Firebelly

Reviews

International Reviews

Editorial Reviews

A brilliant story ... filled with lessons of will-power and the challenge and love of life in spite of difficulty.

Nisf Al Donia (Egypt)

A symbolic, attractive and distinct philosophic novel ... that instigates youth to use their minds and to think about their existence.

Prof. Dehui Yu (Taiwan)

An adventure on the edge between wild and domestic [that leads] to the change of heart of a young girl.

Expresso (Portugal)

A story of discovery and enchantment … which explores the difficult choices adolescents must confront in affirming themselves as individual beings capable of responding to the complex questions in their cycle of growth.... The book starts with three very innovative prefaces, aimed at the three ages, or stages, that mirror the various premises of this story.... The catalyst for this story of self-discovery is an adventurous frog who ultimately must confront the challenge of free will and the human condition itself. The tale culminates in an instant of pure magic and revelation.

BookPleasures

Michaels uses clear, thoughtful language to make us think difficult thoughts. As a parable, Firebelly illuminates and elucidates the ideas of being and freedom and caring. The story is both enjoyable as a tale, and mind-stretching as an allegory.

Writers' Notes Magazine

You will be enticed by the handsome, gold stamped, art deco design binding. Inside, three primers prepare you for a story set in the contemporary settings of a pet shop aquarium, a young girl’s bedroom, and a rental car. Ponder the contentment of being, the fear of change, and the perplexing possibilities of choice in the company of a mal-formed Firebelly Toad. Readers my choose to return to this book often for its calm voice and complex of subtle philosophical ideas conveyed with simple language, elegant structure, and engaging wit.

Kirkus

An engaging and quirky view of philosophy from the perspective of an unlikely sage: the Oriental Firebelly Toad...”

This philosopher’s fantasy ... makes existentialism a la Heidegger or Sartre go down easier than the masters ever made it. The text opens with a “Primer” each for children, teenagers, and adults; the reader is invited to choose one or all--fittingly so, as the concept of choice is a core component of Sartre’s constructs of purpose and meaning. The main story concerns the adventures of a malformed toad that goes from the pet store to live with first one little girl and then another. Parallel to his journey of self-discovery, the toad analyzes his fellow toads, his dreams of life outside captivity (he eschews being “wild” after he imagines exactly what it entails), and his thoughts regarding the human species. Amid the action, the toad muses upon the meanings of words--i.e., the difference between “wish” and “hope”--and the power of names and ideas to shape the world. A concluding section discusses the biology of the Firebelly Toad and the philosophical pillars of existentialism, the latter geared specifically toward Heidegger and Sartre. Written in straightforward prose, mostly silky smooth, it’s an easy read with few bobbles.... An earnest, lighthearted, and useful analysis of “being....

For an extra treat, check out the fine hardcover edition ... stamped with deep-etched copper plates, hand-engraved brass dies, and 22k gold.

2005 New England Book Show

Gorgeous art deco stamping on the front and spine--Bravo! (Judges' comment)

Professional Reviews

Riley Ellis, film executive 20th Century Fox

I have never read anything like it. This frog/toad story is more human than most of the people-centric tales I consider each day.

Chris Elliot, Portsmouth Herald, New Hampshire

Firebelly is a frank, non-patronizing conceit that presents a well-digested understanding of the main tenets of 20th-century existentialism. It is a young adult novel, but the complexity of its precepts and quality of its articulation make Firebelly a satisfying literary experience for any age.

Dr. Daniel Vokey, Assistant Professor, University of British Columbia

I read Firebelly with interest and considerable enjoyment, appreciating the simultaneously light-hearted and deeply reflective passion of the author for existential questions.

Abner Shimony Professor Emeritus of Philosophy and Physics, Boston University

It is a poignant set of interrelated stories, well written, comprehensible to teenagers and perhaps even to younger children without being condescending, and full of interesting and often surprising philosophical observations. You write well about nature, and you obviously know very much about the [concerns] of children.

Galina Dracheva, Professor of Philosophy , Ural State University, Russia

[Firebelly] is an interesting resource material and I'm using it with my students who have a good command of English.

Lilit Brutian, Professor of Philosophy, Yerevan State University, Republic of Armenia

Here in Armenia we find a great interest in reading the novel "Firebelly". We consider it a unique book for teaching philosophy to children and young adults. It is, indeed, extremely helpful in our work at the Center.

Michael McIrvin, Writer/Poet

A perfect balance in tone that keeps [this story] incredibly interesting without being camp, conveys deep ideas without being didactic, is heavily and complexly symbolic but remains an excellent story that can be enjoyed at many levels.

Danielle Brown Chair, Canadian Philosophical Association's Philosophy in the Schools Project

Firebelly is a great resource for parents and high school teachers to discuss with young adults the important issues involved both in creating and in living a good life. Michaels’ main character - a firebelly frog - confronts the challenges he faces with increasing perceptiveness and understanding, which highlights something akin to development or growth. The situations he encounters appear to increase in complexity, but perhaps it is just that the frog’s thoughts and perceptions on life and, hence his communication of these situations to the reader, evolve.

The narrative follows three main stages of growth: the beginning, or childhood, where everything is unfamiliar; the middle years where nothing is certain and where the difference between hopes and wishes becomes important; and finally, the end, which is signified by adulthood. It is in this final stage and the passage into adulthood that Michaels raises questions concerning identity and the self. Although he adopts a decidedly existential stance on the nature of being and possibly overemphasizes the importance of choice to the development of the self, the dialogues between Claire and her mentor/teacher provide excellent opportunities for discussion on what it means to live a good life from a variety of philosophical perspectives.

If you liked Bach’s Jonathan Livingston Seagull, Hoff’s The Tao of Pooh, or lo’s The Alchemist, then you’ll like Michaels’s Firebelly. Furthermore, David O. Russell’s movie “I (heart) Huckabee’s” is an excellent companion to the ideas contained in Firebelly.