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SHINING PATH

Name: SHINING PATH
Author: Simon Strong
ISBN: 0-8129-2180-1

TERROR AND REVOLUTION IN PERU

by Simon Strong ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 1993

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Everything you need to know about Abimael Guzman (recently captured by Peruvian government forces), his Shining Path movement, and grass-roots revolution in general; by freelance British correspondent Strong (The New York Times, The Independent, etc.). Strong's credentials include a very thorough knowledge of contemporary Peru, where he has lived for years, and his research is integrated by a sophisticated sense of history and economics. Beginning with a Stockholm meeting with Guzman's brother-in-law, Strong weaves a convincing tale of poverty, racism, slaughter, and the focused dedication of one remarkable man. In doing so, he recapitulates modern revolution as it has been embodied in figures like Lenin, Ho Chi Minh, and Mao, and makes comprehensible the messianic power that transforms victimized masses. The author sees Guzman—the brilliant bastard son of a wealthy and powerful man—as two people: a kind scholar of genuine gifts, beloved of friends and small children; and a ticking time-bomb, a classic ascetic/obsessive in whom personal and social resentment come together with implacable force. And Strong places Guzman in context: The author's command of such local realities as Inca mythology, the politics of Mario Vargas Llosa, the overriding economic realities of cocaine, the role of the universities in Latin American politics, the significance of Mormon and fundamentalist presences, and the internecine warfare of leftist groups infuses his account with an authenticity—and consequent interest—that goes beyond mere reportage. Strong's version of how yet another US/local-despot alliance is confronted by yet another leftist group is evenhanded enough to make all involved parties uncomfortable—but never the reader. Strong, succinct writing about an important phenomenon.

Pub Date: March 1, 1993

ISBN: 0-8129-2180-1

Page Count: 256

Publisher: Times/Henry Holt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 1993

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.