book-reviews articles: December 2009

Thursday, December 31, 2009

The Year in Book Reviews

Last year I set a goal to do 50 reviews. Counting chapter reviews (which are sometimes longer than whole book reviews) I surpassed this goal. Here’s a list of all my reviews for 2009. I’ve listed the month followed by the number of reviews for that month and then the day of the review next to the book title.

January (6)

05 Learning Theology with the Church Fathers

13 The Holy Spirit (Guides to Theology)

20 BibleWorks 8: Initial Thoughts

21 BibleWorks 8: Day 2 Thoughts

24 Jesus and the God of Israel (1)

31 BibleWorks 8: Diagramming

February (6)

02 Jesus and the God of Israel (2)

03 Jesus and the God of Israel (3)

03 BibleWorks 8: A Strange Error

10 Tactics: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions

14 BibleWorks 8: An Epiphany

23 Soul Infinity New Testament

March (6)

07 Comfort vs. Metzger

09 Comfort vs. Metzger (2)

12 Jesus, The Final Days: What Really Happened

17 Jesus and the God of Israel (4)

18 Jesus and the God of Israel (5)

29 The Witness of Jesus, Paul and John: An Exploration in Biblical Theology (1)

April (3)

04 The Kingdom of the Occult

23 One God, One Lord: Early Christian Devotion and Ancient Jewish Monotheism

29 The New Testament in Antiquity: A Survey of the New Testament within Its Cultural Contexts

May (7)

09 Old Testament Theology in a Canonical Context

11 Jesus Was Not a Trinitarian: A Call to Return to the Creed of Jesus

12 The American Patriot’s Bible: Initial Impression

13 The King James Only Controversy, 2nd ed.

15 The American Patriot’s Bible: Caveat Emptor

24 1-2 Timothy, Titus, Hebrews (Cornerstone Biblical Commentary)

30 The American Patriot’s Bible: Review

June (7)

04 Trinitarian Theology for the Church: Scripture, Community, Worship

07 The Trinity: A Guide for the Perplexed (1)

11 The Trinity: A Guide for the Perplexed (2)

13 How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth

24 BibleWorks 8: Review

29 In the Shadow of the Incarnation: Essays on Jesus Christ in the Early Church in Honor of Brian E. Daley, S.J.

30 How to Choose a Translation for All Its Worth

July (6)

09 The Four Gospels and the One Gospel of Jesus Christ: An Investigation of the Collection and Origin of the Canonical Gospels

10 Homage to the Institutes

17 The Historical Christ and the Theological Jesus

25 Van Til’s Apologetic: Readings & Analysis

28 Pauline Parallels: A Comprehensive Guide

31 Healing in the Early Church: The Church’s Ministry of Healing and Exorcism from the First to the Fifth Century

August (5)

04 Rahlfs-Hanhart Septuaginta Initial Thoughts

14 We Believe in One God (Ancient Christian Doctrine 1)

20 Dictionary of Biblical Criticism and Interpretation

27 Satan and His Kingdom: What the Bible Says and How It Matters to You

31 Commentaries on Romans and 1-2 Corinthians (Ancient Christian Texts)

September (5)

12 St. Cyril of Alexandria, A New Testament Exegete: His Commentary on the Gospel of John

14 Exegetical Fallacies: A Short Review

19 Discovering Jesus in the New Testament

29 The New Westminster Dictionary of Church History, Volume One

30 King and Messiah as Son of God: Divine, Human, and Angelic Messianic Figures in Biblical and Related Literature (1)

October (5)

04 King and Messiah as Son of God: Divine, Human, and Angelic Messianic Figures in Biblical and Related Literature (2)

09 Holy Bible: Mosaic (Review)

15 Who Did Jesus Think He Was?

22 Jesus: An Historical Approximation

31 The Zondervan Encyclopedia of the Bible: Revised, Full-Color Edition

November (2)

09 Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary: Old Testament

30 Christian Apologetics Past & Present: A Primary Source Reader, Vol. 1: To 1500

December (2)

08 From Messiah to Preexistent Son: Jesus’ Self-Consciousness and Early Christian Exegesis of Messianic Psalms

25 Incarnation: The Person and Life of Christ

B”H

[Via http://rdtwot.wordpress.com]

Review: TALLGRASS by Sandra Dallas

Melissa from Shhh I’m Reading… chose Tallgrass by Sandra Dallas for the WWII reading challenge. Here’s what she had to say about the book:

Tallgrass is a story that brought out strong emotions in me. While I know that fear can make people behave shamefully, it saddens me that this same type of discrimination can easily be found today. If you are a fan of WWII fiction, I would recommend Tallgrass as a different view into how the war affected those in the internment camps and the surrounding communities.

Read the complete review here.

**Attention participants: Remember to email us a link to your reviews, and we’ll post them here so we can see what everyone is reading!**

[Via http://warthroughthegenerations.wordpress.com]

Review: ALMOST HOME by Pam Jenoff

Nise’ from Under The Boardwalk read Pam Jenoff’s Almost Home, which counts toward the WWII reading challenge as it deals with a death tied to research on the war that uncovers a secret.

Here’s what she had to say about the book:

It was filled with mystery and suspense that had me turning the pages on afternoon.

Read the rest of her thoughts here.

**Attention participants: Remember to email us a link to your reviews, and we’ll post them here so we can see what everyone is reading!**

[Via http://warthroughthegenerations.wordpress.com]

I Love It When My Friends Write Books: a Review of The Hinomoto Rebellion

This month seems to be the month of reading things that aren’t usually my thing. It’s sort of a nice change of pace, although I still love young adult urban fantasy best.

Before I tell you about The Hinomoto Rebellion, I have to tell you a little bit about Elizabeth Staley. Liz and I became friends on the Etsy forums, but we quickly connected about things other than selling handmade items. Liz is an awesome human.

Fast forward to October of 2008, when I realized I was missing writing. I hadn’t written anything besides blog entries in years, except for a few fitful attempts to get back to creative writing, only to give it up when life got busy. Just as I was beginning to think maybe I could get in the swing of writing again, Liz told me about NaNoWriMo. I seem to recall saying to her, “I think I want you to talk me in to this”, and she obliged–with great enthusiasm. I think bribes were involved. She succeeded, and during the course of the month of November she encouraged me when I was freaking out, she read my terrible excerpts and told me they were good, and she helped me brainstorm the tough parts. She became my WB4E. My going on and on about writing all the time is mostly her fault.

And now she has published her book! And I was too cashless to afford a copy, so we worked out a trade, much to my delight. And now I get to tell you all about it. First, of course, the obligatory blurb:

Five-hundred years after a cataclysm, humanity has regained their mastery over technology and science. Those who practice Martial arts are seen by law enforcement and the government as the most dangerous of criminals. Despite being arrested or murdered in the streets by the police, these ronin still struggle to keep their fighting traditions alive. While the Shogun tries to protect his family from a power-hungry Daimyo, a rebellion begins to grow in the bars and underground dojos that will test the limits of a group of Martial Artists as they attempt to restore the balance of power.

This is the second novel I’ve read this month with illustrations in it! I really think that publishers should bring back illustrations in novels. They’re so fun! They really do enhance the story, when they’re done well. The illustrations in The Hinomoto Rebellion were done by the author, so I’m sure you can imagine how well it all went together. After all, the author understands her characters best, right?

Now, this is an interesting combination of genre; it is a martial arts story, but it is also set in an alternate future, so there are elements of dystopian fiction and also some sci-fi elements. But mainly it is the story of a group of friends who are seeking to do something really huge–and though they don’t see how they can succeed, they refuse to give up, because they believe in something larger than themselves. I totally love that kind of thing!

Add to the noble–but potentially hopeless–cause a cast of colorful characters AND fun illustrations and you have a recipe for yummy bookish goodness.

Of course, while I was reading I kept thinking, I want this to be an animated film! It would be so cool! Which is funny, because I’m not a huge animated film connoisseur. I think I felt that way because I could hear the characters talking in my head, especially Roni, the youngest participant in the story, who seems to me to really be the heart of the team. I think the characters are the strongest part of this novel–they really felt alive to me, with strong personalities. And y’all know I’m all about the personal touch.

So if you decide to pick up a copy, tell Liz Michelle sent you!

[Via http://greenwoman.wordpress.com]

Not Disappointed Enough (Twilight Walkthrough pg. 17-21)

The Germans have a word for being disappointed at not being disappointed enough. It has no direct English translation and I also can’t remember the word, but it is one of those words that seems uniquely German. It also perfectly describes the feeling that I had when I read this section of Twilight, Bella is in the lunch hall feeling morose at the fact that no one sees her as the delicate snowflake that she obviously thinks that she is while at the same time ignoring all of the other people that so far seem to be attempting to make nice with the new girl. She looks over and sees a table full of people that are apart from everyone else, naturally it makes her curious.

It makes her curious because she wants to be at that table. She knows that everyone knows who they are, they are the subject of gossip and inquiry, and most importantly they are not mingling with everyone else. In college I used to sit by myself in the lunch hall too, but not because I had no friends but because my schedule was odd. I wasn’t the type of person, like Bella, who sat alone wondering who noticed that they were sitting alone. This, however, isn’t what failed to disappoint me. It’s her description of them, “The tall one was statuesque. She had a beautiful figure, the kind you saw on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue, the kind that made every girl around her take a hit on her self-esteem just by being in the same room.”

Followed by: “But all this is not why I couldn’t look away. I stare [sic] because their faces, so different, so similar were all devastatingly, inhumanly beautiful. They were faces you never expected to see except perhaps on the airbrushed pages of a fashion magazine or painted by an old master as the face of an angel. It was hard decide who was the most beautiful–maybe the perfect blonde girl, or the bronze haired boy.”

