A fan’s notes, mainly of interest to the right-listing faithful.
Reverential study of the late pontiff by Reagan hagiographer (and Hillary scourge) Noonan, blending solid theology with a few pages from Tiger Beat (“His face was—oh, his face!”).
Karol Wojtyla, who took the papal name John Paul II in 1978, was a man of contradictions; as onetime Reagan-Bush speechwriter Noonan (A Heart, A Cross, and a Flag, 2003, etc.) remarks, he was at once traditionalist and progressive, fluent in Latin but also delighted by e-mail and text-messaging. She is less quick to remark that the pope, to whom Lech Walesa gave the lion’s share of credit for bringing down communism, had little use for capitalism, either, or that he fiercely opposed the death penalty, beloved of Republicans—but no matter, for Noonan is more interested in celebrating the pontiff’s bravery and humanity, which are indisputable, than in examining his complexities at any length. Crediting him similarly with helping her through some dark-woods moments in a spiritual journey waylaid by such things as the quest for career and the benighted ’60s, Noonan gives much attention to signs and portents: a mystical document that, a thousand years ago, foretold the death of John Paul I; the tripartite message Mary delivered at Fatima; the odd fact that the mothers of Reagan, John Paul and Margaret Thatcher all worked as seamstresses. (She is worldly enough, however, many though her Vatican II–related qualms may be, to give Warren Zevon’s words proper philosophical weight.) Noonan’s homage to John Paul’s spirituality has transcendental and apolitical moments: Though she sidesteps the matter of women priests, she writes warmly of the pope’s dedication to the proposition that both genders are created equal and of his view—a surprise to many—that sex can be sacramental. She even gets in a few criticisms of the decidedly unholy sex scandals in the American church and of the “dumbing down” of precepts and rituals “on John Paul’s watch.”
A fan’s notes, mainly of interest to the right-listing faithful.Pub Date: Nov. 22, 2005
ISBN: 0-670-03748-6
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2005
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
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
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