A rosy but incomplete picture that would be of greater value to educators if the author weren’t trying so hard to sell the...
A markedly positive account of a growing network of high schools designed to help poor urban youth prepare for college.
Freelance journalist and former U.S. Catholic magazine editor Sweas produces a sequel to G.R. Kearney’s More Than a Dream (2008), which told the story of the first school in the network, Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in Chicago. From that beginning in 1996, the Cristo Rey network now includes 28 college-prep schools in cities across the country. Although the schools are Catholic, students need not be, but they must be from low-income families. They are often minorities and are definitely behind in their studies. Besides serving the urban poor and disadvantaged, the system has been a lifesaver for Catholic high schools threatened by a shortage of once-available nun and priest teachers, higher costs and dropping enrollments. The Cristo Rey schools operate corporate work-study programs in which students work for local companies five days per month, an arrangement that brings in money for the school and introduces students to the world of work. Sweas uses the personal stories of students from various schools to illustrate how the system works and how the students view their experiences. To round out her portrait of the network, the author interviewed teachers, administrators, board members and corporate sponsors, nearly all of whom are glowing in their appraisals. Unfortunately, Sweas’ presentation often reads like a promotion piece for the network—e.g, while frequently mentioning that the schools have a 100 percent college acceptance rate, she omits data on how many students drop out of Cristo Rey high schools, how many actually attend what kind of college and what their college graduation rates are.
A rosy but incomplete picture that would be of greater value to educators if the author weren’t trying so hard to sell the system.Pub Date: Aug. 19, 2014
ISBN: 978-0062288011
Page Count: 224
Publisher: HarperOne
Review Posted Online: July 1, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2014
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
This a book of earlier, philosophical essays concerned with the essential "absurdity" of life and the concept that- to overcome the strong tendency to suicide in every thoughtful man-one must accept life on its own terms with its values of revolt, liberty and passion. A dreary thesis- derived from and distorting the beliefs of the founders of existentialism, Jaspers, Heldegger and Kierkegaard, etc., the point of view seems peculiarly outmoded. It is based on the experience of war and the resistance, liberally laced with Andre Gide's excessive intellectualism. The younger existentialists such as Sartre and Camus, with their gift for the terse novel or intense drama, seem to have omitted from their philosophy all the deep religiosity which permeates the work of the great existentialist thinkers. This contributes to a basic lack of vitality in themselves, in these essays, and ten years after the war Camus seems unaware that the life force has healed old wounds... Largely for avant garde aesthetes and his special coterie.
Pub Date: Sept. 26, 1955
ISBN: 0679733736
Page Count: 228
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Sept. 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1955
© Copyright 2025 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.