There is an X-Files episode from way back in season 5, “Bad Blood,” which had Agent Mulder kill a teenage boy whom he thought was a Vampire. In the Twilight Zone-esque ending, typical of the “Monster of the Week” episodes it turns out that not only was he a vampire but the whole town was as well. While the episode was an entertaining one, the relevance here is that the vampire itself was not attractive nor debonair nor aristocratic. He was a misfit that the others disdained for his ways. Part of me wants this in Vampire fiction, the vampire who is just a jerk, not evil, but what we would call a douchebag. I would also like to see the Vampires who are not drop dead gorgeous (Blade for example) nor the complete monster (the Nosferatu clan of the little known “Kindred: The Embraced” show) since pop-culture has since dropped all actual reference to Stoker’s book.

Vampires were never attractive nor sexy in appearance until Bela Lugosi donned the cape and medallion attempting to seduce Helen Chandler in 1931. Before that the physical deformities were omnipresent. They had to be because since the Elizabethan era (and probably before but I wasn’t a literature major) evil had to be represented physically. Look at Shakespeare, Richard III had a hump back; Professor Moriarty had an over pronounced forehead (but not too overpronounced as Holmes observes) even the Vampyre of Polidori wasn’t portrayed as being beautiful, but merely an aristocrat, although he was sexually effective.*

We can blame Polidori/Byron (since the story was falsely attributed to Byron when it was first published) for the alluring Vampire, but more accurately we must drop it on Lugosi since his film portrayal was so iconic that over seventy years later you can still buy his costume around Halloween. In this book, do we have an excuse?

Well, I don’t want to read about ugly people do you? Aristotle said that in order to be happy one must be on the better end of the attractiveness spectrum. It sounds superficial, but we are wired this way. The more attractive the easier a person is going to have of it. Plus, we have already seen Bella shun aside the greasy overweight guy in her class so she needs some other group of loners that she must be drawn to. That is why I am probably not disappointed enough, I understand Bella’s character to be superficial and since in the long run we know she’s going to be drawn to one of the Vampires then I don’t really want the story to be about how she falls in love with the ugly kid who happens to also be a Vampire.

One final note: I love this, “…from somewhere in Alaska.” I asked for it last entry and I got it. The Vampire clan, it is explained came from Alaska originally. It was pointed out to me that one of the problems with living in Alaska is that for every month of night, you do get that much time of day as well. The cloud cover of Washington state makes more and more sense.

*And this probably has more to do with Polidori being jealous of Lord Byron’s way with women viewing him more as a predator than anyone of true worth.

[Via http://rdxdave.wordpress.com]

Book Review: The Lost Symbol

I haven’t written about any books I’ve read, so I thought I’d start with my latest read.

Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol is pretty much everything you have come to expect from a Dan Brown book. There are mysteries, evil enigmatic dudes, and of course Robert Langdon finding himself in more trouble than should be possible for a Harvard professor, and yet still finding ways to survive. The joy I had from reading The Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons has finally been lost.

What made his other books entertaining, and allow me to say that I have not read Brown’s Digital Fortress or Deception Point, was that they were fresh. I think that’s why everyone was so captivated with Brown’s The Da Vinci Code; because it presented a curious world that we often aren’t privy to, dealing with fairly controversial themes, and also being a plain old treasure hunt. And who doesn’t love a treasure hunt? Fascists, that’s who.

Now though, we have a book that pretty much just follows the exact same premise as his other conspiracy books, only with different characters. We have Robert Langdon teaming up with some woman in order to save the world from erupting into chaos due to whatever secret has been discovered by Langdon’s baddie of the week. All in all, I’m tired of the same plot, and I’m tired of writing about it. Really, there isn’t much too the book. Sure, it’s fun, a decently quick read, and offers really cool facts about random subjects, and while that alone is interesting, it doesn’t do enough to make the book as wonderful as its predecessors.

[Via http://okarbank.wordpress.com]

Snares and Nets by Catriona McCuaig

The year is 1533. Nesta Davies has journeyed from Oxford to the small village of Hollyhill to care for her son’s ailing wife.

Shortly after she arrives, an old woman dies in mysterious circumstances. Before the villagers have time to recover from this shock, a young mother is lured to the stream and pushed in, only Nesta’s quick intervention prevents another murder.

Nesta, like the murdered old woman, is a midwife. As she travels to various households, she begins to unravel the truth behind these strange and seemingly unconnected events.

The appeal of Historical crime fiction is easy to understand. Set in a time before detection had modern aids such as fingerprints, DNA or even the telephone, the historical sleuth must instead rely on his or her own instincts to discover the truth.

Fans of the genre will enjoy Snares and Nets, which has well drawn characters and an intriguing mystery at its heart.

[Via http://dks6371.wordpress.com]

Nicholas Perrin on the Gospel of Thomas

Although I originally intended to blog through Thomas: The Other Gospel by Nicholas Perrin it became evident that I did not have the time to do so. Nevertheless, I did finish the book so I will write my short summary review here.

Thomas: The Other Gospel is a fantastic introduction to Thomasine scholarship. In the first half of the book he gives attention to what other scholars have been saying about Thomas which includes special attention to the views of Stephen J. Patterson, Elaine Pagels, and April D. DeConick. Perrin explains why he agrees and disagrees with these scholars at various points.

This is an important section to read if one has any interest in Thomas scholarship. It will introduce the reader to people who need to be read to go further in this area of study. Equally, it will help you better understand by Perrin stands out from the rest of the crowd when it comes to Thomas.

In the second half of the book Perrin presents his own thesis. First, he begins with an argument that although we have a Coptic manuscript and pieces of Greek manuscripts for Thomas it is most likely it was originally written in Syriac. For those such as myself who are unfamiliar with Coptic and Syriac he does a fair job of helping make this subject easy to understand.

Second, he does a bit of historiography showing how the debate regarding apostolic succession could have led to the composition of Thomas in Edessa.

Finally, he examines the Christology of Thomas in juxtaposition to the canonical gospels.

This book did a fine job peaking my interest in Thomas as well as other writers, especially DeConick, who take positions other than his own. Hopefully it will lead to a few responses from other scholars so that we can continue to make sense of this odd, step-child of a gospel.

To purchase from Amazon.com go here.

To read my interaction with this work see the following parts: 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.

[Via http://nearemmaus.wordpress.com]

Book Review: Spirited - Taking Paganism Beyond the Circle

‘Spirited: Taking Paganism Beyond the Circle’ by Gede Parma.

Let me preface this review by saying that 1) it is basically a Wicca101 book aimed at teenagers, and 2) I know and adore Gede, but I hope I’ve kept this review balanced nonetheless.

Spirited is one of the better Wicca/NeoPaganism101 books that I’ve read in a long time. It follows strongly in the tradition of Scott Cunningham’s eclectic Neo-Wicca DIY approach. I don’t have a problem with that, and indeed, I’d certainly recommend this as a very light introduction to NeoPaganism for young people.

The book does what it intends to do, in that it is very specifically aimed at young and new practitioners: however, as an experienced practitioner with a very different approach to and experience with NeoPaganism, it also made for a thought-provoking read. There were a lot of parts of the book that were nothing new at all, but certain aspects made me stop and think – if I disagreed with his statements/conclusions, why was that? I’m a firm believer in a book being worth reading if it makes you think independently and critically.

The good: it’s a very relevant and current approach to generic NeoPaganism. The first half of the book contains general tips and guides for young NeoPagans, both in terms of establishing and accepting their identity, as well as actually practicing. The balance of suggested exercises/spellwork is good, and the overall tone of the book is generally extremely clear and very simple to read. The second half of the book contains more general information, not necessarily specifically aimed at such a young audience, and covers issues such as different conceptions of Deity in NeoPaganism, aspects of ethics, etc. This part is of particular interest to people who, like myself, are not really the target demographic, but like to gain insight into the thoughts and opinions of other NeoPagans.

The not-so-good: Some of the author’s included personal examples seem a little pointless – a lot of people have bad experiences in high school, but the manner in which they’re depicted quite possibly transects the line between ‘helpful background with which the reader can identify’ and ‘airing personal grievances/a martyr-like attitude’. I also think the book could probably benefit from introducing more detail on the basics of energy work (given that this is a beginners’ text) prior to the inclusion of exercise/spellwork ideas.

Overall, it’s a great book that I certainly wouldn’t hesistate to recommend to any new, young NeoPagans, and it’s great to see an updated beginners’ text. However, if you’re not a teenager, you may want to hold off purchasing – the second half may be thought provoking, but it primarily summarises and codifies a lot of information already out there.

Rating: 8/10

[Via http://elfmage.wordpress.com]

Nice Work Santa!

Somehow Santa squeezed his big self down my chimney carrying Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall, recipient of this year’s Man Booker Prize along with titles Love and Summer, POPS: A Life of Louis Armstrong, and Jonathan Safran Foer’s Eating Animals. Nice work Santa! Since I plan on devouring this fresh material, I won’t post until the first of the new year. Happy Reading-

-Post by Megan Shaffer

[Via http://nightlightrevue.wordpress.com]

Winner of the National Book Award: A Novel of Fame, Honor and Really Bad Weather

So this book was billed, by no less than Augusten Burroughs, as a laugh-til-your-stomach-hurts novel, and the tweedy fellow I spotted with it was laughing out loud. But I never once laughed reading this book.

