Standard-issue self-help: worthy enough but wordy and heavily earnest, addressed to a broad audience but unlikely to attract...
The author of the bestselling Quiet (2012) collaborates with Mone and Moroz to bring her message of empowerment for quiet types to teen readers.
Cain opens by placing introverts on “what’s called a spectrum” (an infelicitous term, considering its more common usage in psychology) with extroverts on the opposite end and vaguely defined “ambiverts” in the middle. She goes on to draw from her own experiences as well as those of psychologists and a dozen or so first-name-only teens to affirm that there’s nothing abnormal about preferring to work alone rather than in groups, thinking before speaking, being “differently social,” and needing a place to unwind in solitude. Along with assuring less outgoing readers that they have plenty of company, from Einstein to Beyoncé, she discusses distinctive “superpowers” that introverts can employ—specifically at school and in managing peer relationships—either for their own comfort or as coping mechanisms for public speaking and like stress producers. In her view “introverted” is not the same as “shy,” but these techniques will be equally useful to both sorts of readers. For those with short attention spans she closes each chapter with summary lists of points and behavioral tools (for those with even shorter ones, Web cartoonist Snider converts many to visual form), and she goes on in a pair of afterwords to provide guidelines for parents and make a case against forced participation in classroom discussions.
Standard-issue self-help: worthy enough but wordy and heavily earnest, addressed to a broad audience but unlikely to attract one. (notes, index) (Nonfiction. 13-17)Pub Date: May 3, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-8037-4060-0
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: March 15, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2016
The author of the award-winning Mummies & Their Mysteries (1993) returns to the intriguing subject of mummies. Here she explains how they are formed, how scientists use a variety of sophisticated techniques to learn about peoples and cultures of long ago, and some of the controversies surrounding the study of human remains. As with the previous title, the photographs presented here are striking, from the Inca child who appears on the front cover, to the mummy of Egyptian King Seti I, which appears on the back. Other photographs show some of the first tattoos, details of the Iceman, an Italian child who died of smallpox 400 years ago, the remains of light-haired Caucasian mummies from Xinjiang, China, and the well-preserved bodies of Philip Calvert, governor of Maryland from 1660 to 1661. The science is impressive, as carbon-14 dating, CT scans, DNA profiling, and X-rays are used to solve ancient mysteries. What were the people like? What did they eat? When did they die? What caused their death? What were the diseases they suffered? The author also discusses the controversies as different cultures clash over studying human remains. She mentions the Native American Graves Protection and Reparation Act which gives Native Americans control over native remains buried on government land or held in collections owned or funded by the government, and discusses former Egyptian President Anwar Sadat’s, efforts to house Egyptian mummies in a more dignified way. Though Wilcox discusses respect for the dead, she nonetheless pictures the controversial “Human Body Art” of German artist Gunther von Hagens, and “Sylvester,” a mummy used to greet customers in a shop in Seattle. Also pictured are the remains of an outlaw put on display for 65 years as a moneymaking exhibit for a funeral parlor. The author concludes with a glossary, extensive bibliography including Web sites, and a detailed index. Intriguing science, dramatically presented. (Nonfiction. 9-13)
Pub Date: Aug. 15, 2000
ISBN: 1-57505-428-0
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Carolrhoda
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2000
BOOK REVIEW
An introduction to ancient Egypt and the Pharaohs buried in the Valley of the Kings. The authors begin with how archaeologist Howard Carter found the tomb of King Tut, then move back 3,000 years to the time of Thutmosis I, who built the first tomb in the Valley of the Kings. Finally they describe the building of the tomb of a later Pharaoh, Ramses II. The backward-forward narration is not always easy to follow, and the authors attribute emotions to the Pharaohs without citation. For example, “Thutmosis III was furious [with Hatshepsut]. He was especially annoyed that she planned to be buried in KV 20, the tomb of her father.” Since both these people lived 3,500 years ago, speculation on who was furious or annoyed should be used with extreme caution. And the tangled intrigue of Egyptian royalty is not easily sorted out in so brief a work. Throughout, though, there are spectacular photographs of ancient Egyptian artifacts, monuments, tomb paintings, jewels, and death masks that will appeal to young viewers. The photographs of the exposed mummies of Ramses II, King Tut, and Seti I are compelling. More useful for the hauntingly beautiful photos than the text. (brief bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 10-12)
Pub Date: March 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-7922-7223-4
Page Count: 64
Publisher: National Geographic
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2001
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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