Intriguing if at times dense reading about myths, stories and the nature of truth.
With a nod to mythologist Joseph Campbell, this self-help book traces one man’s “Hero’s Journey” and how it transformed his life.
Even as a child, Riggio (The State of Perfection, 2012) was not good at following someone else’s rules; his mother was regularly called to the school for parent-teacher conferences. University life didn’t suit him either, but Riggio notes that “although college was not for me, real education was.” Though he failed many classes, he also learned some things. Hired as an architectural draftsman, interior designer and apprentice architect, he married, had a son and was on the path to success—and then he lost it all. He left his job, separated from his wife and moved in with his parents. Only after these losses did he begin what Campbell termed “the Call to Adventure.” The author references Star Wars, The Matrix and The Hobbit. One of his greatest influences was hypnotist and trainer Roye Fraser, whose Neurolinguistic Programming classes Riggio discovered. Curiously, accounts of his training with Roye are some of the weakest passages (“Roye was truly a magical and mesmerizing storyteller”). Riggio is at his best when discussing learning, communication and the consequences of a society devoted to the message “Be Good and Fit In.” Readers must quickly grasp new vocabulary, such as P2hrasing (“physical phrasing,” which includes body language and gestures), deep trance identification and W-learning (“whole-form” or “developmental” learning). The book would be more accessible if Riggio would cut back on the jargon and focus on his personal stories, which are generally well-written except for a few typos. The book ends somewhat oddly with a tale of a former student who is now unhappy with him. A Recommended Reading list will help those who want to delve deeper.
Intriguing if at times dense reading about myths, stories and the nature of truth.Pub Date: Sept. 15, 2014
ISBN: 978-0692229835
Page Count: 262
Publisher: Parrhesia Ink Publishing
Review Posted Online: Jan. 30, 2015
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
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