An easily digestible, reliably entertaining appreciation of muscle, “the vivid engine of our lives.”
A celebration of musculature in varying degrees and aspects.
Tsui recalls growing up in the shadow of an “impressively fit father” who lived and breathed exercise, was a tae kwon do and karate brown and black belt, and insisted the author and her brother train with him in a makeshift home gym in the garage. As a result, she grew into adulthood with the same preoccupation with “outrunning death” as her father did. These vivid memories fuel a multifaceted book exploring how the human musculoskeletal system is composed, how it functions, the ways to keep it optimally functioning as we age, and why it’s so critically important to daily life. To elaborate on themes of muscular strength and resilience in relation to the female species, Tsui profiles Jan Todd, the first female weightlifter to lift the Scottish Dinnie Stones in 1979, and Jan Suffolk, who, after embarking on a training regimen, would go on to become one of the world’s strongest women. Sections involving the author’s discussions on anatomical dissection are thought provoking and serve as apt reminders of the voluntary and involuntary muscle control we take for granted in everyday life, such as shoulder movement, heartbeats, posture, jumping, and even smiling and arching one’s eyebrows. The author of Why We Swim, Tsui discusses paralytic diseases and traumatic accidents that profoundly affect quality of life and what neuroscientists have discovered about the benefits of twitchy muscle movements during sleep to update and improve the brain-body connection. Undeniably fascinating is Tsui’s assessment of the biggest human muscle (the butt) and the smallest (the ear’s stapedius or the little muscle “goosebump” fibers). She also elaborates on the endurance of marathon runners and the mind-body connection where the brain interacts with the body to move its complex framework and network of bones, tissue, nerves, and senses. Grafting physical science with smooth, amiable storytelling, Tsui’s study creates a fun and fact-filled physiology lesson for readers of any knowledge level.
An easily digestible, reliably entertaining appreciation of muscle, “the vivid engine of our lives.”Pub Date: April 22, 2025
ISBN: 9781643753089
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Algonquin
Review Posted Online: March 4, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2025
A sweet final word from an actor who leaves a legacy of compassion and kindness.
The late actor offers a gentle guide for living with more purpose, love, and joy.
Mixing poetry, prescriptive challenges, and elements of memoir, Heche (1969-2022) delivers a narrative that is more encouraging workbook than life story. The author wants to share what she has discovered over the course of a life filled with abuse, advocacy, and uncanny turning points. Her greatest discovery? Love. “Open yourself up to love and transform kindness from a feeling you extend to those around you to actions that you perform for them,” she writes. “Only by caring can we open ourselves up to the universe, and only by opening up to the universe can we fully experience all the wonders that it holds, the greatest of which is love.” Throughout the occasionally overwrought text, Heche is heavy on the concept of care. She wants us to experience joy as she does, and she provides a road map for how to get there. Instead of slinking away from Hollywood and the ridicule that she endured there, Heche found the good and hung on, with Alec Baldwin and Harrison Ford starring as particularly shining knights in her story. Some readers may dismiss this material as vapid Hollywood stuff, but Heche’s perspective is an empathetic blend of Buddhism (minimize suffering), dialectical behavioral therapy (tolerating distress), Christianity (do unto others), and pre-Socratic philosophy (sufficient reason). “You’re not out to change the whole world, but to increase the levels of love and kindness in the world, drop by drop,” she writes. “Over time, these actions wear away the coldness, hate, and indifference around us as surely as water slowly wearing away stone.” Readers grieving her loss will take solace knowing that she lived her love-filled life on her own terms. Heche’s business and podcast partner, Heather Duffy, writes the epilogue, closing the book on a life well lived.
A sweet final word from an actor who leaves a legacy of compassion and kindness.Pub Date: Jan. 24, 2023
ISBN: 9781627783316
Page Count: 176
Publisher: Viva Editions
Review Posted Online: Feb. 6, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2023
A far-reaching, mostly persuasive guide that seeks to change how people approach inner challenges.
Ion and Irimia’s self-help book presents seven principles that can alter readers’ lives.
Many people face internal roadblocks that keep them from succeeding. While therapy remains a common treatment option, it can take years to make progress. Fast Transformation Protocols, the method advocated in Ion and Irimia’s guide, is the opposite, only requiring a minor time commitment. The seed for FTP was Ion’s first company, a recruitment agency for corporations in Transylvania, Romania. On a trip with a colleague named Sara, Ion freed the woman from the perception of abandonment, making Sara understand that benefits exist in even the most negative situations. FTP primarily operates by asking many “weird questions” and utilizing seven universal laws: those of duality, reflection, transformation, synchronicity, eristic (i.e., argumentative) escalation, order, and fractals. The laws mingle concepts from science, philosophy, and psychology. Just a few of the numerous examples the authors discuss regarding the law of duality alone include the Babylonians’ concept of celestial cycles; the Chinese version, yin and yang; and, in biology, the balance of cell birth with cell death. Another inspiration is Carl Jung’s exploration of coincidences (the law of synchronicity) and archetypes (the law of fractals). Added to the mix is a helping of spirituality. The authors ask readers, when they’re contemplating life challenges, to consider sacred contracts, an idea that “before birth, your soul carefully chooses the exact context and circumstances it will incarnate into.” The ambitious guide is written in Ion’s voice; she’s a sensitive presence who seems to genuinely aspire to help others. She recalls that as a child, “I pulled my emotions inward and packed them tightly inside me, like delicate things wrapped in newspaper.” Yet this delicacy is balanced by a love of organization and rationality, reflected in this well-structured and mostly convincing book. Intriguing case studies demonstrate how the laws the authors discuss apply to real situations. But some readers will question the success rate. Using one of the seven universal laws is always shown as succeeding, although perhaps not immediately.
A far-reaching, mostly persuasive guide that seeks to change how people approach inner challenges.Pub Date: Sept. 15, 2025
ISBN: 9798993098203
Page Count: 313
Publisher: Inspired Life Circle LLC
Review Posted Online: Feb. 6, 2026
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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