An optimistic look at the magic of life.
Roberts strings together a series of autobiographical vignettes in her debut inspirational memoir.
The belief that anything is possible is something many people lose as they grow older. For Roberts, however, this belief always finds a way to resurface, even in bleak circumstances. Each short chapter of her memoir focuses on a single experience or lesson. Some of her experiences are quite extraordinary—such as the life-changing vision she claims to have received from God, detailed in “The September 13th Parable”—but others are fairly commonplace, like the story of her dog, Smokey, who trusted Roberts completely as she led him through a storm. The extraordinary stories highlight what Roberts sees as the miraculous nature of life, while the ordinary ones ground the overall narrative and make it believable. The author’s life hasn’t always been easy; she had a difficult relationship with her mother, a divorce and numerous financial struggles. Instead of dwelling on these negatives, however, Roberts uses them to illustrate how each circumstance opened the door for something magical: healing the rift between her and her mother, meeting the love of her life and finding unexpected solutions to her financial problems. Her voice is conversational, not stilted or academic, with a clear, uncluttered style that makes her memoir an easy, casual read. Moreover, she portrays many moments with a light touch, particularly when she speaks about faith-related matters, such as the power of prayer. At one point, she writes, “I know God always hears me when I pray. And I know I’m the happiest, the most peaceful with myself when it’s a two-way conversation, when I’m listening.”
An optimistic look at the magic of life.Pub Date: March 28, 2012
ISBN: 978-1470181840
Page Count: 204
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: April 9, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
A timely, vividly realized reminder to slow down and harness the restorative wonders of serenity.
An exploration of the importance of clarity through calmness in an increasingly fast-paced world.
Austin-based speaker and strategist Holiday (Conspiracy: Peter Thiel, Hulk Hogan, Gawker, and the Anatomy of Intrigue, 2018, etc.) believes in downshifting one’s life and activities in order to fully grasp the wonder of stillness. He bolsters this theory with a wide array of perspectives—some based on ancient wisdom (one of the author’s specialties), others more modern—all with the intent to direct readers toward the essential importance of stillness and its “attainable path to enlightenment and excellence, greatness and happiness, performance as well as presence.” Readers will be encouraged by Holiday’s insistence that his methods are within anyone’s grasp. He acknowledges that this rare and coveted calm is already inside each of us, but it’s been worn down by the hustle of busy lives and distractions. Recognizing that this goal requires immense personal discipline, the author draws on the representational histories of John F. Kennedy, Buddha, Tiger Woods, Fred Rogers, Leonardo da Vinci, and many other creative thinkers and scholarly, scientific texts. These examples demonstrate how others have evolved past the noise of modern life and into the solitude of productive thought and cleansing tranquility. Holiday splits his accessible, empowering, and sporadically meandering narrative into a three-part “timeless trinity of mind, body, soul—the head, the heart, the human body.” He juxtaposes Stoic philosopher Seneca’s internal reflection and wisdom against Donald Trump’s egocentric existence, with much of his time spent “in his bathrobe, ranting about the news.” Holiday stresses that while contemporary life is filled with a dizzying variety of “competing priorities and beliefs,” the frenzy can be quelled and serenity maintained through a deliberative calming of the mind and body. The author shows how “stillness is what aims the arrow,” fostering focus, internal harmony, and the kind of holistic self-examination necessary for optimal contentment and mind-body centeredness. Throughout the narrative, he promotes that concept mindfully and convincingly.
A timely, vividly realized reminder to slow down and harness the restorative wonders of serenity.Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-525-53858-5
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Portfolio
Review Posted Online: July 20, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2019
More Insight Lite from bestselling author De Angelis (Are You the One for Me?, 1992, etc.), this time on the need to stop and smell the roses. Once again, De Angelis takes a common-sense proposition (in this age of anxiety, as she points out with more sincerity than originality, we need to slow down, take a deep breath, and learn how to live in the moment) and stretches it into a book. In the process, she provides generally superficial analyses, credulously regurgitating factoids (``I recently heard a sociologist on the radio share an amazing fact: With the use of satellites, television and computers, you and I receive more information in one day of our lives than our ancestors of several generations ago used to receive in 1000 days!'') and mixing Eastern meditation techniques, neoNative American philosophy, pop psychology, and personal anecdotes into a thin New Age gruel. She liberally salts it with quotes from other grocery store gurus, such as ``Dan Millman, who's written several wonderful books about what he calls the `peaceful warrior.' '' But De Angelis's basic premise, and her advice on how to tune out the static of modern life and concentrate on what matters, are sound, if simplistic. She offers shortcuts to inner peace and harmony for harried Americans eager for a quick fix, including a sort of modern mantra (``Right now'') to help readers focus on the present and a formula for keeping the magic in your marriage (give your partner ``Love Snacks''—a quick kiss, hug, or kind word—several times a day). For people who regret the lack of spirituality in their lives but aren't inclined to seek it through organized religion or rigorous soul-searching, this upbeat, easy-to-digest self-help book could be just the ticket. (Author tour)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1994
ISBN: 0-385-31068-4
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 1994
BOOK REVIEW
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