Best known as a leader of the Sanctuary Movement for Central American refugees, Corbett is a former cowboy, goatherd, and librarian. This complicated, dense book develops his philosophy of ``goatwalking,'' a way to live ``cocreatively rather than possessively.'' With references to his conversion to Quakerism and a reliance on a convoluted logic dependent upon the concepts of civil disobedience, ``sabbatical communion,'' ``covenanting,'' errantry, and biblical passages on ``cimarron'' communities along with the basic tenets of Taoism and Buddhism, goatwalking would seem to encompass thinkers from Ayn Rand to Edward Abbey, from Henry Thoreau to Carl Schmitt. In any case, Corbett is frankly brilliant in the sections on goat husbandry and survival in the wilds. He offers tips on nomadic goatherding: how to supplement a goat-milk diet with plants and insects; how to milk a goat and how to housebreak one to sleep in a tent; how to avoid poisons (including bat urine) and find medicines out on the range; and how to prepare goat milk, yogurt, and cheese. His transitions are so weak, however, that his philosophical discourse never seems to connect, alternating between the unfathomable—``the assumption that meaning must be centered on the self-conscious self dies harder than its geocentric analogue''—and the curious: ``...the Sermon on the Mount is worse than foolish...we must serve Mammon rather than the God proclaimed by Jesus.'' Difficult to follow and often contradictory, but the practical sections would make a great handbook for nomads.
Pub Date: June 1, 1991
ISBN: 0-670-82846-7
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1991
This a book of earlier, philosophical essays concerned with the essential "absurdity" of life and the concept that- to overcome the strong tendency to suicide in every thoughtful man-one must accept life on its own terms with its values of revolt, liberty and passion. A dreary thesis- derived from and distorting the beliefs of the founders of existentialism, Jaspers, Heldegger and Kierkegaard, etc., the point of view seems peculiarly outmoded. It is based on the experience of war and the resistance, liberally laced with Andre Gide's excessive intellectualism. The younger existentialists such as Sartre and Camus, with their gift for the terse novel or intense drama, seem to have omitted from their philosophy all the deep religiosity which permeates the work of the great existentialist thinkers. This contributes to a basic lack of vitality in themselves, in these essays, and ten years after the war Camus seems unaware that the life force has healed old wounds... Largely for avant garde aesthetes and his special coterie.
Pub Date: Sept. 26, 1955
ISBN: 0679733736
Page Count: 228
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Sept. 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1955
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.
A compendium of charts, time lines, lists and illustrations to accompany study of the Bible.
This visually appealing resource provides a wide array of illustrative and textually concise references, beginning with three sets of charts covering the Bible as a whole, the Old Testament and the New Testament. These charts cover such topics as biblical weights and measures, feasts and holidays and the 12 disciples. Most of the charts use a variety of illustrative techniques to convey lessons and provide visual interest. A worthwhile example is “How We Got the Bible,” which provides a time line of translation history, comparisons of canons among faiths and portraits of important figures in biblical translation, such as Jerome and John Wycliffe. The book then presents a section of maps, followed by diagrams to conceptualize such structures as Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple. Finally, a section on Christianity, cults and other religions describes key aspects of history and doctrine for certain Christian sects and other faith traditions. Overall, the authors take a traditionalist, conservative approach. For instance, they list Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) without making mention of claims to the contrary. When comparing various Christian sects and world religions, the emphasis is on doctrine and orthodox theology. Some chapters, however, may not completely align with the needs of Catholic and Orthodox churches. But the authors’ leanings are muted enough and do not detract from the work’s usefulness. As a resource, it’s well organized, inviting and visually stimulating. Even the most seasoned reader will learn something while browsing.
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005
ISBN: 978-1-5963-6022-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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