A useful and straightforward introduction to the practices and philosophies of martial arts.
A teacher reveals insights learned from his lifelong martial arts involvement in this debut motivational guide.
Nguyen took his first martial arts class at the age of 4 in his native Vietnam while the country was still riven by war. “I wasn’t really there to learn to fight,” recalls the author in this volume’s introduction. “My dad just needed a place to put a curious kid who was asking too many questions—questions that could get my family in trouble.” While his parents covertly smuggled his older brothers out of the country, Nguyen learned to punch, kick, and meditate. After a few years, he fled Vietnam with the rest of his family, spending time in refugee camps in Malaysia and the Philippines before gaining entrance to the United States. In his new country, Nguyen continued his karate training, which helped him to learn English, hone his discipline, and—eventually—provide him with a means to support himself. In these pages, he takes readers through various lessons, pausing at each step to elaborate on the deeper meaning behind it. The bow teaches commitment, for example; stretching teaches negotiation. Each chapter combines practical tips—visualization, breathing, repetition, muscle memory—with illustrative anecdotes and explanations of how these skills are useful outside the dojo. (Internalizing the importance of flexibility in the gym can help students embrace elasticity in the rest of their lives.) Nguyen’s prose is calm and accessible, and his years of teaching shine through in his writing: “In sparring, the goal, rule, and lesson are all the same. Sparring is all about control. It’s simple. In sparring, your goal is to hold control, no matter the situation or how hard your partner hits you.” Control is a fitting descriptor for the author’s work: clean, organized, comprehensive, and rarely surprising. The book would seem to have limited utility for someone not in a martial arts class—or not the parent of an enrolled child, as Nguyen provides “For the Parents” sections in each chapter. But for those embarking on a martial arts education, the author’s words will help get their minds in the right place.
A useful and straightforward introduction to the practices and philosophies of martial arts.Pub Date: May 17, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5445-1321-8
Page Count: 222
Publisher: Lioncrest Publishing
Review Posted Online: June 25, 2019
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
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
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