by Janet McDonald ‧ RELEASE DATE: N/A
A thoughtful, rigorous, and comprehensive look at sexual crimes brimming with insights and humanity.
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A writer offers an exploration of sexual assault, including the forces that permit and encourage it, paired with a holistic approach to reducing its occurrence.
McDonald (UnHoly Orders, 1996) believes that the time for a serious revision of the way people combat and even think about sexual assault is upon us: “Society is now ready to dialogue.” The regnant strategy, which largely focuses on the problem from the perspective of law enforcement, is simply too limiting—the mere “adjudication of law” has proved simplistically insufficient. Instead, the author proposes a much more proactive plan that emphasizes preventive measures; addresses the mindsets that make victims more vulnerable and that catalyze predators; and identifies the features of societal culture that make sexual assault more likely. In short, this entails a prioritization of “merciful healing” (“Proactive mercy in respect to crime pattern prevention is richer than the donation model of charity. The whole of society is responsible for reducing malfeasance”). McDonald articulates in lucid, accessible prose ways to promote the empowerment of would-be victims that focus not only on defensive safety in the narrow sense, but also the disadvantages that make women vulnerable, including chauvinistic bias, economic insecurity, and an insufficiently robust understanding of consent. The author also looks to the offenders as well, discussing their predictable patterns of behavior, the likelihood they suffered abuse, and the role of pornography in the normalization of sexual violence and objectification. McDonald’s treatment of a sensitive subject is impressively nuanced, and she covers a dizzying array of topics with great concision. The author’s recommendations are deeply humane, seeking not only justice for victims, but also a world less likely to produce predators—who are not born with but largely learn violent tendencies. She also proposes a more realistic interpretation of gender equality that doesn’t entail indiscriminate sameness, thereby ignoring advantages men may have over women: “Privileged dualism denies diversity.” This is an important contribution to a timely discussion that deserves a wide audience.
A thoughtful, rigorous, and comprehensive look at sexual crimes brimming with insights and humanity.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: 978-1-5255-3722-6
Page Count: 337
Publisher: FriesenPress
Review Posted Online: June 19, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996
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
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by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955
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.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
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