Most useful for readers schooled in spiritual thought but won’t alienate neophytes.
A spiritual philosophy book that delves into the realms of existence.
The debut work starts with the feel of a memoir but is far broader in scope, looking at everyday existence through the lens of spiritual thought. But although its title may suggest otherwise, it has nothing to do with spirituality in a specific world of minivans and housing tracts, and unlike many other books in the spirituality genre, it’s refreshingly not centered on the author. Indeed, when professional life coach Mallard occasionally speaks of herself, it’s only to make one of her points easier for the reader to grasp. There are references to familiar subjects, such as karma and death, each of which gets of its own chapter; however, the author effectively manages to explain them in concrete terms. Karma, for instance, is described as a “buffer” that functions as “your Michelin Man suit.” These two chapters, which appear midway through the book, contain the most thought-provoking and surprisingly pragmatic passages, as Mallard presents her concepts in a tone that’s never breathless or awestruck. She offers a thoughtful, well-reasoned view of the transition to death, for instance, by dividing it into four types of “realms,” noting that a decedent may have “crossed over” into a realm that’s almost formless or into one that has more form, or unsuccessfully crossed over and entered a realm of confusion and doubt or one that’s still “attached to the incarnation.” Overall, this is a deep-thinking, philosophical book that, for example, expounds on the “non-dualistic reality” of “Oneness” and explains why, in the author’s view, it’s practically impossible to go to hell or ascend into heaven. In order to alleviate any possible confusion regarding concept definitions, she provides a glossary, which adds useful insights. In fact, the glossary is an integral part of the book, lending additional layers of explanation to commonplace ideas, such as “apparent,” “content,” “crutch,” and “energy.” Mallard also quotes sage sayings from various historical sources (including the Bible and the work of the 13th-century Persian poet Rumi) but doesn’t advocate any particular faith.
Most useful for readers schooled in spiritual thought but won’t alienate neophytes.Pub Date: June 22, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5043-1356-8
Page Count: 284
Publisher: BalboaPress
Review Posted Online: June 1, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
An unexpectedly prescient cautionary tale.
A relatively obscure scandal from Eastern Prussia in the mid-1800s foreshadows several aspects of current sociopolitical polarization.
Königsberg was the professional home of Immanuel Kant, many bridges, and a stage of Napoleonic ambition and defeat. It was also, between 1835 and 1842, the setting of an uproar against two clergymen that escalated from the community square to the halls of government and heralded the division and defensiveness that dominate discourse almost two centuries later. Lutheran pastors Johann Ebel and Heinrich Diestel faced accusations that they were drawing followers into a religious sect marked by unorthodox scriptural interpretation, questionable metaphysical understanding, and debased sexual appetites. Historian Clark’s compact text accentuates the various factors that swelled four years of accusation of, investigation into, and response from Ebel and Diestel into such a scandal: outsized personalities and egos, particularities of Königsberg’s small and tight-knit community, class and gender divides that fueled affiliations and accusations. Military, political, and legal details of early 1800s Prussia may seem a historian’s indulgence, but the author curates them to emphasize the “atmosphere of incipient culture war” that spawns the drama of his subject. Protestant-Catholic tensions were heightened, post-Enlightenment rationalism and scientific discovery were squaring off with religious revelation, and the very institutions of religion, state, and family faced redefinition. Within this milieu, fear, skepticism, and the strict demands of belief systems redefined and realigned were weaponized with hyperbole and desperation, and each camp drew strict lines to guarantee clarity and uniformity. Clark does not panic or browbeat. Rather, his studied focus on the specificity of the scandal in Königsberg allows each reader to consider how cults of personality, sensational accusations, performative outrage, and unyielding beliefs might undermine or endanger not only individual livelihoods, but also the deeply human pursuits of spiritual fulfillment, community, and power.
An unexpectedly prescient cautionary tale.Pub Date: March 10, 2026
ISBN: 9798217060948
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Penguin Press
Review Posted Online: Dec. 9, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A compelling journey into the heart of darkness with an articulate, capable guide.
An investigation of evil and how it manifests in our society.
As an acclaimed journalist, Sullivan, author of Graveyard of the Pacific, Dead Wrong, and other books, thought of himself as a man of reason and intelligence, with a good dose of cynicism. Then, when covering the wars that tore apart Yugoslavia, he confronted too many atrocities to believe that nothing was behind them. The author sensed the presence of evil and began to research the origin of it, which led him to the fundamental figure of malignity. While researching the book, Sullivan brushed against inexplicable, personal incidents—e.g., a weird threat from a well-dressed stranger, an ominous letter in his mailbox, the dream image of a black dog. The author shows how Christianity gave the Devil a personification, a central role, and a name. Sullivan looks at the theologians who wrestled with the conflict between the persistence of evil and the presence of an omnipotent God, finding that none of them reached a satisfying conclusion. He also studies a number of serial killers and murders, as well as accounts of a carefully documented, nightmarish exorcism that lasted four months in Iowa in 1928. Yet somehow, writes Sullivan, the Devil has been able to convince everyone that he does not exist, so is “able to hide in plain sight because of the cover we all give him with our fear, our denial, our rationalization, [and] our deluded sense of enlightenment.” The author believes that the Devil is real, but, he adds, each of us is responsible for our own decisions. This is not an easy book to read, and some parts are profoundly disturbing. Sullivan offers crucial insights, but timid readers should think carefully before entering its dark labyrinth.
A compelling journey into the heart of darkness with an articulate, capable guide.Pub Date: May 14, 2024
ISBN: 9780802119131
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Atlantic Monthly
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2024
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