by Ngoni Cash Daniels ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 5, 2017
A faith handbook whose main message of hope through a close working relationship with God will appeal to a broad spectrum of...
A conversational manual of Christian uplift.
In his nonfiction debut, Daniels stresses a concept of modern Christianity that centers on the pivotal nature of the present and underscores that change is happening now among millennial believers: “A time has come for this generation to rise up and shine,” Daniels writes, “destroying every evil foundation and bringing God back into our nations.” The book compensates for its relatively slender length by being heavily seeded with Scripture. Indeed, Daniels’ structure of quotation and commentary provides the backbone of his book and gives it a great deal of its strength; his Christian readers will often find his readings challenging or thought-provoking. The underlying theological outlook of this scriptural callback is correspondingly interactive: consistently, Daniels points out that belief in the Christian God is a partnership as much as it is a master-servant dynamic: “God invites us to reason with Him, no matter how bad our pasts are,” he writes. “He forgives and gives you the grace to fix your past mistakes.” Once the believer is on the road to fixing those errors, greater fulfillment—in both life and faith—is not only possible, with God’s help, but also encouraged, Daniels says. The book occasionally hits notes that are discordant with the modern world, as when it briefly discusses the role of women in society: “Women, being a strong support system (neck), try to lead without the proper faculty of sight,” he writes in one particularly unfortunate passage. “Imagine the neck telling the head where to go!” But generally, Daniels’ message of optimism shines through such impediments.
A faith handbook whose main message of hope through a close working relationship with God will appeal to a broad spectrum of believers.Pub Date: May 5, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-5127-8498-5
Page Count: 120
Publisher: Westbow Press
Review Posted Online: Dec. 21, 2017
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
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by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson
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by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis
by Robert Greene ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 1998
If the authors are serious, this is a silly, distasteful book. If they are not, it’s a brilliant satire.
The authors have created a sort of anti-Book of Virtues in this encyclopedic compendium of the ways and means of power.
Everyone wants power and everyone is in a constant duplicitous game to gain more power at the expense of others, according to Greene, a screenwriter and former editor at Esquire (Elffers, a book packager, designed the volume, with its attractive marginalia). We live today as courtiers once did in royal courts: we must appear civil while attempting to crush all those around us. This power game can be played well or poorly, and in these 48 laws culled from the history and wisdom of the world’s greatest power players are the rules that must be followed to win. These laws boil down to being as ruthless, selfish, manipulative, and deceitful as possible. Each law, however, gets its own chapter: “Conceal Your Intentions,” “Always Say Less Than Necessary,” “Pose as a Friend, Work as a Spy,” and so on. Each chapter is conveniently broken down into sections on what happened to those who transgressed or observed the particular law, the key elements in this law, and ways to defensively reverse this law when it’s used against you. Quotations in the margins amplify the lesson being taught. While compelling in the way an auto accident might be, the book is simply nonsense. Rules often contradict each other. We are told, for instance, to “be conspicuous at all cost,” then told to “behave like others.” More seriously, Greene never really defines “power,” and he merely asserts, rather than offers evidence for, the Hobbesian world of all against all in which he insists we live. The world may be like this at times, but often it isn’t. To ask why this is so would be a far more useful project.
If the authors are serious, this is a silly, distasteful book. If they are not, it’s a brilliant satire.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1998
ISBN: 0-670-88146-5
Page Count: 430
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1998
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