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STILL STANDING

Name: STILL STANDING
Author: Vickie Mabry-Height
ISBN: 978-0-9830117-1-2

A DOCTOR'S STORY

From the WHITE COAT SECRETS series , Vol. 1

by Vickie Mabry-Height ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 19, 2016

A short memoir, but one that’s packed with advice.

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In her debut memoir, Mabry-Height recounts her struggles against racism and sexism as she worked to achieve success in the medical field.

The author was born to a poor, African-American family in rural North Carolina in the early 1950s. At the age of 5, she left her great-grandparents’ farm and moved North with her young, single mother to Brooklyn, New York. The early advice she received from her relatives—such as “If I wanted to be successful, I should ‘find a need and fill it’ ”—provided the foundation for the rest of her life. Despite discouragement from teachers and counselors, Mabry-Height pursued her dream of becoming a medical doctor; after graduating from the City University of New York, she went on to the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University. While in medical school, she received a grant to travel to Kenya as an aid worker, which she says was an eye-opening experience. She subsequently received her medical degree; however, she writes that despite her education, she still had to contend with employment discrimination and sexual harassment. Eventually, she took control of her career by founding her own medical and consulting practices in California. This book is quite brief, particularly for a memoir, and many chapters wrap up in less than four pages. As a result, readers looking for an in-depth remembrance may wish that this one explored some of its incidents in greater detail. However, the book’s conciseness makes it focused and direct. Ultimately, Mabry-Height seems more concerned with imparting lessons than telling her full life story. Almost every chapter contains explicit messages for aspiring doctors, or more generally, for any readers trying to succeed in a professional field. “Let this book teach you,” she writes in a representative passage, “that you must be able to reinvent yourself at some point, professionally and as an entrepreneur.” This quick read would make a fine gift for a graduate or anyone else who needs a bit of inspiration as she or he seeks to conquer life’s obstacles. The book also includes several black-and-white photographs.

A short memoir, but one that’s packed with advice.

Pub Date: April 19, 2016

ISBN: 978-0-9830117-1-2

Page Count: 196

Publisher: CreateSpace

Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2017

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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NUTCRACKER

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

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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

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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

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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.