Physicist Swimme (The Universe Is a Green Dragon, 1984—not reviewed) and cultural historian Berry (The Dream of the Earth, 1988) attempt to offer a new creation myth that incorporates a scientific view of the universe with philosophical speculation on humanity's place within it. The result in an overly reductive tale unlikely to win many converts. For thousands of years, the authors claim, humanity has envisioned the universe as an inviolable world without end—and as the 20th century comes to a close, they say, this erroneous view is catching up with us at last. Suffering from an increased separation from nature, a misplaced faith in the resilience of our environment, and an uneasy malaise as our old myths lose their credibility, we crave a renewed connection with our universe—a connection, the authors contend, fortuitously provided by recent scientific discoveries regarding the universe's birth. Beginning with the Big Bang, Swimme and Berry take us on a quick tour of cosmic history, pausing to point out the metaphorical significance of the fact that life originated in the explosions of ancient stars; that humanity's evolution depended on an apparently statistically impossible sequence of cosmic events; that the extremes of destruction and creation evident in the universe have been expressed repeatedly and compulsively throughout human history; and so on. But the authors' often dry exposition, combined with such patronizing techniques as assigning the names of Greek gods to groundbreaking events in nature (``Aries'' for the first prokaryotic cell, ``Argos'' for the first multicellular animal, etc.), utterly lacks the power of the Bible, the Bhagavad Gita, and other ``myths'' that it proposes to succeed. Readers who share the authors' hope that the right story will lead humanity into a new ``Ecozoic Era'' must look elsewhere for inspiration. Laudable in intent—though not in execution. (Fifteen b&w photographs.)
Pub Date: Dec. 1, 1992
ISBN: 0-06-250826-1
Page Count: 288
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1992
BOOK REVIEW
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
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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