tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10894212461267046712024-03-13T23:52:20.864+08:00Raymond Mathiesen Book ReviewsAn irregular journal of academic book reviews of teenage, adult, gay, sci-fi, fantasy, paranormal, horror, thriller, crime, mystery, spy, romance & erotic fiction. (Novels, short stories & poetry welcome.) Also reviewing self development, New Age, Eastern religion & philosophy non-fiction.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16399522365969796755noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1089421246126704671.post-45988791442130392402015-04-27T07:32:00.000+08:002015-05-14T08:16:29.446+08:00Backward Compatible: A Geek Love Story by Sarah Daltry and Pete Clark<span style="color: purple; font-size: large;">Reviewed by Raymond Mathiesen</span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-size: large;">4 out of 5 stars</span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: purple; font-size: large;">Is
there someone for everyone? Even me?</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: blue;">Time is passing and the Y
Generation have now become young adults.
During this social period computers and the Internet have become
household items, at least in the Upper and Middle classes. Online gaming has now become a subculture
complete with language, social activities and dress. The word 'geek' has become
more a description of an alternate subculture than a derogatory term. Daltry and Clarke take us on a wacky trip
into the world of computer geeks, as they follow the hectic lives of Katie
Garretty and George Lindell. Will this
young woman and man come together in a sweet romance, or will they be doomed to
remain single forever? Does being a
computer geek mean you can never have self-respect, or can these young people
grow in self-confidence? Will the pair
ever battle their way to the end of <i>Fatal
Destiny, </i>the game which dominates their young lives? <i>Backward Compatible</i> is a romantic comedy that will entertain those
who enjoy reading New Adult or Young Adult fiction.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8R6ty7k52cUN7lrkA_F0NwOqgnssmbdpbjI8eceijfY0aBzXFwJdCChFye1D7ZJurvmI92aJkLvDUYPwHHcJ4eH0nKh7Pr0FT7-sgspKFGI-sFi-d4spHRT21E6FjmUjbU57PlTXv8liS/s1600/Backward_Compatible_Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8R6ty7k52cUN7lrkA_F0NwOqgnssmbdpbjI8eceijfY0aBzXFwJdCChFye1D7ZJurvmI92aJkLvDUYPwHHcJ4eH0nKh7Pr0FT7-sgspKFGI-sFi-d4spHRT21E6FjmUjbU57PlTXv8liS/s1600/Backward_Compatible_Cover.jpg" width="248" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: blue;">Right from the start it
should be pointed out that this book is a comedy and much of the humour
revolves around politically incorrect views.
This book is full of foul language, sexual references and biases against
minorities. If you are looking for a
book that will expand your social and political ideology you would do well to
go somewhere else. If, however, you are looking for something that will make
you smile, this is the book for you.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: blue;">In tune with the gaming
ethos of the book, the novel is divided into 15 "Levels", reminiscent
of computer game levels in which each new stage represents a higher degree of
complexity and difficulty. The plot of <i>Backward Compatible</i> can roughly be
divided into two halves. The first half,
<u>Level 1 – 7</u>, revolves around the issue of whether Katie and George will
actually get together, and the complication of a possible relationship between
Katie and Jeff Browning ("Seynar").
The second half, <u>Level 8- Boss Level (15)</u>, covers Katie and
George's budding romance and a gaming hunt for hidden keys, in order to win a
$10,000 prize and a trip to Montréal. Both halves each contain an extended
description of gaming play, so it should be pointed out that this novel is
particularly designed for those interested in online games. If you are not so interested, these sections
may seem a little dull. Most of the
book, however, is of general human interest and so will appeal to a wide range
of readers. The chapters are written alternately from Katie's, then George's,
point of view. As a result we gain a look into both the female and male minds
and lives of young adults. This book, then, should appeal to both male and
female readers. At 356 pages <i>Backward Compatible</i> is of average
length, however, it is just a little too long for the content. It could have benefited from some minor
editing.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: blue;">Daltry and Clarke have
created a collection of likeable characters who the reader will instantly
relate to. These characters will remind the reader of themselves or their
friends. Both Katie and George are
bright and witty, and at the same time vulnerable. We relate to their lack of confidence, and
hope the best for them. Typical of the romantic comedy genre even the
antagonist character, who I will not name in order to avoid spoiling the story,
is not too bad: even they have endearing qualities. The character of Katie has an arc of
development spanning the whole novel. We
follow her as she progresses from an aching lack of self-confidence to a
position of much more self-assurance and certainty. The character of George has
two arcs of development. The first arc covers the first half of the story, and
takes George from being a nervous young man who does not believe he will ever
get a girlfriend to a happy young man who is now dating. The second arc revolves around the issue of
whether George will actually have sexual relations with Katie. The character of
Katie is a little more fully developed than that of George. The internal
monologues for Katie take us deep into her mind and experiences. The character
of George also has internal monologues, but we do not get quite the breadth of
characterisation. For example, we hear of George's physical longing for sexual
satisfaction, but there are few detailed descriptions of this physical angst. This is not to say that George does not live
on the page. The reader does relate to
him as real.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: blue;">In contrast to the new
circumstances of the Y generation and technological development, as the
subtitle suggests, romance is the central theme of <i>Backward Compatible</i>. This
ageless theme is fully developed to the reader's satisfaction. It is a simple fact of life that for many of
us at least part of the solution for lack of self-confidence is finding a
partner who we can love and be with. Katie and George are not the only
characters to pair off by the end of the novel. Family is a very secondary
theme. The reader gains a brief look into the families of George, Katie and
Lanyon (George's ever present buddy). We see parents who cramp their children's
style, but are caring, and a brother who is competitive, but willing to help.
These two themes fit well together, as one has a tendency to lead to the
other. Of course, a family is a long way
ahead in Katie and George's future, and we do not know if it will eventually
come to be, but the reader can hope.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: blue;">The humour in the novel
works quite well. There is a great amount of witty comment and repartee,
slapstick humour and tongue in cheek events.
George and Lanyon are particularly a comedy duo a little reminiscent of
The Three Stooges, although of course there are only two of them. For example,
while George and Lanyon are at the store, at midnight, to buy the new release
of <i>Fatal Destiny</i> George tries to pull
Katie as a date by giving her his copy of the game to buy. Seeing this Lanyon comments, "I mean, if
you are going to give up a midnight release the least she can provide you with
is a little midnight release." During
the same incident George comments of Katie, "her smile is more that of a
hungry T-Rex than innocent ..." At
times the plot wanders a little into hyperbole. For example there is a
three-storey climbing incident which is a little unreal, and certainly would
not work in a less humorous and more realistic story. Similarly, in reality few
friendships would last if a young man hit his friend in the testicles. But as has been noted this is a comedy and
the reader is not too upset by these unrealities.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: blue;">From the perspective of
Feminism women in the novel are represented as quite dynamic and forward. Katie, despite her lack of self-confidence,
can be very forceful in making her opinions known. She is a talented gamer and an aggressive
fighter in <i>Fatal Destiny</i>. She is also an intelligent university student,
an Art History major, who has gained entrance to Amherst College, a prestigious
and exclusively selective university. Allie,
Katie's friend, is the first to turn against the antagonist character, deliberately
killing their game avatar even though the antagonist is supposed to be on the
same team. Anna, Katie's best friend, is,
however, more of a female stereotype. She is interested mainly in guys and
clothes. Anna certainly gets a ribbing
from Katie, though, on these points.
Stacey and Vicki, two hussies who knew Katie in high school, also
represent the female stereotype of get a man, have a baby and raise a
family. These two women, though, are
hardly represented positively, and their lifestyle is certainly not
recommended.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: blue;">The male characters, when
seen in terms of Gender Studies, are hardly sensitive New Age men. Much of the humour comes from George and
Lanyon's insensitive, macho dialogue about women. Indeed, where women are concerned they seem
interested in only one thing: sex. Much
of this, however, is purely a front, an adopted persona. We see from the internal dialogue in his
chapters that George in fact does have feelings, and indeed is quite sensitive,
including being worried about his own masculinity. In the second half of the novel there is an
extended incident where a George very much goes out of his way to cheer up and
console Katie, who is crying because of some abuse she has received.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: blue;">The LGBTIQ minority are not
represented in the novel, and indeed gays come in for quite a bit of bigoted
humour. Much of this, however, arises because of George and Lanyon's
insecurities about their own masculinity.
This could have been balanced, though, by including a positively
described cameo of a gay character. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: blue;">The aged are completely
absent from the text, but this is not a great surprise as <i>Backward Compatible</i> is a Young Adult / New Adult novel. Once again
one cameo appearance could have been included to represent this much ignored
minority. It is certainly true that the
age can make a positive contribution to the lives of young people.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: blue;">In the terms of the
Capitalist / Socialist debate there can be no doubt that <i>Backward Compatible</i> lies firmly in the Capitalist camp. Both George and Katie live an alternate
lifestyle and are hard up for money, but they are able to do this because of
the largesse of their parents. Neither
of them, nor Lanyon, works during their winter break. Indeed, they do not even attempt to find
work. All three attend university
because of the generosity of their parents.
Katie, indeed, goes to a highly expensive college. Also, much of the second half of the novel
revolves around an attempt to win $10,000.
This is clearly a capitalist motivation.
Nonetheless, at one point in the story Katie clearly states that she
does not wish to own lots of products, and that money is not important to
her. Also, George drives a car which is
old and perpetually breaking down. His
parents have not gifted him with an expensive new vehicle. Clearly this book will appeal to middle class
and upper class readers.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: blue;">The novel is quite sound in
psychological terms. Indeed, the split
narration allows Daltry and Clarke to illustrate the concept of "mind
reading". In Cognitive Behaviour
Therapy this is a classic error in thinking in which an individual imagines that
they can read the thoughts in another person's head. Usually the individual imagines the other person
is thinking of them negatively, in reality this is simply not true. (Sarah
Edelman. <i>Change Your Thinking: overcome
stress, combat anxiety and depression and improve your life with CBT</i>:__ New York, N.Y.: Marlowe, 2007, p. 53) Both Katie and George engage in mind reading
when in fact the other is thinking of them quite positively.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: blue;">Backward
Compatible </span></span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: blue;">is an endearing and humorous romp that will particularly
entertain young adults, but also, more broadly, the young at heart. The Katie / George split narrative means that
the book will appeal to both male and female readers. While the novel is centred in Y generation
culture, the themes of romance and family are universal, and will appeal to
many. I am happy to rate this book as 4
stars out of 5.</span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Backward-Compatible-Gamer-Geek-Comedy-ebook/dp/B00P9XA4JK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1430090695&sr=8-1&keywords=backward+compatible" target="_blank">Backward Compatible: a geek love story (Kindle ed.)</a></span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16399522365969796755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1089421246126704671.post-72835275521332539072014-11-17T06:31:00.000+08:002014-11-17T06:36:23.249+08:00The Neurotics Guide To Avoiding Enlightenment by Chris Niebauer, Ph.D.<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Reviewed by Raymond Mathiesen</span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">4 out of</span><span style="font-size: large;"> 5 stars</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: purple; font-size: large;">Deep thoughts about the self and self-improvement…</span></span></i><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Even a quick look
at the self-help shelf at any bookstore will quickly reveal that the industry
is booming and that most of us seem to have a secret desire to ‘be a better
person’. We search for that magic
formula which will give us enlightenment, hopefully the quicker the
better. But is enlightenment, as we
understand it, really achievable? If we
did have a better life what would it be like?
Would it be very different from our current life? Even more, what if we found that this ‘self’,
which we are so bent on improving, turned out not to really exist, to be a
myth, an unreliable creation of our own brain?
Can modern neuroscience throw any light on this subject, and if so do
you have to be an expert to understand it?
If you are confused already get ready to have many of your ideas
challenged by Chris Niebauer’s thought provoking book <i>The Neurotics Guide To Avoiding Enlightenment: How The Left-brain Plays
Unending Games Of Self-improvement.</i><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Q4OJlT8L1DbEZ72Inhj3x1TB3blHz5wn5Ka8tn0maT9N30R5yyAaRwdiQ-MqEqOGRyzh4WeqjtFFUQ026hDMDrrFivIId65uaHY3lMkpWECItj0-KWP6_SHcdNM1xsnGTQ1QlAZO-6SQ/s1600/The+Neurotic's%2BGuide%2BTo%2BAvoiding%2BEnilghtenment_Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Q4OJlT8L1DbEZ72Inhj3x1TB3blHz5wn5Ka8tn0maT9N30R5yyAaRwdiQ-MqEqOGRyzh4WeqjtFFUQ026hDMDrrFivIId65uaHY3lMkpWECItj0-KWP6_SHcdNM1xsnGTQ1QlAZO-6SQ/s1600/The+Neurotic's%2BGuide%2BTo%2BAvoiding%2BEnilghtenment_Cover.jpg" height="400" width="265" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Many self-help
books are written from a New Age / Eastern Mysticism perspective and in a way
Niebauer’s book fits into this category.
Niebauer is strongly influenced both by the mid twentieth century author
Alan Watts and the contemporary writer Eckhart Tolle. Watts wrote on a variety of Eastern Religions
including Zen, Hinduism and Taoism and Tolle is greatly influenced by Buddhism. To describe the book as being purely of this
ilk, however, would be greatly misleading.
Also, to describe <i>The Neurotics
Guide</i> simply as a self-help book, would be equally deceptive. Certainly there are mind-exercises and
meditation techniques included which the reader may find helps them achieve a
new mind-state, and which gives them a new approach to life, but this is very
much a book of theory / philosophy which concentrates on challenging our
standard ideas about ourselves and our lives.
Niebauer is indeed “a college professor specializing in cognitive neuropsychology”
(<u>Preface</u>) and the book has a heavy neuroscience content. In essence Niebauer is attempting to give
Eastern Mysticism a neuroscience framework, taking it from the world of pure
ideas and giving it a firm background in science.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As the reader may by
now be guessing this is not really a beginner’s book. Some understanding of both Eastern Mysticism
and psychology would be useful.
Niebauer’s ideas are unorthodox and very challenging, and need to be
thought about quite a bit. The first
chapter, for example, may be a struggle to understand, but Niebauer’s ideas
become easier to appreciate if you stay with the book and keep reading. By the end you may not agree with everything
Niebauer says, but you will certainly have been forced to think through much of
what you believe about yourself and the world.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Despite the emphasis
on theory, the book does not use technical terms or give lengthy, in depth
scientific discussions. There are illustrative
examples from Niebauer’s real life and that of his family. These examples help to make the text more
personal and easier for the average reader to relate to.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As the subtitle
suggests a great deal of this book has to do with the left-brain. This is the hemisphere which is dominant,
that is, which is most prominent in our thinking. It is pattern seeking and sees the world in
terms of categories. It divides the
world into nouns, that is stable ‘things’.
All this is fine except that much of the world is process, which is to
say that things change, indeed often are in considerable flux. Thus we tend to think of ourselves as a
permanent ‘picture’. We tell stories
from our history which illustrate ’who we are’, when in fact we are a changing
entity. This idea is very much in
agreement with narrative psychology (Dan P. McAdams. <i>The Stories We Live By: Personal Myths And The Making Of The Self</i>:__
New York: The Guilford Press, c1993). Taking
another example, we tend to see enlightenment as a ‘thing’ which can be
achieved, a permanent state in which our old self ends and a new self
comes. That is we see enlightenment as
the ceasing of one stable thing and the beginning of another. As Niebauer points out our left-brain will
never cease operating, even if we become much more aware of our right-brain,
process oriented, expanded awareness, therefore enlightenment is a continuing
process of change, of seeing the world in a new way. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Much of the book
centers on the discovery that, in the absence of solid data, the left brain
confabulates, that is, invents perfectly reasonable sounding, yet untrue,
explanations for why the world appears as it does. That is when we have little information we
see ‘patterns’ which don’t exist, at least not in the way we believe they do. This discovery comes from split brain
patients. These are people who, usually
because they suffer from extreme epilepsy, have had their corpus callosum cut. The corpus callosum allows the left and right
hemispheres to communicate. It does not
take much to remember an occasion in which we have ‘jumped to
conclusions’. At the time we are sure of
our ideas, but later we come to doubt because we find information otherwise or
because we see that we actually have no evidence. The end result of these findings is of course
that we should be much less certain of ourselves. This is an idea Alan W. Watts proposes in his
book <i>The Wisdom Of Insecurity</i> (New
York: Vintage Books, c1951).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Niebauer proposes
two main solutions to our problems in life.
The first is that we be aware of life, observing ourselves, and the
things that happen to us, from a distance.
This allows us to truly observe, rather than jump to conclusions. It also allows us to distance ourselves from
the emotional drama of our lives. We
observe “I am upset’, but by the act of extended observation we are one step
from our unsettledness. This of course
is what is known in Buddhism as mindfulness.
Niebauer’s second solution is to approach life with a playful
attitude. We take ourselves less
seriously and do not know with the certainty which our left brain wants to
assure us that we have. Once again we
are distanced from the drama of life.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Of course the
three paragraphs above only just touch on the topics discussed in Niebauer’s
book which range from as specific and real as what can be done about anxiety,
to as broad and esoteric as what part of the self survives after death. While the book is not long there is much in
it, and the reader may prefer to only read one chapter a day in order to give
the author due consideration.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">One point of criticism
is that all of Niebauer’s evidence comes from brain damaged patients and
optical illusions. These are not
circumstances in which the ‘normal’ aspects of life apply. This leads us to wonder how much these
circumstances occur in ‘ordinary’ life.
