BECOMING UNSHAKEABLE

Name: BECOMING UNSHAKEABLE
Author: Patti Montella
ISBN: 978-1-5445-0430-8

by Patti Montella ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 20, 2019

An engaging read for both spiritual seekers and fans of travel memoirs.

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In this debut memoir, a former business executive shares her spiritual journey.

Two decades ago, Montella jettisoned a burgeoning career in travel technology to become an international educator, motivational speaker, and self-described “happiness expert.” She’d started attending breathing and meditation workshops, where she learned about Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, to whom the book is dedicated. The spiritual leader from India (not to be confused with the similarly named musician) became Montella’s inspiration and lifelong teacher. Indeed, the guru, who’s informally known as “Gurudev,” is a central character in this memoir. After participating in Shankar’s extensive program in India in 1998, she says, she was “all-in.” She quit her job, packed her suitcase, and traveled the world with Shankar. This catapulted her into what she calls a “Ph.D. program of spirituality.” In a poignant, compelling prose style, she shares her path to “becoming unshakable,” which she defines as the freedom of knowing that one can handle whatever life dishes out. She offers passages by Shankar that illustrate the underlying principles of this way of life. Still, Montella honestly reveals moments that made her doubt her commitment. Her experiences were wide-ranging; for example, she traveled the world to counsel Hurricane Katrina survivors and the families of victims of the 9/11 terror attacks. Along the way, she stayed in ashrams, fine hotels, and hovels. Other life coaches, most notably Tony Robbins, have written books in other contexts about being “unshakable,” but this one goes deeper. Readers experience the author’s journey right alongside her, and emerge with her clear, down-to-earth understanding of Eastern spiritualism. As such, the book might be useful as supplementary reading for university courses on relevant subjects.

An engaging read for both spiritual seekers and fans of travel memoirs.

Pub Date: June 20, 2019

ISBN: 978-1-5445-0430-8

Page Count: 304

Publisher: Lioncrest Publishing

Review Posted Online: Aug. 13, 2019

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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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

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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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.