Sure, the characters were amusingly larger than life, but I felt the core conflict, between fraternal twin sisters and the coolly cruel man who marries one while in love with the other, had too much emotional weight for the ridiculous situations to be funny rather than poignant. The novel, with its twins, one a nymphomaniac, the other secularly celibate, reminded me of Half-Life, by Shelley Jackson*, which I really loved. Half-Life is narrated by one of a pair of conjoined twins, in a world in which such pairings are increasingly common due to nuclear fallout, and the desire to be separated and finally live alone. The narrator of National Book Award Winner has a similarly love-hate relationship with her twin, who completes her and yet imprisons her in their yin-yang dynamic.

An enjoyable read, but it doesn’t live up to its billing (though it does have really bad weather, so maybe a good pick for the next big snow). My next Subway Book Club pick, The Collector, is waiting for me at the library when I return from my holiday vacation. In the meantime, I’ll do a little personally selected reading, starting with Byron in Love: A Short, Daring Life.

*You may recognize her name from her Skin project, in which she enlisted 2095 volunteers to each have a word from her short story tattooed on his/her body without knowing what the whole story was in advance.

[Via http://subwaybookclub.wordpress.com]

Book Review: David LaBounty

Affluenza, David LaBounty’s third novel, is dark. Very dark. Even the cover of the book is pitch black. The story is a roller coaster ride balancing precariously upon tracks of credit card debt and support beams of little to no conscience.

The main character, Chas, is an extremely unreliable narrator. And personally, that is one of my weaknesses in fiction. A big weakness. So I was instantly in love with this messed up insurance agent. Beyond that, though, Affluenza has a lot to say about society and the functionality of its current structure. It is worth reading for its meaning, even beyond its eerie, dark, and sometimes disturbing plot line. I recommend this book to… well, everyone.

- C.J.

[Via http://fivefishes.net]

Alex Ross, <i>The Rest is Noise: Listening to the Twentieth Century</i>

Cross-posted from my other public blog, The Pixellated Bookshelf.

I’m not going to attempt a systematic review, as those can be found elsewhere and in any case I’m unfamiliar with some of the territory Ross covers in his survey of 20th-century classical music.

In the areas I do know about, I found Ross to be accurate and to emphasise more or less what I consider to be important. The index is very thorough in its coverage of persons, including (for example) references to composers’ relatives, though it is less complete when it comes to concepts.

Ross is not ashamed to relate music to composers’ biographies or even to their physical appearance, and the text is full of pertinent anecdotes. Nevertheless, there are detailed descriptions of notable works, more from the earlier part of the century. A website with audio extracts of works referred to in the text can be found here.

One controversial position is that the author is convinced that Sibelius’ 8th symphony was destroyed in a complete or near-complete state, though I believe the evidence for this is unclear.

Although he is English, Ross has worked in New York for some years, and the USA accordingly features prominently. This does not just mean that American composers are dealt with at length; Mahler’s stay in New York is described in detail and one is told a lot about the history of American public-service broadcasting but there is little reference to the BBC, or to British composers other than Benjamin Britten. I don’t necessarily think this bias is a bad thing, as I learnt much about (for example) the origins of American minimalism.

Ross focuses on innovators, at the expense of more conservative composers such as Puccini and Rachmaninov, who tend to get pushed to the sidelines of his narrative, although they’re certainly part of 20th-century classical music history. Perhaps similarly, he can make 20th-century music seem more different to what preceded that it actually is, for example in its degree of political commitment.

# ISBN-10: 1841154768
# ISBN-13: 978-1841154763

[Via http://vhkssinging.wordpress.com]

Red Hot Internet Publicity: An Insider’s Guide to Promoting Your Book on the Internet! by Penny C Sansevieri

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This was the first book I picked up on internet marketing, and it was a winner. Lots of advice on all types of online presences. I got good tips on revising my website, updating my homepage and branding my virtual presence across the board. The best news: many were free.

View all my reviews >>

[Via http://worddreams.wordpress.com]

While Europe Slept by Bruce Bawer

I have just finished this extraordinary book by Bruce Bawer. I was left angry, more educated and more confident in my own beliefs after having read this book. Bawer lived in several European countries and writes about his own experiences and conversations with Europeans and the appalling policy of appeasement and self-editing many people now do. We cannot ignore the message inherent in this work: we have to pay attention to the threat that Islam poses for western civilization and we must act to save our precious freedoms from an ideology bent on the subjugation of women, the murder of Jews and homosexuals and non-believers. I recommend this book to anyone who is open-minded enough to read another person’s opinion, which is based on facts and experience.

Near the end is this important message to Americans:

“When visiting Europe, many Americans, to avoid discomfort and court easy praise, take every opportunity to put down their own country in terms designed to gratify European sensibilities and reinforce European stereotypes. Those who do this are traitors – not to America, but to the truth, to themselves, and to their interlocutors – and should cut it out.”

I agree wholeheartedly with this paragraph because I have done this same thing myself, due to the overwhelming (and misplaced) anti-American sentiment that pervades modern European culture. I have even at times tried either not to speak at all or to use a fake accent in order to not get into trouble with my new countrymen and women. Bawer is right, it is shameful to do thus and I shan’t do it again. Nor should you or anyone. We must stand up for what is right and true and good in this life or we will lose everything indeed.

[Via http://andreazuvich.wordpress.com]

The Origin of the Master Key System by Charles F Haanel

Author: Anthony Michalski
Source: ezinearticles.com

I received an email from a reader named Derek L. in which he wrote -

Thanks for your great posts/blog. It’s refreshing to, Find Email, see someone telling the truth and not selling more snake oil.

I do have a question…

I’m intrigued by the lineage of thoughts relating to this subject. Since you have a lot of exposure, Find Email, to this material I’m wondering if you have any ideas about where Haanel got his original concepts?

I am often asked that question because there is a lot of mystery surrounding Haanel and his perennial work, The Master Key System. Was he a part of a Masonic conspiracy? Did he receive his knowledge through arcane means? Someone, Find Email, even theorized about some Russian wizard of sorts who shared his knowledge with Haanel.

The history is quite interesting, but more blase than some of the stories would lead you to believe. The Master Key System must be looked at within the context of the late 19th and early 20th Centuries. The New Thought philosophy was in full swing with many books and magazines publishing the new beliefs for a seemingly ravenous audience. Based on Christian Science as espoused by Mary Baker Eddy, the Christian Scientists and many New Thought-ers held firmly to the belief about what Jesus Christ said about the powers available to each and every person.

Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles, Find Email, themselves. I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing, Find Email, . He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. (John 14:11-13)

Thus, with enough faith and belief, one could perform miracles as Christ did. Even a cursory reading of The Master Key System would reveal to someone that this was something, Find Email, in which Haanel believed deeply. That being said, the monotheistic ideas that Haanel espouses is more than likely derived from his participation in Freemasonry – while the Masons do not define their God, their only prerequisite is a belief in one God. It is then through this God that miracles and extreme human potential can occur.

Before going, Find Email,, Find Email, further into this, it is worth pointing out that there, Find Email, were at least two other publications that emphasize the words “The Master Key” prior to the Twentieth Century, Find Email, . The actual phrase has been used since the 17th Century by the Freemasons and for a publication, Find Email, in the 18th century – Hiram, or the Master Key to the Door of Freemasonry, published in 1760. Another use of the phrase can be found in Madame Helena Blavatsky’s famous (or should that be infamous) 600-page Isis Unveiled, with its sub-title A Master-Key to the Mysteries of Ancient and Modern Science and Theology, published in 1877. One shouldn’t underestimate the popularity, Find Email, and influence of Blavatsky and those who followed her teachings – the Theosophists.

In the Twentieth Century, two authors released books with “Master Key” in the title. The first comes from L. Frank Baum, the author of The Wizard of Oz fame, and is an early science, Find Email, fiction novel. It was called The Master Key and subtitled An Electrical Fairy Tale. It told of the adventures Rob and the Demon of Electricity. This was published in 1901.

Another book came out at around the same time Haanel was working on his correspondence school. Its advertisement showed a book and a man reading a book inside an hour glass. The advertisement read:

The Master Key ~ Reveals Things You Never Thought Possible. The Hour Glass of Success. You Will Never get Another Book Like “The Master key”.

It was written by L. W. de Laurence and published by The de Laurence Company of Chicago, Illinois, USA, in 1914. To quote a few lines from it will show obvious similarities with Haanel’s The Master Key System.

“THE MASTER KEY is divided, Find Email, into Six, Find Email, parts: contains Thirty-seven full Chapters embracing Thirty-five Lessons of graduated difficulty, Find Email, covering, Find Email, Forty individual numbered Exercises in which the fundamental principles, Find Email, of Concentration and Mental Discipline are fully explained.”

L. W. de Laurence, whose full name was Lauron William de Laurence, was an American author, publisher, and owner of a supply mail order house in Chicago. He has been accused, Find Email, of plagiarism and the illegal publication of various occult works. The number of publications by this man, Find Email, seems to be considerable.

De Laurence was active at the same time as Haanel and was in fact only two years younger than him. De Laurence, who was born in 1868 and died in 1936, had connections with AMORC. It is unclear whether there was any connection between the two authors.

This then brings us to the main influence of Charles F. Haanel’s: the New Thought Movement.

