by Eyad Yehyawi ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 11, 2017
A meditative but rousing reflection on a life devoted to hunting that will surely appeal to those with similar enthusiasms.
Awards & Accolades
Our Verdict
GET IT
Google Rating
A writer recounts his experiences bowhunting—his pastime and passion—in this assemblage of brief anecdotes.
Debut author Yehyawi grew up in rural Iowa and was always drawn to the outdoors, though the genesis of his infatuation is mysterious since it was not inherited from his parents. During his freshman year in high school, he was introduced to bowhunting, and he was immediately transfixed by what would become a calling for the next quarter century. His adventures, chronicled in a lucid prose style that unabashedly communicates his enthusiasm for the sport, took him all over the world. He stalked caribou in Quebec, alligators in Florida, bull moose in Alaska, and gemsbok in South Africa. Some of his targets were notably dangerous, like cougars in Utah, the nearly invisible “phantoms of the forest,” and black bears in the northern tier of Alberta—he only successfully hunted one in his life. The author candidly recounts his failures as well as his triumphs—his first helicopter ride was the result of being nabbed by game wardens for hunting without a license on his person. Yehyawi’s memoir is dominated by tales of tracking prey, though he does occasionally share more personal details—for example, he suffered a sudden stroke as the result of a congenital heart defect. Nevertheless, even the hunting stories, conveyed with palpable emotion, seem almost confessional and intimate, and he often philosophically ponders life’s mysteries: “The secret to life is an age-old question, one whose answer is anything but universal. My response to that riddle has always been passion, for it’s the one attribute that keeps us going, the ingredient that fuels our fire and gives us hope.” Yehyawi’s remembrances can be grippingly dramatic—he once thought he was being shadowed by hungry grizzly bears, and on another expedition he came face-to-face with a lynx, a moment captured beautifully on film. (The book is filled with gorgeous photography by the author and others showing the impressive animals and stunning landscapes.) He communicates his adoration of bowhunting and the wilderness with an effusive, infectious love that can be moving: “One day, I know these memories will fade like the embers of a flame. But as I sit here now, almost thirty years later, I can still remember that chilly, October morning as if it were yesterday. More importantly, I remember the people and places that made it possible.” The author delves deeply into the technical aspects of the sport—decoys, grunt tubes, and rattling antlers—and these excursions into granular details will only captivate those with comparable expertise. But the central theme of the book remains the pursuit of a fiery lodestar, a clarion call that provides a lifetime of excitement. One can feel Yehyawi’s dedication to bowhunting, particularly in his descriptions of the way he started to introduce his son Z.J. to it. Especially for outdoors fans, this is a thoughtful and affecting collection of reminiscences.
A meditative but rousing reflection on a life devoted to hunting that will surely appeal to those with similar enthusiasms.Pub Date: Sept. 11, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4575-5599-2
Page Count: 262
Publisher: Dog Ear Publishing
Review Posted Online: July 5, 2019
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Share your opinion of this book
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996
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
Share your opinion of this book
More by E.T.A. Hoffmann
BOOK REVIEW
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson
BOOK REVIEW
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis
by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955
An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
Share your opinion of this book
More by Ludwig Bemelmans
BOOK REVIEW
developed by Ludwig Bemelmans ; illustrated by Steven Salerno
BOOK REVIEW
by Ludwig Bemelmans ; illustrated by Steven Salerno
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Hey there, book lover.
We’re glad you found a book that interests you!
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Don’t fret. We’ll find you.