Occasionally uneven prose more than redeemed by a warm family narrative.
In 1994, after a lifetime of scrimping and barely making do, the 36-year-old author discovered that his two bachelor uncles had accumulated five million dollars in savings—all of it coming his way.
Harry and Joe Wolk ran a bread store that their parents, Russian-Jewish immigrants, founded on Manhattan’s Lower East Side in 1926. Their sister, Zachter’s mother, gave up her dreams of teaching to work full-time for free at the family store; her husband pitched in after his regular hours as an unemployment insurance claims examiner. Young Mort slept in the kitchen of his parents’ rundown one-bedroom apartment; he learned to consider a career in writing a fantasy and instead became a CPA. The question of why his uncles would sit on so much wealth rather than, say, help put Zachter through college, is never answered. Uncle Joe died before the story begins, and Uncle Harry was suffering from Alzheimer’s when his nephew learned of his millions in brokerage accounts. Apparently, they had the tormented relationship with money all too common among immigrants. Nonetheless, the author winningly details the prickly love of his close-knit family and the endless hours they put into running the beloved store. Scenes of the annual gathering after Passover dinner to count the food stamps acquired throughout the year are both touching and appalling. Zachter charmingly portrays the changing Lower East Side and the shifting relationship his uncles had with their patrons. Prices varied according to what they estimated each customer could pay (some got their bread for free), and Uncle Harry had a habit of supporting members of the community who were unable to pay their bills. Yet when his own nephew was out of work, he slipped him…two dollars. Zachter never seems bitter, describing the discovery of his uncles’ secret hoard with such surpassing sweetness and affection that readers won’t dream of envying his newfound wealth.
Occasionally uneven prose more than redeemed by a warm family narrative.Pub Date: Sept. 25, 2007
ISBN: 978-0-8203-2934-5
Page Count: 200
Publisher: Univ. of Georgia
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2007
A moving meditation on mortality by a gifted writer whose dual perspectives of physician and patient provide a singular...
A neurosurgeon with a passion for literature tragically finds his perfect subject after his diagnosis of terminal lung cancer.
Writing isn’t brain surgery, but it’s rare when someone adept at the latter is also so accomplished at the former. Searching for meaning and purpose in his life, Kalanithi pursued a doctorate in literature and had felt certain that he wouldn’t enter the field of medicine, in which his father and other members of his family excelled. “But I couldn’t let go of the question,” he writes, after realizing that his goals “didn’t quite fit in an English department.” “Where did biology, morality, literature and philosophy intersect?” So he decided to set aside his doctoral dissertation and belatedly prepare for medical school, which “would allow me a chance to find answers that are not in books, to find a different sort of sublime, to forge relationships with the suffering, and to keep following the question of what makes human life meaningful, even in the face of death and decay.” The author’s empathy undoubtedly made him an exceptional doctor, and the precision of his prose—as well as the moral purpose underscoring it—suggests that he could have written a good book on any subject he chose. Part of what makes this book so essential is the fact that it was written under a death sentence following the diagnosis that upended his life, just as he was preparing to end his residency and attract offers at the top of his profession. Kalanithi learned he might have 10 years to live or perhaps five. Should he return to neurosurgery (he could and did), or should he write (he also did)? Should he and his wife have a baby? They did, eight months before he died, which was less than two years after the original diagnosis. “The fact of death is unsettling,” he understates. “Yet there is no other way to live.”
A moving meditation on mortality by a gifted writer whose dual perspectives of physician and patient provide a singular clarity.Pub Date: Jan. 19, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-8129-8840-6
Page Count: 248
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Sept. 29, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2015
PERSPECTIVES
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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