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SHADOW OVER SHANGRI-LA

A WOMAN'S QUEST FOR FREEDOM

An inspiring memoir of a Nepalese political prisoner who survived months of incarceration, witnessed the demise of her country's oppressive government in 1990, and went on to enjoy a fairy-tale romance and marriage. Politicized in early adulthood, upper-caste Pokhrel broke from her Brahmin family to fight for democracy against the ruling Panchayat regime, becoming active in the Nepali Congress and operating an opposition press. In 1981 she was arrested and imprisoned on groundless charges. While mixing chronological storytelling and flashback, she concentrates on the daily life of a Nepali women's prison, revealing it as ``institutionalized torture,'' where the goal of the state was to ``maintain a regime of unconsciousness, compliance, mindlessness, and inhumanity.'' Rather than focusing only on her survivial, Pokhrel petitioned for other prisoners. Her commitment to her country continued even after she was released, fled Nepal, attended Harvard, and married British rural development specialist (and coauthor) Willett. Her final chapter is a moving statement of her unflinching hope: She envisions the process of creating ``a conscious Nepali society established in right action.'' Pokhrel propels the story with ample dialogue and detailed description, particularly of prison conditions. Readers will not forget what she describes: starving, unwashed prisoners, beaten, repeatedly violated, suspended upside down, or shackled to wheels. Yet Pokhrel keeps these descriptions bearable by reminding herself (and us) that this is a situation that must end. If the book is not a fast read, it is because of elements that give the narrative intimacy and character: Pokhrel's formal phrasing and her digressions about the nature of freedom. Lacking the visceral excitement of a Papillon, but memorable for Pokhrel's idealism, humanity, and unflagging determination to live. (8 pages photos, not seen) (Author tour)

Pub Date: Aug. 1, 1996

ISBN: 1-57488-061-6

Page Count: 368

Publisher: N/A

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 1996

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THE ELEMENTS OF STYLE

50TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION

Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis...

Privately published by Strunk of Cornell in 1918 and revised by his student E. B. White in 1959, that "little book" is back again with more White updatings.

Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis (whoops — "A bankrupt expression") a unique guide (which means "without like or equal").

Pub Date: May 15, 1972

ISBN: 0205632645

Page Count: 105

Publisher: Macmillan

Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1972

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NUTCRACKER

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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