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NAKED DETERMINATION

Name: NAKED DETERMINATION
Author: Gisela Hausmann
ISBN: 978-0991272402

41 STORIES ABOUT OVERCOMING FEAR

by Gisela Hausmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Dec. 14, 2013

A unique life well-lived, but the telling isn’t quite ready for prime time.

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Vienna-born Hausmann has loved, lost and traveled—and she describes 41 short lessons she’s learned along the way.

Composed of 10 primary sections (“Essential Elements,” “Affairs, Sex and Love,” “Professional Life,” etc.), each part of this memoir includes four short anecdotes with the author’s analyses of the experiences and occasional, special “relearnings,” denoted by yellow sticky note graphics. A first, stand-alone segment opens with the tragic loss of her husband, which left Hausmann with two children and unsure of how she “would and could be a mom and a dad at the same time…living in that vast void which had just opened up.” But rising to a challenge is clearly one of Hausmann’s many strengths, and she rallied to support her family. She worked (first in Europe, then in America) in film, publishing, transportation, construction and education. Determination, a sense of adventure and old-fashioned grit were evident early on; she traveled through Austria and Moscow by bus when she was in her teens and across the Trans-Siberian Railway in her 20s. Hausmann is open to learning and credits many sources—talk show host Charlie Rose, Oprah’s Master Class and the Kama Sutra (rejected due to balance issues; “I read the Cosmopolitan to find better information,” she notes) have all informed and guided her. Hausmann acknowledges English is her second language, and readers may find some awkward word choices distract from the charm of her memoir. Her description of “flying drivers’ exchanges,” with one bus driver slipping behind the other as they cross Russia at 60 miles per hour, is just one of many brow-raising events that would have benefitted from stronger editing. But positive messages (“Just Smile!”), appreciation for others, environmental awareness and gratitude (the Red Cross receives special acknowledgment and a portion of book sales) are all part of Hausmann’s credo, and her first-person account is honest and interesting.

A unique life well-lived, but the telling isn’t quite ready for prime time.

Pub Date: Dec. 14, 2013

ISBN: 978-0991272402

Page Count: 204

Publisher: Educ Easy Books

Review Posted Online: Jan. 14, 2014

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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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

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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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.