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THE JOY OF COMPASSIONATE CONNECTING

Name: THE JOY OF COMPASSIONATE CONNECTING
Author: Jaime L., Jr. Prieto
ISBN: 978-0557664320

THE WAY OF CHRIST THROUGH NONVIOLENT COMMUNICATION

by Jaime L., Jr. Prieto ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 10, 2010

More meditation than guidebook, Prieto’s work is compelling, motivating and useful, if occasionally hard to follow.

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Christianity meets nonviolent communication in this earnest, emotional guide.

Prieto calls on his experience as both a Christian and a practitioner of nonviolent communication (NVC) to draw lessons from the Gospels on improving communication and interpersonal relationships. He reads biblical events—specifically the Fall and the Sermon on the Mount—as speaking to common emotional situations and mindsets; for example, the Fall is not so much about original sin as it is about our choice to judge others and ourselves. Prieto makes Jesus’ words personal, relating them to people’s feelings, needs and the strategies they use to get those needs met. He also provides an NVC-inspired take on Ignatius’ Examen of Conscience, a popular Jesuit practice of examining one’s day for instances of sin and grace, which, in Prieto’s hands, becomes an in-depth exploration of a specific, emotionally charged instance and its related feelings and communication breakdowns. The author provides discussion questions at the end of each chapter to organize its emotional and intellectual content, with a keen eye toward the range of reader responses to the text. The nuts and bolts of NVC come late into the book, and the occasionally hard-to-follow details are made more confusing by a proliferation of complicated, unclear diagrams. Fortunately, Prieto provides a few pages of NVC reference material at the end, and he cites plentiful sources where those interested in NVC can learn more. Some inappropriate citations, including Wikipedia, and some incorrect bibliographic information show the book for what it is: not the work of a slick professional, but rather the inspired efforts of a Christian helped by NVC who wants to share his experience with the world and help people better their lives. Prieto draws on plentiful examples from his own experience, including the death of his father, his divorce from his wife and his relationship with his son. These examples go a long way toward creating a bond between reader and author, which counteracts the sometimes overblown emotional quality of the writing.

More meditation than guidebook, Prieto’s work is compelling, motivating and useful, if occasionally hard to follow.

Pub Date: Oct. 10, 2010

ISBN: 978-0557664320

Page Count: 296

Publisher: N/A

Review Posted Online: Oct. 5, 2010

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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NUTCRACKER

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

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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

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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

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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.