A conversational, well-researched, and thought-provoking meditation on the human condition.
Hung, a retired doctor, ruminates on the myriad issues that have fascinated him since he was a young boy.
The author takes readers on a well-researched journey that explores 10 different aspects of the human experience, as well as his personal musings about each topic. He begins with the origins of Homo erectus and moves on to the connection between the mind and brain, the emotions that define us (happiness, suffering, pain, love, etc.), the concept of free will, and more. Hung tackles the issues that he believes define the “human experience” by balancing broad swaths of scientific or philosophical movements, like Confucianism, with examples of specific cases, among them psychologist Josef Gerstmann’s observations of visual agnosia in patients who, for example, are unable to recognize their own fingers. Woven throughout his findings are the author’s personal stories about the issues at hand, including his family’s harrowing escape from China to Hong Kong in 1949 to flee Mao Zedong’s authoritarian rule. Most topics are approached with a certain degree of scientific detachment, even the subject of love: “Fossils tell us that love evolved hundreds of millions of years ago, helping our mammalian ancestors survive in the time of the dinosaurs….Romantic love, the long-term bonding between males and females, is unusual among other mammals.” This clash of subject and tone can sometimes prove a bit jarring, but the text’s directness proves helpful when breaking down more complex ideas—like those of individual perception and determinism. While each individual topic questions the different qualities that make us human, Hung ultimately doesn’t offer any definitive answers. His unassuming style, however, ultimately contributes to the delightful feeling that one is simply listening to a friend discuss the confounding, revelatory, and joyous experiences (and sometimes winding digressions) that make up a life. Occasional photos and graphics augment the text.
A conversational, well-researched, and thought-provoking meditation on the human condition.Pub Date: Aug. 17, 2025
ISBN: 9781735355283
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: Sept. 10, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A virtuoso performance and an ode to an undervalued medium created by two talented artists.
The veteran actor, comedian, and banjo player teams up with the acclaimed illustrator to create a unique book of cartoons that communicates their personalities.
Martin, also a prolific author, has always been intrigued by the cartoons strewn throughout the pages of the New Yorker. So when he was presented with the opportunity to work with Bliss, who has been a staff cartoonist at the magazine since 1997, he seized the moment. “The idea of a one-panel image with or without a caption mystified me,” he writes. “I felt like, yeah, sometimes I’m funny, but there are these other weird freaks who are actually funny.” Once the duo agreed to work together, they established their creative process, which consisted of working forward and backward: “Forwards was me conceiving of several cartoon images and captions, and Harry would select his favorites; backwards was Harry sending me sketched or fully drawn cartoons for dialogue or banners.” Sometimes, he writes, “the perfect joke occurs two seconds before deadline.” There are several cartoons depicting this method, including a humorous multipanel piece highlighting their first meeting called “They Meet,” in which Martin thinks to himself, “He’ll never be able to translate my delicate and finely honed droll notions.” In the next panel, Bliss thinks, “I’m sure he won’t understand that the comic art form is way more subtle than his blunt-force humor.” The team collaborated for a year and created 150 cartoons featuring an array of topics, “from dogs and cats to outer space and art museums.” A witty creation of a bovine family sitting down to a gourmet meal and one of Dumbo getting his comeuppance highlight the duo’s comedic talent. What also makes this project successful is the team’s keen understanding of human behavior as viewed through their unconventional comedic minds.
A virtuoso performance and an ode to an undervalued medium created by two talented artists.Pub Date: Nov. 17, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-250-26289-9
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Celadon Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2020
PERSPECTIVES
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
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