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INSPIRED TO GREATNESS

A FEMININE APPROACH TO HEALING THE WORLD

A worthy blend of psychology, ethnography, and feminist theory that investigates the factors shaping women’s perceptions of...

A book offers a qualitative study of women’s feelings about life choices and empowerment.

In this work, Cooper (Sophie Star Child, 2015) draws on a combination of Jungian theory, popular nonfiction, and assorted interviews to explore the elements of women’s empowerment. The author begins on a personal note, tracing her own “journey toward empowerment” and those of other women in her life. The book then broadens its focus to examine larger questions of what constitutes empowerment, why it matters, and how it affects quality of life. After establishing the study’s theoretical basis, the volume moves into extended excerpts from interviews with more than a dozen participants, women of varying ages and experiences responding to questions about fulfillment, happiness, work, and family. They share stories of challenges, emotions, aspirations, and tactics for managing their personal and professional lives, providing the raw material from which Cooper draws broader conclusions on empowerment and delivers advice to readers on maximizing their own contentment. She emphasizes that “a woman’s highest obligation is to love herself without condition, in the manner one would love a child or one’s best friend.” The writing style in these pages is varied, veering between conversational prose and forests of jargon (“By integrating empowerment, Jung’s animus and anima theory and psychological happiness and how this relates to actual lived contemporary female experience displayed in the interviews conducted, we can identify models of effective interventions, treatments and modalities”). The approaches to the topic range from clinical to spiritual (“Destiny is inviting women at this time in history to shake off old outworn personas and beliefs and step into the Sun, taking our rightful place again as Goddesses of the Earth”). While sweeping statements like “in essence, the 21st century woman is in a crisis of the soul” are somewhat excessive, the book provides a valuable perspective on the realities of contemporary women’s lives and a framework for understanding them in a theoretical context, as well as strategies for maximizing one’s own authority and satisfaction. An extensive bibliography and in-text citations place the book within the context of Cooper’s substantial research.

A worthy blend of psychology, ethnography, and feminist theory that investigates the factors shaping women’s perceptions of their lives.

Pub Date: Nov. 28, 2016

ISBN: 978-1-63051-405-1

Page Count: 100

Publisher: Chiron Publications

Review Posted Online: May 16, 2017

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DYLAN GOES ELECTRIC!

NEWPORT, SEEGER, DYLAN, AND THE NIGHT THAT SPLIT THE SIXTIES

An enjoyable slice of 20th-century music journalism almost certain to provide something for most readers, no matter one’s...

Music journalist and musician Wald (Talking 'Bout Your Mama: The Dozens, Snaps, and the Deep Roots of Rap, 2014, etc.) focuses on one evening in music history to explain the evolution of contemporary music, especially folk, blues, and rock.

The date of that evening is July 25, 1965, at the Newport Folk Festival, where there was an unbelievably unexpected occurrence: singer/songwriter Bob Dylan, already a living legend in his early 20s, overriding the acoustic music that made him famous in favor of electronically based music, causing reactions ranging from adoration to intense resentment among other musicians, DJs, and record buyers. Dylan has told his own stories (those stories vary because that’s Dylan’s character), and plenty of other music journalists have explored the Dylan phenomenon. What sets Wald's book apart is his laser focus on that one date. The detailed recounting of what did and did not occur on stage and in the audience that night contains contradictory evidence sorted skillfully by the author. He offers a wealth of context; in fact, his account of Dylan's stage appearance does not arrive until 250 pages in. The author cites dozens of sources, well-known and otherwise, but the key storylines, other than Dylan, involve acoustic folk music guru Pete Seeger and the rich history of the Newport festival, a history that had created expectations smashed by Dylan. Furthermore, the appearances on the pages by other musicians—e.g., Joan Baez, the Weaver, Peter, Paul, and Mary, Dave Van Ronk, and Gordon Lightfoot—give the book enough of an expansive feel. Wald's personal knowledge seems encyclopedic, and his endnotes show how he ranged far beyond personal knowledge to produce the book.

An enjoyable slice of 20th-century music journalism almost certain to provide something for most readers, no matter one’s personal feelings about Dylan's music or persona.

Pub Date: July 25, 2015

ISBN: 978-0-06-236668-9

Page Count: 368

Publisher: Dey Street/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: May 15, 2015

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2015

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NUTCRACKER

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

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