If teens are willing to overlook the clichés, they will gain appreciation for the warrior's path. However, this work will...
This guide to building character with a Korean martial arts focus is unusual but not completely successful.
Langlas draws inspiration from the Hwarangdo, ancient Korean warriors whose ideals became a philosophical basis for Taekwondo. Seven principles form a code of honor: courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control, indomitable spirit, community service and love. By embodying these principles, teens can become warriors: people who are successful, happy members of society. Each of the principles and its fundamentals are explained clearly in simple, encouraging prose. The "Room for Reflection" sidebars create opportunities to apply what's being taught. The teen voices in the "Voice of a Warrior" and "A Story from the Warrior's Path" interpolations, however, feel more like writing-prompt responses than authentic expression. What lets down the work is the framing device in which wise Master Yi teaches his students each of the principles. Zen-sounding homilies like "The life of possessions is not always the life of having" and examples drawn from a Hwarangdo mindset might lead to eye rolls.
If teens are willing to overlook the clichés, they will gain appreciation for the warrior's path. However, this work will probably be most useful for martial arts instructors and teachers as a way to discuss character. (afterword, index) (Nonfiction. 10-14)Pub Date: April 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-57542-388-3
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Free Spirit Publishing
Review Posted Online: Feb. 28, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2012
The most reluctant of readers will find it difficult to resist this consistently disgusting chronicle of the gruesome deaths of 19 famous people. Bragg opens with King Tut, discussing in gory details the embalming and mummification processes of the ancient Egyptians. Among the many macabre details is an explanation for why mummy eye sockets look empty: "Eyeballs shrink to almost nothing during the drying process" (the author notes that if mummy eyeballs are rehydrated, they return to almost normal size). Among the other famous figures profiled are Henry VIII, whose corpse exploded in its coffin while lying in state; George Washington, who was drained of 80 ounces of his blood by doctors before dying; and Marie Curie, who did herself in with constant radiation exposure. The accounts of how ill or injured people were treated by doctors through the 19th century reveal that medical practices were usually more lethal than the maladies. Between each chapter, there is a page or two of related and gleefully gross facts. Bragg's informal, conversational style and O'Malley's cartoon illustrations complement the flippant approach to the subject; the energetically icky design includes little skulls and crossbones to contain page numbers. Engaging, informative and downright disgusting. (sources, further reading, websites, index) (Nonfiction. 10-14)
Pub Date: March 15, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-8027-9817-6
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Walker
Review Posted Online: Jan. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2011
Hank Greenberg was an anomaly who challenged the stereotypes of his era. He was a Jewish boy from New York City who was neither weak nor small nor academically inclined. He was well over 6 feet tall, strong and healthy, and he could hit a baseball as well as or better than most major leaguers. He played with the Detroit Tigers, leading his team to several pennants and World Series. Throughout his career there were cheers, but he also had to endure endless, vitriolic anti-Semitic curses. His decision to miss a season-ending game in a tight pennant race in order to observe Yom Kippur became a national issue. At the end of his own career, with customary grace and integrity, he openly empathized with rookie Jackie Robinson, encouraging him to persevere. In many ways this is a typical baseball biography, covering Greenberg’s accomplishments season by season, as well as his family life and military service in World War II. Sommer ably puts it all in perspective for young readers. Employing straightforward, accessible language, she carefully incorporates historic events, well illustrated with personal and archival photographs and laced with copious quotes from Greenberg and his contemporaries. The result is a multilayered portrait of a man who was content being remembered as a great Jewish ballplayer. (source notes, bibliography, resources) (Biography. 10-14)
Pub Date: March 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-59078-452-5
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Calkins Creek/Boyds Mills
Review Posted Online: Feb. 3, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2011
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