An engaging and uplifting series of Advent thoughts.
A series of Christmas-season devotional meditations.
Perry crafts her nonfiction debut as a daily devotional devoted to Advent, the Christian season stretching from December 1 to Christmas Day. Each chapter settles on one day of Advent, expands on some of Perry’s reflections on an aspect of the season, and concludes with an “Individual Activity” section (“Contemplate what it means to live a life more concerned about others than yourself,” goes one such prompt), a “Family Activity,” and lined empty pages for readers’ reflections. Perry includes some of her own poetry and a selection of stock image black-and-white line drawings of holiday-themed items. All aspects of the Nativity story, from the shepherds to the manger to the Magi, are explained and contextualized in faith-based language. The author draws on both Christian Scripture and a variety of other literary sources in order to inform her brief meditations on the incremental steps leading to one of the high points of the Christian liturgical calendar. While many of these meditations are generic, some are thought-provoking, as when Perry reflects on the many ways Christians can see themselves in the Christmas story, such as mothers identifying with Mary, husbands with Joseph, fearful people with the shepherds tending their flocks by night, and so on. Perry clearly explains the basic Christian interpretations of the Christmas story, always keeping her target audience of fellow believers in mind, as when she writes that “the coming of Jesus to this earth represented the splendor and greatness of God in the highest way possible.” Even those familiar with the Nativity story will find some of the author’s observations interesting: “May we commit acts of love that do not demand credit or have any strings attached.” Her readings of the texts—and Christmas—aren’t challenging, and all readers will appreciate the tone of quiet optimism that runs through the book.
An engaging and uplifting series of Advent thoughts.Pub Date: Dec. 6, 2023
ISBN: 9798385009688
Page Count: 144
Publisher: WestBowPress
Review Posted Online: Aug. 4, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
An incisive, urgently relevant analysis of—and call to action on—America’s foundational ideal.
An examination of how the U.S. can revitalize its commitment to freedom.
In this ambitious study, Snyder, author of On Tyranny, The Road to Unfreedom, and other books, explores how American freedom might be reconceived not simply in negative terms—as freedom from coercion, especially by the state—but positive ones: the freedom to develop our human potential within sustaining communal structures. The author blends extensive personal reflections on his own evolving understanding of liberty with definitions of the concept by a range of philosophers, historians, politicians, and social activists. Americans, he explains, often wrongly assume that freedom simply means the removal of some barrier: “An individual is free, we think, when the government is out of the way. Negative freedom is our common sense.” In his careful and impassioned description of the profound implications of this conceptual limitation, Snyder provides a compelling account of the circumstances necessary for the realization of positive freedom, along with a set of detailed recommendations for specific sociopolitical reforms and policy initiatives. “We have to see freedom as positive, as beginning from virtues, as shared among people, and as built into institutions,” he writes. The author argues that it’s absurd to think of government as the enemy of freedom; instead, we ought to reimagine how a strong government might focus on creating the appropriate conditions for human flourishing and genuine liberty. Another essential and overlooked element of freedom is the fostering of a culture of solidarity, in which an awareness of and concern for the disadvantaged becomes a guiding virtue. Particularly striking and persuasive are the sections devoted to eviscerating the false promises of libertarianism, exposing the brutal injustices of the nation’s penitentiaries, and documenting the wide-ranging pathologies that flow from a tax system favoring the ultrawealthy.
An incisive, urgently relevant analysis of—and call to action on—America’s foundational ideal.Pub Date: Sept. 17, 2024
ISBN: 9780593728727
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: June 25, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2024
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
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