A refreshing take on how to pursue life to the fullest.
A professional life coach uses a metaphorical journey to expound on the psychology of success.
When MacMillan (Monetize Your Message, 2015) was studying documentary filmmaking, he says, he was struck by the notion of the “Hero’s Journey,” a concept popularized by American academic Joseph Campbell. According to the author, this quest-plot structure—which was famously used as the template for Star Wars, among other films—is a metaphor for how one can discover what he calls a “true authentic life.” But to get there, he says, “you’ve got to wander through the desert of your traumas.” In this book, he does an admirable job of translating the principles of the hero’s journey into practical, modern applications for personal development. In clear, engaging text supported by useful examples from films and the real world (including his own experiences), the author walks readers through three specific phases, which he labels “The Preparation, The Journey and The Return.” A visual “map”—basically a pie chart—helpfully depicts the numerous stages of the journey, starting with a “Call to Adventure.” At first glance, this journey may appear overwhelming, but over the course of the book, MacMillan makes astute observations; he notes, for example, that a crisis can “be both danger and opportunity together” and that one’s thought processes can be seen “as the mediator through which we experience life.” The author writes with a distinctive voice in prose that’s descriptive and educational. The chapters are short but rich with detail, and the interactive exercises interspersed throughout—including such questions as “What dreams do I have, day or night, that reveal my purpose?”— are gathered in an appendix, making them easy to tackle as a single unit. A few portions of the book, such as discussions about ego and achieving an “Alpha/Theta state,” may be a bit too esoteric for some readers. Still, this book has the potential to elicit deep thought and self-reflection.
A refreshing take on how to pursue life to the fullest.Pub Date: Dec. 7, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-982216-43-6
Page Count: 194
Publisher: BalboaPress
Review Posted Online: Feb. 25, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2019
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
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
