An insightful and intimate look at the end of life.
A rabbi reflects on death and dying.
Leder, senior rabbi at the well-known Wilshire Boulevard Temple in Los Angeles, shares insights on the end of life, drawing on both pastoral and personal experiences. Having recently lost his father to Alzheimer’s, the author has deepened his thought on the subject. “Sure, I had seen a lot of loss, but vicariously, one degree removed from the truth,” he writes in a refreshingly candid passage. “I was an experienced rabbi well-schooled in the craft of death. But my dad was right—I was full of shit.” The text is a solid mixture of advice, reflection, and catharsis. He begins with a reassurance for readers: “When someone is really, truly dying, there is no fear, only peace.” With that in mind, he urges friends and family to be present for their loved one and to remind them that there is no unfinished business and that survivors will be OK. Regarding end-of-life care, Leder takes a pragmatic approach to decision-making and even gives a measured nod of approval to assisted suicide, at least where it is legal. In the case of those who die young or suddenly, the author notes that theirs is “a death like all others—perfect sleep. The deepest peace.” Later, he points out that “a body is not a person. It is a vessel. There is so much more to us than our physical presence.” Throughout the book, Leder weaves in the story of his father’s death and often distinguishes between his job as a rabbi and his role as a son, seeking to investigate the complexities of the experience. Of course, seeing his once-strong father slowly decline, ending his days unable to speak and wheelchair-bound, affected the author deeply. The process helped him round out his understanding of death after years of helping others through the process.
An insightful and intimate look at the end of life.Pub Date: Jan. 5, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-18755-5
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Avery
Review Posted Online: Dec. 14, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2021
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
A conversational, pleasurable look into McConaughey’s life and thought.
All right, all right, all right: The affable, laconic actor delivers a combination of memoir and self-help book.
“This is an approach book,” writes McConaughey, adding that it contains “philosophies that can be objectively understood, and if you choose, subjectively adopted, by either changing your reality, or changing how you see it. This is a playbook, based on adventures in my life.” Some of those philosophies come in the form of apothegms: “When you can design your own weather, blow in the breeze”; “Simplify, focus, conserve to liberate.” Others come in the form of sometimes rambling stories that never take the shortest route from point A to point B, as when he recounts a dream-spurred, challenging visit to the Malian musician Ali Farka Touré, who offered a significant lesson in how disagreement can be expressed politely and without rancor. Fans of McConaughey will enjoy his memories—which line up squarely with other accounts in Melissa Maerz’s recent oral history, Alright, Alright, Alright—of his debut in Richard Linklater’s Dazed and Confused, to which he contributed not just that signature phrase, but also a kind of too-cool-for-school hipness that dissolves a bit upon realizing that he’s an older guy on the prowl for teenage girls. McConaughey’s prep to settle into the role of Wooderson involved inhabiting the mind of a dude who digs cars, rock ’n’ roll, and “chicks,” and he ran with it, reminding readers that the film originally had only three scripted scenes for his character. The lesson: “Do one thing well, then another. Once, then once more.” It’s clear that the author is a thoughtful man, even an intellectual of sorts, though without the earnestness of Ethan Hawke or James Franco. Though some of the sentiments are greeting card–ish, this book is entertaining and full of good lessons.
A conversational, pleasurable look into McConaughey’s life and thought.Pub Date: Oct. 20, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-13913-4
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: Oct. 27, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2020
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