how they act in a new light. The author touches on such topics as the power and importance of thoughts, how humans are incarnated on Earth in order to learn lessons, and how time and space do not necessarily operate the way the average person thinks that they do. Discussions of psychic phenomena like remote viewing and astral projection lead to bracing pronouncements like “Many of us were born with space-time manipulation abilities”; per the author, people generally contain much more power and much more depth than they realize. In light of this, Cochran goes on to counsel that one should not waste energy on things like fearmongering news reports or even scary movies (he argues that fear begets “fear’s children, such as judgment, anger, worry”). One must remember, asserts the author, that “magic happens when win-win groups with compassionate intent reach a critical mass of coherence.” The book certainly provides plenty for even skeptical readers to chew on; if nothing else, the work offers a novel way of looking at many familiar details in life. Some of the ideas of the text are explained in an alienatingly abstruse manner—concepts like “nested etheric energy spheres” and “self-aware vibratory energy” sound distractingly like SF jargon. Still, the reader is guided through it all in an earnestly benevolent manner.
Though the language is not always accessible, the work is both welcoming and revelatory.Pub Date: Sept. 10, 2023
ISBN: 9798218191153
Page Count: 370
Publisher: Independently Published
Review Posted Online: March 21, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A conversational, pleasurable look into McConaughey’s life and thought.
All right, all right, all right: The affable, laconic actor delivers a combination of memoir and self-help book.
“This is an approach book,” writes McConaughey, adding that it contains “philosophies that can be objectively understood, and if you choose, subjectively adopted, by either changing your reality, or changing how you see it. This is a playbook, based on adventures in my life.” Some of those philosophies come in the form of apothegms: “When you can design your own weather, blow in the breeze”; “Simplify, focus, conserve to liberate.” Others come in the form of sometimes rambling stories that never take the shortest route from point A to point B, as when he recounts a dream-spurred, challenging visit to the Malian musician Ali Farka Touré, who offered a significant lesson in how disagreement can be expressed politely and without rancor. Fans of McConaughey will enjoy his memories—which line up squarely with other accounts in Melissa Maerz’s recent oral history, Alright, Alright, Alright—of his debut in Richard Linklater’s Dazed and Confused, to which he contributed not just that signature phrase, but also a kind of too-cool-for-school hipness that dissolves a bit upon realizing that he’s an older guy on the prowl for teenage girls. McConaughey’s prep to settle into the role of Wooderson involved inhabiting the mind of a dude who digs cars, rock ’n’ roll, and “chicks,” and he ran with it, reminding readers that the film originally had only three scripted scenes for his character. The lesson: “Do one thing well, then another. Once, then once more.” It’s clear that the author is a thoughtful man, even an intellectual of sorts, though without the earnestness of Ethan Hawke or James Franco. Though some of the sentiments are greeting card–ish, this book is entertaining and full of good lessons.
A conversational, pleasurable look into McConaughey’s life and thought.Pub Date: Oct. 20, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-13913-4
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: Oct. 27, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.
A compendium of charts, time lines, lists and illustrations to accompany study of the Bible.
This visually appealing resource provides a wide array of illustrative and textually concise references, beginning with three sets of charts covering the Bible as a whole, the Old Testament and the New Testament. These charts cover such topics as biblical weights and measures, feasts and holidays and the 12 disciples. Most of the charts use a variety of illustrative techniques to convey lessons and provide visual interest. A worthwhile example is “How We Got the Bible,” which provides a time line of translation history, comparisons of canons among faiths and portraits of important figures in biblical translation, such as Jerome and John Wycliffe. The book then presents a section of maps, followed by diagrams to conceptualize such structures as Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple. Finally, a section on Christianity, cults and other religions describes key aspects of history and doctrine for certain Christian sects and other faith traditions. Overall, the authors take a traditionalist, conservative approach. For instance, they list Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) without making mention of claims to the contrary. When comparing various Christian sects and world religions, the emphasis is on doctrine and orthodox theology. Some chapters, however, may not completely align with the needs of Catholic and Orthodox churches. But the authors’ leanings are muted enough and do not detract from the work’s usefulness. As a resource, it’s well organized, inviting and visually stimulating. Even the most seasoned reader will learn something while browsing.
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005
ISBN: 978-1-5963-6022-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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