A feisty and readable outlook on parenting.
A debut child-rearing guide that concentrates on fostering good judgment and self-awareness in children.
In their nonfiction debut, martial arts instructor Chris Santillo and Holly Santillo, a martial arts instructor and children’s-choir conductor, take a position against “helicopter” parents, who use various methods to remove any challenges or disappointments in their children’s lives. The authors say that “childhoods replete with instant everything, including instant gratification and guaranteed gold stars, rob this generation of the opportunity to build independence through hard work and occasional failure.” The Santillos predicate their book on a deceptively simple observation: Even the most fulfilling life requires resilience in order to make it through occasional rough patches. Their book’s main strength is how it unpacks the notion of resilience by showing how it’s grounded in strength and adaptability and by explaining its three pillars: learning, integrity, and service. The authors reveal the nuances of these principles, in part, through personal stories of their own parenting adventures as well as occasional insets that explain specific lessons (“First the why….Then the how”). The chapters also provide “ASSESSMENT” sections featuring pointed questions that are designed to bring lessons into focus, such as “Does my child seek opportunities to serve others in both small and large ways?” The authors alternate between admonishing some standard parenting approaches (“Children who have been taught with bribes or rewards learn one primary lesson: how to do anything for a gold star”) and encouraging mothers and fathers to have more confidence in themselves: “You guided your children in learning how to walk, to talk, to hold a spoon, and to smile….Your children want to learn, and best of all, they want to learn from you.” In clear, gently forceful language, the authors lay out a clear program of building resilience that may help children later on in their adult lives. Parents, both new and old, will find much of value in these pages.
A feisty and readable outlook on parenting.Pub Date: March 22, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5445-1195-5
Page Count: 156
Publisher: Lioncrest Publishing
Review Posted Online: May 14, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2019
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
BOOK REVIEW
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BOOK TO SCREEN
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Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis...
Privately published by Strunk of Cornell in 1918 and revised by his student E. B. White in 1959, that "little book" is back again with more White updatings.
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis (whoops — "A bankrupt expression") a unique guide (which means "without like or equal").Pub Date: May 15, 1972
ISBN: 0205632645
Page Count: 105
Publisher: Macmillan
Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1972
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