An insightful reflection on human interconnectedness.
An essayist confronts the precarious foundation of the American dream.
After graduating from New York’s Cardinal Spellman High School, followed by a stint in the U.S. Army, Howard forged a successful career as a banker and “achieved the ideal American middle-class life.” Yet, despite his accomplishments and economic stability, he “felt completely disillusioned and physically on the path to a stroke at the age of 40.” It wasn’t until he moved to a nature preserve in the Pacific Northwest, rededicated his career toward climate change mitigation, and underwent a decent amount of soul-searching that he could even begin to address his burning internal question, “Why am I not happy?” In this collection of 80 short essays, Howard explores the root causes of American unhappiness and offers guidance on how to achieve personal and collective progress. Howard contends that too many Americans have internalized the social values of “independence, competition, and self-interest so deeply that we hardly notice how they drive our choices, relationships, [and] outlook.” Indeed, while these values may fuel the engines of capitalism, they are often a barrier to societal happiness and ecological stability. While many chapters focus on the pitfalls of 21st-century greed, inequality, pandemics, environmental decay, and war, the bulk of the book is positive in its outlook, reminding readers of our “Universal Oneness” and interdependence. Modern society, for instance, emphasizes a skepticism toward strangers, while the book urges us to instead seek “intimacy” and “physical proximity” with others. Once we (as both individuals and a collective society) “shed the I centered lens of our social conditioning,” we can embrace our collective humanity. The book’s mini-essays (which it calls “commentaries”) are not designed to be read in a single sitting, or even in chronological order, but are meant to spawn “thoughtful consideration.” Some of the essays are a single page and feature experimental prose that borders on poetry.
An insightful reflection on human interconnectedness.Pub Date: Dec. 1, 2022
ISBN: 9781639886302
Page Count: 174
Publisher: Atmosphere Press
Review Posted Online: Dec. 20, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
An engrossing and ominous chronicle, told by a master of the form.
Documenting perilous times.
In his most recent behind-the-scenes account of political power and how it is wielded, Woodward synthesizes several narrative strands, from the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection and Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel to the 2024 presidential campaign. Woodward’s clear, gripping storytelling benefits from his legendary access to prominent figures and a structure of propulsive chapters. The run-up to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is tense (if occasionally repetitive), as a cast of geopolitical insiders try to divine Vladimir Putin’s intent: “Doubt among allies, the public and among Ukrainians meant valuable time and space for Putin to maneuver.” Against this backdrop, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham implores Donald Trump to run again, notwithstanding the former president’s denial of his 2020 defeat. This provides unwelcome distraction for President Biden, portrayed as a thoughtful, compassionate lifetime politico who could not outrace time, as demonstrated in the June 2024 debate. Throughout, Trump’s prevarications and his supporters’ cynicism provide an unsettling counterpoint to warnings provided by everyone from former Joint Chief of Staff Mark Milley to Vice President Kamala Harris, who calls a second Trump term a likely “death knell for American democracy.” The author’s ambitious scope shows him at the top of his capabilities. He concludes with these unsettling words: “Based on my reporting, Trump’s language and conduct has at times presented risks to national security—both during his presidency and afterward.”
An engrossing and ominous chronicle, told by a master of the form.Pub Date: Oct. 15, 2024
ISBN: 9781668052273
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 15, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2024
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A blissfully vicarious, heartfelt glimpse into the life of a Manhattan burlesque dancer.
A former New York City dancer reflects on her zesty heyday in the 1970s.
Discovered on a Manhattan street in 2020 and introduced on Stanton’s Humans of New York Instagram page, Johnson, then 76, shares her dynamic history as a “fiercely independent” Black burlesque dancer who used the stage name Tanqueray and became a celebrated fixture in midtown adult theaters. “I was the only black girl making white girl money,” she boasts, telling a vibrant story about sex and struggle in a bygone era. Frank and unapologetic, Johnson vividly captures aspects of her former life as a stage seductress shimmying to blues tracks during 18-minute sets or sewing lingerie for plus-sized dancers. Though her work was far from the Broadway shows she dreamed about, it eventually became all about the nightly hustle to simply survive. Her anecdotes are humorous, heartfelt, and supremely captivating, recounted with the passion of a true survivor and the acerbic wit of a weathered, street-wise New Yorker. She shares stories of growing up in an abusive household in Albany in the 1940s, a teenage pregnancy, and prison time for robbery as nonchalantly as she recalls selling rhinestone G-strings to prostitutes to make them sparkle in the headlights of passing cars. Complemented by an array of revealing personal photographs, the narrative alternates between heartfelt nostalgia about the seedier side of Manhattan’s go-go scene and funny quips about her unconventional stage performances. Encounters with a variety of hardworking dancers, drag queens, and pimps, plus an account of the complexities of a first love with a drug-addled hustler, fill out the memoir with personality and candor. With a narrative assist from Stanton, the result is a consistently titillating and often moving story of human struggle as well as an insider glimpse into the days when Times Square was considered the Big Apple’s gloriously unpolished underbelly. The book also includes Yee’s lush watercolor illustrations.
A blissfully vicarious, heartfelt glimpse into the life of a Manhattan burlesque dancer.Pub Date: July 12, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-250-27827-2
Page Count: 192
Publisher: St. Martin's
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2022
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