A collection of inspirational correspondence from parents, grandparents, mentors, and friends aimed at guiding a younger generation along the road to fulfillment. These letters were solicited from a cross-section of Americans by U.S. News and World Report under the guidance of editor Goode. The writers represent Americans of virtually all classes and economic stations, from waitress and mechanic to doctor, lawyer, and entrepreneur. Notably absent are the very rich, the very poor, and the very celebrated. Journalists Cokie Roberts and her husband, Steven, an editor at U.S. News, who provide an introduction and a chapter on interfaith marriage (he is Jewish; she, Catholic), are about as high-visibility as the contributors get. But that, of course, is the point. Here are ``real people,'' middle Americans expressing their hopes and dreams and passing on what they've learned to the children in their lives. Despite the regional, ethnic, and occupational diversity among the letter writers, there is a somewhat surprising continuity of messages: Be kind, be honest, be true to yourself. Says an eloquent midwife from Oregon to her two children: ``Embrace all parts of yourself . . . [even] the `dark' parts of your soul.'' And the waitress from Missouri to her teenager: ``Having a job like mine helps you become a better person.'' An Austrian Jew who escaped from Hitler extols the goodness of his fellow man while Ralph Reed, the director of the Christian Coalition, praises God. Myrlie Evers Williams, widow of civil rights leader Medgar Evers, tells her grandson: ``You won't get very far if you blame other people.'' Accumulating money is rarely a touchstone, except in connection with honest work and providing for family. So much for acquisitive, competitive America. Upbeat, positive messages suggesting that the similarities in Americans' lives outweigh the differences—perfect for an election year. (Author tour)
Pub Date: May 1, 1996
ISBN: 0-679-45011-4
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1996
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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