bookshelf

THE OBELISK AND THE CROSS

Name: THE OBELISK AND THE CROSS
Author: Tony Sunderland
ISBN: 978-1-925442-55-7

AN ALTERNATIVE HISTORY OF GOD, MYTH AND MEANING IN THE WESTERN WORLD

by Tony Sunderland ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 25, 2016

A sometimes-engaging but unfocused work that delves into inter-religious connections.

bookshelf

An exploration of salvation and symbolism in religion from prehistory to the modern day.

Sunderland’s debut begins by asking why there’s an ancient Egyptian obelisk at the center of St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City, the very heart of the Catholic Church. Does it truly represent Catholicism’s dominance over pagan ideas, or was it a subversive symbol of the heliocentric theory of the solar system, once maligned by the church? The book then settles into a thorough discussion of religion and divinity. Sunderland makes compelling points about the connections between Christian and Egyptian religions, including the similarity between Jesus Christ and Amun-Re, the monotheistic Egyptian god. The book also abounds with other, less central, insights; for example, in a section about Christianity in the Middle Ages, Sunderland observes, “This darkness is reflected in the loss of civilised culture and in the neglect, by the Roman Catholic Church, of those social outsiders with whom Jesus Christ would have most identified.” The author poses three questions that unite and divide humans across time and religion: “Where did we come from? Why are we here? What happens when we die?” However, he spends so much time on how specific religions would answer these questions that he often seems to lose focus on the initial premise: the obelisk and its connections to Christianity. By Chapter 12, the book has worked its way back to the obelisk, but the chapters before it often feel tangential and disconnected. Instead of layering the argument, the book frequently overloads readers with heavily condensed, brand-new information. Some sentences lack sufficient context, such as, “The criteria of discontinuity, embarrassment, rejection and execution are analysed against six primary sources…to reveal Jesus the man as a valid historical figure.” As a result, readers will have trouble identifying what each new term means, and which ideas will be important later in the book.

A sometimes-engaging but unfocused work that delves into inter-religious connections.

Pub Date: May 25, 2016

ISBN: 978-1-925442-55-7

Page Count: 274

Publisher: Vivid Publishing

Review Posted Online: Dec. 26, 2016

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

bookshelf

NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

bookshelf

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

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

bookshelf

TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

bookshelf

An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.