Funky, fun, and occasionally naughty, with a meaningful message about embracing creativity and living life to the fullest.
A large dose of creative inspiration served up in an irreverent self-help package.
When he’s not writing books, Leisawitz composes and produces music, makes films, and teaches at Pacific Lutheran University, among other things. In a debut that’s full of cheeky attitude, he encourages creative types “to rev up, keep it on the road, and step on the gas.” The underlying messages—find your passion, do what you love, visualize a successful outcome, learn from failure, take risks, pursue your dreams, and, above all, have fun—are fairly typical of self-improvement books. The difference here is the author’s delightful delivery: Leisawitz writes with clarity and honesty, employing contemporary cadence and hip phraseology. He peppers his prose with insights and quirky humor: “As you may have noticed, humans are delicate creatures with oversized brains that tend to get themselves into trouble.” In addition, the book offers an intriguing mix of philosophy (“The Universe will guide you towards your highest good”) and psychology (“The one who puts the most time and effort into sabotaging our lives is ourselves”). The author effortlessly strings these one-liners throughout the text, creating a reading experience that’s a bit startling at times but always exhilarating. The book’s design is equally engaging; the type is unusually large, headlines emphasize key points and frequently break up pages, and cartoon illustrations enhance and effectively augment the text. In the end, the process promulgated by Leisawitz celebrates untethered creativity and freedom of spirit in the broadest sense: “Although it may not seem like it at times,” he writes, “every moment that you’re alive on this planet is a big deal. It’s also an opportunity. An opportunity to learn, to grow, to do stuff.” The author’s reverence for the creative process is evident throughout, and he writes with a passion that’s nothing if not infectious.
Funky, fun, and occasionally naughty, with a meaningful message about embracing creativity and living life to the fullest.Pub Date: June 21, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-692-89996-0
Page Count: 169
Publisher: Electron Unlimited LLC
Review Posted Online: Sept. 7, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2017
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
An enjoyable slice of 20th-century music journalism almost certain to provide something for most readers, no matter one’s...
Music journalist and musician Wald (Talking 'Bout Your Mama: The Dozens, Snaps, and the Deep Roots of Rap, 2014, etc.) focuses on one evening in music history to explain the evolution of contemporary music, especially folk, blues, and rock.
The date of that evening is July 25, 1965, at the Newport Folk Festival, where there was an unbelievably unexpected occurrence: singer/songwriter Bob Dylan, already a living legend in his early 20s, overriding the acoustic music that made him famous in favor of electronically based music, causing reactions ranging from adoration to intense resentment among other musicians, DJs, and record buyers. Dylan has told his own stories (those stories vary because that’s Dylan’s character), and plenty of other music journalists have explored the Dylan phenomenon. What sets Wald's book apart is his laser focus on that one date. The detailed recounting of what did and did not occur on stage and in the audience that night contains contradictory evidence sorted skillfully by the author. He offers a wealth of context; in fact, his account of Dylan's stage appearance does not arrive until 250 pages in. The author cites dozens of sources, well-known and otherwise, but the key storylines, other than Dylan, involve acoustic folk music guru Pete Seeger and the rich history of the Newport festival, a history that had created expectations smashed by Dylan. Furthermore, the appearances on the pages by other musicians—e.g., Joan Baez, the Weaver, Peter, Paul, and Mary, Dave Van Ronk, and Gordon Lightfoot—give the book enough of an expansive feel. Wald's personal knowledge seems encyclopedic, and his endnotes show how he ranged far beyond personal knowledge to produce the book.
An enjoyable slice of 20th-century music journalism almost certain to provide something for most readers, no matter one’s personal feelings about Dylan's music or persona.Pub Date: July 25, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-06-236668-9
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Dey Street/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2015
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Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis...
Privately published by Strunk of Cornell in 1918 and revised by his student E. B. White in 1959, that "little book" is back again with more White updatings.
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis (whoops — "A bankrupt expression") a unique guide (which means "without like or equal").Pub Date: May 15, 1972
ISBN: 0205632645
Page Count: 105
Publisher: Macmillan
Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1972
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