It is not that we doubt what Niebauers is saying, but we wonder how
often the circumstances occur. How often
do we, for example, jump to conclusions?
Niebauer would have it that we do this frequently, but is that so. A little more evidence on this point would be
useful. But even if we disagree on the
frequency Niebauer’s book is still certainly an eye opener.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The Neurotics Guide To Avoiding Enlightenment</span></span></i><span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> is certainly a book that will challenge most readers and give them
much to think about. We all tend to be
reasonably certain that we ‘know ourselves’ and understand the world, but Chris
Niebauer definitely makes us wonder just how much we really do. Niebauer doubts that we can ever fully escape
ourselves and become ‘enlightened’ as we so desire, but he does hold that we
can be more aware. If you are interested
in Eastern Philosophy you will certainly find this book different from most on
that subject which you own. If you are
interested in knowing more about how the brain works you will also be intrigued
by this volume. I am happy to rate this
book as four stars out of five.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Neurotics-Guide-Avoiding-Enlightenment-Self-Improvement/dp/1478700432/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1416174347&sr=8-1-fkmr1" target="_blank">The Neurotics Guide To Avoiding Enlightenment (Amazon Book ed.)</a></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Neurotics-Guide-Avoiding-Enlightenment-Self-improvement-ebook/dp/B00J2I7Z8G/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=8-1-fkmr1&qid=1416174347" target="_blank">The Neurotics Guide To Avoiding Enlightenment (Kindle ed.)</a></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/chris.niebauer?fref=ts" target="_blank">Chris Niebauer's Facebook Page</a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<a href="http://www.worriedbuddha.com/?page_id=112" target="_blank">Chris Niebauer's Web Site</a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<a href="http://www.sru.edu/academics/colleges/ches/psychology/Pages/Niebauer.aspx" target="_blank">Chris Niebauer's Academic Page </a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQUEmVbhCEq7iWs1-WvL7hrRtE9Qd9MxRWBYuRlYaDIdG1PtXOxVhE9wZX-TzTD5KjRBPpLUVyt5BGGrdMGLPlo5n1NUFoN03Gv7OjJ40KmErCC0rXPVQ9sS7fBXhrCQGDZX1A7aN4-8_C/s1600/Chris_Niebauer,_Ph.D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQUEmVbhCEq7iWs1-WvL7hrRtE9Qd9MxRWBYuRlYaDIdG1PtXOxVhE9wZX-TzTD5KjRBPpLUVyt5BGGrdMGLPlo5n1NUFoN03Gv7OjJ40KmErCC0rXPVQ9sS7fBXhrCQGDZX1A7aN4-8_C/s1600/Chris_Niebauer,_Ph.D.jpg" height="400" width="395" /></a></div>
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<span style="line-height: 32px;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Chris Niebauer, Ph.D.</span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16399522365969796755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1089421246126704671.post-14529875071975116202014-08-18T07:59:00.000+08:002014-08-21T09:59:48.843+08:00Finding Devo: A Novel Adventure by Seve Verdad<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Reviewed by Raymond Mathiesen</span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: red; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">4 out of 5 stars</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
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<i><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: purple; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></span></i>
<i><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: purple; font-size: large;">Escape from the system?</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></i></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Sports journalist Russell Martell is on holiday in
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico . His wife
Rosalita has recently died and Russell feels lost and hurt, drifting through
life. Then his journalistic senses begin
to come alive as he starts to get the hints of stories: not sports stories, but
crime and current events, with a hint of politics. What is the real story behind a body found in
strange circumstances near the beach front?
Is the rumor of a police raid on a suburban house really connected to
drug cartels? Who is the colorful
character Devon (Devo) that appears to be making a splash in town, at least
according to the bar scuttlebutt? All
these questions seem to draw together, but only more questions emerge. Soon Russell and his friend, Johnny Miles, will
become caught up in an adventure where mystery and uncertainty abounds. How will ordinary citizens survive, let alone
take action in a world of gangs, police and government? Seve Verdad’s <i>Finding Devo: A Novel Adventure </i>is a story of mystery and action
which will intrigue and excite the reader as they follow Russell and Johnny in
their desperate attempt to escape disaster.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Verdad writes well and he lifts his prose with
colorful phrases, giving interesting atmospheric descriptions and character
details. Describing Devo, for example,
Verdad writes: “But he is smooth. Smooth
as a pythons belly. Smooth as a razor
blade, a bullet, a warhead” (Ch. 83).
Much of the book varies between chapters in first person narrative,
giving Russell’s point of view, and chapters in third person narrative, giving
the perspective of various other characters.
This change in viewpoint works well to keep the story complex and
interesting. The text contains quite a
liberal scattering of Mexican Spanish.
Sometimes an English translation is given and sometimes not. The lack of translation is at first annoying,
but the reader soon notices that these phrases are not of critical importance
to the plot. The book can certainly be
enjoyed without knowledge of Spanish.
There is occasional offensive language, both in English and Spanish, but
probably less than occurs in most people’s common language. Only the most conservative will be
offended. Occasionally there are nice
hints of irony. For example Joaquín ‘Garras’
de Jesús, a brutal federal agent, is depicted “imagining his garras [claws]
wrapped around the necks of those who might be responsible for such a barbaric
massacre” (Ch. 48). Who is the barbarian
we wonder? Similarly there is a nice
contrast between Garras meditating in order to concentrate his powers of
destruction (Ch. 48) and Russell meditating in order to survive pain (Ch. 50). As a point of criticism it should be noted
that the first half of the book is, in sections, a bit too wordy. The party which Russell attends gets quite a
few chapters allocated to it even though it is just one night. Similarly the revelations from the computer
disk, which the police find, go on chapter after chapter, even though we
quickly get the basic idea of what they are saying and their relevance. Also the bomb explosion gets several chapters,
each one from a different character’s perspective, even though the basic
response of all is shock. These sections
could have been condensed to make the plot move at a swifter pace. After Chapter 50, however, the book really
takes off and never slows until the very finish. This point should not be overemphasized. It would be wrong to say that the first half
of the book is boring: it is just a little slow in some sections.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The novel is divided into three parts. <u>Book I Fiesta</u> (Ch. 1 – 28) gives an
overview of the circumstances in all its many complications, introducing the
reader to the book’s many main characters.
This section is characterized by questions and mystery. <u>Book II Rain</u> (Ch. 29 – 83) is a
narration of disaster, then capture and escape.
It begins slowly but escalates midway into a high action and adventure
narration. <u>Book III Camacho</u> (Ch.
84 – 114) is a further story of escape in which questions are answered and
resolution is given. It should be noted,
however, that even at the end of the book there are still some open questions,
and indeed the reader wonders if Verdad plans a sequel. This is not a book where everything is tied
up neatly.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The characters are nicely drawn and we immediately
relate to them as real people. We like
Russell because of his inquisitiveness and initiative. His background in sports makes him appealing
to male readers. His grief over
Rosalita’s death shows him to be a man of some feeling, beyond his All-American
bravado. But as the plot progresses the
reader begins to see some of Russell’s failings. He is “egotistical” (Ch. 51) and “rash” (Ch.
7). Also as we read further Russell
evolves from an ‘ordinary’ man to one who deals decisively, if perhaps
extremely, with extraordinary circumstances.
Devo, by contrast, remains throughout almost all the book a man of
mystery. He is rumored to be a “pot
grower” (Prologue), but we never quite find out how he gets his money. He is variously a “psycho” (Prologue), a
“wildcard” (Ch. 52) or just a good guy engaged in “shenanigans”
(Prologue). Devo is quite a performer
who carries off acts in which he appears to change height, change age, and even
flawlessly change his voice. He performs
slight-of-hand (Ch. 25 & 72) and indeed Verdad manages to make Devo seem
almost mystical and magical. Devo of
course has his limits. At one point he
comments “I don’ know everthin’” (Ch. 50), but he is certainly no ‘ordinary’
man. By keeping this character an enigma
Verdad instills in the readers a sense of intrigue which keeps him
reading. The book has quite a host of
other characters which Verdad also successfully draws. He even manages to sum up quite minor characters
in just a few words. Teachers’ union
leader, Teodoro Viareal, for example, is described as having “the voice of an
excitable Chihuahua” (Ch. 7).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Ambiguity is one of the novel’s chief themes. As has just been noted Devo is a man of
mystery. We do not know exactly how to
place him. He could be a hero, but seen
from other angles he is quite villainous.
Moral and political ambiguities are at a premium in the book. Actions, circumstances and perspectives are
described as having both good and bad points.
Government officials fight for good, against terrorism, yet they are
themselves corrupt and inept. Capitalism,
Marxism and Anarchism are all made understandable, being both praised and
criticized. Verdad constantly poses the
reader questions which are not easy to answer.
This is not a novel which teaches a ‘correct’ viewpoint: rather it opens
up complexity. Indeed isn’t the world
just that: complex. Aren’t different
people, with different perspectives, able to interpret the same event in very
different ways with very different conclusions?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Corruption is itself so central to this book that it
must be considered as a theme in itself.
Vice impairs the function of institutions which could work to the
good. We all say about our little
misdemeanors that ‘it doesn’t matter’.
We even say our ‘shadiness’ gives us ‘character’. But when our dishonesty ends in real trouble we
are left embarrassed, and even ashamed of our actions. We immediately seek to emphasize what little
good we can salvage and hide the bad.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The individual is a third important theme. We are single units, yet we are also in
systems. Do our actions count or is the
weight of the system too much for us to make a difference? The individual struggles for survival, and
yet so much that happens is a result of external circumstances which we cannot
control. As single people we have a
certain ignorance of the system and even naivety. Yet also as individuals we have our own
talents which we can use to direct our future, and even contribute to the
bigger picture. Are we better off in a
system or purely as individuals, or is a mix better? Is anything other than a mix even possible?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Verdad’s novel is very much set in a male world of
macho toughness and competition and so there are a scattering of anti-female
descriptions. Russell observes “a pair
of bubble head dolls” (Ch. 2). Police
Lieutenant Benito Cuevas Romero thinks “Why stand women at all, but for one
thing…?” (Ch. 8). Women are reduced to
body parts: “… breasts – important assets for a girl” (Ch. 7). Gloria Infante Velázquez, however, stands out
as a major female character who is capable, successful and dynamic. Her husband would not be a successful mayor
without her help, and he is completely guided by her strong political
sense. Indeed Gloria, if she had chosen
so, “might have become mayor of Puerto Vallarta herself, or perhaps Guadalajara,
her home town…” (Ch. 5). Certainly Gloria
has her failings, as any person does.
She is driven by power, money and prestige. In the middle of one of her business
negotiations we read: “Her eyes had darkened, become bland, almost dead. Shark eyes’ (Ch. 7). But Gloria regrets her part in the major
disaster that occurs. She has a strong
sense of “guilt” (Ch. 43) and immediately sets about devoting all her energies
to set things right. When attacked by
corrupt policemen Brenda, Russell’s new love interest, fights like a “wildcat”
(Ch. 60) and her sister Araceli joins the fight by hurling a baseball at the
attackers. Feminist readers will be glad
to find that, in this novel, women are not meekly subordinate adjuncts to men,
but rather dynamic persons in their own right.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As has just been noted <i>Finding Devo</i> is, at least on the surface, a world of male machoism
in line with 1950’s values. Both Russell
and Johnny live for sports, womanizing, drinking, cockfights and have dabbled
in law breaking (minor for Russell’s part and major for Johnny’s part). This comfortably male dominant world,
however, is very much undercut when both men find themselves in real
trouble. Suddenly Russell and Johnny are
victims who need to be rescued. Their
bravado wears thin as they find themselves in waters way beyond their
depth. Certainly it is a male who
‘saves’ them and certainly they are not completely helpless themselves, but the
brash American male image takes a beating.
Quite a number of other male characters in positions of power are also
undercut. Their confident acceptance of
corruption in various forms, as a bonus of their ‘tough-guy’ power, leads to
their downfall and ineffectiveness. Devo,
as has been noted, remains an enigma. He
is certainly a ‘tough-guy’ hero, but we never quite know how to take him. Is he to be admired or viewed with some
doubt? He ‘pulls the strings’, but to
what end? Rather than the traditional
1950’s ‘super-hero’ we have an ambiguous magician who even at the end leaves us
with questions. How much should we
admire him? Devo has intelligence, skill
and charisma, but is hardly a New Age man of feeling. Russell by contrast gains positive
re-connection with his emotions and is able to associate with others in a
mature way.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 200%;">The indigenous people of Mexico are represented in the
text, though not always in a positive light.
Those people in power in the novel do not view the Indians
favorably. They are described as “naco”
a “pejorative word often used in Mexican Spanish to describe the bad-mannered
and poorly educated people of lower social classes” (Wikipedia. <i>Naco (slang)</i>:__ </span><span lang="EN-US"><span style="line-height: 200%;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naco_(slang)" target="_blank">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naco_(slang)</a>)</span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 200%;">. As early as Chapter 1 we read: “They have no
respect. Better to send them all
north. Let the gringos deal with them,
fill their jails with them” (Ch. 1). But
the Anarchist Carlos Mansalva (Manco) takes up the cause for the Indians. We read “The entire continent belongs to us,
those of Indigenous blood” (Ch. 8).
Further we read of “Zapatistas” (Ch. 5 and following) the politically
left Indigenous Mexican movement. The
indigenous are mentioned as demonstrating for their rights (Ch. 7). Indigenous people are represented chiefly by
two characters: Javier Menticlaro and Paulo Pepino Revueltas (Chimp). Javier is an influential Zapatista leader,
though he could be viewed as a ‘bad’ character.
Similarly Chimp holds the respected occupation of police officer, but is
certainly not represented positively. It
must be remembered that ambiguity is strong in the novel and so both the good
and the bad of indigenous people is discussed.
Javier is a particularly ambiguous character. We can understand him as an indigenous
person, but do not necessarily agree with his actions.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In turn with the macho atmosphere of the book LBTIQ
characters are absent. There are indeed
a couple of anti-Queer comments made in Chapter 2. Perhaps one positive character could have
been included in the party, at the beginning of the book, and we know that
police are not exclusively heterosexual.
In an novel which so emphasizes ambiguity, and which asks so many
questions, it is perhaps a missed opportunity that LGBTIQ characters were
passed over.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The Aged, a much ignored group, are also absent. They perhaps would have been inappropriate in
the heavy partying, high action world of the novel.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As has been mentioned ambiguity is prevalent in this
novel and peaks when it is viewed from the Marxist / Capitalist debate. The Capitalist U.S. is viewed as a very safe
place compared to the Socialist Mexico, yet the Capitalist desire for money and
prestige is a very major contributing factor in the crisis of the novel. Indeed Gloria’s Capitalist ventures end in
defeat, not triumph. But similarly
Marxism is represented as being falsely hollow. Media Minister Lazarito
Charlado is an appointee of the Socialist Reform Party, but is interested in
the “advance … [of his] … fortunes” (Ch. 3), that is, in the personal moneys he
can amass and the power and prestige he can gain. Even more the Socialist influenced Zapatista
movement is depicted as violent and aggressive.
At the heart of both Capitalism and Marxism corruption can lead to a
political culture where power, authority and legitimacy are undermined. Anarchism, a political ideology more left
than Marxism, is partially represented in the text by the activist Carlos
Mansalva (Manco). Manco makes quite good
arguments against Capitalism and for the advancement of the indigenous Mexican
people, but he has quite violent tendencies. Even more Maco is depicted as
being falsely hollow, like Lazarito, being motivated by the large amounts of money
he can earn for his dubious dealings with Chimp (Ch. 58). Despite this
criticism, though, Anarchism has a prominent place in the novel. The actions of private citizens are seen as
being more effective than those of organizations. But can even individuals be trusted to act
for the ‘good’? The questions abound.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 200%;">Finding Devo</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 200%;"> is very much a postmodern
novel in the sense that there are no hard edges or categories anywhere. As Brenda observes: “People are brutal,
Russell. The whole lot of us” (Ch.
18). Even the ‘good’ are capable of
doing ‘bad’ given the right circumstances, and indeed what is good and what is
bad depends on the observer’s perspective.
Even the ‘bad’ character Masked Apocalypse, who by his nom de plume is
associated with the devil, is given human motivation.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Verdad has written an action adventure, rather than a
more poetic book, and so there is not much imagery and symbolism in it. There are, however, a few elements of the
symbolic. Devo’s nickname hints at the
word devolution, suggesting escape from a system, but once again questions,
rather than answers, arise. Which system
is being escaped from? Is it good or
bad, or perhaps both, to escape a system?
