A wide-ranging guide stuffed with wellness tips that even explores quantum theory.
Various scientific and spiritual resources come together in this basic primer on the connections between physical and mental health and spiritual well-being.
What does it mean to treat one’s health holistically? Debut author Birnbaum first became interested in various means of holistic wellness when looking for books about “hands-on healing.” What started as an interest in reiki became a journey to learn various techniques and theories about how to balance physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. Divided into four sections, the author sets out to share her research and experiences in those three areas of well-being and her understanding of all the components as “The Bigger Picture.” Physical health includes information about food allergies (“A person may test negative for celiac…but be sensitive to gluten”), the benefits of exercise, and an explanation of alternative medicine. The subsequent chapter on mental health explores ideas of thriving relationships, the challenges that come with parenting, and the power of meditation. This leads to the spiritual section that begins with religion (“I consider prayer to be profound communication with our source”) and ends with examples and ideas about mediums and “channeled information.” The final part offers a deft interpretation of quantum theory in the hope that it illustrates that “we are all connected.” Birnbaum’s writing is most effective when sharing her vivid personal experiences as a learner, parent, and spiritual seeker. Each chapter incorporates a number of useful resources, from Thich Nhat Hanh to Marianne Williamson to Elisabeth Kübler-Ross (the impressive bibliography at the end is seven pages long). While the informal writing style doesn’t always invoke confidence (“I saw a documentary on television about aging”), it is accessible for those new to or well-versed in wellness. But some readers may find that it doesn’t do enough to bridge the gap between basic concepts and an appreciation of quantum theory.
A wide-ranging guide stuffed with wellness tips that even explores quantum theory.Pub Date: June 15, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-5043-8171-0
Page Count: 203
Publisher: BalboaPress
Review Posted Online: Nov. 14, 2017
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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