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SALT & LIGHT

THE COMPLETE JESUS

A well-researched, open-minded introduction to the historical Jesus.

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A comprehensive survey centers on the historical Jesus of Nazareth.

A career businessman and founder of Canada’s conservative Atlantica Party, Dean explains that his examination of Jesus is targeted to “the person on the street who has never had exposure to Jesus in any form.” Based on an impressive 10-year exploration of the classical primary sources and contemporary academic literature on Jesus, this book effectively blends relevant scholarship with an approachable yet nuanced narrative that succeeds in its mission to provide analysis that is “straightforward and easy to grasp.” Part 1 in a two-volume series, this work looks at “the Complete Jesus” by focusing primarily on the historical records pertaining to him rather than the subsequent theological interpretations of his life. Revolving around three driving questions (What did Jesus do? What did he say? Who was he?), the book probes variations in Gospel narratives and early Christian writings as well as Jewish, Roman, and Muslim accounts of Jesus’ life. Like most academic surveys of the historical Jesus, the book concludes that “the figure of Jesus is shadowy and ill-defined” in the records. Ultimately, the volume argues, Jesus should not be considered a rabbi, as his teachings were “distinct from Judaism.” Moreover, despite the author’s personal belief in the veracity of Jesus’ miraculous deeds, Dean notes that the man was not divine, made “mistakes,” and often “created confusion by not definitively identifying himself.”While not systematically engaging with theology, the work similarly rejects the Christian doctrines of the Trinity, hell, and Jesus’ second coming in its embrace of the simplicity of his teachings to love all, share one’s light, and not to overly desire possessions. Accompanied by classical and Renaissance art, images of primary source documents, charts, and other visual aids, this volume is remarkably accessible given its sophisticated use of the esoteric and academic works that fill its impressive footnotes and bibliography. Still, some may disagree with the author’s assertion that the Christian Bible is “the most influential work” of Western civilization, a claim that ignores the sacred book’s Middle Eastern, African, and Asian influences.

A well-researched, open-minded introduction to the historical Jesus.

Pub Date: N/A

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: N/A

Review Posted Online: Feb. 3, 2022

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KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON

THE OSAGE MURDERS AND THE BIRTH OF THE FBI

Dogged original research and superb narrative skills come together in this gripping account of pitiless evil.

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  • National Book Award Finalist

Greed, depravity, and serial murder in 1920s Oklahoma.

During that time, enrolled members of the Osage Indian nation were among the wealthiest people per capita in the world. The rich oil fields beneath their reservation brought millions of dollars into the tribe annually, distributed to tribal members holding "headrights" that could not be bought or sold but only inherited. This vast wealth attracted the attention of unscrupulous whites who found ways to divert it to themselves by marrying Osage women or by having Osage declared legally incompetent so the whites could fleece them through the administration of their estates. For some, however, these deceptive tactics were not enough, and a plague of violent death—by shooting, poison, orchestrated automobile accident, and bombing—began to decimate the Osage in what they came to call the "Reign of Terror." Corrupt and incompetent law enforcement and judicial systems ensured that the perpetrators were never found or punished until the young J. Edgar Hoover saw cracking these cases as a means of burnishing the reputation of the newly professionalized FBI. Bestselling New Yorker staff writer Grann (The Devil and Sherlock Holmes: Tales of Murder, Madness, and Obsession, 2010, etc.) follows Special Agent Tom White and his assistants as they track the killers of one extended Osage family through a closed local culture of greed, bigotry, and lies in pursuit of protection for the survivors and justice for the dead. But he doesn't stop there; relying almost entirely on primary and unpublished sources, the author goes on to expose a web of conspiracy and corruption that extended far wider than even the FBI ever suspected. This page-turner surges forward with the pacing of a true-crime thriller, elevated by Grann's crisp and evocative prose and enhanced by dozens of period photographs.

Dogged original research and superb narrative skills come together in this gripping account of pitiless evil.

Pub Date: April 18, 2017

ISBN: 978-0-385-53424-6

Page Count: 352

Publisher: Doubleday

Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2017

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2017

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TANQUERAY

A blissfully vicarious, heartfelt glimpse into the life of a Manhattan burlesque dancer.

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A former New York City dancer reflects on her zesty heyday in the 1970s.

Discovered on a Manhattan street in 2020 and introduced on Stanton’s Humans of New York Instagram page, Johnson, then 76, shares her dynamic history as a “fiercely independent” Black burlesque dancer who used the stage name Tanqueray and became a celebrated fixture in midtown adult theaters. “I was the only black girl making white girl money,” she boasts, telling a vibrant story about sex and struggle in a bygone era. Frank and unapologetic, Johnson vividly captures aspects of her former life as a stage seductress shimmying to blues tracks during 18-minute sets or sewing lingerie for plus-sized dancers. Though her work was far from the Broadway shows she dreamed about, it eventually became all about the nightly hustle to simply survive. Her anecdotes are humorous, heartfelt, and supremely captivating, recounted with the passion of a true survivor and the acerbic wit of a weathered, street-wise New Yorker. She shares stories of growing up in an abusive household in Albany in the 1940s, a teenage pregnancy, and prison time for robbery as nonchalantly as she recalls selling rhinestone G-strings to prostitutes to make them sparkle in the headlights of passing cars. Complemented by an array of revealing personal photographs, the narrative alternates between heartfelt nostalgia about the seedier side of Manhattan’s go-go scene and funny quips about her unconventional stage performances. Encounters with a variety of hardworking dancers, drag queens, and pimps, plus an account of the complexities of a first love with a drug-addled hustler, fill out the memoir with personality and candor. With a narrative assist from Stanton, the result is a consistently titillating and often moving story of human struggle as well as an insider glimpse into the days when Times Square was considered the Big Apple’s gloriously unpolished underbelly. The book also includes Yee’s lush watercolor illustrations.

A blissfully vicarious, heartfelt glimpse into the life of a Manhattan burlesque dancer.

Pub Date: July 12, 2022

ISBN: 978-1-250-27827-2

Page Count: 192

Publisher: St. Martin's

Review Posted Online: July 27, 2022

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