When you read Haanel’s The Master Key System, it isn’t long before he starts to use terms that can be cross-referenced. To be fair to Haanel, many quotes he uses have nothing to do with the New Thought Movement. He was a man of his time, Find Email, and a well-read one. He used references from eminent people of the 19th Century and talks about the inventions, Find Email, of that time and the early years of the 20th Century, Find Email, . Other quotes come from, Find Email, the Bible but all are rather enigmatic and symbolic which could point to being influenced by New Thought writers, the Christian Scientists, the Freemasons, or the Rosicrucians. There are several hints of a possible knowledge of Hinduism, but it is unclear of Haanel’s exact knowledge of that subject as references like Pranic Energy or Pranic Ether may be from, Find Email, the Rosicrucian teachings or possibly, and more likely, Theosophy.

There are several words and phrases that may be of interest:

“The Great Architect of the Universe”
“Secret Place of the Most High”
“Universal Mind”
the, Find Email, “I”
“The Law of Attraction”

The “Great Architect of the Universe” is a phrase often used to represent God or Supreme Being by Christians, Freemasons, and Rosicrucians. It may go back to the Middle Ages or beyond. Thomas Aquinas used a similar phrase but with “Grand”, Find Email, instead of “Great”.

“Secret Place of the Most High” can be found in the Bible in Psalm 91:1 -

He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

The “Universal Mind” would seem to come from Friedrich Von Schelling and was expanded on by Georg W. F. Hegel. Ralph Waldo Emerson, Find Email, also made use of this term.

The concept of the “I” also seems to have its origins in the works of early German philosophers. It would seem that “I” was the first principle of Johann Gottlieb Fichte’s Wissenschaftslehre – “Doctrine of Science”.

The, Find Email, phrase that is on the tip of the tongues of many today is “The Law of Attraction”. Like the other terms used by Haanel, this was probably not of his own inventing. It seems to have come to light first in the works of William Walker Atkinson (1862 – 1932) and particularly in Thought Vibration or The Law of Attraction in the Thought World published by The New Thought Publishing Co., Chicago, Illinois, USA, 1906. Though the phrase itself is much older, its meaning became somewhat different with Atkinson, Find Email, and Haanel.

The Law of Attraction also appears in the syllabus of the S.R.I.A. – The Society of Rosicrucians. However, it is not known how old this syllabus is and it is likely that it is quite modern. The S.R.I.A. was formed in 1909 with the idea of teaching to the general public rather than Masons, Find Email, as with previous Rosicrucian groups. Some other aspects of the S.R.I.A. syllabus bears similarities to Haanel’s works. However, it may be that both this syllabus and Haanel’s ideas are from an older source – or a just coincidence. It is unknown which came first.

Ultimately it may be possible to trace the idea of the Law of Attraction back to certain phrases, Find Email, that were put into the mouth of Jesus Christ in the New Testament of the Bible.

Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. (Matthew 7:7-8, King James Version)

Another book that cannot be ignored was published in 1908 and was called The Kybalion: Hermetic Philosophy by Three Initiates and published by The Yogi Publication Society, Masonic Temple, Chicago, Illinois, USA. It cannot be, Find Email, ignored that this book may have played a part in the development of Haanel’s The Master Key System. It certainly wasn’t a collection of lessons and exercises, but the wording,, Find Email, Find Email, throughout this book is remarkably similar to Hannel’s publications. At one, Find Email, point the phrase “Mental Chemistry” is used. And though there is nothing in the title remotely similar to Haanel’s work, the phrase “Master Key” is used in the Introduction and several times in the body of the book. The Kybalion, Find Email, also, Find Email, delves into the power of thought.

…(T)he Hermetic, Find Email, Philosophy is the only Master-Key which will open all the doors of Occult teachings…. One of the old Hermetic Masters wrote, long ages ago: ‘He who grasps the truth of the Mental Nature of the Universe, Find Email, is well advanced on the, Find Email, Path to mastery.’ These words are as true today as at the time first written. Without this Master-Key, Mastery, Find Email, is impossible, and the student knocks in vain at the many doors of the Temple…. The Principles of Truth are Seven; he who knows these, understandingly, possesses the Magic Key before whose touch all the Doors of the Temple fly open.

It is believed that The Kybalion is not some ancient document but was written by William W. Atkinson and the other “Initiates” have been guessed at as, Find Email, Paul Foster Houses and Mabel Collins. Atkinson was certainly active in the years leading up to the publication, Find Email, of The Master Key System and it is hard to believe that, Find Email, Haanel would not have known of either the man or his works, Find Email, . Master Key Arcana includes short pieces from the writings of several members of the New Thought Movement, including William W. Atkinson, James Allen, Florence Scovel Shinn, Henry Drummond and Phineas P. Quimby.

Whether, Find Email, Haanel was influenced, Find Email, by Atkinson, or any other members of this Movement, though, is another thing all together and it is difficult to be sure what his sources were.

Much of Haanel’s life is a mystery. Not many records were kept or preserved and the lack of many living descendants who knew him add, Find Email,, Find Email, to, Find Email, us not knowing much about him. C. W. Evans-Gunther, Find Email, researched and examined Haanel’s life as much as possible. His thorough biography can be found at www.haanel.com.

Researching Haanel’s influences and their play on his works is somewhat easier. As was noted at, Find Email, the beginning of this article, when the times in which Haanel lived are examined, you, Find Email, can see the influences and how Haanel used those influences to shape his thoughts and his works.

In the time period in which Haanel lived, the self-help/personal development movement (although not called by those terms) was quite large and actually very similar to today’s scene. As the saying goes, the times may, Find Email, have changed but things remain the same. By some counts, Haanel was a somewhat important player, although he never had the infamy of Blavatsky or a few others of the time.

It was all of these elements (at least) that came together in Haanel’s mind to form one of the greatest books about personal development.

[Please note: This article was researched, Find Email, by C.W. Evans-Gunther. He is also responsible for writing the majority of it. Additional information was added by me. I am also responsible for additional editing and any mistakes that one might find. More information can be found at www.haanel.com.]

Anthony R. Michalski/Master Key Coaching

http://www.masterkeycoaching.com

[Via http://searchemail.wordpress.com]

The US Review of Books Likes TMM

The Mayan Magician and Other Stories
by Jim Musgrave
CIC Publishers
reviewed by Peter M. Fitzpatrick

“There’s still time for you to wake up and use your infinite minds and forget your lousy peepholes.”

This collection of twenty-six short stories will have you laughing out loud and perhaps even finding tears rolling down your cheeks. It is powerful fiction that can catapult you right into the center of situations both modern American and beyond. The soul of the misplaced body of a young Iraq war soldier cries out from beyond the veil. A young meth-addicted girl gives voice to her entrapment and lurching attempt to escape. A bankrupted sub-prime mortgage investor is rescued from alcoholic ennui by mysterious bird-women who call to him from the sea.

Musgrave manages to hit quite a few contemporary targets with a subtle hand. He likes to assume the viewpoint of the weak, the unpowerful, and the disenfranchised. The horrible isolation of an autistic child’s mental anguish; the Falun Gong member of mixed race stuck in Communist China; the strange and terrifying power play between a sexual psychopath and his intended victim–these are just a few instances where the humanity and pathos of normally hidden and silent ranges of existence are given powerful and moving voices by the author.

He also has an innate feel for the absurd. It can be in the negative sense of nothingness that a lonely train passenger feels when witnessing a suicide-by-train. But this author is too kind and creative to dwell very long on simple existential angst. His characters may well be mired in postmodern complexity. They meet it head-on. A sixty-eight-year-old street salesman outsmarts the spirit of Death to save the life of nine-year-old boy. The soul of a retired baseball great really does enter the soul of a cat who then brings good luck to his family.

The powerful and corrupt are indeed given an artful and effective send-up in this book. Throughout all the wit and ingenious invention that makes this collection such an enjoyable read is an intrinsic sense of moral courage. The surface of things he portrays are perhaps surreal and absurd. Deep down inside the stories, however, glimpses of a purpose, rather strong intimations of meaning, start to emerge. The effect is powerful and stirring.

The US Review of Books
PO Box 11, Titusville, NJ 08560
www.theUSreview.com

[Via http://mayanmagician.wordpress.com]

Currently reading...

I’m currently reading two books and hope to finish both of them soon. The first one is long awaited. A friend at the op shop got me to buy two copies for her as her story appears in it so I bought one for me as well and it’s been on the shelf a a few months. It’s called Something That Happens to Other People and is edited by Susan Feldman, Barbara Kamler and Ilana Snyder. I haven’t found my friend’s story yet but there’s a distinct possibility I might miss it in the excitement of reading the stories. They’re all stories of women growing older and are all excellently written. Each story is very exciting and addictive…so addictive I had to pick the book up and finish it instead of writing this blog. The other book is one I’ve mentioned on Twitter a couple of times. It’s called Gracie: A Love Story by George Burns. Also a very readable book and one I will finish in the next couple of days. It was written with much love and affection by a rather aged George Burns, a man who finally died at the age of 100 but was still acting at 98!

Aging is an interesting phenomenom. It happens to most of us and some people get older than others. Our bodies get older despite our best efforts and whether we act older depends on who we are. One of the stories in Something That Happens to Other People is written by a lady in the middle of menopause and talks about how she deals with it. Menopause is something I’m expecting any day as I’m just at that age and I know I should be dreading it but I’m not. I am really looking forward to it as I’m so sick of having my month interrupted and having all the side effects. I do know that menopause will bring it’s own side effects but they will be different and it will be a challenge to identify them and try to counter them with medication, food or will power. Having said all of that I still tell people I’m 18!!!

