Makes a passionate, though hardly objective, case for using essential oils and looking beyond traditional medicine to...
Essential oils, whose benefits have been largely ignored by doctors in the U.S., offer a path to better health, according to this guide.
Heshelow (Phytoceramides: Anti-Aging at Its Best, 2014, etc.) makes the case for aromatherapy and essential oils in this examination of a misunderstood branch of alternative medicine. She begins with a brief overview of essential oils and how they work, followed by a history of how these substances and their forerunners have been applied over time, going back to the ancient Sumerians and perhaps even earlier. Next is a look at research into the efficacy of essential oils, which may be valuable in relieving pain, reducing anxiety, and killing drug-resistant bacteria, according to some studies. More than four-dozen pages are devoted to listing references to various scientific publications, a helpful resource for those seeking to peruse the research themselves and draw their own conclusions (though this section would function better as an appendix). Yet Heshelow, who owns a company selling monthly essential oils subscription boxes, focuses solely on the positive. Details are often fuzzy, and it’s hard for the lay reader to evaluate the evidence and determine whether the impressive claims should be taken at face value. Nonetheless, the author raises intriguing points, such as the possibility that essential oils could be harnessed to fight MRSA and other superbugs. More eyebrow-raising is the suggestion that human thought can alter the physical properties of the oils. The book is at its best when it steers clear of such claims and focuses on how people can employ the oils in their daily lives. The concluding chapters include a discussion of Heshelow’s favorites and their benefits as well as recipes for using the oils to treat insomnia, headache, stress, cold sores, acne, and other conditions. The author is clearly a true believer in the power of essential oils, and by the book’s end, even skeptical readers may be tempted to give them a try.
Makes a passionate, though hardly objective, case for using essential oils and looking beyond traditional medicine to alternative methods of healing.Pub Date: April 10, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-692-65198-8
Page Count: 324
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Oct. 21, 2016
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
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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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