An intriguing prescription and road map for relationship success.
A life coach makes the case to balance feminine and masculine energy for better connections with others and oneself in this debut self-help guide.
The author, in an increasingly sexless marriage with “Mr. Beige,” came to realize that “while my masculine energy served me extremely well in my business life, it did not really serve me in my personal life.” In this guide, she outlines particularly for women (although she notes that her concepts apply to both sexes) the need to consciously balance and harness one’s male and female energies to attract a desired romantic and sexual partner. Women should be aware they’ll likely need to have “polarity” of energies with a man, that “carrying…masculine energy into the quest to find a loving relationship will make it virtually impossible for them to attract a masculine man.” She details the distinctions of masculine and feminine energy, at one point noting, “Masculine energy focuses on doing, feminine energy is all about being and feeling.” She offers tips for women on how to lead with their feminine energies while trying to meet a romantic partner (including to be joyful, positive, and vulnerable) and how to handle the balancing act required to maintain a relationship and in deciding to end one. She cautions women against assuming a man’s preoccupation means problems with the relationship instead of perhaps another concern on his mind. She concludes her useful commentary with the contention that greater self-awareness of one’s preferences and tendencies in these energies will aid in the realization of one’s “true self.” B., a successful entrepreneur who’s also certified in neurolinguistic programming (NLP) and as a life coach, brings a relatable if not always fully explained personal story (what exactly is her relationship status with her new “Mr. Big”?) in offering advice to women struggling to find success in their personal lives. While her perspective may seem antifeminist at times, she makes a convincing argument for “polarity” in relationships and offers many helpful cognitive exercises, including to leverage NLP-type “anchors” of clenching one’s left or right fist to consciously tap into and assert female or male energy as the situation warrants.
An intriguing prescription and road map for relationship success.Pub Date: June 28, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-925471-05-2
Page Count: 272
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Aug. 12, 2016
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
An enjoyable slice of 20th-century music journalism almost certain to provide something for most readers, no matter one’s...
Music journalist and musician Wald (Talking 'Bout Your Mama: The Dozens, Snaps, and the Deep Roots of Rap, 2014, etc.) focuses on one evening in music history to explain the evolution of contemporary music, especially folk, blues, and rock.
The date of that evening is July 25, 1965, at the Newport Folk Festival, where there was an unbelievably unexpected occurrence: singer/songwriter Bob Dylan, already a living legend in his early 20s, overriding the acoustic music that made him famous in favor of electronically based music, causing reactions ranging from adoration to intense resentment among other musicians, DJs, and record buyers. Dylan has told his own stories (those stories vary because that’s Dylan’s character), and plenty of other music journalists have explored the Dylan phenomenon. What sets Wald's book apart is his laser focus on that one date. The detailed recounting of what did and did not occur on stage and in the audience that night contains contradictory evidence sorted skillfully by the author. He offers a wealth of context; in fact, his account of Dylan's stage appearance does not arrive until 250 pages in. The author cites dozens of sources, well-known and otherwise, but the key storylines, other than Dylan, involve acoustic folk music guru Pete Seeger and the rich history of the Newport festival, a history that had created expectations smashed by Dylan. Furthermore, the appearances on the pages by other musicians—e.g., Joan Baez, the Weaver, Peter, Paul, and Mary, Dave Van Ronk, and Gordon Lightfoot—give the book enough of an expansive feel. Wald's personal knowledge seems encyclopedic, and his endnotes show how he ranged far beyond personal knowledge to produce the book.
An enjoyable slice of 20th-century music journalism almost certain to provide something for most readers, no matter one’s personal feelings about Dylan's music or persona.Pub Date: July 25, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-06-236668-9
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Dey Street/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
Highly recommended—anyone at all interested in music will learn a lot from this book.
From the former Talking Heads frontman, a supremely intelligent, superbly written dissection of music as an art form and way of life.
Drawing on a lifetime of music-making as an amateur, professional, performer, producer, band member and solo artist, Byrne (Bicycle Diaries, 2009) tackles the question implicit in his title from multiple angles: How does music work on the ear, brain and body? How do words relate to music in a song? How does live performance relate to recorded performance? What effect has technology had on music, and music on technology? Fans of the Talking Heads should find plenty to love about this book. Steering clear of the conflicts leading to the band’s breakup, Byrne walks through the history, album by album, to illustrate how his views about performance and recording changed with the onset of fame and (small) fortune. He devotes a chapter to the circumstances that made the gritty CBGB nightclub an ideal scene for adventurous artists like Patti Smith, the Ramones, Blondie and Tom Verlaine and Television. Always an intensely thoughtful experimenter, here he lets us in on the thinking behind the experiments. But this book is not just, or even primarily, a rock memoir. It’s also an exploration of the radical transformation—or surprising durability—of music from the beginning of the age of mechanical reproduction through the era of iTunes and MP3s. Byrne touches on all kinds of music from all ages and every part of the world.
Highly recommended—anyone at all interested in music will learn a lot from this book.Pub Date: Sept. 12, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-936365-53-1
Page Count: 352
Publisher: McSweeney’s
Review Posted Online: July 31, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2012
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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