Black encourages readers to let go of their insecurities and embrace their bodies in this debut motivational work.
The author writes that she had body dysmorphic disorder for years, and as a result, her weight fluctuated greatly. She tried yo-yo dieting, fasting, and working out, but because of her low self-esteem, she couldn’t find a weight-control strategy that worked. Her outlook needed to change, she realized: “when you truly learn to love yourself as you are, it’s actually easier to be physically healthy,” she writes in her introduction to this body positive guide. “The love you feel for yourself causes you to want to take care of your body, and the person on the outside begins to reflect the person you’ve cultivated on the inside.” With this book, Black seeks to help readers silence their own negativity, as well as that of others who attempt to shame them for their appearance. Positive body image, she says, requires eliminating self-loathing thought patterns, seizing one’s own agency, fostering self-forgiveness, opening oneself to the possibility of joy, and ultimately loving oneself. Black shares her own experiences with judgmental people, and how she learned to love herself through activities like meditation, therapy, and yoga. Each chapter includes exercises, activities, and a “Mindful Moment”—a short anecdote to help readers change their way of thinking. Black’s prose has a tone that’s both encouraging and pleasantly urgent: “When you find yourself feeling panicky or emotionally distressed, say to yourself, I’m going to be my own first responder.” Her advice has applications that go beyond questions of weight and appearance; indeed, they address insecurities and self-defeating behaviors that are common in many people. The book is also connected to the author’s larger regimen of weight-loss strategies; for example, it concludes with an advertisement for a 21-day “Keto Cleanse.” However, the self-love that she advocates here will be valuable for readers of all body types.
A positive guide to body image that reminds readers to first address one’s inner self.Pub Date: Oct. 23, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-73273-974-1
Page Count: 155
Publisher: Whole Beauty Press LLC
Review Posted Online: May 13, 2019
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Categories: GENERAL NONFICTION
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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
Categories: GENERAL NONFICTION
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BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
Categories: GENERAL NONFICTION
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