A bracing and heartfelt call to abandon false humility in favor of the genuine article.
A spiritual work offers an examination of authentic Christian humility.
Many people, writes Seah, including myriad Christians, misunderstand the quality of humility. They see it as a lesser value, focusing instead on things like grace, kindness, or love. Far too many folks, he asserts, consider humility a weakness and take offense at the suggestion that they should learn to practice it themselves. The author’s inquiries into the subject revealed to him the workings of related concepts, like proud, boastful false humility. To Seah, true inner humility is based on an internal assessment of an individual’s own personal strengths and weaknesses and manifests itself on different levels, which he deftly explores. In order to illustrate the various pitfalls people can encounter along the way, the author presents both real figures like Jim Jones and fictionalized characters, such as “Mister Numb,” who exemplifies some of the worst results of false humility (“Left to himself, with no social interaction, Mister Numb will develop a toxic and vicious cycle of dark thoughts”). Since the 1970s, Seah writes, “rising trends of the self have turned many toward self-fulfillment, self-gratification, and self-indulgent behaviors.” By embracing these trends, numerous people fall into pride and false humility. But through his Christian beliefs, Seah was able to unravel the important facts about “True Humility,” which he characterizes as a “fun, meaningful, and collaborative process” while admitting it can feel daunting, especially if attempted alone. In his earnest work, the author’s thoughts on the broader subject of humility are intriguing and simply written, and it won’t only be his Christian readers who will benefit from a plea for greater mindfulness and less braggadocio. As a timely antidote to the ubiquitous “humble bragging” of today’s social media culture, the book’s many gentle calls for a low-key, unassuming perspective that gives as much credit to others as it claims for itself are both relevant and refreshing.
A bracing and heartfelt call to abandon false humility in favor of the genuine article.Pub Date: Oct. 19, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-63299-442-4
Page Count: 208
Publisher: River Grove Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 21, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
It’s not Shakespeare, not by a long shot. But at least it’s not James Franco.
A noted actor turns to verse: “Poems are a Saturday in the middle of the week.”
McConaughey, author of the gracefully written memoir Greenlights, has been writing poems since his teens, closing with one “written in an Australian bathtub” that reads just as a poem by an 18-year-old (Rimbaud excepted) should read: “Ignorant minds of the fortunate man / Blind of the fate shaping every land.” McConaughey is fearless in his commitment to the rhyme, no matter how slight the result (“Oops, took a quick peek at the sky before I got my glasses, / now I can’t see shit, sure hope this passes”). And, sad to say, the slight is what is most on display throughout, punctuated by some odd koanlike aperçus: “Eating all we can / at the all-we-can-eat buffet, / gives us a 3.8 education / and a 4.2 GPA.” “Never give up your right to do the next right thing. This is how we find our way home.” “Memory never forgets. Even though we do.” The prayer portion of the program is deeply felt, but it’s just as sentimental; only when he writes of life-changing events—a court appearance to file a restraining order against a stalker, his decision to quit smoking weed—do we catch a glimpse of the effortlessly fluent, effortlessly charming McConaughey as exemplified by the David Wooderson (“alright, alright, alright”) of Dazed and Confused. The rest is mostly a soufflé in verse. McConaughey’s heart is very clearly in the right place, but on the whole the book suggests an old saw: Don’t give up your day job.
It’s not Shakespeare, not by a long shot. But at least it’s not James Franco.Pub Date: Sept. 16, 2025
ISBN: 9781984862105
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: Aug. 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
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
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