by A. Rose Trigueiro ‧ RELEASE DATE: N/A
This admirable rebuke to ideologically inflexible partisanship lacks convincing, painstaking arguments.
A writer attempts to find pragmatic solutions to problems of American political policy by forging a compromise between libertarian and socialistic theories.
According to debut author Trigueiro, the United States is trapped in a tug of war between dogmatic ideologies, with each side laying claim to a superior patriotism. The way out of this partisan quagmire is to craft a compromise between libertarian and socialist perspectives “heavily rooted in common sense.” In fact, the author contends that libertarian-socialism, the hybrid theory Trigueiro recommends, is consistent with “the original vision of America’s founding fathers.” The author surveys an ambitious stretch of intellectual ground, covering diverse topics like Social Security and health reform, climate change, the electoral system, transportation, and irrigation, an impressively diverse list. Some of her discussions and proposed solutions are lucidly articulated and eminently sensible; for example, she suggests an expansion of the House of Representatives, which would accomplish, among other things, improved democratic representation and might stymie endless partisan gerrymandering. The author also tackles the burgeoning student loan crisis by outlining a “national service initiative” tied to the forgiveness of college tuition. Trigueiro truly does seem to hunt for ideologically unencumbered solutions to real problems, keenly avoiding ones that ignore either the demands of a communal society or the moral significance of individual liberty. In fact, the author is at her best limning the nation’s “complex relationship with socialism,” and the many ways in which its concrete applications, like Social Security, are already woven into the country’s civic fabric. But she covers far too much ground within a brief study, and as a result, her quickly developed contentions are more stridently declared than rigorously argued. Trigueiro’s tendency, in the search for common sense, is to reductively oversimplify the issues. For example, a value-added tax, whatever its merits, is surely not “almost guaranteed to succeed at righting America’s financial ship.” And she never provides a searching discussion of the fundamental elements of either libertarianism or socialism—a glaring inadequacy of the study. Still, the author deftly demonstrates that a spirit of open-minded compromise is insufficient; one needs a meticulous and thorough examination of the issues as well.
This admirable rebuke to ideologically inflexible partisanship lacks convincing, painstaking arguments.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: 978-1-4834-9647-4
Page Count: 169
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: Nov. 26, 2019
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996
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
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by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955
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.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
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