Like a cooling breeze, Julie Newmar’s new book The Conscious Catwoman Explains Life on Earth provides a welcome tonic to this overheated summer of our discontent. While America’s so-called leaders embarrass us with their petty maneuvering and bickering, The Conscious Catwoman offers a refreshing counterbalance of positivism, integrity and, that rarest of commodities, common sense. In these dark days, it’s easy to forget that this country still has an abundance of unique resources and priceless treasures. And the iconic Miss Newmar must be counted among them.
Like its author, The Conscious Catwoman is a slim, charismatic and quite flexible volume, filled with photographs of Newmar at various stages of her long career, along with nuggets of wisdom she has gathered along the way. Renowned as a gardener, here Newmar applies similar principles to create a design for life through generous helpings of sage and entertaining advice on a wide range of topics. Here are a few snippets:
On writing: Teach yourself, by writing to yourself. Keep Writing: very soon, something pops out.
On health: Your body has a very high intelligence. Its designer didn’t come out with the Yugo car.
On wealth: Every profession has its scullery duty.
Other chapters deal with pursuing dreams, dealing with parents (and your memories of them), and developing good taste. The book concludes with a chapter devoted to the author’s handicapped son John, and her commentary brims with the love and pride Newmar feels for him and his accomplishments.
The Conscious Catwoman Explains Life on Earth is a compelling and charming book that's laced with the joy of living. Julie Newmar may have been the archetypal pin-up girl but, as this volume makes clear, her beauty is more than matched by her talent, intelligence and wit. And her philosophical musings offer not only food for thought, but a re-kindling of the belief that humanity may be worth saving, after all.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I must run to the store for some liver powder and spirulina. Sorry, you’ll have to read the book to find out why….
2 comments:
Tantalizing review David. I enjoyed reading Newmar's insights about movie life and real life. You've captured her sass and wisdom here.
Thanks so much Abby. This review was truly a labor of love :)
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