A lucid introduction to the Stoic way of life, brimming with ancient advice for modern readers.
Letting it be.
Hodgkinson, author of How To Be Idle (2005), writes that Stoicism is a “living, breathing, practical and rich philosophy which can help us on our route to fulfillment.” More than just a way of facing adversity, the author writes, Stoicism offers moral guidance for public action and spiritual anchors for an inner life. This book offers a history of Stoicism, from the punk-like Greeks who gave up social norms to live on countercultural streets, through Roman rulers, Christian kings, and modern mindful thinkers. Socrates and Seneca, Marcus Aurelius and John Stuart Mill, Montaigne and St. Augustine—just about everyone gets a cameo here. Everyone gets a memorable quote, too. Marcus: “To be moved by passion is not manly, but…mildness and gentleness…are more agreeable to human nature, so also are they more manly.” Montaigne: “Learning lies within us.” The poet Andrew Marvell: “How vainly men themselves amaze / to win the palm, the oak or bayes.” Epictetus: “What is a happy life? It is security and lasting tranquility.” And when we come to that life’s end, the Stoics showed we must not fear. A longer life is not necessarily a better life. The author’s friend, the philosopher Charles Handy, gets some of the last words here: “You too will die, but you will live on processed into the memory of things by the people who knew you and loved you. That is your after life, that’s your new life, that’s the end of your proper life. That is what you are there for, part of the natural order of things.” Stoicism was the original self-help therapy, and this book brings its history and its hopefulness back for our age of doubt.
A lucid introduction to the Stoic way of life, brimming with ancient advice for modern readers.Pub Date: April 14, 2026
ISBN: 9781399415583
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Bloomsbury Continuum
Review Posted Online: Dec. 4, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
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 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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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