One thing the book highlights to me is that we should be looking after our older generations. They’ve spent a lot of time on this earth and have an accumulation of wisdom and knowledge, we should be harnessing that to make sure it isn’t lost. One thing that is so distinctive to this age is the ability to write stuff down, either in print or on the computer. This means we lose far less information than we used to. The moveable type printer was only invented around 1439, before that books were very expensive to produce having to be hand drawn and so little of the population could read. It was in the late 18th century that a machine was invented that could produce a seamless length of paper and books started to become cheaper. So, somewhere between the 18th century and now education became synonymous with books and we started relying more on books than our older people. We hear stories of people who have been found dead in their homes several weeks after they died as no-one called on them to check them. I’m suggesting we go back to our previous ways and make certain we look after them, even just call them up every day to make sure they’re still okay.

Just remember…you may be old and in need of this yourself, so it’s good to set the scene for the younger generation and show them what to do to ensure they look after you.

[Via http://suzsspace.wordpress.com]

Tell Me Where It Hurts

I thoroughly enjoyed this light-hearted and humorous book written eloquently by animal surgeon Dr. Nick Trout. Not a chapter slipped by where I wasn’t giggling to myself over a witty analogy or characterization. I presumed this book would be more technically detailed, but instead it showcases the emotional feelings and personal bonds we feel towards our beloved pets. Tell Me Where It Hurts is a must read for all dog lovers and aspiring veterinarians. It is definitely one of my top five books read in 2009. Although long-winded, this is one of my favorite quotes stated by this amazing animal surgeon: “So if I’m cornered, asked to put into words why it is I do what I do, I might try a different approach. I ask them to imagine a child walking into a classroom on their first day of elementary school, awkward, shy, prone to beet-red blushes and raindrop tears, alone, confused, and, most of all, scared. And now imagine there’s a kid in the class who’s different from his peers, of, say, a different ethnicity, unable to communicate because he’s unwilling or unable to speak the languange and, for one second, just imagine how you might feel as a parent, hovering, unnoticed, invisible, watching as your child is the one taking that bold step forward, introducing himself, making a friend and helping a stranger in a strange place. In an instant you can see both sides of the equation, balanced, simple, free from criticism and cynicism, a child innocently trying to help, a child relieved and reassured, grateful to be connected by a smile, a touch. It is precisely this kind of feeling that I as a veterinarian am trying to rekindle in my working life, in a classroom striving for a connection and collaboration between two completely different species, discovering an instinctual behavior of reaching out and trying to help a frightened, sick animal with their unequivocal acceptance of your intention that can still, even now, even when I’m tired and at my most jaded, catch me off guard, spin my emotional compass, and make me proud and grateful to be doing what I do. Naturally, brandishing a bright and shiny needle can leave you on the sharp end of a verbal (and sometimes physical) complaint, but, for the most part, unlike human medicine, this exchange transpires in respectful silence, in a world of tacit clueless tolerance. It is this dependence on a different kind of language, the quintessential allure of an absence of words, an absence that, as they say, makes the heart grow fonder.”

[Via http://livevitale.wordpress.com]

Undervalued Authors Must Rise Again...

The current appreciation of “older generation” authors’ literature for children is under question; nowadays, most children and parents prefer J.K. Rowlings to Roald Dahl, Lloyd Alexander, or Edward Eager. For example, Lloyd Alexander was born in 1924 and he published many novels for children during his lifetime, some of them being very profound (The Chronicles of Prydain, The Arkadians, etc.). His stories are reflective on life and are not banal when dealing with moral values and ethics. However, bookstores have a fraction of his works on their shelves nowadays and Mr. Alexander’s books rarely disappear from the bookshelves. His popularity at this time of first publication is undoubted, but that was more than half a century ago. The number of children today that know his books or even his name is limited. The same fact applies to Edward Eager, a barely known author from the quarter of the nineteenth century who greatly admired Edith Nesbit, one of the foremost authors of children’s literature. His works are almost out of print but once rediscovered their magic is everlasting. His words are simple but they always spin tales that envelop the reader completely.

Literature printed in the twenty-first century is over promoted, leaving no room in the minds of children for the classics printed before the modern generation’s existence. These forgotten treasures must be recognized once more so that both children and their parents may benefit from these undervalued authors’ insights into the hearts of children and their imaginations.

[Via http://equus4ever.wordpress.com]

Book Review: Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Chances are good that you already know what this book is about (and that you’ve already read at least four hundred reviews of it), but just in case you’ve been living under a rock (and hey, that’s all right, sometimes under the rock is a nice place to be), here’s a description from the publisher:

Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a mysterious box with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker—his classmate and crush—who committed suicide two weeks earlier.

On tape, Hannah explains that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he’ll find out how he made the list.

For the most part, I enjoyed reading Thirteen Reasons Why, but I did have a few problems with it. Let’s look at the good stuff.

First, the obvious: teen suicide is a real, serious issue, and we need to start talking about it. And teens’ inner lives and emotions are in many ways foreign and unknowable to adults. Thirteen Reasons Why gives teen readers insight into the ways in which their words and actions—no matter how harmless they may seem—can affect others, and it reminds adult readers of the emotional intensity of adolescence.

As I read Hannah’s descriptions of her reasons for ending her life, my first reaction was frequently, “Well,yes, that’s awful, but it’s no reason to kill yourself.” But then I realized that was my adult reaction and that things that don’t seem like a big deal to me now would have seemed huge and unforgettable ten years ago. When it comes to the portrayal of deeply felt adolescent emotions, author Jay Asher nails it and gives young readers a character to identify with and learn from. And the moments he chooses to imbue with meaning will be familiar to many of us.

Asher utilizes alternating narrative voices that weave together as if in conversation, so we get Hannah’s words and Clay’s thoughts and emotions as he listens to them. This gives the book a great sense of immediacy and urgency, and it enables us to identify and sympathize with both characters simultaneously. As Hannah’s tapes progressed, I found myself holding my breath, feeling the growing knot in my stomach, and hoping against hope that Hannah’s indictment of Clay wouldn’t leave him irreparably damaged.

And now for the not-so-good stuff.

(This section contains spoilers. If you don’t want to know, scroll down.)

The characters in Thirteen Reasons Why are teenagers, and undeniably so. They have teenage problems and teenage responses to those problems. They have teenage relationships and the teenage emotions that accompany them. But many times in the book, the characters come off as more mature than your typical teenagers, and that just didn’t work for me. If these are really kids that anyone should be able to identify with, then why are the so witty, articulate, and emotionally aware? If Hannah could examine her problems carefully enough to understand how they fed into each other and how they affected her, why couldn’t she see any other possible solution?

Additionally, while it makes for compelling reading to have Hannah blame her suicide on thirteen other people and explain the role each person played in her decision, I think she should take more responsibility for how she chooses to (not) solve her problems. Yes, some of her experiences are traumatic and painful….but all teenagers have embarrassing, uncomfortable, painful experiences and get through them without committing suicide. Hannah had other options, and she could have reached out.

And yes, she did reach out to Mr. Porter, her English teacher/guidance counselor. And no, that didn’t go very well. But if she was looking for a way out, for an adult to help her, she could have found one. That last tape made me so angry because it seemed that she wasn’t looking for help but an excuse, and since he didn’t help her the way she wanted him to, she could blame him for her decision.

While we’re on blame, let’s talk about the fact that Asher spends half the book building us up to wonder what Clay could have done to contribute to Hannah’s death only to have it turn out that he didn’t do anything! I mean, it’s not that I wanted Clay to have done something awful. I liked him and felt for him and wanted him to be okay….but it didn’t make sense to me that Hannah would address him with a message of sorrow and forgiveness in the middle of tapes blaming twelve other people for her death. Why put him through all of that?

And, as Amy and Candace pointed out when we were discussing the book on Twitter recently, where were the rest of the adults? We know that Hannah’s parents have been busy and stressed out, and we see Clay’s mom in a few brief interactions, but where are everyone else’s parents? How have these tapes really made it through more than half a dozen other kids before reaching Clay without anyone stumbling upon them or noticing sudden changes in their child’s demeanor? I can see how creating a mini-world populated entirely with teenagers might work for a teenage audience, but it seemed like a gaping hole to me.

Spoilers over. What’s the final verdict?

Thirteen Reasons Why may not be a perfect book, but it is an important book that provides a starting point for creating dialogue about social and psychological problems with teenagers and teaching them how (and why) to consider the consequences of their actions. This is a suspenseful story filled with intense, almost palpable emotion. Teens will likely see themselves and their peers within the pages of Thirteen Reasons Why, and adults will both remember their own experiences and recognize the ways in which the world for today’s teens is very different. 3.75 out of 5.

[Via http://thebookladysblog.com]

WHAT ARE YOU READING?

This is the book that I have been trying to read- trying to read, because everything else seems to be getting in the way and I keep putting it down. Currently, the ASG Neighborhood Group that I run is making blouses, but after the blouses we are moving into pants. I am hoping this book will help. Have you read it? What do you think about it?

[Via http://sewforward.wordpress.com]

Reviews: THE BOOK THIEF by Markus Zusak

Another popular book among WWII reading challenge participants is The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. Here is the latest round of reviews; click the links to read the entire review.

J.T. Oldfield from Bibliofreak says:

…really, the whole book is beautiful. Sad, but beautiful. I didn’t cry like I thought I would at the end. My eyes teared up a bit, but that was it. This is probably because the narrator had already prepared us for the end, by telling it flat out half way through the book. Maybe that is part of why this is a good YA book–it’s sort of a prepared sorrow.

Mel from The Reading Life says:

“The Book Thief” shows us a lot about the reading life, how a love and obsession with reading effects the main Character Leisel and those around her. There is an old saying about deep books-”The book reads you at the same time you read it”. The narrator of the book is Death. This is a daring conceit pulled off perfectly. I even came to Like Death and felt in sympathy with him at times. The book is told in a time and place of great evil. You know it is there, you cant forget it but it does not get in the way.

