by Simon Critchley ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 23, 2015
A brief yet erudite and compellingly original survey that will provoke both personal thought and lively group discussion.
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A unique dialectic on the contentious phenomenon of suicide from a noted British philosopher and academic.
Critchley’s (Infinitely Demanding: Ethics of Commitment, Politics of Resistance, 2014, etc.) refreshingly nonjudgmental dissection of suicide begins with his assertion that the act—a dark taboo for many—is neither an offense nor something to be taken lightly. The author seeks to demystify suicide with literary “introspection and empathy,” potential reasoning behind the act, and what is left to be emotionally processed by survivors. When seen through the moral lens of Christian theology, suicide is a sin, he writes, but it is nevertheless a gruesome reality begging to be understood. Critchley’s outlook has roots in his own life: he admits to experiencing his own unmooring depression; “This essay,” Critchley says, “is an attempt to get over it.” He lucidly examines the stigma surrounding the act throughout the ages, referencing the principles of radical freethinkers like 18th-century Italian philosopher Alberto Radicati and poet John Donne alongside viewpoints associated with a belief in God, wherein suicide represents a flagrant disrespect for the gift of life. Fascinating as well is Critchley’s exploration of secular opinions on suicide. With an inquisitive, critical eye, he moves on to scrutinize the nature and enigmatic functionality of suicide notes, with their “mixture of depression and exhibitionism.” Readers will see the final words of Kurt Cobain, Elliot Rodger, and the Sandy Hook shooter, among others. The book’s brevity assists in tempering its often heavy, ponderous discussion. Readers touched by suicide and the unanswered questions left behind will appreciate Critchley’s scholarly perspective and intelligent, well-rounded analysis.
A brief yet erudite and compellingly original survey that will provoke both personal thought and lively group discussion.Pub Date: June 23, 2015
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 50
Publisher: Thought Catalog Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 13, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2015
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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by Truman Capote ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 7, 1965
"There's got to be something wrong with somebody who'd do a thing like that." This is Perry Edward Smith, talking about himself. "Deal me out, baby...I'm a normal." This is Richard Eugene Hickock, talking about himself. They're as sick a pair as Leopold and Loeb and together they killed a mother, a father, a pretty 17-year-old and her brother, none of whom they'd seen before, in cold blood. A couple of days before they had bought a 100 foot rope to garrote them—enough for ten people if necessary. This small pogrom took place in Holcomb, Kansas, a lonesome town on a flat, limitless landscape: a depot, a store, a cafe, two filling stations, 270 inhabitants. The natives refer to it as "out there." It occurred in 1959 and Capote has spent five years, almost all of the time which has since elapsed, in following up this crime which made no sense, had no motive, left few clues—just a footprint and a remembered conversation. Capote's alternating dossier Shifts from the victims, the Clutter family, to the boy who had loved Nancy Clutter, and her best friend, to the neighbors, and to the recently paroled perpetrators: Perry, with a stunted child's legs and a changeling's face, and Dick, who had one squinting eye but a "smile that works." They had been cellmates at the Kansas State Penitentiary where another prisoner had told them about the Clutters—he'd hired out once on Mr. Clutter's farm and thought that Mr. Clutter was perhaps rich. And this is the lead which finally broke the case after Perry and Dick had drifted down to Mexico, back to the midwest, been seen in Kansas City, and were finally picked up in Las Vegas. The last, even more terrible chapters, deal with their confessions, the law man who wanted to see them hanged, back to back, the trial begun in 1960, the post-ponements of the execution, and finally the walk to "The Corner" and Perry's soft-spoken words—"It would be meaningless to apologize for what I did. Even inappropriate. But I do. I apologize." It's a magnificent job—this American tragedy—with the incomparable Capote touches throughout. There may never have been a perfect crime, but if there ever has been a perfect reconstruction of one, surely this must be it.
Pub Date: Jan. 7, 1965
ISBN: 0375507906
Page Count: 343
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Oct. 10, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 1965
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by Erin Meyer ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 27, 2014
These are not hard and fast rules, but Meyer delivers important reading for those engaged in international business.
A helpful guide to working effectively with people from other cultures.
“The sad truth is that the vast majority of managers who conduct business internationally have little understanding about how culture is impacting their work,” writes Meyer, a professor at INSEAD, an international business school. Yet they face a wider array of work styles than ever before in dealing with clients, suppliers and colleagues from around the world. When is it best to speak or stay quiet? What is the role of the leader in the room? When working with foreign business people, failing to take cultural differences into account can lead to frustration, misunderstanding or worse. Based on research and her experiences teaching cross-cultural behaviors to executive students, the author examines a handful of key areas. Among others, they include communicating (Anglo-Saxons are explicit; Asians communicate implicitly, requiring listeners to read between the lines), developing a sense of trust (Brazilians do it over long lunches), and decision-making (Germans rely on consensus, Americans on one decider). In each area, the author provides a “culture map scale” that positions behaviors in more than 20 countries along a continuum, allowing readers to anticipate the preferences of individuals from a particular country: Do they like direct or indirect negative feedback? Are they rigid or flexible regarding deadlines? Do they favor verbal or written commitments? And so on. Meyer discusses managers who have faced perplexing situations, such as knowledgeable team members who fail to speak up in meetings or Indians who offer a puzzling half-shake, half-nod of the head. Cultural differences—not personality quirks—are the motivating factors behind many behavioral styles. Depending on our cultures, we understand the world in a particular way, find certain arguments persuasive or lacking merit, and consider some ways of making decisions or measuring time natural and others quite strange.
These are not hard and fast rules, but Meyer delivers important reading for those engaged in international business.Pub Date: May 27, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-61039-250-1
Page Count: 288
Publisher: PublicAffairs
Review Posted Online: April 15, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2014
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