Is to devolve to go backwards, or is there still a creative forwards
motion in it? Where exactly is Devo
taking Russell? Similarly, through much
of the novel unusual weather hangs over Puerto Vallarta. Light rain hangs over the city like a “mist”
(Ch. 60) obscuring the view, making people feel slightly at odds. This is symbolic of the crisis of the novel where
for most of the characters, the action remains a mystery. Confusion abounds and truth is obscured. People think they have the answer, but are deluded.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Looking deeper into symbolism and myth it should be
noted that Devo is a magician. He uses
metaphoric smoke and mirrors to trick, to obscure, when it suits him. We never quite know where exactly he
stands. He uses electronic ‘trickery’ to
help him pull off his ‘secret agent’ stunts.
This element of the novel draws upon the cultural mythology represented
by the Tarot card <u>The Magician</u>. Sally
Annett and Rowena Shepherd observe that this card implies both “rules … [and]
.. cheating” (<i>The Atavist Tarot</i>:__ London:
Quantum, c2003, p. 47), and both Arthur Edward Waite (<i>The Pictorial Key To The Tarot</i>:__ Stamford, CT: U.S. Games
Systems, c1971, p. 72) <i> </i>and Giordano Berti and Tiberio Gonard (<i>Tarot Of The New Vision</i>:__ Torino,
Italy: Lo Scarabeo, c2005, p. 19) note that the card implies both virtue and
trickery. Indeed going further Annett
and Shepherd note that, when thinking of the card, “we must be aware that man’s
ability to manipulate the elements can be used for evil as well as good” (<i>Atavist Tarot</i>, p. 49). Berti and Gonard particularly emphasis that
“ambiguity” (<i>New Vision</i>, p. 19) is
the key to the card, and as has been noted this is a major theme in the novel. Where exactly does Devo stand in the
novel? Is he a force for evil or
good? Karen Hamaker-Zondag notes of the
card: “He has a vision or ideal to which he is devoted, and on which he expands
his energies. [ … ] Hence The Magician possesses both flexibility and courage,
and his vitality makes him want to do something worthwhile.” (<i>Tarot As A Way Of Life: A Jungian Approach
To The Tarot</i>:__ York Beach, Maine: Samuel Weiser, 1997, p. 132) Devo is certainly heroic and his mind and
actions are definitely set on a particular problem or project. Sallie Nichols writes: “The Magician will
include us in his plans. He welcomes us
on stage as his accomplice. Some degree
of cooperation on our part is necessary for the success of his magic.” (<i>Jung And Tarot: An Archetypal Journey</i>:__
York Beach, Maine: Samuel Weisner, 1980, p. 46)
Russell and Johnny certainly become caught up in Devo’s plans and in a
sense he needs them to work his magic.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Seve Verdad’s <i>Finding
Devo</i> is an exciting adventure / mystery novel with interesting
characterization and generally good writing style. The plot revolves around the main themes of
ambiguity, corruption and the individual.
There is a fairly strong political emphasis, though no one system is
favored as being ‘right’. Men and women
are depicted realistically, and in terms that would be viewed positively by
those interested in modern Gender Studies.
Indigenous Mexicans are depicted, partially favorably, partially unfavorably. At 565 pages the novel is probably not a
weekend read, though it can certainly be read enjoyably over a longer period of
time. I am happy to rate this book as 4
out of 5 stars.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Finding-Devo-A-Novel-Adventure/dp/0988956616/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1408320377&sr=8-1" target="_blank">Finding Devo by Seve Verdad (Amazon Book ed.)</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Finding-Devo-Adventure-Seve-Verdad-ebook/dp/B00BCUJIH8/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=8-1&qid=1408320377" target="_blank">Finding Devo by Seve Verdad (Kindle ed.)</a></span><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/finding-devo-seve-verdad/1116057774?ean=9780988956612" target="_blank">Finding Devo by Seve Verdad (B&N eds.)</a><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16399522365969796755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1089421246126704671.post-36022436244091804082014-05-12T07:44:00.001+08:002014-05-15T06:46:49.987+08:00Pest On The Run by Gerry Burke <span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Reviewed by Raymond Mathiesen</span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: red; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">4.5 out of 5 stars</span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: red; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
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<i><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">Big trouble and light hearted investigations…</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A beautiful stage
show star, come whore house madam, is suddenly foully murdered, despite her
apparent gangster protection. A
disgruntled Japanese business tycoon hires a hit man to assassinate Australia’s
Prime Minister. An unbeatable game show
contestant takes a recreational bungee-jump, only to have her rope break in
what her friend thinks is dubious circumstances. Enter the low-life world of Paddy Pest,
sometimes Private Investigator and sometimes secret agent for Australia’s spy
bureau ASIO. Pest is based in Melbourne,
Victoria, Australia, though is very frequently an international traveler. He is a master of dubious disguises, and
often manages to solve the case despite his shortcomings. Here is a world where virtually everybody has
a rancorous underbelly, and where murder is a common life event, but where good
will eventually win out (even if by fluke).
These humorous short stories wil beguile you, entertain you and make
you chuckle. Gerry Burke's <i>Pest On The Run: More Humorous Short Stories From The Paddy Pest
Chronicles</i> (iUniverse, c2012) is ideal for the lover of crime and murder mystery
tales, but will also suit busy people looking for a witty amusement to fill a
free hour or two.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Paddy is a
frequent visitor of both upper class and lower class hotel bars, and these
tales have the ethos of a pub yarn: unlikely events, boisterous pride, and male
machoism lubricated to dubious heights.
The style is very chatty, with Pest narrating his stories as if he is
talking to an interested acquaintance.
There are asides to the reader.
When pertinent, Paddy occasionally reminisces about his past, including
his childhood. With a flair for drama he
sometimes skips over the more mundane details to get to the action and juicy
bits. These stories certainly deal with
the darker side of life, and a few times death is narrated, but the great
majority of these plots take place after the brutality is over. This book is about solving crime, not
depicting crime and is overwhelmingly light hearted. Paddy is certainly a ladies man and the
ticklish subject of sex is often alluded to, though not specifically depicted. In tune with the ‘pub ethos’, Paddy’s
descriptions of women can be quite humorously crude, without actually being
offensive, except perhaps to the conservative. There are several laugh out loud moments and
every story will leave the reader smiling.
Most stories have moments of high drama, though here the unlikeliness of
the action is taken tongue in cheek.
Occasionally Burke includes good phrasing that lifts the text. We read for example the atmospheric and
slightly philosophic sentence: “Often, when you visit a country with a
different culture, it is difficult to break through the veneer of reserve that
camouflages a human spirit that is primed to explode” (Burke, p. 25). More of this care in writing would make the
book even better. There is occasional
foul language, but this is completely in tune with the macho low-life spirit of
the book and will not offend most readers. This is a book by an Australian author and
there is quite a sprinkling of colloquialisms and cultural references which may
be unfamiliar to international readers.
Some are explained in the text, which erases any difficulty, but some
are not. These are, however, in no way
essential to the text and will at the most cause a moment of wondering before
the reader passes on.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In his collective stories
Burke presents us with an interesting portrait of “Patrick Pesticide aka Paddy
Pest” (Burke, p. v). Paddy is of Irish
heritage, though primarily Australian in outlook. Burke thus combines both Irish luck and
silliness, with the Australian macho male.
He is a gambler and bets on race horses, and has quite an eye for the
women. Paddy is of dubious
background. He says of himself “I would
not say I was straight or bent – somewhere in the middle” (Burke, p. 4). On the down side Paddy can be quite sexist,
seeing women in many ways as bodies first.
Full of pride Pest sees himself as a “master of disguise” (Burke, p.
37), though others are not nearly as convinced.
While Paddy is in training in New Guinea one character comments on his
being “dressed in a ridiculous head-hunter’s outfit” (Burke, p. 188). By creating this mix of good and bad Burke
has created an endearing, eccentric character that we can like because he gives
us a slightly spicy escape from our ‘ordinary’ lives. Paddy reminds us of the rough, tough boy at
high school who everybody admired, but who never really did anything seriously
wrong. He is a ‘lad’ and the reader is
charmed. Paddy of course comes in a
great tradition of incompetent Private Investigators / Spies. We think of Austin Powers, Inspector Jacques
Clouseau, Agent Maxwell Smart and even Inspector Gadget. Burke, however, has given us his own
particular spin on the pattern, and we do not feel that we are reading a
complete copy.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A few other
characters pop up more than once. There
is Stormy Weathers, the totally competent ASIO agent, who has a cover job as
barmaid at Sam’s Fly by Night Club.
There is Justin O’Keefe, the slacker police Inspector with an attitude. Mostly these secondary characters are at a
minimum. Burke does, though, give them
personality traits that flesh them out a bit.
Stormy, for example, is a jealous lover.
Occasionally Burke gives us a potted history of a character, giving us a
summary of their eccentricities and adventures.
Murder victim Frankie Hogan, for example, is a memorable woman with true
spirit. Burke describes her in three
pages giving the story depth and poignancy.
Burke is quite skilled at this kind of detail and his writing would
benefit by including more of it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As we have noted
Pest himself can be quite sexist. At one
point for example he outrageously poses the equation that large breasts equals
many friends (Burke, p. 200). Much of
the humor, however, arises from the fact that many women are in actuality much
more competent than him. As Pest himself
says: “There had been two attempts on my life and, once more, I had been saved
by a woman” (Burke, p. 77). These stories
are indeed filled with dynamic, no-nonsense women you would think twice about
crossing. There is a dangerous female
assassin, successful business women, and several able female secret agents. Frankie Hogan takes no sexual nonsense from
men, has “personality” (Burke, p. 3), and is a success in all her career
ventures. Not to err too much on one
side Burke has included one nasty, negatively-portrayed, female villain (Burke,
p. 118). On the whole this book will
pass Feminist standards, though some may not take the humor.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Shifting to male
roles and Gender Studies it should be noted that these stories are in some ways
very much in the ethos of the 1950’s though they are set in contemporary
times. This is the world of the tough
guy, the gangster, the merry bachelor.
Men should not really have soft feelings. Hyman Finkelstein, a low-life criminal,
doesn’t even like people looking at him (Burke, p. 151) let alone be able to
have a mature relationship. Fear is a
sign that a guy must be a “nancy boy” (Burke, p. 230). Paddy, on the other hand, is able to hug an
old, male friend (Burke, p. 17). Women
are very much a sexual adjunct to the male ego.
Paddy does have a kind of steady relationship with Stormy, but even that
is very much a breakable, uncommitted relationship. This whole ‘retro’ male image is, however,
held up to debunking humor. This male
world is on shaky ground. The great male
image repeatedly is out shone by women and needs females to save it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As with the issue
of women and Feminism, Paddy Pest, and those he meets, can be quite homophobic. Paddy, for example, refers to gays by a
disparaging name (Burke, p. 244), as does Hyman Finkelstein (Burke, p,
151). Finkelstein is particularly
negative about gays. The actual representations of LGBTIQ people, however, on
the whole are not that negative about that aspect of their lives. LGBTIQ people are primarily represented by
two stories. First there is <u>The
Candidate</u> which spotlights Lindsay Dove and his life-partner Jay
Sniggle. Lindsay is a U.S. presidential
candidate and Jay is an IT consultant.
Then there is <u>Who Was That Masked Man?</u> highlighting the
‘butch-fem’ caterer Cate Edwards. Cate
is a villain, but the story is not negative about her being a lesbian. This second story indeed has Ellen DeGeneres
making fun of Paddy’s cloddish ignorance of the LGBTIQ community. Ellen is mentioned (as an LGBTIQ person) in
another story (Burke, p. 84), as is k.d. Lang (Burke, p. 154).
Gay Mardi Grass are mentioned twice.
A number of times women are suspected to be lesbian (not in a negative
way) and a ‘drag-queen’ secret agent is depicted canoodling with an unwitting
male politican (Burke, p. 138-139). On
another occasion Paddy comes upon a not so pretty ‘drag-queen’ (Burke, p. 21),
but this is the only negative description, and of course not all transvestites
are necessarily beautiful. Once again
the issue should not offend interested parties as long as the humor is taken
into account.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The often ignored
Indigenous and Racial Minorities also feature.
Lindsay Dove is “black” (Burke, p. 79) as well as being gay. In <u>A Long Time Gone</u> Australia’s Jewish
minority is highlighted in the character of Hyman Finkelstein. Hymie is a gangster villain, but Burke goes
out of his way to point out that he is not being anti-Jewish (Burke, p.
158-159). Louey is a successful
“Polynesian” bar owner on Norfolk Island (Burke, p. 121). In <u>The Goodbye Wave</u>, though, the head
of Fiji is referred to as a “baboon” (Burke, p. 129). This is a rather racist description, even for
humorous purposes. Overall this is a
very multicultural book, with Chinese, Japanese, Philipino, Hong Kong, Russian,
Balkan and Greeks mentioned with stories being set in many different countries. We get a true sense of the world, rather than
a monosyllabic, white Anglo-Saxon perspective.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The aged feature
in a very minor way in these tales.
There is one uncomplimentary portrayal (Burke, p. 176) and one positive
description of an older (though not necessarily aged) woman (Burke, p.
195). Burke could lift his game a little
here, as the world is not full of only those under 55 years, even though some
agencies such as advertising would have us believe this.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">From the
Capitalism verses Socialism perspective wealth in these stories is certainly
suspect. These tales show only a very
slim difference between corrupt businessmen and rich gangsters. Politicians and even judges don’t exactly
receive compliments. The lower classes
are not lauded, but they are not seriously criticized. The </span></span><span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 200%;">Little people’
more often than not help Paddy. The
middle class is to a degree absent, but this is not so surprising as they are
not likely to have the funds to hire a Private Investigator and are too ‘clean’
to have information on gangsters.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">From the broader
outlook of society in general, the Catholic Church is foot-noted as being
anti-gay (Burke, p. 82 & 154) and rather a kill-joy for the more spirited
members of the world (Burke, 149). The
Police are depicted as being often incompetent and corrupt. These two institutions of society, perhaps in
tune with Socialism, could be improved.</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Before departing
from these various social issues it should be stressed that these stories rely
very much on outrageous statements and circumstances for humor. The book is full of politically incorrect text,
but we are meant to take everything tongue in cheek. If we read these tales too critically we will
be deeply offended, but Burke wants us, on the one hand to ‘lighten up’, and on
the other hand to look a bit deeper. If
this is kept in mind the book can very much be enjoyed.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">From a Postmodern
perspective it can be noted that there are no hard edge binary oppositions in <i>Pest On The Run</i>. There are definite ‘bad’ guys, but good and
bad blur. As has been noted, Paddy
himself is shady. We like him precisely
because he is a ‘wag’. In <u>Murder
Before Lunch</u> Pest even works for a crime boss. This blurring of categories makes for a more
realistic and interesting read. It adds
‘spice’ and avoids boring oversimplification.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFVU5Wt7hmNPIMER9gN-I_34_fwBr663BaDgYk4KZIR6vWVMyI6einqQxMe6Yu0t0OYBfBTK1HCuzZgWt8XQBD_nqMcp8PhWIjfGCv69Q6UVtc_vurf6v5T58FGp3jUMe6NdiRMmlKoVAE/s1600/Joker_black_02.svg.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFVU5Wt7hmNPIMER9gN-I_34_fwBr663BaDgYk4KZIR6vWVMyI6einqQxMe6Yu0t0OYBfBTK1HCuzZgWt8XQBD_nqMcp8PhWIjfGCv69Q6UVtc_vurf6v5T58FGp3jUMe6NdiRMmlKoVAE/s1600/Joker_black_02.svg.png" height="400" width="275" /></a></div>
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Many stories have
a mythological quality, and indeed these elements can be what attract us most
to an author’s work. For Paddy Pest we
need only to turn to the <u>Joker Card</u> in the modern playing card
pack. As court jester, the <u>Joker</u>
is dressed in a funny costume, and Pest similarly assumes dubious
disguises. The <u>Joker</u>’s cap has
pretentious baubles and he holds a wand topped with a manikin of himself. Pest is none to retiring in describing his
own talents as a spy and lover. Yet the
Joker possesses almost magical powers that no other card has, and in its
presence many a losing hand can be transformed into a winning hand. Pest does solve the case, even if by sheer
luck. Of course, most of all, the <u>Joker</u>
tells silly stories and jokes, and that is the overwhelming ethos of Burke’s
book.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Gerry Burke has written
a very entertaining book for the not so serious at heart. He manages to take a look at a wide variety
of social issues, such as Feminism, while at the same time making us
laugh. The dark world of crime is
depicted, occasionally with the brutality described, but good always wins out
and we are mostly entertained by a light hand.
