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EXPERIENCING THE HERO'S JOURNEY

Name: EXPERIENCING THE HERO'S JOURNEY
Author: Joseph Riggio
ISBN: 978-0692229835

FOOLISH WISDOM BOOK 1: AN APPRENTICE OF WONDER

by Joseph Riggio ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 15, 2014

Intriguing if at times dense reading about myths, stories and the nature of truth.

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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

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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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

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.