A jokey yet earnest and useful guide to enlightenment for badass readers.
A motivational work blazes a spiritual path for those who consider themselves too cool for such things.
Dixon has always been interested in spirituality. But the term’s normal associations—rules, feelings, meditation, submission before a higher power—aren’t really part of his personal brand: “I love making lots of money. I love cool cars. I love taking vacations in tropical places. I love hanging out with friends and being potty mouthed. I love watching Netflix. I love sitting around on the weekends and doing absolutely nothing. There are a lot of things this badass loves.” A litany of badass things aside (and badass here essentially refers to a vision of American masculinity that fears being perceived as vulnerable), the author admits that his spiritual quest has helped him manage some of the less badass aspects of his personality, including depression, anxiety, timidity, and nihilism. He mixes stories from his own slacker’s quest for enlightenment with lessons from modern psychology, thought-provoking parables, and awareness exercises, all delivered as part of his jocular, profane, and fourth wall–breaking monologue. Chapters end with what Dixon calls “Spiritual Badass Lessons,” which remind readers how to react in various situations, generally by falling back on mindfulness or awareness practices. Along the way, the author encourages readers to visit his website, which features video content to supplement the material in the book. Dixon’s prose is direct and conversational by design: “So, before we continue down this road, fall head over heels in love, and end up drunk in a Vegas chapel…whaddya say we pause for a minute and I’ll explain how this book works? I’m a pretty sensitive schmuck and was already feeling your anxiety hit the roof.” Dixon’s meta he-man shtick will likely turn off some readers—possibly even most of them. But the manual’s intended readers seem to be a specific type: those who maybe don’t peruse that many books and who need this sort of playful hand-holding in order to access the spirituality they crave but are scared to explore. For that audience, Dixon has much to offer, repackaging mysticism, intentionality, and self-care into something proudly lowbrow and accessible.
A jokey yet earnest and useful guide to enlightenment for badass readers.Pub Date: Jan. 11, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-9858579-0-5
Page Count: 329
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: Sept. 22, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
In this highly learned yet accessible book, Robinson offers believers fresh insight into a well-studied text.
A deeply thoughtful exploration of the first book of the Bible.
In this illuminating work of biblical analysis, Pulitzer Prize–winning novelist Robinson, whose Gilead series contains a variety of Christian themes, takes readers on a dedicated layperson’s journey through the Book of Genesis. The author meanders delightfully through the text, ruminating on one tale after another while searching for themes and mining for universal truths. Robinson approaches Genesis with a reverence and level of faith uncommon to modern mainstream writers, yet she’s also equipped with the appropriate tools for cogent criticism. Throughout this luminous exegesis, which will appeal to all practicing Christians, the author discusses overarching themes in Genesis. First is the benevolence of God. Robinson points out that “to say that God is the good creator of a good creation” sets the God of Genesis in opposition to the gods of other ancient creation stories, who range from indifferent to evil. This goodness carries through the entirety of Genesis, demonstrated through grace. “Grace tempers judgment,” writes the author, noting that despite well-deserved instances of wrath or punishment, God relents time after time. Another overarching theme is the interplay between God’s providence and humanity’s independence. Across the Book of Genesis, otherwise ordinary people make decisions that will affect the future in significant ways, yet events are consistently steered by God’s omnipotence. For instance, Joseph is sold into slavery by his brothers, and that action has reverberated throughout the history of all Jewish people. Robinson indirectly asks readers to consider where the line is between the actions of God and the actions of creation. “He chose to let us be,” she concludes, “to let time yield what it will—within the vast latitude granted by providence.”
In this highly learned yet accessible book, Robinson offers believers fresh insight into a well-studied text.Pub Date: March 12, 2024
ISBN: 9780374299408
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: Oct. 14, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2023
SEEN & HEARD
A compelling journey into the heart of darkness with an articulate, capable guide.
An investigation of evil and how it manifests in our society.
As an acclaimed journalist, Sullivan, author of Graveyard of the Pacific, Dead Wrong, and other books, thought of himself as a man of reason and intelligence, with a good dose of cynicism. Then, when covering the wars that tore apart Yugoslavia, he confronted too many atrocities to believe that nothing was behind them. The author sensed the presence of evil and began to research the origin of it, which led him to the fundamental figure of malignity. While researching the book, Sullivan brushed against inexplicable, personal incidents—e.g., a weird threat from a well-dressed stranger, an ominous letter in his mailbox, the dream image of a black dog. The author shows how Christianity gave the Devil a personification, a central role, and a name. Sullivan looks at the theologians who wrestled with the conflict between the persistence of evil and the presence of an omnipotent God, finding that none of them reached a satisfying conclusion. He also studies a number of serial killers and murders, as well as accounts of a carefully documented, nightmarish exorcism that lasted four months in Iowa in 1928. Yet somehow, writes Sullivan, the Devil has been able to convince everyone that he does not exist, so is “able to hide in plain sight because of the cover we all give him with our fear, our denial, our rationalization, [and] our deluded sense of enlightenment.” The author believes that the Devil is real, but, he adds, each of us is responsible for our own decisions. This is not an easy book to read, and some parts are profoundly disturbing. Sullivan offers crucial insights, but timid readers should think carefully before entering its dark labyrinth.
A compelling journey into the heart of darkness with an articulate, capable guide.Pub Date: May 14, 2024
ISBN: 9780802119131
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Atlantic Monthly
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2024
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