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
An autobiography as toxic and addictive as any drug its author has ever ingested.
The legendary booze-addled metal rocker turned reality-TV star comes clean in his tell-all autobiography.
Although brought up in the bleak British factory town of Aston, John “Ozzy” Osbourne’s tragicomic rags-to-riches tale is somehow quintessentially American. It’s an epic dream/nightmare that takes him from Winson Green prison in 1966 to a presidential dinner with George W. Bush in 2004. Tracing his adult life from petty thief and slaughterhouse worker to rock star, Osbourne’s first-person slang-and-expletive-driven style comes off like he’s casually relating his story while knocking back pints at the pub. “What you read here,” he writes, “is what dribbled out of the jelly I call my brain when I asked it for my life story.” During the late 1960s his transformation from inept shoplifter to notorious Black Sabbath frontman was unlikely enough. In fact, the band got its first paying gigs by waiting outside concert venues hoping the regularly scheduled act wouldn’t show. After a few years, Osbourne and his bandmates were touring America and becoming millionaires from their riff-heavy doom music. As expected, with success came personal excess and inevitable alienation from the other members of the group. But as a solo performer, Osbourne’s predilection for guns, drink, drugs, near-death experiences, cruelty to animals and relieving himself in public soon became the stuff of legend. His most infamous exploits—biting the head off a bat and accidentally urinating on the Alamo—are addressed, but they seem tame compared to other dark moments of his checkered past: nearly killing his wife Sharon during an alcohol-induced blackout, waking up after a bender in the middle of a busy highway, burning down his backyard, etc. Osbourne is confessional to a fault, jeopardizing his demonic-rocker reputation with glib remarks about his love for Paul McCartney and Robin Williams. The most distinguishing feature of the book is the staggering chapter-by-chapter accumulation of drunken mishaps, bodily dysfunctions and drug-induced mayhem over a 40-plus-year career—a résumé of anti-social atrocities comparable to any of rock ’n’ roll’s most reckless outlaws.
An autobiography as toxic and addictive as any drug its author has ever ingested.Pub Date: Jan. 25, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-446-56989-7
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2009
BOOK REVIEW
IN THE NEWS
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
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
