A humble volume of poems that advocates kindness and exemplifies wisdom.
Hood’s poems play with form as they explore themes of faith, hope, and love in this collection.
In this volume, the poet regards social phenomena—haircuts, gender identity, the contrasts between the past and present-day life, American culture, family, marriage, aging, and mortality—with compassion and acceptance. One of the collection’s more didactic poems, “Talking and Listening,” emphasizes the loss of love between people when communication breaks down, while “Purchased Kisses” upholds the sacredness of small intimacies. Of the more personal poems, “Dreams Before…” expresses loneliness in truth and quietness, while “Despair” uses sweet rhymes to express a bitter emotion. There is a simplicity in the author’s voice that evokes picking up a familiar object, observing it from several angles, then putting it down gently, as in “The Ayers Maple”: “I wonder and notice again / A small stone plaque placed to remind / Succeeding generations that those who were once young / Loved maples, too, And oaks / enough to plant them.” The poems alternate between long and short line lengths, occasionally employing end rhymes that are sometimes a bit contrived but always fun, even when the subject matter has somber undertones, as in “Real”: “When you are lost / You need to stop / To clear your clouded mind / To quiet fears / To ponder doubts / To let them go / To move on with your find…” Even when the form is playful, the speaker always finds a way back to the crux of the poem, and each ending is satisfying, often containing a moral. The poems on gender and sexuality are somewhat reductive; “The Cross Dresser” opens with an onlooker’s presumption: “Clothes are one way / You try to say / Just who you think you are. / You snap a photo with your phone / To twitter near -or far.” The most powerful pieces in the collection are the confessional poems, which are vulnerable and honest, including “And Now That I am Eighty-two” and “Who Are You?”
A humble volume of poems that advocates kindness and exemplifies wisdom.Pub Date: June 12, 2023
ISBN: 9798890300911
Page Count: 72
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2024
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
A sweet final word from an actor who leaves a legacy of compassion and kindness.
The late actor offers a gentle guide for living with more purpose, love, and joy.
Mixing poetry, prescriptive challenges, and elements of memoir, Heche (1969-2022) delivers a narrative that is more encouraging workbook than life story. The author wants to share what she has discovered over the course of a life filled with abuse, advocacy, and uncanny turning points. Her greatest discovery? Love. “Open yourself up to love and transform kindness from a feeling you extend to those around you to actions that you perform for them,” she writes. “Only by caring can we open ourselves up to the universe, and only by opening up to the universe can we fully experience all the wonders that it holds, the greatest of which is love.” Throughout the occasionally overwrought text, Heche is heavy on the concept of care. She wants us to experience joy as she does, and she provides a road map for how to get there. Instead of slinking away from Hollywood and the ridicule that she endured there, Heche found the good and hung on, with Alec Baldwin and Harrison Ford starring as particularly shining knights in her story. Some readers may dismiss this material as vapid Hollywood stuff, but Heche’s perspective is an empathetic blend of Buddhism (minimize suffering), dialectical behavioral therapy (tolerating distress), Christianity (do unto others), and pre-Socratic philosophy (sufficient reason). “You’re not out to change the whole world, but to increase the levels of love and kindness in the world, drop by drop,” she writes. “Over time, these actions wear away the coldness, hate, and indifference around us as surely as water slowly wearing away stone.” Readers grieving her loss will take solace knowing that she lived her love-filled life on her own terms. Heche’s business and podcast partner, Heather Duffy, writes the epilogue, closing the book on a life well lived.
A sweet final word from an actor who leaves a legacy of compassion and kindness.Pub Date: Jan. 24, 2023
ISBN: 9781627783316
Page Count: 176
Publisher: Viva Editions
Review Posted Online: Feb. 6, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2023
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