Scattered and incoherent writings on a disparate set of subjects related to the author’s political interests.
A slim book that mixes autobiography, political commentary, poetry, as well as the author’s personal reflections on gun violence in America.
Billed as an expansion of the author’s autobiographical first novel (Under the Palm Tree: A Journey from Childhood to Retirement, 2013), this follow-up expounds on the Ballie’s biography with frequent political digressions and personal reflections. The opening section—confusingly written from multiple points of view—is the most autobiographical, reflecting on the Ballie’s days in Tulsa, learning to play golf as a caddy for the Southern Hills Golf Club, and his memories driving on Route 66. One chapter briefly surveys the career of Benjamin Ferencz, investigator of Nazi war crimes. Another recounts the life of famed New York Mayor Fiorello H. La Guardia, a tribute to a distant version of the Republican Party: “His reputation was one of an honest nonpartisan reformer dedicated to civic improvement.” Such chapters offer frustratingly brief summaries and little analysis or reflection. Staid and simplistic poems on broad themes like fear, grief, truth, and peace—“As the world looks for some respite / Why are you so elusive?”—are interspersed throughout. The book’s most interesting sections consider the 2017 Las Vegas shooting, which is curiously coupled with the Ballie’s truncated recapitulation of the writings of psychoanalyst Erich Fromm. While the book is written in a folksy, plain style—“Hey Bubba, why does it take so long for the truth to come out?”—that readers will find either readable or cloying, the overall thematic material is hard to follow. Little effort is made to knit together the many disparate elements of the text, which lack cohesion and transition. Frequent typos and grammatical errors also hinder comprehension (for example: “He was able and constantly bring dishonest pols to task”).
Scattered and incoherent writings on a disparate set of subjects related to the author’s political interests.Pub Date: Aug. 14, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4834-8138-8
Page Count: 78
Publisher: Lulu
Review Posted Online: Feb. 5, 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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