by Stanley D. Williams ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 25, 2015
A modern apologetic that exuberantly uses the flourishes of memoir.
A lifetime of dissatisfaction with Evangelicalism leads a contrarian Christian intellectual to the Catholic faith in this spiritually focused memoir.
Williams (The Moral Premise: Harnessing Virtue and Vice for Box Office Success, 2006) grew up in Michigan in the 1950s and ’60s as a Free Methodist, a formal denomination of Evangelicalism practiced rigidly by his abusive mother in an effort to avoid the world’s evils, from communism to Catholicism. But like his grandmother, who had adventured in India as a missionary, young Stan had a restless spirit, one that became more dogged in defiance of his mother and was bolstered further through his college studies in Christian existentialism, physics, and philosophy. Sampling numerous conflicting doctrines in churches and parachurches across the country, he remained spiritually unsettled by each denomination’s cherry-picking from the Bible, lack of unwavering moral doctrine, and an unwillingness to embrace the more charismatic and artistic aspects of worship. His evangelical faith exhausted, he skeptically, and without the support of his family, turned to Catholicism, using his own version of the scientific method (rooted perhaps too heavily in biblical anecdotes for some) to test and eventually embrace the religion his mother once vilified. Williams’ heavily conservative memoir, often overtaken by a tangible excitement, forgoes linear narrative and charmingly backtracks at times as if the momentum of the story has gotten ahead of the storyteller. The author uses lists to help organize the large amount of interdenominational information and employs a wry sense of humor and regular, comical hyperbole (“My teeth began to grind. Layers of enamel fell from my mouth into my open bible’s binding”) to keep things from becoming too dry. Williams has an impressively varied work history—training astronauts, photographing automobiles, and filmmaking. The heavy focus on Evangelicalism’s shortcomings, however, often obscures his other interests. Friends, co-workers, even the author’s three children are largely regulated to background roles, unless needed to provide a revelation or a barricade on his journey to Catholicism.
A modern apologetic that exuberantly uses the flourishes of memoir.Pub Date: Nov. 25, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-9824058-8-8
Page Count: 548
Publisher: Nineveh's Crossing
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2016
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Share your opinion of this book
by William Strunk & E.B. White ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 15, 1972
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis...
Privately published by Strunk of Cornell in 1918 and revised by his student E. B. White in 1959, that "little book" is back again with more White updatings.
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis (whoops — "A bankrupt expression") a unique guide (which means "without like or equal").Pub Date: May 15, 1972
ISBN: 0205632645
Page Count: 105
Publisher: Macmillan
Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1972
Share your opinion of this book
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996
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
Share your opinion of this book
More by E.T.A. Hoffmann
BOOK REVIEW
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson
BOOK REVIEW
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Hey there, book lover.
We’re glad you found a book that interests you!
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Don’t fret. We’ll find you.