A brief yet heartfelt and uplifting religious guide.
A debut book presents a scripturally based approach to the promises of God in an uncertain world.
Coleman encourages readers by describing “this place with God,” a phrase she uses often to denote a believer’s personal relationship with God as a safe and comforting space in the midst of an often cold and cruel human reality. This “place” is characterized by four main qualities: acceptance, forgiveness, victory, and purpose. The author is careful to explain throughout her work that even though these qualities are often lacking in the world, the believer can be confident of possessing them within “this place,” this relationship with God. For instance, other people may or may not accept others for who they are, and any approval may come and go. Nevertheless, God loves and accepts individuals no matter what—his love is unconditional. Likewise, “outside of this place with God, forgiveness is never guaranteed nor is at all possible, depending on what has occurred.” In relationship to God, however, “Jesus was crucified on the cross so that you could experience the benefits of true forgiveness.” In an imperfect world, Coleman explains, believers can find a place of perfect peace with God. Throughout the book, the author deftly utilizes specific Scriptures and biblical stories to stress her point. For instance, Coleman underlines the tale of Joseph’s relationship with his brothers in the chapter on forgiveness; she highlights the story of David and Goliath in the chapter on victory. The author’s writing is lucid and approachable, and her tone and subject matter should bring encouragement to those battling with everything from troublesome family members to difficult job situations. The book’s greatest fault is simply its brevity. Coleman has only piqued readers’ interest by the time her work is complete. There are so many more aspects of life for believers left untouched. Peace, hope, love, endurance, and numerous other topics could also be explored as “places with God.”
A brief yet heartfelt and uplifting religious guide.Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-5127-5694-4
Page Count: 58
Publisher: Westbow Press
Review Posted Online: March 22, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A very welcome instance of philosophy that can help readers live a good life.
A teacher and scholar of Buddhism offers a formally varied account of the available rewards of solitude.
“As Mother Ayahuasca takes me in her arms, I realize that last night I vomited up my attachment to Buddhism. In passing out, I died. In coming to, I was, so to speak, reborn. I no longer have to fight these battles, I repeat to myself. I am no longer a combatant in the dharma wars. It feels as if the course of my life has shifted onto another vector, like a train shunted off its familiar track onto a new trajectory.” Readers of Batchelor’s previous books (Secular Buddhism: Imagining the Dharma in an Uncertain World, 2017, etc.) will recognize in this passage the culmination of his decadeslong shift away from the religious commitments of Buddhism toward an ecumenical and homegrown philosophy of life. Writing in a variety of modes—memoir, history, collage, essay, biography, and meditation instruction—the author doesn’t argue for his approach to solitude as much as offer it for contemplation. Essentially, Batchelor implies that if you read what Buddha said here and what Montaigne said there, and if you consider something the author has noticed, and if you reflect on your own experience, you have the possibility to improve the quality of your life. For introspective readers, it’s easy to hear in this approach a direct response to Pascal’s claim that “all of humanity's problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone.” Batchelor wants to relieve us of this inability by offering his example of how to do just that. “Solitude is an art. Mental training is needed to refine and stabilize it,” he writes. “When you practice solitude, you dedicate yourself to the care of the soul.” Whatever a soul is, the author goes a long way toward soothing it.
A very welcome instance of philosophy that can help readers live a good life.Pub Date: Feb. 18, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-300-25093-0
Page Count: 200
Publisher: Yale Univ.
Review Posted Online: Nov. 24, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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