An often poignant reflection on healing.
In this meditative book, Barcco explores what water can teach us about living.
Each of the 13 chapters here (one for each month, plus one for the “Eternal Cycle”) includes a reflection, a reframe, a ritual or practice, and a “Water Wisdom” recap. The early ones focus on release and purification; the author, a motivational speaker, describes how she merged swimming with her meditation practice, discovering that water cleanses the spirit as well as the body. The author tells readers that they are “made to flow, not to cling” and compares choosing motion to an act of faith. The book goes on to explore the sacredness of release, whether by crying or letting go of what no longer serves you. In the middle section, Barcco revisits the trauma of her father leaving her family and her mother’s subsequent suicide attempt, and she likens forgiveness to emptying a vessel, which can now be filled with light. Readers are reminded that “Even the ocean rests” and are encouraged to embrace stillness. Barcco asserts that healing involves integrating the past, acknowledging that pain can be a teacher, and allowing love to move through oneself. She advises seeking silence for guidance and invites readers to “listen to life with an open heart.” The closing sections highlight gratitude practices and celebrate the courage and strength required to walk a new path. Barcco’s prose shines when blending lyricism and wisdom, as when she notes that healing “unfolds in cycles, / like tides that return again and again / until the shoreline of your soul feels smooth.” The book beautifully connects the properties of water with human resilience in lines like, “Water…rises as vapor, falls as rain, flows through rivers, and returns again to the sea. You, too, are water finding your way back.” However, some observations, such as “Somewhere above your clouds, the sun is still shining” seem overly polished and detract from the book’s tone. That said, its tips are easy to implement, such as warding off spiraling thoughts by counting backwards from 100 and adding the word peace after each number.
An often poignant reflection on healing.Pub Date: Oct. 24, 2025
ISBN: 9798993605609
Page Count: 89
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: Nov. 17, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
This a book of earlier, philosophical essays concerned with the essential "absurdity" of life and the concept that- to overcome the strong tendency to suicide in every thoughtful man-one must accept life on its own terms with its values of revolt, liberty and passion. A dreary thesis- derived from and distorting the beliefs of the founders of existentialism, Jaspers, Heldegger and Kierkegaard, etc., the point of view seems peculiarly outmoded. It is based on the experience of war and the resistance, liberally laced with Andre Gide's excessive intellectualism. The younger existentialists such as Sartre and Camus, with their gift for the terse novel or intense drama, seem to have omitted from their philosophy all the deep religiosity which permeates the work of the great existentialist thinkers. This contributes to a basic lack of vitality in themselves, in these essays, and ten years after the war Camus seems unaware that the life force has healed old wounds... Largely for avant garde aesthetes and his special coterie.
Pub Date: Sept. 26, 1955
ISBN: 0679733736
Page Count: 228
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Sept. 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1955
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
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
