A wit worthy of Tom Robbins takes on the platitudes of Tony Robbins and his ilk.
Christensen’s parody of instant-wealth self-help books explains how “abnormally-white teeth and that house in Vail” can be yours—if you write your own success book.
With sharp tongue firmly in cheek, the author skewers those who strive to bring profundity to the gullible. Christensen studies the works of “the masters”—from Awaken the Giant Within to Outliers—and concludes that they “have more poetic devices than Alexander Pope ever dreamed of” and also make generous use of “white space,” as Christensen also does to humorous effect. The book riffs on the theories of Freud, Jung and Pavlov and stresses the importance of knowing a few key Latin phrases in case you find yourself stumped in a business meeting. The author even invents his own mantra: “Seek a Eureka!©” and equates the importance of work, education and inheritance with the odds of winning Powerball, picking stocks like Warren Buffet and raising rabbits. One section focuses on bogus visualization techniques aimed at the “achievable goal” of purchasing a “301-acre dream property in Fiji.” The book also offers 26 principles, which run from A to Z in clichéd self-help fashion. “The Atlas Principle” advises readers to be kind to those “several orders of magnitude larger than you,” while “The Zucchini Principle” states, “If thou of thyself hath abundance, thou shalt squash thy neighbors.” A discussion on the overuse of the word “paradigm” drives the author to pen a poem: “Ode to St. Stephen”—aka Stephen R. Covey, the author of the best-selling Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. This astute, irreverent book closes “with a brief hint of spirituality” and an appropriately absurd index that’s clever enough to work as a stand-alone piece.
A wit worthy of Tom Robbins takes on the platitudes of Tony Robbins and his ilk.Pub Date: Oct. 16, 2012
ISBN: 978-1470177928
Page Count: 200
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Nov. 21, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
An impressively thoughtful expression of spirituality.
Two men discover God on two different paths in Malby’s curiously titled first novel.
In some unspecified part of Middle America, two boys bond as toddlers in their rural hometown during an era in the 20th century when outhouses were the norm and child mortality rates were high. The boys grow apart and reconnect during manhood, finishing their long lives together. As youths, they become alienated by Windknocker, another name for God, which is further explained about halfway into the novel. Yet the titular Windknocker ultimately unites them and gives purpose to their lives. To cover the decades of their friendship, the narrative zips along like a skipped rock over water, pausing only to focus on key events in the characters’ lives. Often, these moments are what the two men look back to later in life as they attempt to resolve their differences regarding the meaning and practice of faith. Mew, the main character, takes the formal route through the Catholic priesthood during the tumult of Vatican II. His best friend, Leezie, lives in an informal street ministry as a laborer and soldier in World War II. As boys and men, they live on opposite sides of the tracks—literally at first, and figuratively later, with personalities as different as their origins, lifestyles and faith. Mew’s faith is intellectual (“religion wasn’t about experience but working toward perfection”); whereas Leezie’s faith is intuitive, particularly after he’s “borned again” during a revival meeting. Malby tells their story in memoir format through Mew’s voice, diverting occasionally into an omniscient observer—sometimes transitioning like an emcee—to cover episodes in Leezie’s life. The switches in point of view aren’t disruptive, although they give the narrative an uneven flow. Malby’s straightforward prose contains short, evocative descriptions—“I was sure her eyes sparkled even when she was asleep”—which will comfortably take readers into intimate discussions of faith that are thought-provoking independent of religious perspective.
An impressively thoughtful expression of spirituality.Pub Date: Nov. 10, 2010
ISBN: 978-1608622320
Page Count: 306
Publisher: E-Book Time, LLC
Review Posted Online: July 30, 2012
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Sturdy, exuberant verse.
Like the demigod from which it takes its name, Defining Atlas is a durable, uplifting volume.
A strong current of self-affirmation, self-love, and self-confidence runs through this work, and readers will come away feeling their spirits improved. We feel some of this current in the clever “Limited”; Michaels takes the titular subject and turns it on its head: “I’m new, but I’m old / Not limited beyond my means and methods / But limited because I’m special / Special beyond the heavens and everything that surrounds me / That I’m among…limited.” Elsewhere in “From the ashes…I am,” he sings a hard-won song of renewal and rebirth: “I am victory in its rawest form / I am hope that never conform / I am the will, the drive, and the truth / I am like everyone, like you.” But Michaels does not hoard specialness or victory for himself; he wants it for his reader too, and in “Wake Up!” he urges us on toward a bright future: “There’s something good here for you / Your purpose can never be defined by just one blue / Your destiny awaits you.” Underpinning Michaels’ stirring message is a strong faith in God, whose presence infuses many of the poems here: “But I always thank God for the latter / For the strength and will it takes / Shines so bright / Shines so right.” Michaels often adopts a loose scheme of rhyming couplets, and this decision leads to one of the book’s few weaknesses. Too often, the poet picks awkward or odd pairings; e.g., “And if I could become a perfect saint / I would make believers out of the ones who say they ain’t” and the “you/blue” couplet mentioned above. But such missteps are infrequent, and they don’t dim the warm light that emanates from Michaels’ fine volume.
Sturdy, exuberant verse.Pub Date: March 15, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-5035-4785-8
Page Count: 106
Publisher: Xlibris
Review Posted Online: Aug. 21, 2015
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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