A provocative manual for achieving happiness that’s punctuated with original, intriguing images.
A debut New Age meditation guide that combines captivating illustrations with suggestions for attaining inner peace.
The academic-sounding title of this work doesn’t adequately convey the idealistic and magical nature of its contents. In an introductory paragraph titled “Sand Dune Poetry,” Link describes his drawings and paintings as “glyphalalia,” a word he derives from “glossolalia”—speaking in tongues. His illustrations seem to radiate a lively spirituality with their abstract figures and invented runic alphabets. The images’ dynamic colors and shapes pair well with Link’s pithy meditations, which often come in the form of instructions: “Surrender. Give up. Accept the fact that you’re not going to solve all the world’s problems.” The illustration for “Transforming the Blessings” is apparently drawn on a paper napkin, with lines and figures leaping off its crinkled edges, as the text instructs, “Thank Mother Earth for giving you a home. / Feel your connection to her gravity.” As the book’s title suggests, the overarching theme is joy, and most meditations do offer a path toward delight. Some are mystical, such as “Sands of Joy,” which bids readers to “Become a Pillar of Light,” while others are distinctly pragmatic: “Keep your agreements. Broken agreements often create guilt and anger.” Even some cynical readers might be tempted by Link’s playful challenge to brighten up a grim roomful of people by silently chanting the word “enjoy.” Occasionally, the text offers tired truisms, such as “Kindness is its own reward,” but more often, it showcases unexpected lines: “Cherish the cavewoman who is your ancestress” or “Sometimes, watching television can create a feeling of joy.” The author’s distinctive vision, coupled with the transcendent illustrations, may make this book a well-thumbed favorite.
A provocative manual for achieving happiness that’s punctuated with original, intriguing images.Pub Date: June 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-9909255-0-7
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Coyote Eye Press
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2018
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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