Most stories are around 20 pages long, and are ideal reading if you are
short of time. <i>Pest On The Run</i> was a pleasure to read and I am happy to rate it as
4.5 out of 5 stars.</span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Pest-On-The-Run-Chronicles/dp/1475943970/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1399937702&sr=8-1" target="_blank">Pest On The Run (Book ed.)</a></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Pest-Run-Humorous-Stories-Chronicles-ebook/dp/B0097OL1G2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1399852747&sr=8-1&keywords=pest+on+the+run+burke" target="_blank">Pest On The Run (Kindle ed.)</a></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/gerry.burke.73?fref=ts" target="_blank">Gerry Burke's Facebook Page</a><br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Gerry-Burke/198171320285368" target="_blank">Gerry Burke's Facebook Author Page</a><br />
<a href="http://authorgburke.authorsxpress.com/the-author/" target="_blank">Gerry Burke's Web Site</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJKt1MO1EB6cfaK6kyRKadFQUAiEIo2qYrnhm5zn9MIrciYBK5w2vOlS5p3uI5fw67Sko08iSuH9Hwx3BTNaAhNUnpWWE96o6apvXZzEctjuaPvMda0y7ySoYqlbA5eDv2MMyqXPlgFsFP/s1600/Gerry+in+Chateauneuf+72dpi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJKt1MO1EB6cfaK6kyRKadFQUAiEIo2qYrnhm5zn9MIrciYBK5w2vOlS5p3uI5fw67Sko08iSuH9Hwx3BTNaAhNUnpWWE96o6apvXZzEctjuaPvMda0y7ySoYqlbA5eDv2MMyqXPlgFsFP/s1600/Gerry+in+Chateauneuf+72dpi.jpg" height="400" width="306" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;">Gerry Burke</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16399522365969796755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1089421246126704671.post-63465395034694357632014-02-28T09:22:00.000+08:002014-02-28T09:55:31.477+08:00Armageddon and the 4th Timeline by Don Mardak <span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Reviewed by Susan McMichael</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">4.5 out of 5 stars</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
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<span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm;">A
thrilling ride from the first page…</span></i></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm;">Armageddon
and the 4<sup>th</sup> Timeline</span></i><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm;">
by Don <b><span style="font-weight: normal;">Mardak is a thrilling ride from the first page. This science fiction novel combines time
travel, spiritual themes, a fascinating mix of characters and modern intrigue to
create an unputtable down novel.</span></b></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm;">We
meet the CIA Director, Scott Cunningham, a former Navy SEAL, and his Assistant
Lori Colbert, addressing a meeting after a terrible terrorists attacks. We also meet husband and wife Kathy and Eric
who are in Lhasa, Tibet, on a spiritual quest. Through Eric's time
travel, both worlds intersect. Mardak's premise throughout the novel
is that there "is a spiritual universe, and mankind has the ability to
rise into a higher level of consciousness where all conflicts can be resolved
peacefully without resorting to wars, or threatening a nuclear holocaust.”</span></span></span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv_EoR-_O0CWO3Px5NwxImlv88FZjHoBlRuJMV3udPume_ApHU4p78ufFH0avxB-OVVWr17U9BRpVAPC_zXfhuWA8tNYC3w-NkNkW1OYoMNN5h9LqygX52TKJkkDRZsdFnoGbjHJqzFZM2/s1600/Armageddon+and+the+4th+Timeline+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv_EoR-_O0CWO3Px5NwxImlv88FZjHoBlRuJMV3udPume_ApHU4p78ufFH0avxB-OVVWr17U9BRpVAPC_zXfhuWA8tNYC3w-NkNkW1OYoMNN5h9LqygX52TKJkkDRZsdFnoGbjHJqzFZM2/s1600/Armageddon+and+the+4th+Timeline+cover.jpg" height="320" width="214" /></a></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-weight: normal; padding: 0cm;">Mardak's </span></b><i><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm;">Armageddon and the 4<sup>th</sup> Timeline
</span></i><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm;">is a science fiction novel,
containing elements of time travel. It
is set in 'the Present' with a clear aim of trying to reconcile what is
happening. There is a definite sense of
good and bad in the novel. Mardak’s
fascinating use of the scriptural characters of Paul and Silas to both examine
Christianity, and to change the future, is an amazing read. How Mardak structures the novel is
particularly well done, so that the ending is both satisfying, works in a
science fiction way, and races to the finish, all at once.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm;">The
novel examines the various tenets of a number of the main religions (Christianity,
Tibetan Buddhism, and Judaism) using them as plot devices: e.g. Paul's
Missionary Journey. This exploration of
religion is quite a wild ride, but worth it.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm;">The
first third of the novel introduces us to the characters: to the CIA, the
issues related to Eric and Kathy, and to the Himalayan mystic Shimahn. This first third also introduces broader geopolitical
issues, as well as setting up the 'four dimensional world of space time'. In
the second section of the novel the actual time travel begins. We see its
effects from Eric's point of view. He is an interested participant. In this section Mardak makes good use of
structure to make his point, but also to move the plot along. The last
third of the novel brings everything together: the time changes and the new ideas
and perspectives. There is an ending
which is in some ways surreal, and which is beautifully realized.</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;">
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<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm;">One
of the main themes of this book is religion. It's a fascinating book because I believe many
people see Religions as having "Truths" and this novel certainly
plays with some of those. Anyone who
believes that the Bible is the written word of God will have a difficult time
with this novel. That said, it is far
from Mr. Mardak's aim to make anyone annoyed about this. I feel, quite the contrary.</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;">
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<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
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<span style="color: blue;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm;">The
novel discuses time travel and how it can save the world. What difference would it make to war? Mardak also asks what kind of world are we
creating? How do we cause and prevent nuclear holocaust? <i>Armageddon
and the 4<sup>th</sup> Timeline </i>is also about an attitude of
helping and working together to create change.</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: blue;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm;">The
relationships that are explored in the novel illustrate personal growth and
caring. Kathy and Eric, Colbert and
Cunningham, Paul and Silas are all studies in how we see, how we relate, and how
we can change. The focus in <i>Armageddon
and the 4<sup>th</sup> Timeline </i>is how this happens.</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: blue;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm;">A
minor quibble about the characters is the character of Kathy. I didn't feel that she had very much to
say for herself, and was a little too passive for my liking. Eric,
however, is well written and his relationship with Kathy is nicely drawn. The CIA group are depicted as a good bunch. They sounded quite different to Eric and
Kathy: they were exciting and gung-ho. They were well drawn.</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;">
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<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
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</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm;">The
scenes in the desert were particularly evocative and the relationships depicted
there, though brief, remind the reader that some of the central ideas of the
novel are relationship and awareness. The different families in the desert remind
the reader that families have many different shapes. In terms of diversity and families there are a
range of families: Lori Colbert is a divorced mother, Kathy and Eric have been
married seven years and there are the families in the Sinai desert. There is also the relationships between
Shimahn and Eric and Kathy, and between Paul and Silas. Mardak also emphasizes diversity by depicting
various religions and mixing those religions in unique ways.</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;">
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<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
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<span style="color: blue;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm;">This
novel runs along at a fast, fast pace. At
times it fairly gallops. It has
fantastic ideas about time and space and makes the reader think.</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;">
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<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: blue;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm;">Armageddon
and the 4<sup>th</sup> Timeline</span></i><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm;">
has a thoughtful purpose, but is highly readable and action packed. Mardak's
plot is well structured and he makes good use of characters. From the
first' gloomy Thursday in Langley…' I wanted to read on, to find out what was
happening, what was going on. The
science fiction genre makes a twist with a spectacularly good ending. I am happy to rate this novel as 4.5 out of
five stars. </span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;">
</span><span style="color: blue;">
</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Armageddon-4th-Timeline-Spiritual-Eternity/dp/0964422816/ref=tmm_pap_title_0" target="_blank">Armageddon and the 4th Timeline (Book ed.)</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Armageddon-4th-Timeline-Spiritual-Eternity-ebook/dp/B00AQ3LU4G/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=&qid=" target="_blank">Armageddon and the 4th Timeline (Kindle ed.)</a></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/don.mardak?fref=ts" target="_blank">Don Mardak's Facebook Page</a> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Don-Mardak-Author/419054771491256" target="_blank">Don Mardak's Facebook Author Page</a> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="http://donmardak.com/reviews/reviews-for-armageddon-and-the-4th-timeline/" target="_blank">Don Mardak's Web Page</a> </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO7tYwz3WUxufhlZnVpaUlSrY6D0EcJPdZDlzz7h6rT6FQKeJMeWJciRTcc81UpGM_-XeIYG_dh_L8D00va_OmwSM5yGraJXH5rL6z4QCywQM8DEzTcolFQJfwHTWSRABOmblNoBxKh1rd/s1600/Don+Mardak.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO7tYwz3WUxufhlZnVpaUlSrY6D0EcJPdZDlzz7h6rT6FQKeJMeWJciRTcc81UpGM_-XeIYG_dh_L8D00va_OmwSM5yGraJXH5rL6z4QCywQM8DEzTcolFQJfwHTWSRABOmblNoBxKh1rd/s1600/Don+Mardak.jpg" height="400" width="275" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: purple; font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm;">Don <b><span style="font-weight: normal;">Mardak</span></b></span></span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16399522365969796755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1089421246126704671.post-4318427534456522612013-12-11T06:53:00.003+08:002013-12-13T08:14:40.681+08:00Crimson Footprints by Shewanda Pugh <span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Reviewed by Raymond Mathiesen</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">5 out of 5 stars</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
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<span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><span style="line-height: 200%;">The
balancing act of life…</span></i></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Deena Hammond is a 24 year
old architect living and working in her home town of Miami, Florida. In some ways Deena is very successful, but
she comes from a poor background, and in many ways she is still inextricably tied
up with those origins. Her grandmother,
Emma Hammond, who brought Deena up, is constantly demanding and never
satisfied. Deena’s adult brother Anthony
is a small-time criminal, and her sister Lizzie, though still at school, is
incorrigibly wayward and seems headed for a disaster of a life. Deena is half African-American and half white
and feels that she was never really accepted by the black side of her family
when they took her in as a child. In
very harrowing circumstances Deena meets Takumi (Tak for short) Tanaka, the son
of her world famous, distant and demanding boss Daichi Tanaka. Immediately the personal chemistry and
attraction seems right, but everything else between these two people seems
impossible. Deena is a mere
underling. Should she even be talking to
the son of the owner of the business she works for? What is more Deena’s family very much expects
her to date a black man. Can these two
people overcome the odds and form a friendship, or even the romance they both
desire?</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Shewanda Pugh’s <i>Crimson Footprints</i> can certainly be
classified as a romance; however, it is much more than that. It is a story of class consciousness and
racial division. It is about the
struggle to find the right equilibrium between work and family, and it is a
story about trying to ‘do the right thing’.
Most of all, this novel is about balance in all things. We are all different, but we must overcome
our resistances and come to the center ground if we are truly going to be a
success in life.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_CVGYw8h2FyHR_hXuLgTx_JV-C3tDtD6x_2jgctKuZTfo-DZJzbkIek_CAUXf4grLO2LUTuo9w2Msuf4bZyVitkLF9oA8RGHeMO4i3tGv4nZ8OEeMEZ3uTqPt4wEQ-bfxXPAwiasMrrRW/s1600/Crimson+Footprints+-+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_CVGYw8h2FyHR_hXuLgTx_JV-C3tDtD6x_2jgctKuZTfo-DZJzbkIek_CAUXf4grLO2LUTuo9w2Msuf4bZyVitkLF9oA8RGHeMO4i3tGv4nZ8OEeMEZ3uTqPt4wEQ-bfxXPAwiasMrrRW/s320/Crimson+Footprints+-+cover.jpg" width="205" /></a></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Pugh has managed to
successfully weld sweet romance with biting ‘slice of life’. Romance, especially the first phase, usually
seems enjoyable, even with its ups and downs and Pugh captures the pleasant
nature of first love well. Mixed in with
these chapters, though, are insights into the often seedy, cruel world of the
lower class. This juxtaposition works
very well, jarring us, and reminding us that while life can seem pleasurable,
there is always harshness, perhaps not too distant from us. There is considerable irony in the contrasts
between Deena’s romance, and her striving for career success, and Lizzie’s
pure-flesh ‘sexploits’ and base efforts to get ahead (for example the Ch. 7 /
Ch. Ch. 8 contrast). Pugh’s phrasing,
particularly at peak moments, is often excellent, lifting her prose from the
mundane. In Chapter 1, for example,
which describes the run down suburb of Liberty City, we read of “Torn fences
that imprison rather than embellished” the houses which Deena passes. This care with words, and occasionally poetic
turn of phrase, helps to mark out the book as more than the average read. There are moments of pure humor,
particularly the events surrounding Takumi’s cousin Mike and his fumbling
attempts to capture Deena’s attention (CH. 47 & following). There are also moments of true shock and also
scenes of high drama that take us far from the average world of romance. Pugh has included occasional swearing, and
sex is very openly discussed and depicted.
This may offend conservative readers, but is certainly justified by the
themes, characters and story line.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">The book has a more unusual plot
structure. <u>Part One</u> (Ch. 1 - 7)
serves as a general introduction to the Hammond and Tanaka families, and to
Deena’s work. The plot peaks early, then
builds as complications follow. <u>Part
Two</u> (Ch. 8 – 42) is a very long section covering Tak and Deena’s extended
holiday road-trip across much of the U.S.
Romance blooms as Deena learns to loosen up, then a series of couples
are met. These couples serve to show how
Tak and Deena’s love perhaps could work.
The sequence comes to an unexpected close as events suddenly twist in a
crisis. This Part could perhaps have
been divided into two sections, though the whole sequence is certainly united
by the structure of the holiday. <u>Part
Three</u> (Ch. 43 – 64) covers the problem of the hidden nature of the romance, centering on complications during a working holiday break. The disastrous climax of the novel is reached
followed by a brief sequence wrapping up circumstances with the Tanaka
family. <u>Part Four</u> (Ch. 65 – 67)
describes the complications with Emma.
This section is quite brief and perhaps could have been extended a
little considering Deena’s grandmother’s earlier resistance, tenacity and
belligerence. The <u>Epilogue</u>, set
some years in the future wraps up the plot lines nicely, though one question is
pointedly left open.</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">As already indicated the
main theme of <i>Crimson Footprints</i> is
balance, or Difference/Harmony. We like
people ‘like us’, but we are all individuals.
What does it really mean to be ‘like me”? Is this merely a matter of externals, or are
internals more important? We need to
accept who people are, and where they came from, but not be bound by that. An openness in outlook and balance is needed
otherwise we will be bound forever in very limited circumstances. On another level, how do we handle the
conflict between work and family / social life?
Is one demand more important than another? Can we neglect either? Of course there are no easy answers, though
those may be the first to come to us.
Life is complicated and this book explores these complications.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">The family is a second
important theme. Families can be both
sources of pain and sources of strength, and both features can occur in the
same kinfolk. Families are what make us,
but at the same time are what we grow from.
They can be conservatively stolid, relying heavily on tradition, or can
adapt to new circumstances. We can
ignore them, but we can never really escape them. Following from tradition, a family can be a
basic mother, father and children, or it can be a less conventional
grouping. Families are very basic to
human nature and being taken in, or adopted, does not make it of less
importance to us. This very contrary
institution in fact dominates us. We
come from families and then we make new families, or at least extend those
which we have.</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Another important theme in
the novel is what could broadly be termed as success. We are encouraged to ‘do our best’, to ‘do
good’, to ‘shine’. What is success and
what are the traits that allow us to see it?
Is it hard work resulting in material objects? Is it love, honesty, caring and ethics
resulting in respect and attachment? Is
there room for both? Millennia ago the
ancient Greeks asked, “What is the good citizen?” In response they formulated the idea of
“Virtue” (Ben Dupre. <i>50 Philosophy Ideas You Really Need To Know</i>: Quercus,
2007, p. 96 – 99), that is, the character traits that make us <i>wisely</i> successful in both working life
and family life, and indeed everything that we do. This idea of ‘virtue’ is central to Pugh’s
novel. Deena struggles to be a ‘good
person’ ethically, socially and work-wise.
For her these are not separate issues, and not merely because she is in
love with the boss’s son: all are tied up with who she is as a person. Of course there is success in terms of one
social class’s ideals or another’s, but what is truly <i>wise</i> success. In the end
isn’t success really related to what makes us “happy” (Ch. 20), as complex an
issue as that may be?</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Following from this there is
also a minor theme of ‘religion verses ethics’.
The Christian religion claims to be the guide for good, but surely
considering the evil things that befall us for no reason we should conclude
that God in some ways unfairly hates us (Ch. 2)? Indeed doesn’t hell hang over us like some
permanent, inescapable damnation (Ch. 2)?
Even if these things aren’t entirely correct theologically, aren’t
accusation and condemnation how Christians really act? Is this really what good is all about? Equally, for so many, isn’t Buddhism in
reality simply a constraining tradition full of rules about obligation (Ch.
10), rather than a source of right behavior leading to internal peace? Once again this may not be correct according
to the true tenets of Buddhism, but isn’t this how it often works out in
practice? If religion in practice isn’t
such a good guide for ‘goodness’, what do we take as our guide? Surely we must fall back into the painful
position of finding our own way, and indeed Deena must struggle to find her own
position.</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Deena Hammond is an
interesting character who we immediately like and care about. What strikes us is her positivity in very
negative circumstance and her determination to get somewhere better. Deena is a ‘Star’, without being too perfect. Despite her determination, in certain
circumstances, particularly with her Grandmother, she collapses. What unites these converse character elements
is the fact that she is a self-accuser.
Her accusation drives her on to career success, but also holds her up in
her battle with her domineering Grandmother.
