A compilation that may appeal to readers looking for light poetic fare with just a hint of depth.
A collection of poems that covers everything from quotidian life events to the nature of religious wisdom.
In this third book of his poetry series, Chairman Steve once again reflects broadly on the nature of human life, with a particular focus on the role religion plays in it. Many of the poems here, particularly those grouped in the “New York Metaphors” and “Light and Sweet” chapters, parse specific aspects of human experience, and sometimes they resort to cheekily comic modes of explanation; for example, “sex is a spider,” “death is a door,” and, apparently, “privacy is a banana.” However, the themes that connect the bulk of the poems are religion, faith, and prayer. The author ruminates again and again on what a religious life entails, and on the many ways that human frailty disfigures it: “Human fear obscures God’s plan, / So we don't see the perfect man, / But hearts yearn on until eyes see / Man that rejoices trouble-free.” It’s difficult to find any systematic reflection on spirituality within the work; instead, the book seems to accept a less dogmatic and less institutional interpretation of communion with God. It’s also eclectic, and includes several quick comments on the mundanities of life. One of these poems, for example, is essentially an ode to the author’s underemployed exercise bike. The subject matter can turn sweet, as well; “My Crazy Obsession,” for instance, is a delightfully tender love poem. The poems largely follow a uniform meter, and the monotonous cadence may eventually wear down readers’ patience. The poems might have been improved if the author didn’t consistently restrict himself to such a limited rhyme scheme. Still, the book remains a breezy, often funny, and sometimes philosophically challenging collection.
A compilation that may appeal to readers looking for light poetic fare with just a hint of depth.Pub Date: June 7, 2014
ISBN: 978-1494364236
Page Count: 154
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: May 7, 2015
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
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
This a book of earlier, philosophical essays concerned with the essential "absurdity" of life and the concept that- to overcome the strong tendency to suicide in every thoughtful man-one must accept life on its own terms with its values of revolt, liberty and passion. A dreary thesis- derived from and distorting the beliefs of the founders of existentialism, Jaspers, Heldegger and Kierkegaard, etc., the point of view seems peculiarly outmoded. It is based on the experience of war and the resistance, liberally laced with Andre Gide's excessive intellectualism. The younger existentialists such as Sartre and Camus, with their gift for the terse novel or intense drama, seem to have omitted from their philosophy all the deep religiosity which permeates the work of the great existentialist thinkers. This contributes to a basic lack of vitality in themselves, in these essays, and ten years after the war Camus seems unaware that the life force has healed old wounds... Largely for avant garde aesthetes and his special coterie.
Pub Date: Sept. 26, 1955
ISBN: 0679733736
Page Count: 228
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Sept. 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1955
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