A well-written, modern version of an ancient Chinese work.
Norup (Life Beyond Time Management, 1997), writing with his daughter Milbrath, offers an interpretation of the I Ching for middle-aged readers.
The I Ching is an ancient Chinese book of divination that’s long captivated Western thinkers, including pioneering psychologist Carl Jung. Norup has written this modern version specifically with older readers in mind: people who may have trouble finding direction and meaning as they enter the second halves of their lives. By constructing hexagrams based on the outcomes of coin flips and then consulting entries that correspond to those hexagrams, readers may seek the guidance of ancient wisdom. “The I Ching is not a fountain of youth,” writes Norup in his preface, “but I can assure you that it has helped me stay young in spirit.” I Ching practice operates through a combination of concentration and synchronicity to answer specific concerns. Hexagram 23, for example, corresponds with a passage beginning, “Consciously aging requires contemplation and preparation for the future,” as well as a list of questions, such as, “Where can I retreat to wait for a more opportune moment?” There are 64 hexagrams, with some variations, so that readers who consult the I Ching daily, as Norup advises, will make their way through the book in a matter of months. However, the author argues that passages will mean different things depending on the reader’s specific, momentary concerns. For older readers interested in the I Ching or New Age spiritualism in general, Norup’s book is worth investigating. The process of flipping coins and creating hexagrams is more time-consuming than simply consulting a horoscope, but the potential answers are more artfully composed. The sections are long and thoughtful and encourage a deliberative, inward-looking analysis of one’s own situation. Consulting the I Ching has a meditative effect—Norup writes that he does it first thing in the morning—and there are certainly worse ways to spend a few moments than thinking about how one might overcome one’s problems.
A well-written, modern version of an ancient Chinese work.Pub Date: Dec. 4, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-9969061-0-4
Page Count: 214
Publisher: Norfam Publishing
Review Posted Online: March 14, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2016
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
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