A difficult work with provocative ideas hidden in the rough.
Mauser tackles the great truths in his debut philosophy manifesto.
Here is a work meant to stir creativity in the reader, to unshackle him or her from the bonds of stale thought and to unleash the latent producer within. Mauser believes in philosophy with an application: truth is valuable in that it leads to action. In 115 psalmlike sections, he offers his quick yet comprehensive thoughts on topics such as courage, venture capital and life extension. There are many intriguing subjects, and the work is admirably thorough as far as variety of concepts. Part self-help guide, part modern business model, the book offers a wide, autodidactic field of interests. Furthermore, it does so without coming off as scattershot: There’s logical structure to Mauser’s argument as he builds from one idea to the next, attempting to strip away the blockages in the reader’s mind and replace them with a more open sense of determination. With nods to thinkers as disparate as Friedrich Nietzsche, Peter Thiel and Wayne Gretzky, Mauser launches the reader through a discussion on the origins of religion, the nature of free will, the best methods of creativity, and production strategies for being a maker in the 21st century. Unfortunately, semantic clarity isn’t one of the book’s strengths. Mauser is so bent on defining and redefining words, often in the most abstract sense, that any reader who isn’t a normal consumer of dense, rhetorical philosophy will likely get lost around the second page. “Explaining,” for instance, “is merely the process of, first, connecting neurons on the hierarchical layer of ‘syntax’ to define ‘language’ and conceptual ‘words’ for abstract objects, and second, one level up, on the semantic layer of abstraction, to put those concepts into ‘sentences’ that have meaning when received by another human being in communication.” Early on, Mauser relieves himself of responsibility to his less informed readers: “only authentic books, only books written for the author, only books that write themselves, only books that are pieces of art—exclusively—are valuable books, are the books worth writing, and the books worth reading.” Don’t get it? Well, he says, that’s on you. A young man at the beginning of his career, Mauser has philosophical merits that may be sound, but one hopes his future books will take more seriously the writer’s important chore—elucidation.
A difficult work with provocative ideas hidden in the rough.Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2015
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: Dog Ear Publisher
Review Posted Online: April 9, 2016
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Dogged original research and superb narrative skills come together in this gripping account of pitiless evil.
Greed, depravity, and serial murder in 1920s Oklahoma.
During that time, enrolled members of the Osage Indian nation were among the wealthiest people per capita in the world. The rich oil fields beneath their reservation brought millions of dollars into the tribe annually, distributed to tribal members holding "headrights" that could not be bought or sold but only inherited. This vast wealth attracted the attention of unscrupulous whites who found ways to divert it to themselves by marrying Osage women or by having Osage declared legally incompetent so the whites could fleece them through the administration of their estates. For some, however, these deceptive tactics were not enough, and a plague of violent death—by shooting, poison, orchestrated automobile accident, and bombing—began to decimate the Osage in what they came to call the "Reign of Terror." Corrupt and incompetent law enforcement and judicial systems ensured that the perpetrators were never found or punished until the young J. Edgar Hoover saw cracking these cases as a means of burnishing the reputation of the newly professionalized FBI. Bestselling New Yorkerstaff writer Grann (The Devil and Sherlock Holmes: Tales of Murder, Madness, and Obsession, 2010, etc.) follows Special Agent Tom White and his assistants as they track the killers of one extended Osage family through a closed local culture of greed, bigotry, and lies in pursuit of protection for the survivors and justice for the dead. But he doesn't stop there; relying almost entirely on primary and unpublished sources, the author goes on to expose a web of conspiracy and corruption that extended far wider than even the FBI ever suspected. This page-turner surges forward with the pacing of a true-crime thriller, elevated by Grann's crisp and evocative prose and enhanced by dozens of period photographs.
Dogged original research and superb narrative skills come together in this gripping account of pitiless evil.Pub Date: April 18, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-385-53424-6
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Doubleday
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2017
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.
A compendium of charts, time lines, lists and illustrations to accompany study of the Bible.
This visually appealing resource provides a wide array of illustrative and textually concise references, beginning with three sets of charts covering the Bible as a whole, the Old Testament and the New Testament. These charts cover such topics as biblical weights and measures, feasts and holidays and the 12 disciples. Most of the charts use a variety of illustrative techniques to convey lessons and provide visual interest. A worthwhile example is “How We Got the Bible,” which provides a time line of translation history, comparisons of canons among faiths and portraits of important figures in biblical translation, such as Jerome and John Wycliffe. The book then presents a section of maps, followed by diagrams to conceptualize such structures as Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple. Finally, a section on Christianity, cults and other religions describes key aspects of history and doctrine for certain Christian sects and other faith traditions. Overall, the authors take a traditionalist, conservative approach. For instance, they list Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) without making mention of claims to the contrary. When comparing various Christian sects and world religions, the emphasis is on doctrine and orthodox theology. Some chapters, however, may not completely align with the needs of Catholic and Orthodox churches. But the authors’ leanings are muted enough and do not detract from the work’s usefulness. As a resource, it’s well organized, inviting and visually stimulating. Even the most seasoned reader will learn something while browsing.
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005
ISBN: 978-1-5963-6022-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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