An animated, if overlong, memoir of growing up in the South.
Elks (Journeys Along the Quiet Path, 2002) recounts her childhood in the Pamlico Sound region of North Carolina in this memoir.
The author writes that she likes to say she was named for 1960's Hurricane Donna, although that isn’t exactly true; when it comes to personal and family lore, she admits, she often opts for the most interesting version of a story. Born the middle child of teenage parents, Elks grew up in eastern North Carolina in the 1970s. She recounts memorable incidents of her early childhood (making mud pies, tormenting her siblings) and the strong personalities in her immediate and extended family. Everything seemed like an adventure, she writes—even her family’s house burning down in an accidental fire. As Elks grew, however, she says that she began to learn about the darker side of life, such as her carpenter father’s slow descent into alcoholism: “I know, I know...alcoholism is a disease,” Elks told her sister Wendy. “But isn’t it time he got the doctor to help him get better?” The author had to find a way to reconcile her positive, “magical” way of looking at the world with the multiplying disappointments that came with growing up. Elks writes in a colorful, conversational prose that showcases the grit and charm of the book’s rural Southern setting. For example, here’s her description of her grandmother's cooking collard greens: “They took many hours of preparation and tending to, so she made a big batch when she made any at all. She had gotten used to cooking for nine head of young’uns, so I guess old habits die hard.” The book feels a bit bloated at nearly 400 pages, particularly as many short chapters are simply episodic (and underwhelming) vignettes. The relationships between Elks and the various members of her family are well-drawn, however, and the deep affection that she feels for both the setting and the characters can be infectious at times. There are many, many memoirs about the toll that addiction takes on families, but Elks’ spunk and optimism help this one stand slightly above the crowd.
An animated, if overlong, memoir of growing up in the South.Pub Date: Oct. 24, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-5462-1187-7
Page Count: 386
Publisher: AuthorHouse
Review Posted Online: Jan. 23, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.
A compendium of charts, time lines, lists and illustrations to accompany study of the Bible.
This visually appealing resource provides a wide array of illustrative and textually concise references, beginning with three sets of charts covering the Bible as a whole, the Old Testament and the New Testament. These charts cover such topics as biblical weights and measures, feasts and holidays and the 12 disciples. Most of the charts use a variety of illustrative techniques to convey lessons and provide visual interest. A worthwhile example is “How We Got the Bible,” which provides a time line of translation history, comparisons of canons among faiths and portraits of important figures in biblical translation, such as Jerome and John Wycliffe. The book then presents a section of maps, followed by diagrams to conceptualize such structures as Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple. Finally, a section on Christianity, cults and other religions describes key aspects of history and doctrine for certain Christian sects and other faith traditions. Overall, the authors take a traditionalist, conservative approach. For instance, they list Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) without making mention of claims to the contrary. When comparing various Christian sects and world religions, the emphasis is on doctrine and orthodox theology. Some chapters, however, may not completely align with the needs of Catholic and Orthodox churches. But the authors’ leanings are muted enough and do not detract from the work’s usefulness. As a resource, it’s well organized, inviting and visually stimulating. Even the most seasoned reader will learn something while browsing.
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005
ISBN: 978-1-5963-6022-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
This a book of earlier, philosophical essays concerned with the essential "absurdity" of life and the concept that- to overcome the strong tendency to suicide in every thoughtful man-one must accept life on its own terms with its values of revolt, liberty and passion. A dreary thesis- derived from and distorting the beliefs of the founders of existentialism, Jaspers, Heldegger and Kierkegaard, etc., the point of view seems peculiarly outmoded. It is based on the experience of war and the resistance, liberally laced with Andre Gide's excessive intellectualism. The younger existentialists such as Sartre and Camus, with their gift for the terse novel or intense drama, seem to have omitted from their philosophy all the deep religiosity which permeates the work of the great existentialist thinkers. This contributes to a basic lack of vitality in themselves, in these essays, and ten years after the war Camus seems unaware that the life force has healed old wounds... Largely for avant garde aesthetes and his special coterie.
Pub Date: Sept. 26, 1955
ISBN: 0679733736
Page Count: 228
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Sept. 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1955
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