While she accuses herself, Deena is somewhat driven to help others,
particularly her siblings. This kind of
complexity does much to make Deena seem more real to the reader. She is no cardboard cut-out. Deena must learn to limit her career
“expectations” (Ch. 12) and not rely so much on “reason” (Ch. 16) alone to
solve problems. These are human
challenges the reader can recognize and understand, even if they do not
personally suffer from them.</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Takumi Tanaka is in some
ways the ‘perfect man’ every woman dreams about. He is “athletic” (Ch. 1), a success at both art
and business (Ch. 5) and caring. His
limitation is that, while he can understand Grandmother Emma all too well, he
only has a limited understanding of his own father and family. Despite this the reader wonders if Tak could
have had just one or two more faults to make him more human.</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Grandmother Emma Hammond is
an appropriate nemesis. She is a narrow
minded bigot, uneducated, an immense hypocrite and appropriately venomous,
though occasionally she can give way.
The words “consistently hostile” (Ch. 1) certainly sum her up. Her Christianity is certainly a biting irony.</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Daichi Tanaka is describe by
a magazine is “Architectural God” (Ch. 3) and his behavior exhibits the kind
of flaws that such adulation would certainly bring. He can be arrogant, bad tempered, rude and
cold, but he is also willing to give others a chance to prove themselves, and
even work to bring out the best in people. Daichi is like Deena in his
determined, even driven nature, and in his concern for others, but quite
different in his self-adulation. Pugh
has these two character form an interesting and rich relationship, and has
managed to make Daichi equally complex.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Examined from the
perspective of Feminism it can easily be seen that Deena is a successful young
career woman and entirely self-made. Deena’s challenge is to live up to the
goals set by Betty Friedan (Cathia Jenainati. <i>Introducing Feminism</i>: Icon Books, 2010, p. 90 – 94) of being successful
both in her job and family life, without falling into the same traps that men
do (primarily flavoring career over relationships). Hatsumi, Tak’s mother, however, is by marked contrast
a 1950’s woman: unloved, unhappy, trapped at home, but beautifully
dressed. Even Hatsumi, however, has a
certain dignity and demonstrates a mind of her own, showing how women can rise
above these circumstances. Emma, for all
her failings, is certainly headstrong.
Lizzie has a mind of her own, but serves as representative of the ‘sex
object’ so propagated by traditional media and male driven dominance. Pugh makes it more than clear that according
to her this option is not to be desired.
Rhonda, Deena’s aunty, is also a career woman (Ch. 4), but demonstrates
the bigotry which the ‘new woman’ faces as she must “constantly field unfounded
accusations that she is a lesbian” (Ch. 4) simply because she does not fit a
very narrow picture of what a woman should be like.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Daichi is very
representative of the 1950’s male role model, being a stranger to both his
feelings and his family, and believing that his duty as a male is solely to
provide income. He sees himself as the
family figure head. As the story
progresses, however, this position comes under increasing, condemning
scrutiny. Tak, by contrast, is the
twenty first century man: not New Age / Spiritual, but none the less in touch
with his own feelings, and caring of others.
As an artist he expresses freedom and creativity, rather than being
trapped in a rigid role. Anthony
Hammond, Deena’s brother, represents that large group of men who have not
progressed to the standard proposed by twenty first century male Gender Studies. He is everything a man should not be, trapped
in a 1950’s ‘tough rebel’ role, renamed “gasgsta” (Ch. 56) as if it were
something new.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">This is by far a
predominantly heterosexual novel, though, LGBTIQ people are very briefly
represented by Bridget, “a lesbian” (Ch. 20), who is positively depicted as a
successful career woman. Two quite large
families are depicted in the novel, plus other minor characters, and we wonder
if more of a representation of LGBTIQ people could have been made, particularly
in a book where ‘difference’ is an important theme.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">The aged, who are often
ignored in society, are chiefly represented by Emma Hammond, though this is
clearly not a sympathetic depiction. Of
course being old does not automatically make you nice or wise. The absent character of Eddie Hammond, Emma’s
husband, is equally uncomplimentary, though that is not surprising as the two
belong together, having chosen each other as partners. Yukiko, Tak’s grandmother, by contrast proves
to have learned wisdom over the years and in an important scene gives Daichi
very useful words of advice.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">This is a novel very much
about minorities and highlights the difficulties those who would reach beyond
their group face, as well as the difficulties those of mixed racial background
face. African-Americans are highlighted,
as are the U.S. minority of Japanese-Americans.
This is, however, not really a book about political agenda or
advancement in the standard way Post-Colonial Studies thinks. We do not, for example, really hear of civil
rights. The social history behind
African-American food is certainly mentioned early on (Ch. 4), and we hear that
this is the food of slaves who must do with left overs. Also we hear that architecture should reflect
the culture of the ethnic group (e.g. Mayan farmers) and empower these local
groups (Ch. 3). As has been seen, both
Deena and Rhonda are successful, black career women, and Daichi is certainly
successful way beyond the normal expectations.
The bigotry faced by both Japanese and Negroes in the U.S. is also
briefly touched on as is the difficulties of mixed race couples (Ch. 57). The difficulties of people of mixed racial
origin are also mentioned (Ch. 22). In
all of this, however, the emphasis is on personal coping rather than political
agenda. As has been said, this is a book
about ‘Virtue’, and Pugh’s aim is to demonstrate the personal attitude in the
face of these circumstances is what is important. Personal action to overcome poverty, for
example, is the solution, rather than simply social programs. This is illustrated by the marked contrasts
between the Tanaka and Hammond families.
The Tanakas, despite their problems and failings, are educational
achievers, work achievers and socially successful. The Hammonds, on the other hand ignore
education, choose criminal careers, and glory in social bigotry and
abrasiveness. They lead lives full of
failure and ineptitude and seem to glory in it.
Deena and Rhonda are of course the exception. As can be seen Pugh is not pulling her
punches. This is a tough message and
will be unpopular with at least some, though her message is overwhelmingly one
of hope.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Similar to the position on
minorities, Pugh takes an unusual stand in the Capitalist / Socialist
debate. The evils of poverty are openly
depicted. One example is the Liberty
City high school where it is virtually impossible to take driver education
courses because of under-resourcing (Ch. 7).
There is no doubt that people should be able to live better. But once again the primary solution is
personal virtue and not government programs.
Opulent wealth is not openly condemned, far from it, but it is not
placed above interpersonal caring and personality characteristics of value. Monetary wealth is of value, but not if that
is <i>all</i> you have. This is certainly in keeping with the
theories of Marx (Gill Hands. <i>Understanding
Marx</i>: Hodder Education, 2011, Ch. 6), but is hardly standard Socialism. Pure Capitalism at the expense of virtue is
certainly to be denied. Anthony has his
“Air Jordans” (Ch. 6) and Lizzie has her tawdry, growing personal income, but
at what expense to them personally? None
the less this novel is in part a celebration of the American rags to riches
ideal: the self-made man/woman.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Pugh is of course aiming to
write about ‘real’ people and ‘real’ life, and so the field of psychology comes
into play. Psychology aims to discover
truths about human nature and behaviour, and so is a useful tool and aid to
fiction. Deena is primarily motivated by
guilt instilled in her by her overly-critical, religious grandparents who
“bullied” her relentlessly (Ch. 12), and as a result is very critical of
herself (Ch. 7), though she has achieved much in her life. She is controlled by the voice of others
rather than her own “decision making and self-regulation” (Michael J. Formica. <i>Guilt is a Wasted Emotion</i>: Psychology
Today: July 25, 2008, </span><span style="line-height: 200%;"><a href="http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/enlightened-living/200807/guilt-is-wasted-emotion" target="_blank">http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/enlightened-living/200807/guilt-is-wasted-emotion</a></span><span style="line-height: 200%;">). She is
a rigid planner (Ch. 9) locked in schemes to ensure success, so that the
critical voices (now in her head) will be appeased. Of course Deena must break free of this
circumstance, and that is a major plot line in the book. Also it can be noted that Deena is a
“rescuer” (Andrea Matthews. <i>The Rescuer
Identity</i>: Psychology Today: April 21, 2011, </span><span style="line-height: 200%;"><a href="http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/traversing-the-inner-terrain/201104/the-rescuer-identity" target="_blank">http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/traversing-the-inner-terrain/201104/the-rescuer-identity</a></span><span style="line-height: 200%;">),
who feels that she must ‘save’ her sister and brother, but is never successful
in doing so. She carries out her
‘mission’ at great expense to her own development. She tries to ‘save’ others, but has never
really established her own self-worth.
Once again, it is clear that Deena must overcome this issue and Pugh
explores this plot line in some detail.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">A name can often help to
shape us into the people we are, and studying names can sometimes help the
reader to understand fiction. According
to David L. Gold (<i>A Dictionary Of
Surnames</i>: Oxford University Press, 1988, p. 237) the family name Hammond
means “home”, with the special implications of “high [ … ] protection” and
“ancestor [… ] protection”. This is certainly very ironic as Deena’s home
is indeed anything other than a place of strong refuge, and her grandparents
are hardly shields against the ill-will of the world.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Pugh’s novel is not heavily
symbolic: however, the image of architecture hangs over the whole book. Architecture is “order in a world of chaos,
sense in a world of madness” (Ch. 9). It
can be something false and contrived that we impose on nature, or it can blend
with the environment, as Deena wants to do with her Postmodern theories (Ch.
5). It can construct artificiality or it
can deconstruct our fake ideas of life (Ch. 3).
As has been noted Deena is trapped in the construction of her family and
their “expectations” (Ch. 12), as well as her own, and needs to break free into
her own natural being.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Shewanda Pugh’s <i>Crimson Footprints</i> has many aspects to
it. It has the themes of difference / harmony, family and success, which are
explored in some detail. Its characters
tend to be complex and life-like, and are in tune with the ideas of modern
psychology. The issues of racial and
class division are explored in depth.
The limitations of 1950’s values for both men and women are depicted,
and the alternatives, as proposed by Feminism and Gender Studies, are examined. The role of money verses personal worth, as
seen in the Capitalist / Socialist debate, is investigated in some detail,
though Pugh chooses an individual solution, and is not bound by the constrains
of either of those theories. Pugh writes
well and she has created a successful novel which I am happy to rate as 5 stars
out of 5.</span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Crimson-Footprints-Delphine-Publications-Presents/dp/0984692363/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1386715733&sr=1-1" target="_blank">Crimson Footprints (Book ed.)</a> </span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Crimson-Footprints-Shewanda-Pugh-ebook/dp/B00885VJ9A/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=1-1&qid=1386715733" target="_blank">Crimson Footprints (Kindle ed.)</a> </span></span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;"><a href="http://shewandapugh.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/crimson-footprints-debuts-in-print-today.html" target="_blank">Shewanda Pugh's Blog</a> </span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/Author.ShewandaPugh" target="_blank">Shewanda Pugh's Facebook Page</a> </span></span></span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6IwVlBIeFL1vb_LJ0qwowF9Rzadds7KJK_dL00CaWudvEGJT352ylVfyk1HjXyLE1mVCq4iGDWHoY35Spx0I-jqoise3TG1ywgI9F5Idynmpo__WKEijCQXis9Qb8yvQljNzC_VC0ge-b/s1600/Shewanda+Pugh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6IwVlBIeFL1vb_LJ0qwowF9Rzadds7KJK_dL00CaWudvEGJT352ylVfyk1HjXyLE1mVCq4iGDWHoY35Spx0I-jqoise3TG1ywgI9F5Idynmpo__WKEijCQXis9Qb8yvQljNzC_VC0ge-b/s400/Shewanda+Pugh.jpg" width="298" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Shewanda Pugh</span></span></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16399522365969796755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1089421246126704671.post-32315999464100587132013-12-05T09:15:00.001+08:002013-12-05T10:26:20.083+08:00A 3rd Time To Die by George A. Bernstein <span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: purple;">By Susan McMichael</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">4 out of 5 starts</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
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</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><span style="line-height: 200%;">What
is it about you stranger?</span></i></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">This is a love story with a mystery at the heart of it, a
paranormal mystery. Why can Ashley
Easton speak French so well? Why can she ride a horse so well, after only riding
for just a few weeks? Who is the mysterious young man she meets in the
dressage competition, and why is he so alluring? <i>A 3rd
Time to Die</i> by George A. Bernstein is a love story and a mystery, rolled
into one. It uses the concept of reincarnation
as an interesting plot device.</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;"><br />
Our first glimpse of Ashley Easton is of a woman rescuing a horse: </span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt;">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">"Hey quit
that!" Her shout raspy, she banged
the gate with the side of the pitchfork. (p. 25)</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">The horse has always represented passion and desire in
literature, and <i>A 3rd Time to Die </i>is
no exception. Ashley's new horse brings her excitement and energy into
her life and allows a new relationship to flourish. Ashley is revitalised
and energized by rescuing the horse; it also brings into sharp relief the way
her life has changed. Ashley is an engaging character who knows her own mind
and who is financially independent. She
feels a great deal, but takes a long time to act on these feelings: this is
Ashley Easton's challenge. The
reader feels the occasional sense of frustration, and is delighted she finally
gets herself going.<br />
<br />
</span></span></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4xnLuqv0FqPytnafMHn7dDf5r1L3Je2-cddYaoxb9J53KMikijobDQVrbVxtJMTVwE7t0kvyGx1YofIMWqqaqtCdP3RdkrZAaWy8iBt9IWwJrZekObxeQqscaVP7Ienl0uuYsashwVD5X/s1600/A+Third+Time+To+Die+-+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4xnLuqv0FqPytnafMHn7dDf5r1L3Je2-cddYaoxb9J53KMikijobDQVrbVxtJMTVwE7t0kvyGx1YofIMWqqaqtCdP3RdkrZAaWy8iBt9IWwJrZekObxeQqscaVP7Ienl0uuYsashwVD5X/s320/A+Third+Time+To+Die+-+cover.jpg" width="273" /></a></span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Ashley’s lover, Craig Thornton is lovely and is everything that Ashley
needs and wants: he is the polar opposite to Ashley's husband Keith, and is
charming, interesting, fascinated by Ashley, shares her interests, and is
caring. Their relationship changes over
time, and as they learn more about each other, their characters develop in
surprising and engrossing ways. A personal
fault or two, however, might have helped
to make Craig more real.</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;"><br />
Craig Thornton is also an interesting contrast to Ashley because his
marriage is breaking down, but it's not his fault: his wife is the one who is
cheating. Bernstein thus sets up interesting
parallels and contrasts in the relationships.
The two spouses, Keith and Toni, are not pleasant characters. Keith is a husband totally lost from the
relationship: he ignores the children and takes a mistress. I would have preferred a little more shading
to these spouses to add more real complexity of personality: Keith doesn't help
with the children, doesn't like anything about his wife anymore, is nasty
in his other relationships; but has no redeeming quality. He is a little too bad to be human. He seems to have no saving grace : I know
Craig is lovely but Keith must have been OK at one point.</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;"><br />
The novel examines relationships. The men and women in <i>A 3rd Time to Die</i> are not just seeking
anyone but someone special. In the opening 1895's past-life visionary
flashback Charles sees in Victoria, a woman who is "passionate, sensuous
and willful" (p. 6). He loves her
for these qualities, and Ashley and Craig are similarly looking for very
special traits. <br />
<br />
Soul mates are important in this novel - people click and realize they are
meant to be together. The website of the Australian Psychological Society says
that: "newer fields of psychology, especially transpersonal psychology and
ecopsychology, are taking seriously the holistic notion of human beings as
comprising mind, body, and soul. These fields propose that people are spiritual
beings living a human life that extends beyond our mundane existence and
skin-encapsulated ego-self to include direct experience of the environment and
the cosmos. They recognize the
importance of integrating spiritual with physical and mental reality, that
spirituality is but one part of the whole.” (</span><span style="line-height: 200%;"><a href="http://www.groups.psychology.org.au/tpig/" target="_blank">http://www.groups.psychology.org.au/tpig/</a></span><span style="line-height: 200%;">) The complications of the soul mates and
reincarnation that have to be overcome make a really interesting plot device in
this novel. The question of whether
Ashley and Craig will survive their love, and who is against them and
intends them harm is a gripping question.</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;"><br />
The last main character is the psychologist Dr Feldman. He is an
interesting character: he's helpful, but indecisive and his eventual insights
and understandings moved the plot along.
Feldman is one of Joseph Campbell's helpers . In <i>Monomyth</i>, Cambell explains that:
"For those who have not refused the call, the first encounter of the hero
journey is with a protective figure (often a little old crone or old man) who
provides the adventurer with amulets against the dragon forces he is about to
pass. What such a figure represents is the benign, protecting power of destiny.”
