In a thoughtful history of the Amendments to the Constitution, Bernstein (New York Law School) and Agel (coauthor with Bernstein of the YA title The Congress, 1987, etc.) point out that America is unique among nations with written constitutions in that its Constitution is central to the country's national identity. They also ask though fail to answer the question: ``Are we truly aware of the consequences of `amending America'?'' The authors focus on Article V, which sets forth the formal procedure for amendment. They seem aware of, but fail to discuss in depth, the equally transformative effect upon the Constitution of political events and judicial decisions, notably the jurisprudence of the post-New Deal era, which has established new civil liberties and given Congress broad-ranging power to regulate the nation's economic life. Bernstein and Agel recount the efforts to find a practical and flexible alternative to the amendment procedure of the Articles of Confederation (which, requiring unanimity, was unworkable); James Madison's victorious 1789 struggle to ratify the Bill of Rights; the early constitutional crises that resulted in the Eleventh and Twelfth Amendments, prohibiting federal suits against states and revising the procedure for electing the President; the important Civil War-era Amendments; and the progressive political movements that led to the early ``democratizing'' Amendments (among them, those dictating the popular election of US senators, enabling passage of the income tax, and giving suffrage to women). The authors' historical survey demonstrates that, while resolution of purely political questions through the Constitution (as in the Eighteenth Amendment's enacting Prohibition) has been unsuccessful, the Constitution owes its vitality to its ability to respond to the rapidly changing nature of American society. An excellent delineation of issues debated by modern constitutional scholars—though the authors' unwillingness to attempt to resolve these issues can be frustrating.
Pub Date: March 1, 1993
ISBN: 0-8129-2038-4
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Times/Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1993
A moving meditation on mortality by a gifted writer whose dual perspectives of physician and patient provide a singular...
A neurosurgeon with a passion for literature tragically finds his perfect subject after his diagnosis of terminal lung cancer.
Writing isn’t brain surgery, but it’s rare when someone adept at the latter is also so accomplished at the former. Searching for meaning and purpose in his life, Kalanithi pursued a doctorate in literature and had felt certain that he wouldn’t enter the field of medicine, in which his father and other members of his family excelled. “But I couldn’t let go of the question,” he writes, after realizing that his goals “didn’t quite fit in an English department.” “Where did biology, morality, literature and philosophy intersect?” So he decided to set aside his doctoral dissertation and belatedly prepare for medical school, which “would allow me a chance to find answers that are not in books, to find a different sort of sublime, to forge relationships with the suffering, and to keep following the question of what makes human life meaningful, even in the face of death and decay.” The author’s empathy undoubtedly made him an exceptional doctor, and the precision of his prose—as well as the moral purpose underscoring it—suggests that he could have written a good book on any subject he chose. Part of what makes this book so essential is the fact that it was written under a death sentence following the diagnosis that upended his life, just as he was preparing to end his residency and attract offers at the top of his profession. Kalanithi learned he might have 10 years to live or perhaps five. Should he return to neurosurgery (he could and did), or should he write (he also did)? Should he and his wife have a baby? They did, eight months before he died, which was less than two years after the original diagnosis. “The fact of death is unsettling,” he understates. “Yet there is no other way to live.”
A moving meditation on mortality by a gifted writer whose dual perspectives of physician and patient provide a singular clarity.Pub Date: Jan. 19, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-8129-8840-6
Page Count: 248
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Sept. 29, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2015
An intriguing approach to identifying and relating to one’s emotions.
An analysis of our emotions and the skills required to understand them.
We all have emotions, but how many of us have the vocabulary to accurately describe our experiences or to understand how our emotions affect the way we act? In this guide to help readers with their emotions, Brackett, the founding director of Yale University’s Center for Emotional Intelligence, presents a five-step method he calls R.U.L.E.R.: We need to recognize our emotions, understand what has caused them, be able to label them with precise terms and descriptions, know how to safely and effectively express them, and be able to regulate them in productive ways. The author walks readers through each step and provides an intriguing tool to use to help identify a specific emotion. Brackett introduces a four-square grid called a Mood Meter, which allows one to define where an emotion falls based on pleasantness and energy. He also uses four colors for each quadrant: yellow for high pleasantness and high energy, red for low pleasantness and high energy, green for high pleasantness and low energy, and blue for low pleasantness and low energy. The idea is to identify where an emotion lies in this grid in order to put the R.U.L.E.R. method to good use. The author’s research is wide-ranging, and his interweaving of his personal story with the data helps make the book less academic and more accessible to general readers. It’s particularly useful for parents and teachers who want to help children learn to handle difficult emotions so that they can thrive rather than be overwhelmed by them. The author’s system will also find use in the workplace. “Emotions are the most powerful force inside the workplace—as they are in every human endeavor,” writes Brackett. “They influence everything from leadership effectiveness to building and maintaining complex relationships, from innovation to customer relations.”
An intriguing approach to identifying and relating to one’s emotions.Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-250-21284-9
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Celadon Books
Review Posted Online: June 22, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2019
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