A meandering, thought-provoking series of essays that will appeal to memoir and social-history fans.
A collection of columns reflecting love, life and old age.
As a college professor and columnist, Wolf enjoys expounding on his ideas. It doesn’t really matter if those ideas are trite or if the stories that explore them are a tad mundane–the author believes he’s providing readers with valuable insight. He succeeds intermittently, but he always provokes some curiosity about how he developed his opinions. For instance, Wolf believes sexual indiscretion should be mandatory and that concealing faults in a relationship protects feelings from getting hurt. Although he briefly discusses a few of his relationships, his thesis stirs questions about those arrangements. The book is arranged in sections that also touch on sadness, perception, conversation and immigrant stories, among other topics. The author’s columns were regularly published in newspapers including the San Francisco Chronicle, San Jose Mercury and the Daily Californian, as well as Dutch and Finnish publications. All the columns are brief, ranging from two to three pages in length, and Wolf’s wizened, cynical voice is consistent throughout. The book’s title refers to the predicament that elders often discover as they age–that the world is the same yet changed, taking on the strangeness of a foreign country. It’s with his tales of foreign experiences and observances that Wolf shines. From discussing the quiet success of Muslim women in Western Europe, to the fact that drug dealers are allowed to deduct firearms and pit bulls as business expenses in the Netherlands, the author engages readers with interesting points. He also offers the interesting perspective of an immigrant who has absorbed a large part of American culture but questions the rest. As a whole, Wolf has supplied an uneven yet worthwhile read.
A meandering, thought-provoking series of essays that will appeal to memoir and social-history fans.Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2008
ISBN: 978-0-595-52423-5
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