**Attention participants: Remember to email us a link to your reviews, and we’ll post them here so we can see what everyone is reading!**

[Via http://warthroughthegenerations.wordpress.com]

Modern Manipulation Endangers Wild Things

Back in September I voiced my opinion on the modern-day spin of Where the Wild Things Are in a post titled Why, Mr. Eggers, Why? After viewing the movie version of Maurice Sendak’s classic last night, I must now confirm my initial suspicions that some things are definitely better left untouched. My original post follows below…

Why, Mr. Eggers, Why?

After recently reading a fiction piece in The New Yorker titled Max At Sea, I am officially intrigued, if not perplexed, by Dave Eggers. I have followed his progression from A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, to his internet publication McSweeney’s, to his recent Away We Go venture on the big screen, and wonder if the man has time to sleep. If you follow Mr. Eggers, it is also likely that you are aware of his incredible and tireless humanitarian efforts and drive to increase literacy among children; to all of these pursuits I tip my hat. That being said, I did find myself searching for words to articulate my reaction to the peculiar Max At Sea piece which is based on Maurice Sendak’s classic Where the Wild Things Are.

In Egger’s version, Max is the product of an absentee father. He resides with his mother, her “chinless boyfriend” Gary, and his sister Claire upon whom he wishes death by “flesh-eating tapeworms”. Actually, Max wishes all of them serious bodily harm which seems a touch more extreme than the “mischief” referred to in Sendak’s version (think messy bedrooms and empty cookie boxes). Once modern Max puts on his wolf suit, shouts “Arrrooooooo!” from atop the kitchen counter and proceeds to bite his mother, he’s off like a shot. Though the story continues from there, this is enough to give you the basis for my angst.

Now, I’m all for growth and creative expansion, however, as some things are better left unsaid, so too are some things better left unwritten. When I think of Where the Wild Things Are, I think of that sweetly dark, mysterious, quirky book that still conjures up images of oafish monsters and deep dark seas. It holds within it an innocent theme of escapism that we can all still happily relate to.

However, my disappointment in Mr. Egger’s version is rooted in his attempt to demystify something that has stayed pure for the last forty-six years. The beauty of the story lies in letting the individual imagination take flight (without commercial interruption). Until now, Where the Wild Things Are was one of those precious few childhood treats that had remained untainted and unspoiled. Alas, now that Max has been strapped with a load of modern day baggage, it is unlikely that I will ever be able to look at him with quite the same eye. Dave Egger’s interpretation is interesting at best, but sadly, we will all go down with Max’s boat. The movie Where the Wild Things Are is slated for release this coming October. Do yourself and your kids a favor: READ THE BOOK FIRST.

Max At Sea appeared in the Aug. 24 edition of the New Yorker.

-Post by Megan Shaffer

[Via http://nightlightrevue.wordpress.com]

From One Thing to Another

So yeah, Nano is over for 2009 (thank God). It was a very busy month, not made any easier by me also trying to cross stitxh x-mas card to everyone. Well needless to say few x-mas cards were completed by December 1st, and I’m now struggling to get them all finished to send off. At the moment I need to finish 1 more for the Norwegian side of the family tree and 3 for the scouse family tree, and then of course they need to be mounted (get your minds out of the gutter now!). I’ve given myself Wednesday as send off date. They’ll prolly arrive at the two locations too late for crimbo, but it’s the thought that counts, right?

I really do apologise for not posting more often though, hopefully etisalat will install our internet soon and then you’ll all be sick of me. I have been writing a few post to publish, I’ll finally be giving my opinion on Pride and Prejudice and Zombies – apparently saying it’s “blah” isn’t good enough. There will be a few other book reviews as well, a New Moon rant (the film not the book), another rant connected with the Twilight Saga (I’m gonna have to spread those way apart, people will start to think I’m obsessed and I’m really not), then some updates on my cross stitching projects, some pictures and opinions from the Killers concert at the Emirates Palace, National Day pictures from Abu Dhabi, and my pre-New Year resolutions

Hopefully a couple of these can be posted this week, it all depends on how quickly my cross stitching goes, plus I need to clean the flat (room) for Christmas and get the decorations out.

At least the weather has turned a bit colder, really puts you in the Christmas mood.

So for now, how yourself a very, merry run up to Christmas and please stick around and comment when the content is finally up.

Auf Wiedersehen ( I think)

[Via http://awikkidwomanswords.wordpress.com]

Retelling Hamlet

Back in college, I had a brilliant professor who breathed Shakespeare. In class, she would sit on top of the table, her legs crossed like an Indian in a tepee, and she would recite lines from memory. “To be or not to be, that is the question.” That table was her stage. And we were her audience.

Hamlet was one of the plays we read. It’s a classic Shakespearean tragedy—they all die in the end, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern included. We don’t know much about Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, except that they are Hamlet’s friends (and the fact that they have curious and difficult-to-pronounce names.) I wanted to know more about them.

And then I came across an old copy of Tom Stoppard’s play entitled Rosencrantz and Guidenstern Are Dead at a second-hand bookstore in school. It is a play that takes place in Shakespeare’s world, particularly Hamlet’s, with special appearances by major Hamlet characters such as King Claudius, Gertrude, Polonious, and Ophelia. Here, the major characters in Hamlet are cast in minor roles, and the “extras,” so to speak, are thrust into the limelight. If anything, the play affirms that even the seemingly insignificant of characters have their own stories to tell. That even minor characters can become big stars also.

The play, among other things, talks about fate and the certainty of death; thus:

Player: …There’s a design at work in all art—surely, you know that? Events must play themselves out to aesthetic, moral and logical conclusion.

Guildenstern: And what’s that, in this case?

Player: It never varies—we aim at the point where everyone who is marked for death dies….

Guildenstern: Who decides?

Player (switching of his smile): Decides? It is written….

Rosencrantz and Guidenstern Are Dead is, in a sense, a retelling of Hamlet. But even retellings have their limits. Retellings cannot completely break free from the clutches of that which was “originally told”. Everyone who is marked for death dies. It is written. In Hamlet, they are all marked for death. It can no longer be undone.

And true enough, in Rosencrantz and Guidenstern Are Dead, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead. This is the aesthetic, moral and logical conclusion.

[Via http://ralphcatedral.wordpress.com]

The Incredible Shrinking Genre

I make it a point, whenever I browse the local grocery store, to wander through the book section and see what folks are reading. I figure that if something is popular enough to find its way onto a small town Walmart shelf then I should look and see why.

For a long time Nora Roberts dominated the top ten—and some folks who know me well have told me that I would enjoy her work. Yes, I do read more than just science fiction.

One day, not too long ago, I noticed Orson Scott Card’s newest at the time, in number 8 or so as I recall. As a science fiction writer myself, I must admit it is a little bit disconcerting to see so few SciFi novels make the list.

Science fiction for the masses is hard to write, and some say it’s hard to read. In a recent blog entry by British author Mark Charon Newton entitled “Why Science Fiction Is Dying & Fantasy Fiction Is The Future“, he and several others who comment on his post discuss a few of the possible reasons for what he has observed as a shrinkage in the Science Fiction market, compared with dramatic growth in Fantasy. In a follow-up post, he replies to several side discussions to support his claim.

Now let me start by saying that I agree with Mark, except that I don’t think the disease that is afflicting printed SciFi is terminal. Seasons change, and so do the markets for any product. I am a firm believer that science fiction will reinvent itself in some way and rebound. I don’t see any product that can fully replace it for its cult following. One of the things that such a recovery will require however will be for those who write and promote it to understand the causes of the current slump.

Some causes under discussion in Mark’s blog are:

Less interest by readers in the complexities found in science fiction.
Some recent blockbusters in contemporary fantasy (i.e. Harry Potter, Twilight, etc.)
Not enough science fiction is written for the women audience, who read more than men.
Rapid scientific advances are giving science fiction less to talk about.

I am unwilling to argue with any of this, because I think it is all true. However, there are no new Harry Potter books coming out, I think that paranormal romances are a fad, scientific advances will sprout whole new development paths for Edwardian SciFi writers to project, and writers like me who seek women readers will learn to write to their needs. It is all just an issue of business evolution.

However, there are two other problems, more or less related to one and other, that annoy me about a lot of the science fiction that I read; and I know they annoy others and drive readers away from the market in droves. But before I go there, let me ask you three questions.

Who is purported to be the second richest woman in England, after the Queen?
What do the Harry Potter books, the Twilight books, and Star Wars have in common (besides just being popular among both children and adults)?
What one written word could disqualify a writer from ever becoming a teen market runaway hit?

You may have your own answers to these questions, if so then please share them—here are mine.

J.K. Rowlings.
Limited sex and profanity.
The “F” word.

I am reminded of a popular saying…”When you find out that you have dug yourself into a hole, put down the shovel.”

Any manager, of any business, who is confronted with the impending shrinkage of their market share should look at all of the things that contribute to that shrinkage and try and eliminate them. Publishers and booksellers know that they are businesses and an author should look at there craft as a business also and behave accordingly—and I submit to you that for fiction publishing excessive profanity and sexual content are two huge market shrinkers.

I have spoken with people who hate the “F” word. They loath it. They rarely if ever use it and they work to prevent it from sneaking into their vocabulary by avoiding their exposure to it. These people might tolerate seeing the word once or twice in a very good book written by a particular author, but they might not buy another. If they see repeated and frequent use of it on the printed page it could eventually cause them to just close that book and not pick it up again. After that, they will speak of the experience to like-minded folk who will refuse that author themselves.

