A father's sorry view of today's children and how to civilize them. Gosman, a former salesman of long-distance telephone service and the father of two ``slightly spoiled'' children, self-published this book a year ago. It received considerable positive media attention and sold a remarkable 13,000 copies, attracting agents and publishers. Gosman's thesis: that today's children, from tots to teenagers, are spoiled, selfish, materialistic, and willing to settle for mediocrity. His parent-to-parent advice: just say ``no'' and take away their toys—or privileges—until they shape up. It is simplistic bordering on cynical. Nearly half of Gosman's advice is devoted to what amounts to a catalogue of the tantalizing objects that undermine character, ranging from designer diapers to four- headed VCRs and vacations in the Caribbean, with TV bearing its usual share of the blame. The remainder deals with discipline and punishment, including chapters on what works (forewarning of the consequences of unacceptable behavior, consistent and speedy administration of the punishment) and what doesn't (empty threats). Some limp ``real life'' examples wrap it up. To his credit, Gosman does not advocate spanking, although he approves slaps on the hand in certain situations. It's hard to take seriously a book on discipline that puts toddler tantrums in the grocery store on a par with drunk driving and teenage sex, or to sympathize with a writer on families whose pre-publication handout describes kids as ``such little monsters.''
Pub Date: March 1, 1992
ISBN: 0-679-41036-8
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Villard
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 1992
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
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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