Good proof that the problem of distraction is nothing new.
How medieval monks faced distraction.
Tackling the timeless theme of distraction, Kreiner, a professor of history at the University of Georgia, explores what the behavioral habits of medieval Christian monks can teach the modern world. Noting that the distractions we face today—whether it’s technology, work, or some other factor—may be greater than in the past, the author points out that to early monastics (male and female alike), distraction was seen as a constant spiritual challenge. From the British Isles to Persia, monks waged a daily war against those things which might distract them from their relationship with God. “Christian monks saw distraction as part of a cosmic drama, whose hum was especially audible in the quiet of their cells,” writes Kreiner. Having decided to live a life focused on God and as devoid of earthly connections as possible, monks understood that even the smallest of temptations, thoughts, memories, or sensory experiences could prove hugely problematic. Kreiner examines these distractions—and how monks faced them—using ever smaller spheres of existence: the world, the community, the body, books, memory, and mind. Throughout, she reminds readers that most monks were aware that the fight against distraction could be nearly impossible to win. “Their goal,” writes the author, “was an elusive synthesis of body and mind that could elevate them above the world’s distractions.” That synthesis was elusive, indeed, as distractions were unending and unyielding, but monks were able to develop coping mechanisms. Some methods were simple and commonly known (limits on conversation or personal ownership of objects). Others were more subtle, such as flooding former memories with new and holier memories or reading in a deliberately active style, keeping the individual aware and focused. Kreiner uses a wide array of primary sources spanning the entirety of medieval Christendom, creating a pleasantly readable result.
Good proof that the problem of distraction is nothing new.Pub Date: Jan. 3, 2023
ISBN: 9781631498053
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Liveright/Norton
Review Posted Online: Nov. 7, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2022
If the authors are serious, this is a silly, distasteful book. If they are not, it’s a brilliant satire.
The authors have created a sort of anti-Book of Virtues in this encyclopedic compendium of the ways and means of power.
Everyone wants power and everyone is in a constant duplicitous game to gain more power at the expense of others, according to Greene, a screenwriter and former editor at Esquire (Elffers, a book packager, designed the volume, with its attractive marginalia). We live today as courtiers once did in royal courts: we must appear civil while attempting to crush all those around us. This power game can be played well or poorly, and in these 48 laws culled from the history and wisdom of the world’s greatest power players are the rules that must be followed to win. These laws boil down to being as ruthless, selfish, manipulative, and deceitful as possible. Each law, however, gets its own chapter: “Conceal Your Intentions,” “Always Say Less Than Necessary,” “Pose as a Friend, Work as a Spy,” and so on. Each chapter is conveniently broken down into sections on what happened to those who transgressed or observed the particular law, the key elements in this law, and ways to defensively reverse this law when it’s used against you. Quotations in the margins amplify the lesson being taught. While compelling in the way an auto accident might be, the book is simply nonsense. Rules often contradict each other. We are told, for instance, to “be conspicuous at all cost,” then told to “behave like others.” More seriously, Greene never really defines “power,” and he merely asserts, rather than offers evidence for, the Hobbesian world of all against all in which he insists we live. The world may be like this at times, but often it isn’t. To ask why this is so would be a far more useful project.
If the authors are serious, this is a silly, distasteful book. If they are not, it’s a brilliant satire.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1998
ISBN: 0-670-88146-5
Page Count: 430
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1998
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK TO SCREEN
Gibbins combines historical knowledge with a sense of adventure, making this book a highly enjoyable package.
A popular novelist turns his hand to historical writing, focusing on what shipwrecks can tell us.
There’s something inherently romantic about shipwrecks: the mystery, the drama of disaster, the prospect of lost treasure. Gibbins, who’s found acclaim as an author of historical fiction, has long been fascinated with them, and his expertise in both archaeology and diving provides a tone of solid authority to his latest book. The author has personally dived on more than half the wrecks discussed in the book; for the other cases, he draws on historical records and accounts. “Wrecks offer special access to history at all…levels,” he writes. “Unlike many archaeological sites, a wreck represents a single event in which most of the objects were in use at that time and can often be closely dated. What might seem hazy in other evidence can be sharply defined, pointing the way to fresh insights.” Gibbins covers a wide variety of cases, including wrecks dating from classical times; a ship torpedoed during World War II; a Viking longship; a ship of Arab origin that foundered in Indonesian waters in the ninth century; the Mary Rose, the flagship of the navy of Henry VIII; and an Arctic exploring vessel, the Terror (for more on that ship, read Paul Watson’s Ice Ghost). Underwater excavation often produces valuable artifacts, but Gibbins is equally interested in the material that reveals the society of the time. He does an excellent job of placing each wreck within a broader context, as well as examining the human elements of the story. The result is a book that will appeal to readers with an interest in maritime history and who would enjoy a different, and enlightening, perspective.
Gibbins combines historical knowledge with a sense of adventure, making this book a highly enjoyable package.Pub Date: April 2, 2024
ISBN: 9781250325372
Page Count: 304
Publisher: St. Martin's
Review Posted Online: Nov. 28, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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