bookshelf

VICTORIOUS!

Name: VICTORIOUS!
Author: Darnnell D. Reese
ISBN: 978-0-692-88517-8

DEFEATING BULLIES AND GIANTS GOD'S WAY

by Darnnell D. Reese ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 23, 2017

An often helpful work that uses the “bullies” and “mean girls” of the Bible to show readers how to overcome their modern-day...

bookshelf

A guide to dealing with bullying that draws inspiration from biblical stories.

In her direct, punchy nonfiction debut, Reese focuses on a seemingly universal element of human society: the bully, the braggart, the person who takes advantage of others. In the author’s view, bullies can take many forms: “They can be an irascible, hot tempered person in the mall parking lot,” she writes, “a fellow customer waiting in line at the DMV, or the person sitting behind you at the movie theater, who is quick to pick a fight with a perceived weaker person.” To illustrate how to deal with such people, Reese enlists a handful of famous stories from the Old and New Testaments. She talks about David and Goliath, of course, but also about David and King Saul as well as a trio of biblical “mean girls”: Peninnah, Jezebel, and Athaliah. She writes about King Herod the Great and his descendants, and she concentrates on the persecution of Jesus Christ, whom she refers to as “our perfect example of victory over bullies.” As that description makes clear, some of the author’s readings of Scriptural readings may be problematic for some readers; for example, Jesus was horribly beaten, scourged, and crucified by his bullies before his eventual victory. Also, in her retelling of the story of Moses in Egypt, she describes Pharaoh as “a malevolent bully boss” whose belligerence and short temper were illustrated by his refusal to free his Jewish slaves. As Reese jubilantly points out, “God hardened Pharaoh’s heart for the purpose of glorifying God’s awesomeness while simultaneously giving the foolish Pharaoh a divine bully beat down!” It should be remembered, though, that part of God's “divine bully beat down,” in this case, resulted in the deaths of thousands of Egyptian first born males. Still, the author’s reassurances, such as “God will help you no matter where you are,” will doubtless comfort fellow believers, as will her book’s general tone of optimism in the face of confrontation.

An often helpful work that uses the “bullies” and “mean girls” of the Bible to show readers how to overcome their modern-day counterparts.

Pub Date: May 23, 2017

ISBN: 978-0-692-88517-8

Page Count: 212

Publisher: CreateSpace

Review Posted Online: July 31, 2017

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

bookshelf

NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

bookshelf

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

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

bookshelf

TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

bookshelf

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.