by Conrad Drapeau ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 30, 2017
Provides a solid road map for dealing with life’s curveballs in a constructive way.
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An author presents a straightforward system for coping with stress and crisis.
While readers might not be able to prevent life’s many upheavals, both big and small, they can control how they handle them, according to Drapeau (co-author: How Did You Do That!, 2009). After facing down several disasters, including his wife’s terminal illness, he developed a simple and accessible seven-step “Shatterproof System,” which he promises will help readers “navigate, manage and rise above any crisis.” Most people respond to events such as a job loss or illness with feelings of anxiety, vulnerability, and failure, the author explains in this compact, pointed volume. These reactions are normal, but they can become traps that negatively affect their lives and health. By embracing the clearly outlined Shatterproof principles and completing the useful exercises at the end of each chapter, individuals should be able to effectively surmount crises and push forward. The process begins with acknowledging the situation, followed by accepting and embracing the opportunities it presents even though such a move “requires a paradigm shift away from feelings of victimization and helplessness.” Additional steps include examining worst-case scenarios, freeing oneself from worry, and creating a robust plan to regain equilibrium. Readers are also encouraged to complete a “gratitude inventory” and embrace faith in a higher power in order to foster confidence. (That final step might alienate nonreligious readers.) Anecdotes from the author’s own life as well as examples from his friends and family successfully illustrate the principles in action. Several of these stories, particularly Drapeau’s reflections on his wife’s battle with cancer, are truly moving and inspiring. The tone throughout is positive and uplifting without straying into the realm of banal self-help clichés. Anyone who gets bogged down in decision-making or is overwhelmed by unexpected events stands to benefit from the author’s levelheaded advice and his persuasive suggestion that retreating from the chaos and developing mental focus are what are needed to take command and make wise choices.
Provides a solid road map for dealing with life’s curveballs in a constructive way.Pub Date: Sept. 30, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-9976749-0-3
Page Count: 184
Publisher: Horizon Press
Review Posted Online: Oct. 6, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2017
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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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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by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955
An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
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