A smart, authoritative, and elegantly written healthy living manual.
A physician explores the key elements of a healthier life in this debut self-help book.
At first glance, the table of contents of Nair’s compact guide seems simplistic. It includes “ten essential factors,” such as “Think,” “Eat,” “Move,” and “Sleep,” which the author says “will help guide your time and energy when trying to be well.” These seemingly obvious words take on more powerful meanings, though, as Nair explores them in detailed but uncomplicated chapters. The first, “Think,” presents a four-step critical thinking approach that one may use to analyze health claims regarding specific behaviors and therapies; Nair points out that “Science-based health advice should be our standard beyond simple ‘evidence.’ ” Other chapters are similarly lucid, insightful, and meaningful. “Eat,” for instance, describes “Five Dietary Principles” that are encouraging, if not all eye-opening; however, “Your Best Weight is Good Enough” addresses the fact that it’s easier for a person to set a goal of being “healthier” or “thinner” rather than “healthy” or “thin.” The significant difference, advises Nair, is the “-er” suffix, which makes a goal seem more achievable. Other refreshing principles in this chapter include “Suffering Is to Be Avoided” and “There Are No Forbidden Foods”; it also includes seven specific actions one may take to eat healthier. Overall, the author’s approach is to be reassuringly positive and empathetic rather than scolding. Other chapters unfold in much the same way, with thoughtful discussion, recommended actions, and a helpful summary at the end. One of the book’s strengths is that it features many options, rather than a single method, for reaching a particular goal; in “Move,” for instance, Nair has a simple answer to the question about which exercise is best; it is “the one you will actually do.” In addition to such sensible counsel, the author includes extensive references in every chapter.
A smart, authoritative, and elegantly written healthy living manual.Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-9782077-7-9
Page Count: 280
Publisher: Road One Publishing
Review Posted Online: Oct. 16, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