But how does one define “frequent”? I know some people who use profanity occasionally in casual conversation, but these same people have also said to me of something they’ve read, “It’s nothing but ‘F’ing this and ‘F’ing that”, so I have to conclude that most folks have some kind of threshold for harsh profanity. I’ve also noticed that even fragrant users of it don’t mind reading books and seeing movies that are completely devoid of it. Therefore, I am forced to conclude that every use of it chips away a corner of a writer’s market.

The vocabulary of a language is the writer’s toolbox, and profanity is a sledge hammer. If a sledge hammer is needed, then an author might use it, but when they use it too much they end up beating their story (and their reader) to a pulp and every use of it will chase someone away. So each and every time profanity is used, it needs to have a solid purpose in the story that offsets the damage done. Even given that, every writer should seriously consider adopting a policy of never dropping the “F” bomb. Even if the villain in the story is a potty-mouth, there are lots of fun ways to depict that without quoting it.

Now on to sex.

Yes, sex.

By the way, by even using that word here, thrice, I’ve probably blocked this page from getting hit by Google searches with the “Use strict filtering (Filter both explicit text and explicit images)” option selected. It is why I had to remove The Naked Scientists from my RSS feeds in the sidebar of this blog a while back. There is nothing wrong with The Naked Scientists, it’s great, quite clean, and themes right in with the blog. But the word “Naked” in the title triggered filters that I found were leaving this site effectively invisible to some folks whom I didn’t want to exclude from its contents.

The same goes for fiction writing.

Now I know what you’re saying…there have been many popular fiction stories and books that contain that stuff—and they seem to get by just fine.

Well…we are watching the slow shrinking of the popularity of science fiction…it is not going to automatically “get by just fine”…and I think we writers need to create interest in our work among the adult readers of today and tomorrow.

Notice I did not say to my fellow authors, “Write children’s books.” What I said was that “Write adult material” doesn’t necessarily have to mean “explicit sex and bad language included”. It could just mean, “Write of topics of interest to adults—other than explicit sex and bad language”.

Because if all being an adult means is sex and cussing, then that’s just plain sad.

[Via http://bhousley.wordpress.com]

Book review: Going Away Shoes

Minneapolis Star Tribune
October 18, 2009

Capturing life’s quiet crises and complexities

It’s the first collection in eight years from Jill McCorkle. Each of the 11 stories in “Going Away Shoes” is a variation on a theme: dissatisfied women, underappreciated by their families or lovers.

By KIM SCHMIDT, Special to the Star Tribune

Since her publishing debut in 1984 (when her first two novels published on the same day), Jill McCorkle has been lauded as one of her generation’s most cherished writers of fiction. Her newest collection is her first in eight years, and while at times it is regrettably uneven, it definitely hits some high notes.

Each of the 11 stories in “Going Away Shoes” is a variation on a theme: dissatisfied women, underappreciated by their families or lovers.

Mothers who have lost children. Children who begrudgingly care for mothers. It is a bleak collection, relying heavily on reflection and characters’ internal dialogue.

Read the rest of this review here.

[Via http://kimberlyschmidt.wordpress.com]

Jotham's Journey

This year for Advent my wife pulled out a book she bought last year for us to read together as a family. Jotham’s Journey: A Storybook for Advent by Arnold Ytreeide is an entertaining and educational way to usher in the Christmas season that is thought-provoking too.

Jotham is a 10-year old boy living in Israel at the time Jesus was born. But his story of being separated from his family and his search to find them again takes him all over the land of his fathers and connects with many parts of Jewish history and culture. Each chapter ends with a brief spiritual application to us today.

We’re really enjoying it. I genuinely look forward to reading each day’s story before my son’s bedtime. It’s probably a little late to get it for this year, but while you’re thinking about, order a copy and put it with your Christmas decorations to get out just in time for next year.

-Fatherat50

[Via http://fatherat50.wordpress.com]

I, Coriander

Gardner, Sally. I, Coriander. London: Orion, 2006.

Coriander is at a loss when her father decides to remarry after the death of her mother. Soon though, her father is wanted for treason as London undergoes political upheaval, and Coriander must fight for survival under her evil stepmothers eye.

Set in mid-seventeenth century London, I Coriander is a dark fairytale written with plenty of historical detail. Overall, I liked the novel, but there were a few plot gaps that made me turn back to make sure that I didn’t miss a page.

[Via http://jennclimenhaga.wordpress.com]

the history of rasselas: prince of abissinia

Publisher: Project Gutenberg (http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/652)

First Published: 1759

Genre: Fiction

Rating: 3 (definitely not great)

Didactic; but this is not a bad quality, especially when the teaching is wise and good. The teaching in Rasselas is good because it shows that joy cannot be found in this life.

But the teaching is also bad for this very reason because joy can be found in this world, but not from this world. Joy is found in Christ alone. The source of joy is in living for the glory of God, who is Jesus Christ the very image of God (Christ is never explicitly mentioned in the book, but “God” is). Rasselas (the protagonist), though knowing of God, never seems to find the joy that is found in God, in Christ, that can be obtained in this world (though admittedly not to its full extent because of evil), but not from the world.

In the end Rasselas is right to find that joy will not be complete until evil is wiped out. Sin and death, their doom having already been sealed, still subsist until Christ returns to complete what was begun at the cross.

The book is good, but the story is definitely found subordinate to the author’s message, and since the message is not all that wonderful the book suffers for it.

So what is the story J-Dub?

Ultimately the story is about the search for happiness in this life. The narrator follows three primary characters: Rasselas, who is a prince of Abyssinia (which was an Empire in Ethiopia and Eritrea), a princess of Abyssinia (Nekayah), and Imlac, a philosopher. At the beginning of the story all three are found living within a palace, which the prince and princess have never been allowed to leave. Imlac, a philosopher who came to live within the palace grounds, helps Rasselas and Nekayah abscond into the outside world and search for the way to happiness. Along the way the three travelers meet characters from all walks of life and engage with them to discover if they have found happiness in their lives. Unfortunately each and every character explains that, at best, all he or she has found is comfort and ease, but not happiness.

I’m not going to hide the conclusion from you, my readers, because I know most will not read the book. The book concludes with this chapter: “The conclusion, in which nothing is concluded.” None of the characters find the way to true happiness so the three travelers decide to depart for their palace in Abyssinia, to return to the place they had left.

Even now, thinking about the conclusion, I am disgusted. Samuel Johnson lost a great opportunity to extol the truth or at least not to mis-characterize the truth. He mis-characterizes the truth because he misrepresents the afterlife as the only place where happiness can be found in God. But joy too can be found in Christ on earth, in the here and now, just not to the degree or fulness as it will be found in heaven with the not-obscured God. He makes God the God of the next world, but not also of this world. Johnson presents a false dichotomy.

Author bio: Samuel Johnson was English. He published a famous dictionary and was the subject of James Boswell’s Life of Samuel Johnson. (Wikipedia)

[Via http://calvinoconnor.wordpress.com]

The Readthrough

So I decided that since I like writing both series posts and stoking the fires of nerd rage I decided to borrow a page from my Wiker series and tackle another book. The choices were many and since this is the second time I am doing this books on my list of things to read were kind of out. It might be interesting to walk through chapter by chapter Thucydides History of the Peloponnesian War but I would also like to finish this series sometime in 2010. That book also suffers as being the second history book in Western Civilization and all i could legitimately compare it to would be Herodotus.

I decided to lower the bar a little bit and take something that nerds hate, I am rather indifferent to, but that I am also curious about. I also thought that I could pander to the hoi polloi by making it something popular and maybe drive up some readership. For good or ill I decided that since I already defended the phenomenon earlier I might as well take up the first book of Stephanie Meyer, Twilight.

Some people out there may think, somehow, that this is beneath your humble blogger’s scope. I assure you that it is not. Next to Philosophy my interest has always been in pop-culture, which kind of explains why I have three publications in the Pop-Culture and Philosophy series. Right now, love it or hate it* Twilight is the big thing. So every Monday** I am going to write about a section of the book that I have read, kind of like an assignment. I should note, although it should be obvious, that I will do this in chronological order and though it is possible that I skip sections in the writing I will not in the reading. This is because if the book has long descriptions it isn’t worth reflecting on here unless they are either extremely good or shockingly bad.

If anyone wants to follow along I will be using the paperback copy of the book that has the pale hands holding an apple (I wonder if this is symbolic or not), as my guide. I will list the page numbers of the parts I have read, or in cases where it is an entire chapter (my feeling is that since any narrative has to spend a certain amount of time describing the setting, the main characters, etc. that the first two chapters will go like this) the chapter number.

Yes, yes this is a lot of instructions and needless prattling about what I am going to do for what I assume is an intelligent audience, but this is the internet and you never know what kind of special idiot you can attract. So going forward we have a plan for one of the four days of the week that I usually post. So let’s take a look at the cosmetically and write out some initial impressions:

Ugh, this book looks to be almost 500 pages, with a whole bunch of pages in the back that are unnumbered, oh wait this is a paper back so I’m betting those last pages are the opening for the next book/current movie and I’m right.

The aforementioned cover is an odd choice. My thought is that unless these vampires or the main character have a liking for apples this is probably symbolic. One of the very few things that I know about the author is that she is a mormon with a degree from (surprise!) BYU (which as a side note the only Notre Dame football game (because all good Irish Catholics make the hajira there at least once in their lives) I ever saw in person was against BYU and the Irish won by landslide). Unless this book takes a complete metaphorical journey into the Garden of Eden I’m going to hazard a guess and say that it is supposed to be about desire. If that be the case then the book is going to have to reflect that in some fashion, or else this is the oddest cover for a book that I’ve seen in a long time.