(</span><span style="line-height: 200%;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monomyth" target="_blank">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monomyth</a></span><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="line-height: 200%;">)</span></span><span style="line-height: 200%;"> Feldman
helps Ashley and Craig understand what is happening. This relationship is a satisfying aspect
of the novel.<br />
<br />
Ashley and Craig share a love of horse riding. As has been noted, the horse has
always represented strong emotions and passionate desires in literature and this
is also true in <i>A 3rd Time To Die</i>. Since D. H. Lawrence, the horse has been a
staple representation of sexuality, freedom and power. Ashley's horse in the novel represents all
the freedom of her youth, the regained sexuality that her unfulfilled
marriage has stripped from her, as well as links to the past. A secondary meaning for the horse spirit
animal is the balance between the instinctive and tamed parts of your
personality. Ashley is thus more real
when she is with her horse, Injun, than when she is in her house. She feels freer, her speech with Craig is more
natural, but she also learns more about herself and the issues that are
troubling her: "Jeez, that's when this started! The sense of riding through woods and
whispered thoughts in French. Nothing as
intense as now. Why the fantasy only
haunt her when jumping a horse?" (p. 87). This is the symbolism of the nature / culture
dichotomy.<br />
<br />
The story’s structure is that of several parts with the first long section
establishing the various different relationships. Ashley spends a considerable amount of time analyzing her (hopeless) marriage, before concluding that there is nothing to
be done. This section was long and
drawn out. I wondered why it took
so long to get to a resolution of this point. Once the relationship with
Craig was established and Bernstein managed to bring the pair together, the
book moved along at a great pace. <br />
In the final section the plot lines are drawn to a satisfying conclusion and
the lovers’ relationship and future, and the circumstance of the nemesis are well
resolved. A final catastrophic climax is well done and keeps the
reader guessing until the last moment.<br />
<br />
The role of money in the novel is interesting: Ashley is well off, thanks to
her Father's money. She uses the
processes and systems and makes them work for her to improve her life, rather
than just make more money. This is a
positive role for women.<br />
<br />
<i>A 3rd Time to Die</i>'s main theme is
of course reincarnation. Have these people lived other lives? Who were they? Who is after Ashley and Craig now? Carl
Jung believed that in a person's life, synchronicity served a role similar to
that of dreams, with the purpose of shifting a person's egocentric conscious
thinking to greater wholeness. Dr.
Feldman helps promote this view in the novel. He is also a psychiatrist using various methods
to assist his patients. Transpersonal
psychology is a school of psychology that studies the transpersonal,
self-transcendent or spiritual aspects of the human experience. Transpersonal experiences may be defined as
"experiences in which the sense of identity or self extends beyond (trans)
the individual or personal to encompass wider aspects of humankind, life,
psyche or cosmos." Issues
considered in transpersonal psychology include spiritual self-development, self
beyond the ego, peak experiences, mystical experiences, systemic trance and
other sublime and/or unusually expanded experiences of living. (</span><span style="line-height: 200%;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transpersonal_psychology" target="_blank">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transpersonal_psychology</a></span><span style="line-height: 200%;">) Dr. Feldman moves from a more reductionist
view of the mind to a more spiritual, Transpersonal approach and indeed the
question of this new ideology and philosophy become central to the book.<br />
<br />
<i>A 3rd Time to Die</i> is a love story
with a twist, a paranormal mystery with an engaging heroine and plot surprises
and developments which were very satisfying. The characters develop in interesting ways
through time and as the novel progresses. The relationships were interesting and well-drawn. The plot lines are drawn to a satisfying
conclusion, and the lover relationship and mystery of foreboding doom
are well resolved. The conclusion
is gripping and the answer is unexpected and pleasingly surprising. I am happy to rate this book as 4 stars out
of 5.</span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/A-3rd-Time-To-Die/dp/0989468100/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1386205350&sr=8-1" target="_blank">A 3rd Time To Die (Book ed.)</a> </span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/3rd-Time-Die-George-Bernstein-ebook/dp/B00D962DL6/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=8-1&qid=1386205350" target="_blank">A 3rd Time to Die (Kindle ed.)</a> </span></span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/GeorgeABernstein" target="_blank">George Bernstein (Facebook page)</a> </span></span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2875897.George_Bernstein" target="_blank">George Bernstein (Goodreads page)</a> </span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;"><a href="http://georgeabernstein.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">SuspenseGuy (George Bernstein's blog)</a> </span></span></span></span><br />
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<br />
<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnz8e2aHMeqPcGmuBZo9-s0H0eIWvOAsow9vIpDbg72pcAVF89N68qPyYAYOiXv_MqYscCwJy39gt2jjBB-WypYxkfPLAquizgkHPYWFgSGmwmG12HvLZ_sno_73bwiqm8HzrBtQQeOwxg/s1600/George+A.+Bernstein.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnz8e2aHMeqPcGmuBZo9-s0H0eIWvOAsow9vIpDbg72pcAVF89N68qPyYAYOiXv_MqYscCwJy39gt2jjBB-WypYxkfPLAquizgkHPYWFgSGmwmG12HvLZ_sno_73bwiqm8HzrBtQQeOwxg/s400/George+A.+Bernstein.jpg" width="290" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"> George A. Bernstein</span></span></span></span></span></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16399522365969796755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1089421246126704671.post-30666653596824385312013-11-14T08:35:00.000+08:002013-12-03T15:37:45.138+08:00Hypocrites In His Midst: A Story About Flawed Human Beings by Donnell Wilson <span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-size: large;">By Raymond Mathiesen</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;">4.5 out of 5 stars</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="line-height: 200%;">The long road from street gangs to
success…</span></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Wilton Latso
is seventy two years old and a grandfather.
In the middle of a heated argument with his adult daughter Abbie, Wilton
realizes that she has no idea of who he is, where he came from, and why he did
the things he did when he was bringing her up.
Spontaneously Wilton starts remembering and soon he decides to write
down the story of his life. Wilton came
from a poor family living in a poor suburb of St. Louis, Missouri in the late
1940’s / early 1950s. In this era of
street gangs Wilton is soon introduced to a world of violence, ego and
selfishness. Wilton’s parents are
staunch Pentecostal Christians, but Wilton doubts that faith from the
start. The trouble is that he can see
all too clearly his parent’s hypocrisy, particularly his mother’s. Throughout his life Wilton will continue to
observe people, noting many to be hollow, offering friendship, espousing
beliefs but proving to be fakes.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Donnell
Wilson’s <i>Hypocrites In His Midst: A Story
About Flawed Human Beings</i> is a fictional autobiography spanning seven
decades. It is a story of “redemption”
(Ch. 8) in a secular sense. This is a
book about trying to “do the right thing” (Ch. 3), though the “right thing”
(Ch. 2) is not always obvious or easy to achieve. Wilson’s novel, especially in the first three
Parts, is broadly comparable to Nicky Cruz’s real life autobiography <i>Run Baby Run</i> (Logos, 1972), though that
book is firmly Christian, while this book is firmly agnostic (Ch. 31). Most of all, this book is about how a person
can growing to maturity (or avoid it).</span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">The novel is
a first person narrative and as a result we hear much of the main characters
thoughts and opinions and much less of the perspective of other people. This is very much a central character novel,
partly because of the narrator’s self-confessed ignorance of and difficulty
with “relationships” (Ch. 1). Other
people are a mystery. For example
Evelyn, Willy’s teenage bride (Ch. 2), remains in many ways a mystery
throughout the whole book though she is ‘present’ for twenty one chapters. Also, throughout much of his life Willy has
unstable job circumstances and as a result the story has many minor characters
that come and go without Wil or the reader really getting to know them. It is indeed Willy’s frequent complaint that
this happens (Ch. 1 and following). As
it can be seen the book could have benefited from more dramatized conversations
and events that illustrated the perspective of other characters, especially the
main characters, and perhaps some of the minor characters could have been left
out. The novel works very well, however,
as an exploration of one man’s character and by the end of the story we feel as
though we really know and understand Willy and have learned what life can be
like for someone quite different to ourselves.
Wil is very much from a lower class background, a regular frequenter of
bars, and the narrative has the chatty ethos of a reminiscing story told by a
friend, perhaps at a party or a pub. There
is frequent foul language, sex is openly described and discussed and violence
is openly depicted. This is certainly
justified and in keeping with the ‘underworld’ ethos of the book, but
conservative people may be offended.
There are occasional “Oh my gosh!” moments and scenes of high tension
which are well written. The marijuana
trip and LSD trip in Chapter 13 very much capture the ‘Hey man! Cool!’ atmosphere
of the sixties giving the reader an off-beat, fun, but dangerous, slightly
“paranoid” (Ch. 13) feeling. In passages
like this Wilson reveals his true skill as an author. Early in the story Wil’s friends take up
calling him “<i>Willy Lost Soul</i>” and
indeed the name Latso can be seen as a play on the words ‘lost soul’. Wil is a lost soul in the criminal
underworld, but also a soul seeking personal ‘redemption’, albeit in an
unconventional secular sense.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">The plot is
divided into five parts. <u>Part I</u>
(Ch. 1 – 6) covers Wil’s childhood, gang membership and street life, teenage
marriage and first jobs. Wilson then
describes Willy’s first major attempt to exit his ‘underworld’ style of living
by attending trade school and then working as a car body man and painter. The section ends in a major climax that moves
Wil to new territory in an unexpected way.
In <u>Part II: A New Beginning </u>(Ch. 7 – 10) Wil’s family moves to a
new suburb and a partially better life.
This section concentrates on Darwin, Wil’s younger brother who is
perhaps in some ways even more lost than him.
Wil attempts to help Darwin. He
also gains his GED school qualification and begins a writing course in order to
see if he can fulfil his childhood dream of being a writer. Once again events come to a crisis, though
this time not so unforseen. <u>Part III:
Farewell Party</u> (Ch. 11 – 21) sees Wil’s family Move to Boulder, Colorado
where Wil meets and befriends Merlin an ‘out-there’ character who is deep into
drug culture. This part depicts the late
1960’s / early1970’s Counterculture very well.
The reader feels both an amusement and frustration with Wil as he seems to
repeat his teenage mistakes all be it in a new way. Wil is never quite a ‘drop-out’ and he
develops a bond with Merlin in a way he has never had with anyone else. <u>Part III</u> comes to a peak of a
different kind, then there are two final chapters and the plot peaks
again. <u>Part IV: Learning the Three
R’s – Rita, Reba, and Rachel</u> (Ch. 22 – 33) covers love relationships with
the title women. Rita receives six
chapters, but Reba and Rachel are only allotted three each. Once again the reader is interested by these
more unusual women but frustrated by Wil as he seems never to overcome his
problem with human relationships. Once
more there is a final unexpected crisis which propels Wil into a new life. <u>Part V: Pain, Love, Redemption, and
Success</u> (Ch. 34 – 41) introduces us to Katie a nurse who becomes Wil’s
final love interest. In this section Wil
finally gains more maturity forming a more happy relationship, more enjoyable
career and financial success. Wil
observes, however, that in some ways people are the same wherever you are. As can be seen the book involves a certain
amount of reputation on a theme, though each part is quite different from the
last. As the book progresses Wil earns
and so it is important to point out that the novel is not quite as repetitive
as this very bare outline may make it seem.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Wilton Latso
is a very flawed, but likable character.
“Moxie” (Ch. 1 and following) is a characteristic he likes in his
friends and is perhaps his own central trait.
Wil is very determined and always fights back. He wants to do what is right, but right by
his standard. He repeatedly says that he
basically wants to be “left alone” (Ch. 1 and following), but finds that this
is just what interfering people will not allow. On the down side Wil’s independence leads him
into trouble and his individuality has a selfish side. He is ignorant of people and this compounds
his selfishness. His early life has made
him violent (psychologically and physically) and he repeatedly uses aggression
rather than his creative intelligence to solve problems. Wil is in many ways like the ‘tough guy hood’
we all secretly admired in high school, who gave teachers grief, won fights and
took flak from nobody. But while we
later grew away from these things, though we never forgot them, Wil does not do
this until much later (and in some ways not at all). We both like and dislike this very individual
man, and his dynamo character certainly carries us through the book keeping us
interested, if not always in an admiring way.
We care enough about will to want things to go right for him.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Merlin is an
important main character and the reader feels, as they do with Wil, both
attraction and disapproval. Merlin is
very easy-going and affable, also in a boyish way. He laughs a lot and is trustworthy as a
friend. He is adventurous, but this is
also his failing quality, as is his boyishness, as it leads him into an extreme
life far from tried and tested ‘normality’.
Like Willy we care for him and are carried along by him, caught up in
his adventures and misadventures.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Rita, Reba
and Rachel are all in their individual ways escapees from ‘normality’, each
intriguing, but each having pronounced failings. Rita is very much an ‘out-there, zany lady,’ a
product of the Counterculture. Not so
long ago she was very much in into the drug scene, particularly LSD, and she
still suffers from “flashbacks and hallucinations” (Ch. 25). She is sexually free and adventurous, and
generally a free spirit who in many ways we like, particularly at first. Like many in the 1960s, however, Rita is
adrift, lacking a centre, and even more than Wil she wants things and is
willing to grab them in whatever way she can.
If Rita is sexually adventurous, Reba is the ‘sex queen’. She and her partner Chuck have an ‘open
relationship’ and are very ‘happening’ people.
Reba also wants things, but seems unsure of the details. She doesn’t really know her mind. Rachel wants most of all to be loved and to be
with a man that shows that love, but she holds herself aloof or even worse is
aggressive. These failings partly
prevent her from entering into the very love relationship she desires, and in
depression, and perhaps desperation, she turns to drink. Rachel, too, is sexually adventurous, but in
her dissatisfaction in life this makes her shifting rather than solid. All of these women, in their individual ways,
promise love, but all are characterized by emptiness at their core. They are intriguing without being necessarily
‘good’ characters.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Katie, Wil’s
final love, is “naïve, affectionate, very intelligent, warm, and pretty” (Ch.
35). She is a nurse and this reflects
her helping nature. She is centred in
others, rather than herself. While naïve
she has the ability to learn to ‘get tough’ and that is exactly what she does. We like Katie because she is nice, but has
her own style of “moxie” (Ch. 35). Katie
also has a solid base that the other major women characters in the book do not
have. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">All these
characters interest us and move us forward in the plot, though we do not
completely ‘like’ most of them. What
captures us about most is that they are quite different from the ‘normal’. These are people from the ‘wild’ side of
life.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">As the title
suggests Wilson’s novel has hypocrisy as a major theme. People very much like to put up a front of
‘respectability’, but then say and do things that are far from this public
persona. Even more, under the guise of
‘uprightness’ people like to interfere in the affairs of others, telling them
what to do, but they themselves prove to be distant from ‘goodness’. Organisations, such as the church, government
and business, can be particularly guilty of this, and those who participate in them
tend to follow suit. But then even
‘drop-outs’ can prove to be less than ‘happening’. Self-hypocrisy is perhaps something that we
are all victims of. We say to ourselves
that we are one thing, want one thing, believe one thing, but really we are
fooling ourselves.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">The other
side of hypocrisy is true values and ethics, what could be called secular
spirituality. Wil believes that
relationships should be based on “respect” (Ch. 1), but not the fake kind
implied by class or money. We should “do
unto others” (Ch. 2) as we ourselves would like to be treated. We should not break our word (Ch. 4). Wil sees the idea of eternal punishment “for
sinning seventy years” as anything but “fair” (Ch. 2): balanced justice is
important to him. He sees that we should
be basically free to live our own lives, as long as we do no real harm, and be
free of “accusation” (Ch. 3), and of course we should not accuse others. Beyond this, going deeper into spirituality,
Willy has his own non-conventional kind of spirituality. He is mildly interested in astrology. He espouses views similar to the Unitarian
faith (Ch. 6 & 31), particularly the idea that we are all on a journey up a
mountain, though we are climbing it from different sides (i.e. different
faiths). A car accident makes him very
aware of the reality of death (Ch. 10) and later he experiences a ‘vision’ of
someone he knew who is dead (Ch. 21) while friends of his experience strange
occurrences at the exact time of the death of another (Ch. 37).</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">The theme of
success is very strong in the novel. We
often say that riches are hollow, but living without money, and perhaps worse,
without a sense of achieving something is very difficult. Perhaps only those who come from poor
backgrounds truly understand this. But
does owning property, such as a house, assure us of success, and isn’t true
success more than money?</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Closely
allied to the theme of success is the idea of maturation / search for the
self. Wilson’s novel is very much about
personal change: going from unhappiness to happiness, healing hurts. We are all hurt, but some of us are hurt more
than others. Is it possible to lift
ourselves out of the circumstances we are born into? What must we sacrifice along the way? Is change sometimes thrust upon us?</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">The first
part of the novel very much depicts the 1950’s biased view of women. A classic example of this is the notion that
men have affairs, while women, being ‘good little women’ do not (Ch. 3). In the character of Evelyn women’s
dissatisfaction under the restrictions of this era is very much depicted. Feminist criticisms of society and solutions,
however, are only hinted at. Evelyn
wants to ‘find herself’, but never seems to really achieve this, though she
does take charge of her life and gain a new kind of positive confidence. The 1960’s version of Feminism is hinted at
in the character of Rachel (Ch. 31), but this character is certainly not
depicted sympathetically. The freedom of
the 60s, including freedom for women, seems to ring false in the three
characters of Rita, Reba and Rachel. It
is 1980’s that we come upon a more mature version of womanhood in the character
of Katie. In this character we have a
depiction of a woman closer to Betty Friedan’s ideas (Cathia Jenainati.
Introducing Feminism: Icon Books, 2010, p. 90-94), that is both successful in
her career and her family life, without betraying her femininity or becoming
false.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Similar to
women and Feminism, the novel very much shows men in their 1950’s guise, before
the liberation of Gender Studies. Wil
must be the ‘tough guy’ full of bluster and fight. He is indeed afraid to be afraid (Ch.
