Allah, Jesus, and Yahweh

Name: Allah, Jesus, and Yahweh
Author: Gordon Harrison
ISBN: 978-0987959607

THE GODS THAT FAILED

by Gordon Harrison ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 2013

A gauntlet thrown down in the debate between science and religion that flatters the former and demonizes the latter.

bookshelf

Awards & Accolades

Google Rating

A withering attack on what the author sees as the irrationality of religion, and the societal ills it spreads.

At a time when many people evade or denude religious disputes to avoid offense, Harrison’s relentless candor is a refreshing tonic. He presents religion as the historical foe of liberty and reason that embraces bondage and shuns intellectual progress. In defense of his thesis, he displays impressively broad erudition, tackling the major religious texts of the Western tradition, as well as some of the more obscure ones. The book’s underlying premise is that religion and science are best understood as competitors, with each stretching to comprehend the cosmos and shape moral order. As a consequence, the author rejects any claim of their peaceful cohabitation, instead asserting that a person must choose between them. His discussion of the relationship between science and Islam is particularly engrossing, as other authors often stage the contest between science and religion on Christian ground. He rightfully points out that ancient Islam embraced scientific as well as cultural progress; however, he seems too preoccupied with lampooning modern Islam to convincingly explain the change in the faith. Similarly, the book stridently caricatures Christianity and Judaism without fully explaining their great contributions to philosophy and art. Sometimes, despite its rigor, the book complacently indulges in sweeping, ad hominem attacks: “After centuries of murdering and discriminating against freethinkers, Christians brim over with contempt toward Dawkins, Hitchens, Harris, and Dennett and their books. Muslims are consistent; they just keep on with the killing whenever possible.” The author doesn’t consider these thinkers’ disdain of religion, which has caused some prominent contemporary philosophers, including atheists such as Thomas Nagel, to turn against them. Overall, this often meticulously researched book is undermined by its lack of rhetorical and philosophical restraint.

A gauntlet thrown down in the debate between science and religion that flatters the former and demonizes the latter.

Pub Date: May 1, 2013

ISBN: 978-0987959607

Page Count: 376

Publisher: N/A

Review Posted Online: March 27, 2015

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

bookshelf

NUTCRACKER

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

bookshelf

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

bookshelf

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

bookshelf

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.