Next time: Chapter 1…no wait there is apparently a prologue, so next time: the Prologue.

*Because Pop-Culture doesn’t care which one you partake in.
**We’ll see how long it takes for me to break this schedule. Any bets?

[Via http://rdxdave.wordpress.com]

The Renegade Hunter by Lynsay Sands

The Renegade Hunter
by Lynsay Sands
ISBN-13: 9-780061-474316
Rating: 4 ♥ / 5 ♥

Nicholas Argeneau was once a successful hunter who went after rogue vampires who break the immortal law. Except no one has mentioned his name in the last fifty years, not since he turned into a rogue himself. But once a hunter, always a hunter. When Nicholas sees a bloodthirsty sucker terrifying a woman, it’s second nature for him to come to her rescue. He had no idea he would also want to kiss her senseless…

One minute Josephine Willan is taking in a breath of fresh air, and the next sharp fangs are heading straight for her neck! Luckily a gorgeous stranger saves her life . . . and gets locked up for his troubles. Can a man who kisses so lovingly and passionately really have committed the crime he’s accused of? Jo isn’t so sure…and she’s determined to prove that this renegade hunter is worth fighting for.

I’m a closet fan of paranormal romance, but have found few that I really love. Lynsay Sands’ vampire series about the Argeneau family are my favourites. Each book (there are thirteen so far) revolve around a different member of the family finding their life mate. The most three books in the series have left the immediate Argeneau family and focused on cousins and friends – each one an Enforcer for the Council who work under Lucien Argeneau (who we meet in Bite Me If You Can).

Nicholas Argeneau is a cousin who we’ve heard mentioned in earlier books, and actually got to meet in the last book, The Immortal Hunter, so it was great getting to read his story – Nicholas was an Enforcer who turned rogue after he killed a pregnant woman fifty years ago. Like the rest of the series, The Renegade Hunter focuses on Nicholas finding his life mate in Jo (sister to Sam from The Rogue Hunter), but through it all we get to find out his backstory and even get to solve a mystery; is Nicholas really guilty of murder? Or is he innocent?

As usual, Lynsay’s writing and storyline sucked me into the book. I’m invested in this family, now. I need to know that everyone ends up happy, and nothing terribly horrible happens to them on the way to being happy. As this is a paranormal romance, there is sex to be had, but it doesn’t distract from the plot line and is in fact a normal progression of the current scene. Overall, the pacing is good and the action flows well. Also? I love Lynsay’s explanation for her vampires! If I can’t have the traditional Dracula-type vampires, all I ask for is a good explanation and a reason for the can’s and cannot’s (blood drinking, holy objects, sunlight, staking, etc.). Lynsay delivers and I love it.

Because her books follow the same characters from book to book, I expect a certain amount of unresolved issues, but usually there are hardly any (since each character’s story needs to be wrapped up, after all). I have never before been disappointed in the ending of one of her Argeneau books – until The Renegade Hunter. Throughout the book Jo tries to convince Nicholas that he is innocent of the murder he is said to have committed, and at the end we find out whether he is innocent or guilty – but not why that verdict is declared. We won’t find out until next August when the next book is published and we get to read the story of Armand, Nicholas’ father. I hate waiting. But hey, at least now I’m guaranteed to buy the next book, though I would have anyway; Lynsay Sands’ Argeneau series is on my auto-buy list! And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

The reading order for the Argeneau family books can be found here on Lynsay Sands’ website, along with family trees and the first chapter of each book.

[Via http://thekams.wordpress.com]

Review of the book "Making India Work"-by William Nanda Bissell-by LG 2

This book ‘Making India Work’ tries to suggest solutions to important problems that India faces. The assumption that the writer has made is that most of the problem India faces today is a result of the government’s criminally inept management. The writer has the belief that with better management, political will and a mandate from the people, another India is possible. The writer describes this book as a proposal for rapid environmentally sustainable and democratic growth. The book is divided into various chapters where the writer has put his views about the problem that India faces their causes and has suggested his solutions for it. Hence it is convenient to divide the book as per the chapters and discuss one by one.

‘Case for change’ focuses on the need to bring about a change in mindset of government that the current economic model i.e. resource-intensive consumption driven growth which it is following would lead to India’s development. Over the years, chronic mismanagement and corruption has generated needless sufferings and ensured that the access to basic resources is in peril. Now is the opportunity to introduce a model of development that is in harmony with our future rather than a copy of worn idea of the past.

In this part of the book titled ‘Markets for all’, the writer suggests that an economy based on true market (both in letter and spirit) will allow India to create a system for a rapid environmentally sustainable growth. The writer has a view that currently the market is being distorted by our limited view of what constitutes an asset and government overregulation. The writer suggests a new economic system where government role changes from a regulator to an oversight; having standards authority meaning all having access to close to perfect information; having a credible system of exchange; an invisible but active regulator acting as a watchdog, monitoring the ownership of goods and service providers.

In this part titled ‘Ending Poverty’ he introduced three key ideas to counter the problem of poverty: Targeted Catalyst (a ground breaking system of in which the very process of eradicating poverty will build quality public services); Dematerialized cash economy (cashless economy which would eliminate cases such as Hawala and make economy more transparent), Tax reform (to accelerate growth reduce inequality without penalized in productive activity). Author shows financial projections to prove applicability of his suggestions.

In ‘Power to the People’ the writer has tried to put forward the drawbacks of our present form of governance like “the democratic deficit faced by the citizens of this country”, “the dangers of over centralization of governance”, “the govt. which is acting as an amorphous beast sucking up huge resources and achieving little for its citizens”, “huge amount of ministerial overlap”, “huge disparities between Indian states in terms of population and area”, “flawed institutions representing rural areas and cities”. The writer proposes a new structure of government (citizen → community → area → region → nation) that would restore power to India’s citizen.

In this part titled ‘justice for all’ the writer puts a straight forward argument that India’s legal system is riven with corruption, blindingly complex, and excruciatingly slow. He therefore proposes a new legal system, a simple system having four broad categories of law: Laws intended for protection of citizens, laws intended to raise the revenue of the government, laws intended to protect national interest, laws intended to redress social balances.

In this part titled ‘the new organization’ the writer has suggested a series of options/ideas with the purpose of making all types of social organizations more responsive to their members and more accountable to those who are affected by their work, need for balancing the two competing interests without sacrificing economic development. Shareholders interest, Adequate safeguard so that the effects on the local population are minimised. The writer has identified few problems in the corporation, trusts. So for increasing accountability in the corporations and the trusts the writer have proposed for a single legal entity which will take care of the two forms and the removal of the taxes will remove the major distinction between these two form of organizations. The writer have shown pretty optimistic scenario in which the Government will become less corrupt, less amorphous and less greedy. Social censor would become a powerful force in encouraging honest and ethics amongst the citizens of India.

In this part ‘Sustainable living’ the writer has tried to give a fair idea on how the overcrowding of the metros ultimately lead to scarcity of reliable water, roads, electricity and other basic amnesties. The writer sees dense development as the solution to overcrowding. He has proposed that every Indian citizen possesses a set of ‘habitat rights’ relating to air quality, water supply, sewage, power, transport, and access to open green spaces. In the end of the chapter the writer has done zoning for the model he described earlier where he included Habitat, Forest, and Biosphere. He suggested that the biosphere will be regenerated by environmental per capita quotas (EPCQs).

With a view to overcoming the quagmire of epic poverty and its progeny India is beset with, the author in this part ‘the transition’ suggests some bold steps which will bring about radical change. These changes are such that they uphold India’s strength while avoiding the traps of the West. At the outset, he proposes a complete transmutation of the Society for which a strong conviction is required among the denizens of the society. In order to manage the ‘transition’, the author evokes three major reforms: Dismantling all the ministries except defence and foreign affairs; this will reduce the government size and employment; replacing the 28 -states & 7-UTs system by a 48-Regions system; Replacing the District Administration and Panchayati Raj with Area and Community administration at the local levels. For this ‘Transition’ a National Asset Corporation should be setup which would function as a Sovereign investment fund called National Asset Fund. The NAF would be a valuable resource to help cover long term investment in public interest. Apart from these the author also suggests changes to the constitutional authorities, commissions, legal system, boundaries and puts forward his theory of standards, exchange and regulations for smooth functioning of the new economy.

In this last part ‘citizen’s republic’ the author ideates the changes that could happen in the three communities’ i.e. Region, Area, Community. Each of these having its clear cut role and responsibility assigned to them. The author concludes that the future of India is at stake where the rich and the poor have their own ideologies of separatist threatening the integration of the country. It is at this juncture that he calls for the adoption of a new framework, a self-regulating system which will facilitate true democracy in its essence while chucking out the old dysfunctional policies. The writer ends with an appeal to the leaders of India to take up the challenge of managing India in a better way on a new balanced development pathway so that the future of our country and world lies in balance.

The author in this book has been very effective in proposing a well thought of alternative system of governance to manage India. The book is full of examples explaining every problem and its proposed solution. The book has been very reader friendly. However at many places the link in between the chapters is not so obvious. Also it seems that not all problems have been given due importance, the solutions seems not that practical. The timeframe in which this needs to be done and who needs to take the lead is not very clear. In the end, this book looks like a man’s ideas based on a limited research on various problems. The author also needs to understand that bringing such wholesale change in current form of governance is not possible. Hence how to go about bringing this change is still unanswered?

[Via http://socialentrepreneurshipximb.wordpress.com]

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