1). Wil is afraid of emotions and sees
them, if anything as weakness. Crying is
certainly something men don’t do (Ch. 4).
For Wil relationships are difficult, if not a complete mystery (Ch. 1
& 2). In a marriage “the man is
supposed to be in charge, not the woman” (Ch. 4). A man’s job in a relationship is seen as not
much more than working to provide an income.
But the whole novel depicts an evolution away from this situation as the
story progresses. Indeed, right from the
start Wil sees the caring nature of his father and grandfather as something to
be admired (Ch. 1 & Ch. 36). Along
the way, however, Wil must first give up his view of ‘the strong working
father’ and then learn to express his love.
This is for him a very long drawn out process, and even at the end of
the book we wonder if he, despite all his intentions, has completely broken
free of his 1950’s masculine conditioning.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">While this
is a mainly heterosexual novel, LGBTIQ relations are occasionally touched
on. Wil has a dream which makes him
aware of a grain of homosexuality in himself (Ch. 19). He is not afraid of this, or does not feel
bad as a result. When Wil’s work
colleague Mel discovers that his son is gay Wil gives very positive advice
about accepting and loving this young man (Ch. 34). The kind of bigotry that LGBTIQ people face
is depicted in a disapproving way (Ch. 39).
The picture is not all naively positive though. As a boy Wil was pressured by a gay paedophile
(Ch. 25) and as an adult he receives too familiar a treatment from a male boss
(Ch. 9), although it is not fully clear that this man is gay. Lesbians receive a brief sympathetic mention,
though they are not depicted (Ch. 40).</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">The often
ignored group of the aged are also depicted to a small extent. Wil’s grandfather, though an absent
character, is spoken of positively. Late
in the story Wil’s mother and father are depicted as old people. In the case of his father we see a positive
representation, but in the case of his mother the circumstances are very
negative. Of course people do not become
miraculously wise and kind simply because they have aged.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Minorities,
another classification of ignored groups, are frequently mentioned and depicted
in small ways. Wil often expresses
positive views of people of various races, declaring that colour does not
matter to him. Racial bigotry is also
often depicted in a disapproving way. Junior,
a work colleague of Wil’s, receives fullest representation (Ch. 5 & Ch.
7). He is depicted as an affable man who
receives bigotry with very good grace.
Wil himself is of partial American Indian descent and characters of this
descent pop up as minor characters. Some
of these incidents dramatize the bigotry they face (Ch. 38). People of Mexican descent similarly regularly
pop up in cameo appearances (Ch. 12 & following), and the bigotry they face
is also portrayed and condemned (Ch. 18).
Finally there is one rabid Jew hater depicted, who is certainly
disapproved of (Ch. 13).</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Wilson’s
novel takes an interesting position in the Capitalism / Socialism debate as it
takes the middle-ground, third way of Liberalism. As has been noted, Wil is no friend of
interfering government. Maximum freedom
of the individual is really his central point.
Willy is a “liberal, progressive Democrat” (Ch. 32). None the less he certainly disapproves of
rich “fat cats” (Ch. 9), noting for example their “rudeness” (Ch. 9), however,
he is continually aware of his family’s “need [… for …] more money” and pursuit
of finance is his central occupation.
Partially this is a ‘poor man makes rich’ story and as such is firmly in
the ‘great American Capitalist ideal’. Wil
finally owns “a half-million dollar house on a waterway” (Ch. 1). None the less Willy describes himself as
having “leanings of socialism from seeing inequities in society” (Ch. 9), and
to be fair equality is very much an important issue to him. Class struggle and the unethical way the rich
gain their wealth are also important issues to him (Ch. 26). These are certainly Socialist ideas and not
surprising from a man of poor background.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Covering a
life of seventy two years the novel is partially a social history. As has been noted, the first two Parts
document the narrow views of the 1950’s social system, but from Chapter 11
onwards the plot enters the society of the Counterculture (late 1960s / early
1970s). “Hippies” (Ch. 11 &
following), the anti-war movement (Ch. 12), the psychedelic movement (Ch. 13
& following) and “swingers” (Ch. 21) are all mentioned, and indeed drugs
are an important part of the novel. This
ear of freedom, though, does not go completely without critical analysis. The swingers seem to be simply looking for an
excuse to abandon their partner, rather than being really open minded. Drugs, for all their excitement, propel the
user into a narrow world where responsibility is easily lost. Don, a minor character, for example takes
drugs all day while his pregnant girlfriend works (Ch. 19).</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Most fiction
is about ‘real’ people and so psychology, which aims to find the truth about
individuals, is an important tool for an author. While Wilson’s book is not specifically
‘psychological’, it does touch on many issues related to that field of study.
Wil himself may suffer from “attention deficit hyperactivity disorder” (Ch. 1),
his brother Darwin is diagnosed as bipolar (Ch. 1 & Ch. 36) and after a bad
accident at works Wil suffers from “panic attacks” (Ch. 3). Wil and his wife Evelyn attend marriage “divorce
counselling” (Ch. 22), and Willy attends long after the divorce because he
finds it so personally helpful.
“Emptiness” (Ch. 19) as a motivation for drug taking is noted, as is the
inevitable “downer” (Ch. 19) that they bring.
These points could have been ‘fleshed-out’ more with a little study of
the psychological literature. The novel
is most ‘psychological’ in its observations of the influence of parents and
peer groups on long term behaviour. Both
Evelyn and Wil lack parents who can teach them how to communicate with a
partner (Ch. 2 & following) and Willy even imitates his mother in her
blaming attitude, though this is a quality he hates in her (Ch. 6). Wil listens to his peer delinquent group
because he “wanted to be liked” (Ch. 2).
The effect of both parents and peer group haunt him for the rest of his
life and the book documents his attempts to escape this influence.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Wilson’s
novel does not really use imagery; however, there is one scene where a pet “boa
constrictor” (Ch. 17) eats two mice, who the men at Wil’s work have become very
attached to. This story is aptly ghastly
and serves as a good symbol for the whole book.
The natural world is cruel and we are trapped in it, dancing around the
aggressor, or looking dubiously at him, a little like mice. We can use our imagination to make the world
better, but we will never really escape the snake.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Many
stories, being what they are, have some mythic qualities and this includes <i>Hypocrites In His Midst</i>. In the first half of the novel Wil is almost
possessed by his desire to earn for his family, and around the middle of the
book this peaks in the task of building a family home. This is his proverbial ‘castle’ or ‘ivory
tower’ in which his family will live safely and all will be well. Drawing on the cultural mythology of the
Tarot we can see that the card of <u>The Tower Of Destruction</u> very much
represents his predicament at this point.
Describing this card Sallie Nichols says that two people “are being
thrown from a position of lofty security into one of exposure and confusion”
and that a “tongue of lightning has knocked off the golden crown that serves as
[… the tower’s …] roof” (Jung And Tarot: An Archetypal Journey: Samuel Weiser,
1980, p. 283). Wil’s house is not
literally destroyed, but a destructive crisis does occur and Wil is thrown into
a state of personal confusion, which he must work through in <u>Part IV</u>. Later speaking of his mental attitude Wil
says “I was already building an emotional brick wall to hide behind and protect
myself” (Ch. 29). His desires for
financial security, and later his attitudes, are a mental construct, a tower he
has built for protection, and yet a tower that constricts him and causes as
much harm as good. Nichols, noting that
the title of the card in French “carries the meaning of hospice”, writes, “the
two sick souls [ … ] are being liberated from an enforced incarceration rather
than cast forth from their true home” (Nichols, p. 285). The tower depicted in the card has no door. Both Wil and Evelyn are indeed trapped in a
marriage which was meant to solve a bad situation (a pregnancy), but which has
brought mostly pain. Crowley notes of
the card that it also carries the meaning of “the destruction of the
old-established Aeon by lightning, flames, engines of war” (Aleister Crowley.
The Book Of Thoth: Samuel Weiser, 1974, p. 107). The events surrounding the building of Wil’s
house come in the context of the end of 1950’s values and the beginning of the
era initiated by the Counterculture, and the personal meaning of this is
certainly acrimony and conflict between Wil and Evelyn. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Throughout
the novel Wil notices “my own foolishness” (Ch. 3 and following) and we see
many examples of his jokey, uproarious behaviour at parties. Following from this it can be seen that the
Tarot card of <u>The Fool</u> applies to the whole book. Nichols describes this character as a
“wanderer, energetic [… and …] ubiquitous”
(p. 23) and indeed this is Wil ‘to a tee’. He moves from place to place and job to job,
is always rushing to some new project and is in many ways an ‘everyman’. Nichols notes that “the word ‘fool’ is
derived from the Latin <i>follis</i>,
meaning, ‘a pair of bellows, a windbag’” (Nichols, p. 28). Wil frequently notes that he cannot “keep […
his …] mouth shut” (Ch. 2 & following).
Again Nichols notes that the fool’s approach to life includes “the
innocence of childhood” (Nichols, p. 26), and as has been said Willy in many
ways remains the schoolboy ‘tough’. Nichols
notes that the Fool, possessing secret wisdom, was often advisor to the king,
being free to “criticise him and offer challenging suggestions” (Nichols, p.
29). As has been noted Wil often hands
out advice to the governments of his day.
Writing further Nichols notes that the fool’s cap was “originally
conceived as a satire on the monk’s cowl, [… but …] nevertheless betrays a
serious connection with the spirit” (Nichols, p. 27), and, once again as we
have seen, Wil is both critical of the Christian church but personally
concerned with ethics and ‘spiritual’ concerns.
In a summing up passage Nichols writes:</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">“… the
Fool’s spontaneous approach to life combines wisdom, madness, and folly. When he mixes these ingredients in the right
proportions the results are miraculous, but when the mixture curdles,
everything ends in a sticky mess” (Nichols, p. 24).</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">This could
be written about Wil. Much more could be
said about the relevance of <u>The Fool</u> to <i>Hypocrites In His Midst</i>, but space does not permit.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Wil becomes
interested in astrology and this is another source of cultural mythology that has
relevance to the novel. Wil is “Aries”
(Ch. 23) and examining this sign reveals much about the book. Aries begins at the equinox when “light and
dark are perfectly balanced” (Nicholas Campion. Zodiac: Enhance Your Life
Through Astrology: Alhambra House, c2000, p. 21) and it is interesting to see that Wil is an
unusual mix of ‘good’ and ‘bad’. Many
would call him a simple criminal, yet he has an ethic of his own. He is interested in very earthy, practical
solutions to problems, like building a house, yet he has ‘spiritual’
interests. Aries is characterized by
“unlimited power and individuality” (Campion, p. 21) and Wil, as has been noted
is very dynamic and quite a character.
Aries is ruled by Mars (Campion, p. 22), the god of war, and Wil is
never afraid to fight and indeed finds himself regularly in a battle. Aries has “drive and ambition” (Campion, p.
23), and Wil, more than most things, wants to get ahead. Aries can fall into “extremes” (Campion, p.
23), and during his psychedelic phase Wil does just that. Aries needs to learn the lesson that “other
people have feelings and that they may be hurt by our words or actions”
(Campion, p. 22) and this is indeed one of the main elements in Wilson’s novel. Once again, much more could be said about the
relevance of this mythological sign, but space does not permit.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">At 630 pages
<i>Hypocrites In His Midst</i> is not really
a quick weekend read. It really needs
several weekends to take in the full extent of Wil’s seventy two years of
living. This book needs to be thought
about at least a bit. The characters are
likable, but not exactly “good” people.
The themes of hypocrisy, ethics, success and personal maturation reflect
the more individual natures of the characters, certainly giving us something to
think about. The changing role of women
is looked at, though some Feminists may raise their eyebrows. The changing gender role of men is described
in detail, though we wonder if Wil has completely freed himself of the 1950s
perspective. LGBTIQ, the aged and racial
minorities receive representation and sympathetic treatment. There is an interesting blend of Capitalism
and Socialism, though as a Liberal work the main emphasis is Capitalist. Mythology can reveal much about the novel,
though it does not specifically use imagery.
Wilson’s novel could be read and enjoyed simply as the story of a
‘tough’, but it is really quite a bit more than that. The exploration of Wil’s seventy two years
takes us at least briefly to many different ideas and aspects of life. I am happy to rate this book as 4.5 stars out
of 5.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hypocrites-In-His-Midst-Flawed-ebook/dp/B00B8CT85M/ref=cm_pdp_rev_itm_img_1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Hypocrites In His Midst (Kindle ed.)</a> </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hypocrites-In-His-Midst-A-Story-About-Flawed-Human-Beings/132877373562018" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Hypocrites In His Midst (Facebook page)</a> </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> Donnell Wilson</span></span></span></span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16399522365969796755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1089421246126704671.post-10362341619336997852013-10-11T06:38:00.000+08:002013-12-03T15:55:57.990+08:00American Crow by Jack Lacey <span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">By Susan McMichael</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">5 out of 5 stars</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span>
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<span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><span style="line-height: 200%;">Move over Rebus, here
comes Blake…</span></i></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Detective
fiction is a little like drinking wine: there is a lot around and everyone has
their favorite. When something new
comes on the market, the drinker or the reader, looks longingly to their favorite brand or book and says, "I hope the new one is like the old
one..." It's not an exact science
of course: there is a chemistry to it. The reader can like a new detective
story, and then the reader can love a new detective story.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">I am a
fan of detective stories. I began with
Agatha Christie back when I was eleven. I read Sherlock Holmes and moved onto
the feminist detectives in the early eighties. It's a little hard to define what I like:
sometimes I think that reading anything is really a love story and so is
undefinable, but....</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">I
picked up <i>American Crow</i> by Jack Lacey
and was hooked. I love <i>American Crow</i>. The character of Sibelius Blake is strongly
written and interesting. Blake’s back
story comes out through the novel. The plot
ending ties beautifully with the beginning: it is very well structured. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimr_NGOggJG9dxjAY46qc-Xo0KXFJLO19fciL5I16lTw6qiH6p96_71ViLK9Wrz6P4Dvjet69wNbg7yjGKIwbJtFC200nX9bO7BncKE5XQYxXVQKy-qatu_0-1YCMauzaSJuA46rAFfUfV/s1600/cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimr_NGOggJG9dxjAY46qc-Xo0KXFJLO19fciL5I16lTw6qiH6p96_71ViLK9Wrz6P4Dvjet69wNbg7yjGKIwbJtFC200nX9bO7BncKE5XQYxXVQKy-qatu_0-1YCMauzaSJuA46rAFfUfV/s320/cover.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">When
we first meet Blake, he has just quit his job as a tracer after having suffered
a tragedy. He is alone. Sibelius Blake comes from a long line of detectives
who have issues: Dalziel of <i>Dalziel<b> </b>and Pascoe</i>, and Inspector Morse from
Colin Dexter, are recent versions. We like
these wounded detectives for their peculiarities (their cryptic crosswords,
their drinking, and their morose moods) because they fight for the truth. They are right, despite the odds, and they are
good at heart. Blake is cast in this mold: despite telling “everyone he'd quit for good”, Lenny, his boss, can still
track him down and know that Blake will find Olivia Deacon, or if he can't, do
his darnedest.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">This
is search and find detective fiction: we aren't looking at bodies as in the Cornwell/Scarpetta
type of novel. Rather, we are searching
for something lost, in this case a person. This search serves as an introduction to a
Private Investigator with a great back story. It also gives Lacey scope to show us Blake's
ability as a detective. Lenny tells
Blake that he can "mix it with the worst, blend in with the riffraff... You know what I mean? You're not some stiff Columbo type in a
mackintosh.... That' why you gets
results."</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Like a
large number of his kind (Millhone and Dalziel) Blake is alone, without family.
The reasons for this makes a really
interesting plot line which is well structured and kept me reading. It resolved itself well at the end and, along
the way we are introduced to an interesting mix of minor characters: the cafe
owner, Blake's boss Lenny, Lenny's family members, and an odd, and occasionally,
scary bikie and truck driver. I felt
that, not only were these minor characters well drawn, but also that a number
of they had good scope for further stories. I'd be interested to know what happens to
them, to see what other meals Blake has at Sheila's cafe.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Place
is important in detective fiction: Sherlock Holmes's London, Agatha Christie's
drawing rooms. In the modern stories the
city is the backdrop: Ian Rankin's Rebus novels are set in Edinburgh, Sue
Grafton's Kinsey Millhone drives the streets of Santa Theresa in California. Blake is an English PI, based in London, but <i>American Crow</i>, as its name suggests,
takes Blake to various parts of the US. The
novel sends Blake from place to place, searching. This is an excellent metaphor for the personal
search that Blake is on. He doesn't like
England; he doesn't like himself. The
various locations in <i>American Crow</i>
make interesting backdrops: Essex is wet, with rain hammering down, St James's
Park in London has inquisitive ducks, Cedar Avenue is a dilapidated tower
block. These places reflect the journey
that Blake is going on to find Olivia Deacon. As the locality changes, so does the mood of
the novel. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Travel
to the US allows Lacey to explore another aspect of the detective novel: the
reason, the meaning, the social issue. This
is an interesting aspect of the modern detective novel: the awareness of social
issues: feminism, the environment, class.
