A pragmatic guidebook for spiritual renewal.
An abuse survivor provides advice for those seeking a spiritual awakening in this Christian self-help manual.
“Sometimes,” Ambalita notes, “we look for miracles outside of ourselves without realizing that we are the miracle we have been praying and searching for.” To her, no biblical figure personifies this notion more than David, who arose from humble origins as a shepherd boy to defeat the giant Goliath. Although few people may confront physical giants on a battlefield, the book notes we all have our own metaphorical giants to fight, from external crises to inner turmoil and self-doubt. She writes of a woman named Zarita, a survivor of childhood sexual abuse and domestic violence, and displays an awareness of the profound impact that traumatic experiences can have in one’s life. However, although one may alleviate physical and mental pain with medication, she says, too often “the spirit’s suffering is easily overlooked.” The author says that she hopes that her story will inspire others to similarly seek help from God and embrace “a David-like giant spirit within.” To that end, the Christian theme of rebirth plays a central role in the book, which blends anecdotes of personal triumph with pragmatic advice on how to apply empowering strategies to one’s own life. The book’s Christianity is ecumenical by nature, never leaning into theological differences between denominations, and it combines Bible verses with rather familiar self-help advice (“Ordinary people can do extraordinary things”). However, as it delves into difficult topics, such as abuse, the book offers a consistently encouraging message of hope and “positive motivational nourishment.” At the same time, it acknowledges that spiritual renewal isn’t always easy, even when it seems “life is on a fast track of goodness and positive change”; the author helpfully reminds readers of David’s weaknesses and self-inflicted pain. Those looking for a scholarly biblical analysis won’t find it here, as the book lacks citations and rarely delves into the nuances of Christian doctrine. However, Ambalita’s own story provides ample room for hope.
A pragmatic guidebook for spiritual renewal.Pub Date: March 25, 2022
ISBN: 9781664226838
Page Count: 222
Publisher: Westbow Press
Review Posted Online: April 29, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A sweet final word from an actor who leaves a legacy of compassion and kindness.
The late actor offers a gentle guide for living with more purpose, love, and joy.
Mixing poetry, prescriptive challenges, and elements of memoir, Heche (1969-2022) delivers a narrative that is more encouraging workbook than life story. The author wants to share what she has discovered over the course of a life filled with abuse, advocacy, and uncanny turning points. Her greatest discovery? Love. “Open yourself up to love and transform kindness from a feeling you extend to those around you to actions that you perform for them,” she writes. “Only by caring can we open ourselves up to the universe, and only by opening up to the universe can we fully experience all the wonders that it holds, the greatest of which is love.” Throughout the occasionally overwrought text, Heche is heavy on the concept of care. She wants us to experience joy as she does, and she provides a road map for how to get there. Instead of slinking away from Hollywood and the ridicule that she endured there, Heche found the good and hung on, with Alec Baldwin and Harrison Ford starring as particularly shining knights in her story. Some readers may dismiss this material as vapid Hollywood stuff, but Heche’s perspective is an empathetic blend of Buddhism (minimize suffering), dialectical behavioral therapy (tolerating distress), Christianity (do unto others), and pre-Socratic philosophy (sufficient reason). “You’re not out to change the whole world, but to increase the levels of love and kindness in the world, drop by drop,” she writes. “Over time, these actions wear away the coldness, hate, and indifference around us as surely as water slowly wearing away stone.” Readers grieving her loss will take solace knowing that she lived her love-filled life on her own terms. Heche’s business and podcast partner, Heather Duffy, writes the epilogue, closing the book on a life well lived.
A sweet final word from an actor who leaves a legacy of compassion and kindness.Pub Date: Jan. 24, 2023
ISBN: 9781627783316
Page Count: 176
Publisher: Viva Editions
Review Posted Online: Feb. 6, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2023
A conversational, pleasurable look into McConaughey’s life and thought.
All right, all right, all right: The affable, laconic actor delivers a combination of memoir and self-help book.
“This is an approach book,” writes McConaughey, adding that it contains “philosophies that can be objectively understood, and if you choose, subjectively adopted, by either changing your reality, or changing how you see it. This is a playbook, based on adventures in my life.” Some of those philosophies come in the form of apothegms: “When you can design your own weather, blow in the breeze”; “Simplify, focus, conserve to liberate.” Others come in the form of sometimes rambling stories that never take the shortest route from point A to point B, as when he recounts a dream-spurred, challenging visit to the Malian musician Ali Farka Touré, who offered a significant lesson in how disagreement can be expressed politely and without rancor. Fans of McConaughey will enjoy his memories—which line up squarely with other accounts in Melissa Maerz’s recent oral history, Alright, Alright, Alright—of his debut in Richard Linklater’s Dazed and Confused, to which he contributed not just that signature phrase, but also a kind of too-cool-for-school hipness that dissolves a bit upon realizing that he’s an older guy on the prowl for teenage girls. McConaughey’s prep to settle into the role of Wooderson involved inhabiting the mind of a dude who digs cars, rock ’n’ roll, and “chicks,” and he ran with it, reminding readers that the film originally had only three scripted scenes for his character. The lesson: “Do one thing well, then another. Once, then once more.” It’s clear that the author is a thoughtful man, even an intellectual of sorts, though without the earnestness of Ethan Hawke or James Franco. Though some of the sentiments are greeting card–ish, this book is entertaining and full of good lessons.
A conversational, pleasurable look into McConaughey’s life and thought.Pub Date: Oct. 20, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-13913-4
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: Oct. 27, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2020
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