A book of meditations on nature and life.
In this collection of short nonfiction pieces, LaRizzio (Hey, Milkman!, 2011, etc.) combines a philosopher’s perspective with a poet’s use of language to “capture common moments, increments of time made special by the pace and depth with which they were experienced and embraced.” Many of them take place on a deck where LaRizzio watches the sun rise, a cemetery where he walks among the trees, and in front of the glucose meter that his diabetes compels him to check frequently (“I hold my breath and prick my flesh, then await my electronic critic’s insentient decree”). The essays are brief—many are less than a page long, and few extend beyond two—and the dated entries cover a brief period from 2001 to 2003. LaRizzio is aware of how his contemplative nature places distance between himself and most of the rest of society (“they’d never comprehend the virtue in the hours spent sitting still and dreaming”), but he maintains his inward focus and his commitment to considering the smallest details of life throughout the book. Occasionally, the focus shifts to his interactions with others, as in an early encounter with an apparent Transportation Security Administration officer (“I stood in horror as a crewcut thug in latex glove and leather boots handled it [a glucose meter] to his whim and satisfaction”), but LaRizzio clearly prefers to chronicle his relationships with nonhuman components of his environment. The essays’ considered language may seem overwrought to some readers (“The contest for the sky has been concluded, and for this hour, it’s clear the sun has been the victor”). Others, though, will embrace its poetic qualities. Throughout the book, he clearly shows a passion for deep thought and engagement with the natural world.
This earnest collection of essays on nature and self takes a close look at one individual’s experience.
Pub Date: May 20, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4575-3814-8
Page Count: 148
Publisher: Dog Ear
Review Posted Online: June 25, 2015
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
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
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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