Timeless wisdom made fresh and accessible.
Mehlman and Padawer present a new translation of Buber’s classic work of philosophy.
Martin Buber was one of the most important thinkers of the 20th century, probably best known for I and Thou (1923), in which he argues that humanity reaches its fullest expression in relationships with God and with other people. In this collection of talks he gave in 1947, the author presents legends and parables that exemplify his understanding of Chasidic Judaism, adding his own thoughts on these stories. The God who emerges from these tales is a paradox: infinite and ineffable, but also ever present. This is a God who meets people where they are. The rabbis we encounter here are similarly puzzling: They are renowned for their wisdom, but when followers come to them for guidance, these holy men invariably instruct their questioners to look inside themselves for answers. Their philosophy is perhaps best summarized by Rabbi Eliezer when he says, “Forget yourself and have the whole world in mind!” Buber, however, is a warm and generous guide. Taken as a whole, his meditations on these tales articulate an openhearted philosophy of living centered on service, and Mehlman and Padawer have followed his lead in crafting this very inviting translation. The syntax they use is elegantly simple, and contemporary readers will appreciate their use of gender-neutral language. Scholarly supplemental material makes up a considerable portion of this slender volume, and its presence is a valuable addition. While it’s true that the translators’ comments on the text would have been easier to process as footnotes than as endnotes, their observations are immensely helpful. Two forewords, a translators’ introduction, and a substantive and fascinating epilogue offer valuable guidance and context—even to the reader who may already be familiar with this work.
Timeless wisdom made fresh and accessible.Pub Date: July 10, 2023
ISBN: 9780881236378
Page Count: 88
Publisher: Reform Judaism Publishing (CCAR Press)
Review Posted Online: July 14, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
PERSPECTIVES
A virtuoso performance and an ode to an undervalued medium created by two talented artists.
The veteran actor, comedian, and banjo player teams up with the acclaimed illustrator to create a unique book of cartoons that communicates their personalities.
Martin, also a prolific author, has always been intrigued by the cartoons strewn throughout the pages of the New Yorker. So when he was presented with the opportunity to work with Bliss, who has been a staff cartoonist at the magazine since 1997, he seized the moment. “The idea of a one-panel image with or without a caption mystified me,” he writes. “I felt like, yeah, sometimes I’m funny, but there are these other weird freaks who are actually funny.” Once the duo agreed to work together, they established their creative process, which consisted of working forward and backward: “Forwards was me conceiving of several cartoon images and captions, and Harry would select his favorites; backwards was Harry sending me sketched or fully drawn cartoons for dialogue or banners.” Sometimes, he writes, “the perfect joke occurs two seconds before deadline.” There are several cartoons depicting this method, including a humorous multipanel piece highlighting their first meeting called “They Meet,” in which Martin thinks to himself, “He’ll never be able to translate my delicate and finely honed droll notions.” In the next panel, Bliss thinks, “I’m sure he won’t understand that the comic art form is way more subtle than his blunt-force humor.” The team collaborated for a year and created 150 cartoons featuring an array of topics, “from dogs and cats to outer space and art museums.” A witty creation of a bovine family sitting down to a gourmet meal and one of Dumbo getting his comeuppance highlight the duo’s comedic talent. What also makes this project successful is the team’s keen understanding of human behavior as viewed through their unconventional comedic minds.
A virtuoso performance and an ode to an undervalued medium created by two talented artists.Pub Date: Nov. 17, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-250-26289-9
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Celadon Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2020
PERSPECTIVES
A frank and funny but uneven essay collection about neurodiversity.
An experimental, illustrated essay collection that questions neurotypical definitions of what is normal.
From a young age, writer and comedian Myers has been different. In addition to coping with obsessive compulsive disorder and panic attacks, she struggled to read basic social cues. During a round of seven minutes in heaven—a game in which two players spend seven minutes in a closet and are expected to kiss—Myers misread the romantic advances of her best friend and longtime crush, Marley. In Paris, she accidentally invited a sex worker to join her friends for “board games and beer,” thinking he was simply a random stranger who happened to be hitting on her. In community college, a stranger’s request for a pen spiraled her into a panic attack but resulted in a tentative friendship. When the author moved to Australia, she began taking notes on her colleagues in an effort to know them better. As the author says to her co-worker, Tabitha, “there are unspoken social contracts within a workplace that—by some miracle—everyone else already understands, and I don’t….When things Go Without Saying, they Never Get Said, and sometimes people need you to Say Those Things So They Understand What The Hell Is Going On.” At its best, Myers’ prose is vulnerable and humorous, capturing characterization in small but consequential life moments, and her illustrations beautifully complement the text. Unfortunately, the author’s tendency toward unnecessary capitalization and experimental forms is often unsuccessful, breaking the book’s otherwise steady rhythm.
A frank and funny but uneven essay collection about neurodiversity.Pub Date: Oct. 28, 2025
ISBN: 9780063381308
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Morrow/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Sept. 12, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2025
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