A mishmash of lightly sketched topics but still a beneficial, uplifting memoir of recovery.
One woman details her journey of finding Jesus, overcoming alcoholism, and helping others do the same.
Litchke spent most of her life as a high-functioning alcoholic. In this debut, she first shares how she endured her son’s turbulent teenage years that were filled with heartache and uncertainty because of his struggle with addiction. When he was sentenced to prison for marijuana possession, it was a turning point for both mother and son. Litchke writes, “I hit my knees and gave my life to Jesus.” She transformed from a helicopter parent to one who put her trust in God. Over a year later, she finally faced her own alcoholism and made a decision to get sober. In addition to attending a 12-step recovery program, she strove to replace her drinking habit with baking cupcakes and creating inspirational bumper stickers. She also discovered yoga, which played a vital role in her personal and spiritual development: “I had finally created a space to accept myself without judgment….I think God just wants us to create a space during yoga to invite Him in.” Yoga and counseling gave her the courage to approach her husband about his drinking problem and assist him in his recovery. Litchke’s candor, especially about her parenting mistakes and alcoholism, brings power to her words. Her conversational, gung-ho writing style may inspire like-minded Christians but will probably turn off others. For example, she says that she used to think born-again Christians were “weird” until she became one. “I love being weird. I just love Jesus! I am a Jesus junky for sure.” Because the topics are so varied—parenting, alcoholism, cupcakes, yoga, Jesus—some readers might skim sections that don’t particularly interest them. That said, the book carries great value as a clear-cut, real-life example of recovery from addiction. Also, sweet-toothed readers will enjoy the cupcake recipes that accompany each chapter.
A mishmash of lightly sketched topics but still a beneficial, uplifting memoir of recovery.Pub Date: Feb. 7, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-5127-6907-4
Page Count: 146
Publisher: Westbow Press
Review Posted Online: July 20, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2017
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A very welcome instance of philosophy that can help readers live a good life.
A teacher and scholar of Buddhism offers a formally varied account of the available rewards of solitude.
“As Mother Ayahuasca takes me in her arms, I realize that last night I vomited up my attachment to Buddhism. In passing out, I died. In coming to, I was, so to speak, reborn. I no longer have to fight these battles, I repeat to myself. I am no longer a combatant in the dharma wars. It feels as if the course of my life has shifted onto another vector, like a train shunted off its familiar track onto a new trajectory.” Readers of Batchelor’s previous books (Secular Buddhism: Imagining the Dharma in an Uncertain World, 2017, etc.) will recognize in this passage the culmination of his decadeslong shift away from the religious commitments of Buddhism toward an ecumenical and homegrown philosophy of life. Writing in a variety of modes—memoir, history, collage, essay, biography, and meditation instruction—the author doesn’t argue for his approach to solitude as much as offer it for contemplation. Essentially, Batchelor implies that if you read what Buddha said here and what Montaigne said there, and if you consider something the author has noticed, and if you reflect on your own experience, you have the possibility to improve the quality of your life. For introspective readers, it’s easy to hear in this approach a direct response to Pascal’s claim that “all of humanity's problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone.” Batchelor wants to relieve us of this inability by offering his example of how to do just that. “Solitude is an art. Mental training is needed to refine and stabilize it,” he writes. “When you practice solitude, you dedicate yourself to the care of the soul.” Whatever a soul is, the author goes a long way toward soothing it.
A very welcome instance of philosophy that can help readers live a good life.Pub Date: Feb. 18, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-300-25093-0
Page Count: 200
Publisher: Yale Univ.
Review Posted Online: Nov. 24, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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