ALL I REALLY NEED TO KNOW I LEARNED FROM WATCHING STAR TREK

Name: ALL I REALLY NEED TO KNOW I LEARNED FROM WATCHING STAR TREK
Author: Dave Marinaccio
ISBN: 0-517-59798-5

by Dave Marinaccio ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 3, 1994

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Wit and wisdom for intelligent life forms who have gotten past kindergarten. For generations of Trekkies, Star Trek TV episodes, movies, and books are nothing less than scripture. With ad man Marinaccio's light-heavyweight collection of down-to-earth essays, the cult of the faithful has gained a new theologian and exegete. If a viewer is unsure of what an episode, character, or turn of plot in Star Trek really means, this short, sweet book will explain the intention of Gene Roddenberry (the series' Moses) and show how to apply the show's wisdom to life. Captain Kirk is the author's dominant lodestar for ethical and business success, a blend of good soldier and bold innovator. The captain always checks in with Starfleet Command and delegates responsibility when he beams down off the ship, and he is people-oriented enough to get the most out of the all-too-human Dr. McCoy and the half-human Mr. Spock. Marinaccio feels that leadership sometimes requires breaking the rules, as Captain Kirk ignores the Prime Directive (not to interfere with any civilization they explore) when ethical imperatives are involved. Marinaccio doesn't forget that this is a spoof on other advice books and that Star Trek is merely popular entertainment—no matter how much the writers borrowed from Shakespeare. The author's advertising career occasionally takes us off the bridge of the Enterprise (as does one skydiving diversion), but the book makes up for this with some insights into the enduring appeal of the Star Trek phenomenon. A delightful mix of satire and inspiration, nostalgia for a time when William Shatner could still pull in his gut, and patient optimism for the talent and moral vision of ``the Next Generation.''

Pub Date: June 3, 1994

ISBN: 0-517-59798-5

Page Count: 128

Publisher: Crown

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 1994

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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NUTCRACKER

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

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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

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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

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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.