EXPLOSIONS OF JOY

Name: EXPLOSIONS OF JOY
Author: Paul Yin
ISBN: 978-0-692-06573-0

A MEMOIR OF THE GRIEF COUNSELOR FOR MISSING MALAYSIA AIRLINES FLIGHT 370

by Paul Yin Trina A. Kraus ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 21, 2018

A sincere account that examines a man who likes to help.

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A grief counselor reflects on his life leading up to his involvement with the case of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 in this memoir.

Yin rose to prominence as the grief counselor to the families of the victims of Flight 370, which disappeared en route to Beijing on March 8, 2014, in what remains one of the greatest aviation mysteries of all time. He became the face of the victims’ families, speaking with international media outlets and advocating on their behalf. What in Yin’s life prepared him for this moment of crisis? With this book, he details his unusual life story. A star student in China, he came to the United States at age 16 to attend college, initially working as a motel custodian and living out of a literal storage closet. He discovered a major that was not taught in Chinese universities at the time: psychology. (“Originally, I found it very confusing. Every professor had a different view of psychology. It seemed they all belonged to a different school of thought!”) Entering the field, Yin got off to a rocky start attempting to counsel his psychology-averse fellow Chinese immigrants. He eventually returned to China, where his work as a counselor placed him at the center of a number of major events, including the SARS outbreak, the Sichuan Earthquake, the crash of Asiana Airlines Flight 214, and the Malaysia Airlines case, where the lack of closure on the part of the devastated families presented particular challenges. The book—written with debut author Kraus—features a bouncy, conversational prose that communicates Yin’s earnestness, no matter the situation: “I noticed an elderly lady sitting on the floor who was crying. I sat down beside her while tears began rolling in single streams down my cheeks. I held her hands, and I closed my eyes; she put her head on my shoulder and started crying louder.” Yin is an idiosyncratic character, informed as much by Christian teachings and an inherent cheeriness as he is by Western psychology. The volume is not as polished as readers might like, but it offers a unique glimpse into the role of a grief counselor in various high-profile public tragedies.

A sincere account that examines a man who likes to help.

Pub Date: March 21, 2018

ISBN: 978-0-692-06573-0

Page Count: 202

Publisher: Kraus House Publishing

Review Posted Online: Aug. 8, 2018

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.