A memoir that simply but effectively reminds readers of the good that can come out of unfortunate circumstances.
Springer (Hello Tomorrow, I'm Still Here!, 2009) presents a firsthand account of her struggles and triumphs after miraculously surviving a traumatic brain injury.
At 52, the author was a successful executive for a thriving insurance company. She’d dealt with stress and sorrow in her life—her husband had committed suicide three years earlier—but felt capable of handling a normal routine. Without warning, however, she suffered a terrible aneurysm affecting a part of her brain responsible for many vital tasks, including maintaining balance and walking straight. Most people who suffer similar brain injuries don’t survive, but Springer awoke from a seven-week coma with considerably less damage than expected. That said, the aneurysm didn’t leave her unscarred, and in this memoir, she discusses the many months of work she spent regaining some of her normal functions. However, her ability to concentrate remained impaired, and her sense of taste also deteriorated over time. Despite her hard struggle, she argues that her life is a gift from God—a belief that seems to allow her to press forward. But although Springer emphasizes the strength she draws from her faith, she doesn’t shy away from her recovery’s rough patches; at one point, for example, she even considered hiring a hit man to kill her. She describes her frustration at losing the ability to do something she loved—cooking—and how her knowledge of her blessings didn’t always provide her comfort. These feelings of disappointment in the face of grace are universal and may help readers connect to her story on a deep, human level. Although she briefly touches on a few medical issues, particularly when discussing the severity of her injury, her explanations are straightforward enough for medical laymen to follow. Overall, the book’s tone is personal and introspective, and her inspirational message isn’t clouded by any agenda.
A memoir that simply but effectively reminds readers of the good that can come out of unfortunate circumstances.Pub Date: Jan. 18, 2010
ISBN: 978-1439271612
Page Count: 128
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Oct. 16, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
This a book of earlier, philosophical essays concerned with the essential "absurdity" of life and the concept that- to overcome the strong tendency to suicide in every thoughtful man-one must accept life on its own terms with its values of revolt, liberty and passion. A dreary thesis- derived from and distorting the beliefs of the founders of existentialism, Jaspers, Heldegger and Kierkegaard, etc., the point of view seems peculiarly outmoded. It is based on the experience of war and the resistance, liberally laced with Andre Gide's excessive intellectualism. The younger existentialists such as Sartre and Camus, with their gift for the terse novel or intense drama, seem to have omitted from their philosophy all the deep religiosity which permeates the work of the great existentialist thinkers. This contributes to a basic lack of vitality in themselves, in these essays, and ten years after the war Camus seems unaware that the life force has healed old wounds... Largely for avant garde aesthetes and his special coterie.
Pub Date: Sept. 26, 1955
ISBN: 0679733736
Page Count: 228
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Sept. 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1955
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