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THE TEMPTATION TO DO GOOD

Name: THE TEMPTATION TO DO GOOD
Author: Peter F. Drucker
ISBN: 0060152532

by Peter F. Drucker ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 1984

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Drucker's first novel, The Last of All Possible Worlds (1982), was stately, static, but rich and intriguing too. This follow-up is a much slighter, clumsier effort: little more than an illustrated debate on the role of a Catholic university—along with a dubious sermonette about what can happen when someone gives in to "the temptation to do good." Father Heinz Zimmerman, president of St. Jerome U., is a longtime believer in the anti-parochial upgrading of Catholic education, proud of transforming St. Jerome into a top-Hight school that's only incidentally Catholic. Then, however, an incompetent faculty member is denied tenure; the teacher's wife lashes out at Father Heinz, arguing that her husband was dismissed because "he is a true Christian in a university that calls itself Catholic but is dominated by heretics and Jews, and unbelievers." Furthermore, the faculty-wife then accuses Father Heinz of immoral behavior with his devoted secretary (a handsome widow)—a false accusation which leads to rumors, tainted reputations, moral dilemmas for Father H. And even more of a brouhaha erupts when do-gooder Father Heinz, pitying the dismissed teacher, recommends him for a low-level job elsewhere: the anti-secular forces in the St. Jerome's faculty arise in fury about this meddling in departmental affairs by a priest-administrator. The upshot? Father Heinz becomes broody and disillusioned—unsure about the anti-parochial premise, doubting his own motives. Wanting to avoid escalating controversy, the St. Jerome's powers-that-be arrange for Father Heinz to be lured away to an attractive job in state government. And a promising young priest-administrator decides, after witnessing this teapot-tempest, to be a parish priest: "If I don't make it as a pastor, I'd rather go in as an executive with my father" in the supermarket biz. Some of these matters—the Catholic university debate, the priest/administrator role—are potentially interesting, well-suited to an essay. Here, however, in stiff morality-play form (deadly dialogues and internal monologues), the material is dull, occasionally confusing—and only for those with a passionate involvement in the specific issues here.

Pub Date: May 1, 1984

ISBN: 0060152532

Page Count: 152

Publisher: Harper & Row

Review Posted Online: May 16, 2012

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 1984

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
MANAGEMENT CHALLENGES FOR THE 21ST CENTURY
by Peter F. Drucker

- BOOK REVIEW
MANAGING IN A TIME OF GREAT CHANGE
by Peter F. Drucker

- BOOK REVIEW
POST-CAPITALIST SOCIETY
by Peter F. Drucker

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.