A self-help guide explores how to find the right partner for a long-term relationship, regardless of age, persuasion, or circumstance.
This debut book by McCoy, a Massachusetts life coach, aims to assist those in search of a loving relationship who find the prospect of dating intimidating or discouraging. The book is divided into five chapters, each of which focuses on a simple premise, such as “Find Your Motivation” and “Screw The Date: Just Relate.” Deliberately avoiding an emphasis on seduction and game playing, the volume places a greater weight on self-knowledge and self-confidence. The opening sections strongly stress putting oneself in the right frame of mind to be open to and excited about dating, often a hurdle in itself. Throughout, the author highlights the importance of approaching relationships with an open mind, encouraging readers to dispense with preconceived notions of their ideal mates and instead shift their focus to character and rapport. For the introverted or gun-shy, the book is also peppered with clever alternatives to traditional dinner dates and online matchmaking services. Later sections encourage reflection on past or unsuccessful affairs as learning experiences, tools to bring one closer to a more suitable pairing. The ideas put forth in each chapter are supported by anecdotal accounts of real-life couples who successfully put these concepts into action in their own relationships. The candid work concludes with a concise summary of the ideas and advice outlined previously. The guide benefits from McCoy’s approachable, nonjudgmental writing style and in its ability to break down an unnerving process into small, manageable steps. While male/female pairings are the primary emphasis, the inclusion of LGBT and open relationships is notable and worthwhile. Throughout, the book takes a low-pressure approach, encouraging readers to take things at their own pace and enjoy the ride. Refreshingly, it makes getting back into the dating world seem like an exhilarating opportunity rather than a scary obligation.
A plainspoken, handy volume for anyone looking for love but daunted by dating.Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-9972294-0-0
Page Count: 206
Publisher: Merlin Coaching
Review Posted Online: July 14, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2016
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Categories: GENERAL NONFICTION
Did you like this book?
Noted jazz and pop record producer Thiele offers a chatty autobiography. Aided by record-business colleague Golden, Thiele traces his career from his start as a ``pubescent, novice jazz record producer'' in the 1940s through the '50s, when he headed Coral, Dot, and Roulette Records, and the '60s, when he worked for ABC and ran the famous Impulse! jazz label. At Coral, Thiele championed the work of ``hillbilly'' singer Buddy Holly, although the only sessions he produced with Holly were marred by saccharine strings. The producer specialized in more mainstream popsters like the irrepressibly perky Teresa Brewer (who later became his fourth wife) and the bubble-machine muzak-meister Lawrence Welk. At Dot, Thiele was instrumental in recording Jack Kerouac's famous beat- generation ramblings to jazz accompaniment (recordings that Dot's president found ``pornographic''), while also overseeing a steady stream of pop hits. He then moved to the Mafia-controlled Roulette label, where he observed the ``silk-suited, pinky-ringed'' entourage who frequented the label's offices. Incredibly, however, Thiele remembers the famously hard-nosed Morris Levy, who ran the label and was eventually convicted of extortion, as ``one of the kindest, most warm-hearted, and classiest music men I have ever known.'' At ABC/Impulse!, Thiele oversaw the classic recordings of John Coltrane, although he is the first to admit that Coltrane essentially produced his own sessions. Like many producers of the day, Thiele participated in the ownership of publishing rights to some of the songs he recorded; he makes no apology for this practice, which he calls ``entirely appropriate and without any ethical conflicts.'' A pleasant, if not exactly riveting, memoir that will be of most interest to those with a thirst for cocktail-hour stories of the record biz. (25 halftones, not seen)
Pub Date: May 1, 1995
ISBN: 0-19-508629-4
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Oxford Univ.
Review Posted Online: May 20, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1995
Categories: GENERAL NONFICTION
Did you like this book?
This early reader is an excellent introduction to the March on Washington in 1963 and the important role in the march played by Martin Luther King Jr. Ruffin gives the book a good, dramatic start: “August 28, 1963. It is a hot summer day in Washington, D.C. More than 250,00 people are pouring into the city.” They have come to protest the treatment of African-Americans here in the US. With stirring original artwork mixed with photographs of the events (and the segregationist policies in the South, such as separate drinking fountains and entrances to public buildings), Ruffin writes of how an end to slavery didn’t mark true equality and that these rights had to be fought for—through marches and sit-ins and words, particularly those of Dr. King, and particularly on that fateful day in Washington. Within a year the Civil Rights Act of 1964 had been passed: “It does not change everything. But it is a beginning.” Lots of visual cues will help new readers through the fairly simple text, but it is the power of the story that will keep them turning the pages. (Easy reader. 6-8)
Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-448-42421-5
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap
Review Posted Online: May 20, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2000
Categories: GENERAL NONFICTION
Did you like this book?
© Copyright 2021 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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.
