An earnest but ultimately flawed thought experiment.
Dental technician Miniere offers a brief discourse on time and its measurement.
In his nonfiction debut, the author propounds what he characterizes as a new theory about time, which starts strong: “Time does not exist, except in our minds,” he writes. He goes on to assert that the vast universe is full of inanimate matter that has no concept of “past,” “present,” or “future,” but only exists. Miniere posits that biological awareness, which is experienced by “a few tiny islands of living, universal matter,” is what brings time into existence, and that this awareness is the gift of God: “To abandon our wonderful, God-given, Biological Time Mechanism would be the height of foolishness,” he writes. Taking this as his conceptual basis, Miniere proceeds to discuss various ideas about time that have confounded scientists and other thinkers, such as the famous concept of “Arrow of Time,” which depicts chronology as happening in one direction only—from the past to the future. Miniere links these questions back to his concept of biological grounding, noting that humans only experience time in a straight line: “Since true Time only exists in our heads,” he writes. “I would say that Time is linear.” Likewise, he discusses conventions for marking time, addressing the current calendar and the use of “B.C.” and “A.D.” to denote years, and concepts such as time travel. Some of the book’s insights involving religion, which appear over the course of the book, may particularly appeal to Christian readers. However, in many of the author’s discussions, the flaws in the arguments are frequently clear; for example, the phenomenon of stellar decay, happening billions of light-years from Earth, effectively demonstrates that the existence of humans isn’t necessary for time to exist. In addition, the book doesn’t address that pre-Christian civilizations had elaborate methods for calculating time.
An earnest but ultimately flawed thought experiment.Pub Date: April 9, 2018
ISBN: 9781986479967
Page Count: 146
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Review Posted Online: June 29, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A frank and funny but uneven essay collection about neurodiversity.
An experimental, illustrated essay collection that questions neurotypical definitions of what is normal.
From a young age, writer and comedian Myers has been different. In addition to coping with obsessive compulsive disorder and panic attacks, she struggled to read basic social cues. During a round of seven minutes in heaven—a game in which two players spend seven minutes in a closet and are expected to kiss—Myers misread the romantic advances of her best friend and longtime crush, Marley. In Paris, she accidentally invited a sex worker to join her friends for “board games and beer,” thinking he was simply a random stranger who happened to be hitting on her. In community college, a stranger’s request for a pen spiraled her into a panic attack but resulted in a tentative friendship. When the author moved to Australia, she began taking notes on her colleagues in an effort to know them better. As the author says to her co-worker, Tabitha, “there are unspoken social contracts within a workplace that—by some miracle—everyone else already understands, and I don’t….When things Go Without Saying, they Never Get Said, and sometimes people need you to Say Those Things So They Understand What The Hell Is Going On.” At its best, Myers’ prose is vulnerable and humorous, capturing characterization in small but consequential life moments, and her illustrations beautifully complement the text. Unfortunately, the author’s tendency toward unnecessary capitalization and experimental forms is often unsuccessful, breaking the book’s otherwise steady rhythm.
A frank and funny but uneven essay collection about neurodiversity.Pub Date: Oct. 28, 2025
ISBN: 9780063381308
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Morrow/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Sept. 12, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2025
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.
A compendium of charts, time lines, lists and illustrations to accompany study of the Bible.
This visually appealing resource provides a wide array of illustrative and textually concise references, beginning with three sets of charts covering the Bible as a whole, the Old Testament and the New Testament. These charts cover such topics as biblical weights and measures, feasts and holidays and the 12 disciples. Most of the charts use a variety of illustrative techniques to convey lessons and provide visual interest. A worthwhile example is “How We Got the Bible,” which provides a time line of translation history, comparisons of canons among faiths and portraits of important figures in biblical translation, such as Jerome and John Wycliffe. The book then presents a section of maps, followed by diagrams to conceptualize such structures as Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple. Finally, a section on Christianity, cults and other religions describes key aspects of history and doctrine for certain Christian sects and other faith traditions. Overall, the authors take a traditionalist, conservative approach. For instance, they list Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) without making mention of claims to the contrary. When comparing various Christian sects and world religions, the emphasis is on doctrine and orthodox theology. Some chapters, however, may not completely align with the needs of Catholic and Orthodox churches. But the authors’ leanings are muted enough and do not detract from the work’s usefulness. As a resource, it’s well organized, inviting and visually stimulating. Even the most seasoned reader will learn something while browsing.
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005
ISBN: 978-1-5963-6022-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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