Unlike modern fiction, modern detective novels often declare their
vision. In the U.S., both Sue Grafton
and Sara Paretsky are feminist detective writers. Their characters are feminist and the stories
are seen through an avowedly political prism. <i>American
Crow</i> does not tackle gender, but it does discuss the environment,
environmental activism and various concerns including the role of the company,
political activism, individual and corporate responsibility. This environmental theme isn't done in any
high handed way: it is integral to the plot and the action follows. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Although
<i>American Crow'</i>s primary focus is not
gender, the female characters in the novel are interestingly drawn and there is
a varied range of roles and actions for various women. The women are activists, scientists,
researchers, victims, agents, and some play different roles at different times.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Detective
fiction requires certain constraints: there's usually a baddie as well as a
goodie. The male characters in <i>American Crow</i> are less inclined to be
good, excepting of course, our hero and a couple of his friends. Overall, though, I found the characters
compelling and believable.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">The
setting of this novel is terrific. Who
will Blake meet? Where will he go? Will he use his contacts or his wits? I couldn't wait to turn the pages and to find
out what Blake would do in order to find Olivia Deacon. The characters are intriguing, and the social
issue of environmentalism adds depth. Like
many great detective novels, I finished it really quickly and I can't wait for
Jack Lacey to write the next installment. <i>American
Crow</i> is very highly recommended and I am happy to rate it as 5 out of 5
stars! </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="http://goo.gl/mdsvFa"></a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/American-Crow-Missing-ebook/dp/B00F4F1N48/ref=la_B00FALHMRI_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1381444046&sr=1-1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">American Crow (Kindle ed.)</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Jack Lacey </span></span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16399522365969796755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1089421246126704671.post-77075603510324615042013-10-09T08:47:00.002+08:002013-10-10T05:11:30.842+08:00The Only Way Out by Don De Lene<span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">By Raymond Mathiesen</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">4.5 stars out of 5</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Hannah Lane,
the seven year old girl we remember from <i>The
Power, The Miracle and The Dream</i>, is now 22 years old and a “Pulitzer Prize
winning photographer and renowned peace activist” (Ch. 1). She is with a National Geographic team that
has just landed on Mars, and has become officially the first woman to set foot
on the planet. Hannah has come a very
long way since her loosing childhood days as an asthmatic, but how exactly did
she get here? Was it really the secret
of “the power within … [her] … mind” (Ch. 12) that brought her to these heights?</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="line-height: 200%;">The Only Way Out: Forgiveness - The Path To Peace & Happiness</span></i><span style="line-height: 200%;"> takes us deeper into the spiritual
philosophy set out in De Lene’s earlier book, concentrating on our desire to
hurt others, and the solution of reconciliation through absolution. We can never really be at peace unless we are
willing to forgive wrong. In this book
De Lene digs deeper into a metaphysical view of the world, particularly the
idea of God, however, the philosophy presented is not at all ‘orthodox’
religion. De Lene instead derives his
inspiration from the non-fiction book <i>A
Course In Miracles</i> (Helen Schucman. Foundation for Inner Peace:__ 3<sup>rd</sup>
ed.:__ 2007). De Lene’s book is an
unusual blend of novel and teaching manual, and is a very enjoyable and easy
way of looking deeper into philosophy.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfPvUOgwP70GfOt2_xh4Du0a8TPFunwE3WhRQcmZimJ9JUs-FxJ3RuhY0nNvQLdwYrBGue9RBqYRNqiM4LlnXX4BvP3u4jqe4Xq_v7iu_g8csqX4turNP6g0BiLR-rfyhoLW2oMlbE2aib/s1600/The+Only+Way+Out+-+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfPvUOgwP70GfOt2_xh4Du0a8TPFunwE3WhRQcmZimJ9JUs-FxJ3RuhY0nNvQLdwYrBGue9RBqYRNqiM4LlnXX4BvP3u4jqe4Xq_v7iu_g8csqX4turNP6g0BiLR-rfyhoLW2oMlbE2aib/s320/The+Only+Way+Out+-+cover.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Set not too
far into the future, the novel has elements of science fiction, such as the
“video phone” (Ch. 2), permanent Moon and Mars bases, and the “Intelligent
Traffic Management System” (Ch. 21), where cars are robotically steered. Most of the life depicted, though, is very
familiar to the reader, and indeed the book concentrates on ‘ordinary’ life and
the all too common problems such as work and relationships. The book is not science fiction in the true
sense of the word. A great deal of the 29
chapter book is plot line which entertainingly dramatizes the philosophical
points, though there are four teaching chapters which deliver ideas in a
chatty, but more instructive way.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">The books
structure is divided into two parts of roughly equal length: Chapters 1 to 16
and Chapters 19 to 29. Chapters 1 to 3
are introductory, covering the events of Hannah’s childhood and
adolescence. Some of this section recaps
very briefly the events and philosophical points raise in the first novel in
the series. Chapters 4 to 11 cover the
teaching and learning experiences surrounding the new idea of forgiveness. Chapters 11 to 16 are wholly narrative and
cover the events surrounding Hannah’s contact with National Geographic and her
first working trip to Kakado National Park in Australia. These chapters also cover the beginning of
Hannah’s friendships with Meiling Wang, “Editor In Chief of National
Geographic” (Ch. 5), and Alexander Messina, an apparently arrogant but very
gifted staff photographer. In Chapters
17 to 24 the plot takes on a truly international theme in which the troubled
world of the Middle East is explored, and in which the idea of synchronicity or
“<i>meaningful coincidence</i>,” (Carl Jung.
<u>Synchronicity: An Acausal Connecting Principle</u>, in <i>The Structure And Dynamics Of The Psyche</i>:__ 2<sup>nd</sup>. ed.:__
Princeton University Press, c1969, p. 426) is dramatized. Chapter 25 is an adventurous interlude
covering exciting action on the moon. Finally
Chapters 26 to 29 explore the outcome of the earlier events surrounding the
Middle East.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">As would be
expected from the sub-title of the book the main theme is forgiveness. We all hurt and we all do harm, and this
seems to be a fact of life, but is there a solution which practically
works? We freely talk about forgiveness,
but what does it really mean? What about
retribution and justice? Are they
ignored if we forgive? Success is a
second theme strongly running through the novel. We want to get ahead in the world, but how do
we do that? Is success simply making
money, or are their deeper values we can judge ourselves on? Are money making and values opposed? What should we do with our personal success,
or is it an end in itself?</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">The three
main characters are immediately likable and indeed this seems to be one of the
benefits of the philosophy they each espouse: we like ‘nice’ people and want to
be friends with them, even if we don’t agree in every detail of what they
say. Hannah is in the main positive in
her attitude to life. She does have
moments of negativity (Ch. 3) and to a certain extent she underestimates her
own ability, but she is a high achiever: the kind of girl we all wanted to be
friends with at school. She of course is
very successful, but she never ceases to be amazed at this, and even more puts
in the work learning her photography.
She does not assume she ‘knows it all’: indeed she is known for her
“determination” (Ch. 2). Meiling is even
more successful, but she too has worked to get there. She is perhaps less certain than Hannah in
her philosophical approach to life, but the two women work well together and
from the beginning we wish the best for their friendship. Alexander, behind his exterior of
conceitedness, is jovial, admits his faults and is willing to pass on his
skills as a photographer. These three
people move the book forward as we at first wonder about them, get to know them
and then hope for their plans.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">As we have
already mention, this is in part a teaching book and some of the ideas put
forward should be mention and looked at in more detail, though there is too much
to cover in a short review.
Synchronicity has already been mentioned. De Lene’s take on the subject is that “there
is a reason behind everything” and that each event provides an “opportunity to
learn more about ourselves” (Ch. 2). In
essence a person should “set your goal … [and] … synchronicity will take care
of the rest” (Ch. 2). De Lene proposes
that there is an element of “spirit” in life.
He speaks of “the power within his mind, connected to spirit” (Ch. 2 and
following) and also of “spirit or God” (Ch. 2 and following). In many ways, though, this element remains
undefined. People pray to God (Ch. 15)
and one minor character who claims to see God’s angels seems to know Hannah’s
future (Ch. 4), but the picture of God remains distant. Can we honestly ever truly know the spiritual
in complete detail? On the other hand
there is a detailed ‘creation story’ of sorts in the novel and here many
readers may experience considerable resistance.
We are encouraged, as a result of this story, to believe that we should
forgive because all of life is an illusion, a dream, because “nothing really
happened” (Ch. 9). Most readers would
respond that this dream seems very, very real and so does the pain we
suffer. Similarly in Chapter 13 we read
of a near death experience (NDE), which seems to confirm De Lene’s notion of a
God filled with only love. This
experience, as described by De Lene, is in agreement with much of the
psychological literature, especially Raymond Moody’s <i>Life After Life</i> (Bantam Books, 1976). It should be noted, however, that Maurice
Rawlings in <i>Beyond Death’s Door</i>
(Bantam Books, 1985) reported encountering just as many negative NDE’s as
positive. Judgement and hell seem very
real. These metaphysical notions of
illusion and an all-loving God, though, are not central to the book and are not
needed in order to understand and appreciate the main point of forgiveness. The “ego” (Ch. 2 and following) is a central
notion in the book. Primarily it is seen
as being “controlled by … negative emotions” (Ch. 2), chiefly “guilt”, and
because of this it divides us from others so that we see ourselves as “separate
selves” (Ch. 7). There is also the
notion of “holy relationships” (Ch. 10) which basically says that if two ‘right
minded ’people work together huge amounts can be achieved. All these teaching points are dispersed
throughout the book and are often integrated into conversations arising out of
the plot.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">There are
quite a few women characters in the book and virtually all of them are
successful and dynamic in one way or another.
We have already talked of Hannah and her career as a photographer. Meiling reveals herself from an early age to
be “creative” (Ch. 12) displaying a talent for painting. She is also intelligent and is successful in
school. She displays winning physical
ability at sport, being a state champion at “badminton” (Ch. 12). Like Hannah, she is characterized by a
determination in all that she does. As
“Editor In Chief” (Ch. 5) she has reached the top of her profession. She is no ‘pretty silly thing’ of the 1950’s. Anna Messina, Alexander’s partner, is a
psychologist who earlier in her life worked in “a prestigious medical center in
Washington” (Ch. 20). Hilda is a “social
worker” (Ch. 4) who Hannah meets. She is
head of the “Community Refuge Center” (Ch. 4) in Australia. She is very knowledgeable in her field. Professor Amy McLaughlin, who initially
teaches Hannah at university, is “highly regarded in photographic circles
around the world for her technical expertise in the field of photography, as
well as for her innovative ideas” (Ch. 5).
Feminists will be pleased by this book as the women display both
emotional and social intelligence, determination and business nous, all of
which enable them to achieve.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">The two most
prominent male characters in the book, Alexander and Nathan (Hannah’s
boyfriend), both outwardly fit the traditional male role of tough, rough
men. Alexander is full of pride and
Nathan is a hard drinker. We at first
feel these men would very much be at home in the 1950’s. Alexander, however, actually has a very soft
side which he has learned to develop as a result of great personal hurt, and
Nathan shows that he can learn to listen and change his ‘macho’ ways. De Lene’s novel shows the benefit of Gender
Studies and will be a challenge to some men.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Minorities
are represented by Meiling who is an immigrant from “China” (Ch. 12). Here difficulties on coming to a foreign
country, the U.S., are mentioned. As we
have seen she perseveres to success.
Minorities and the dispossessed also are mentioned in the novel in the
form of the Palestinians, in the Middle East, and Aboriginals, in
Australia. While mentioned, though,
their presence is not really dramatized.
The Palestinians very briefly appear in the character of Ramy, a youth
who has had great personal hardship, but Aboriginals must be represented simply
by their rock paintings. Also both these
groups are to some degree represented as being helped by others, rather than
being self-possessed. A book centring so
much on personal overcoming and empowerment would have been considerably
enhanced by dramatizing these minority groups more.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">The elderly
appear in the character of an “old bag lady … Doris” (Ch. 4). While being bereft personal possessions
because of “bad choices” (Ch. 4), she possesses a remarkable friendliness, joy
of life and wisdom. This is a dignified
picture of this often ignored group.</span></span></span></span></div>
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characters are completely absent. Once
again, in a novel dealing with empowerment, it is unfortunate that this group
is ignored as including them would have added extra dimensions to the ideas
expressed.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">In terms of
the Marxist/Capitalist debate, and the accompanying discourse on power, it can
be noted that De Lene’s novel is not at all hostile to personal wealth. The Wang’s are well off and the Messina’s
live in a mansion with extensive gardens.
The characters globe trot with ease.
De Lene, however, very much considers what should be done with this
wealth. Hannah gives her first large
earnings to the Community Refuge Center despite her own personal need. She is aided in her causes to improve the lot
of the suffering by her rich friends at National Geographic. Her plans to increase world peace are
resisted by governments and those with “vested interests” (Ch. 29). Hannah is aided in her cause by ‘people
power’ rather than ‘the system’ (Ch. 26 & 27). This interesting balance of
viewpoints makes for good reading and reveals a refusal to be trapped by any
one dogma.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Novels mainly
aim to represent ‘real’ people and ‘real’ life, so the field of psychology,
which aims to find truths about human nature and behaviour, becomes
relevant. De Lene’s novel is no
exception. Brenda, Hannah’s imaginary,
fairy ‘spirit-guide’ will seem to many to be the most unbelievable part of the
novel. The psychologist Carl Jung,
however, believed that ‘archetype’, knowledge bearing sub-personalities deep in
the unconscious, could become manifest to the individual in visionary
appearances. Jung indeed experienced
visits from, and received wise advice from, Philemon, a visionary guide
(Anthony Stevens. Jung: A Very Short
Introduction:__ Oxford University Press, 2001, p. 30-32). De Lene has Hannah feel she is “to blame” for
the sexual abuse she receives from Bruce, her mother’s boyfriend. Psychologists have indeed noted this effect
in victims (Psychology Today. <i>To Forgive Or Not Forgive: That Is The
Question</i>: <a href="http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-compassion-chronicles/200803/forgive-or-not-forgive-is-the-question%20-%20Accessed%2008/10/2013">http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-compassion-chronicles/200803/forgive-or-not-forgive-is-the-question
- Accessed 08/10/2013</a><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="text-decoration: none;">).
Meditation is represented as a valid way of relaxing and gaining balanced
personal insight (Ch. 4 & 6), though it is not purported to be an easy
method of personal development (Ch. 18).
Psychology indeed supports the idea of the benefits of personal peace
and insight coming from meditation (Harold H. Bloomfield, et al. <i>TM: Discovering Inner Energy And Overcoming
Stress</i>:__ Dell, c1975, Ch. 5 & 6; and, Andy Fraser, ed. <i>The
Healing Power Of Meditation</i>:__ Shambhala, 2013, Ch. 3-6). De Lene includes the use of a journal to
record personal insights, for later referral (Ch. 6). This cognitive technique of journaling has
been shown to be of use (Morton T. Kelsey. <i>Adventure
Inward: Christian Growth Through Personal Journal Writing</i>:__ Augsburg
Books, 1980). De Lene has his
psychologist character Anna Messina decide that her clients are too much
persuaded by her colleagues to blame others in their past for their problems
(Ch. 20). Anna believes that instead her
clients should accept “personal responsibility for their lives” (Ch. 20) and
this is certainly very much in tune with the thinking of both Existentialist
psychologist Rollo May (<i>Freedom And
Destiny</i>:__ W.W. Norton, c1981, p. 96-101) and William Glasser (<i>Reality Therapy: A New Approach To
Psychiatry</i></span></span>:__ Harper Row, 1975, p. 16- 23). This psychological accuracy very much adds to
the validity of De Lene’s message.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Following
from psychology it should be noted that the novel has a little symbolism. Brenda is of course a fairy. Writing from a psychological perspective Rose
Inserra (<i>Dictionary Of Dreams:
Understanding Dreams And Their Messages</i>:__ Hinkler Books, c2002, p. 163)
notes that fairies “usually represent wishful thinking and belief in the
possibility of magic existing in the world, rather than reliance on the
practical”. Jean Chevalier and Alain
Gheerbrant (The Penguin Dictionary Of Symbolism:__ 2<sup>nd</sup> ed.:__
Penguin, 1996, p. 369) on the other hand, describes how the history of the idea
of the fairy goes right back to primal, elemental forces, indeed to the “Earth
Mother”, and as such they can be seen as primary creative forces in our
psyche. As Chevalier and Gheerbrant
write, they symbolize “the paranormal powers of the spirit or the extraordinary
capacities of the imagination” (Chevalier, p. 368). J.E. Cirlot (A Dictionary Of Symbolism:__
Barnes & Noble, 1993, p. 101) agrees with this point of view, describing
them as creative beings who bring about change and “transformations”. De Lene,
as we have seen, proposes a real element of “spirit” in the world which we are
meant to take seriously (Ch. 2 and following).
The imagination, creatively seeing our true purpose as expressed in our life
goals and actions, is also very important in the book (Ch. 2). Both these elements of ‘spirit’ and
‘imagination’, when perceived in the right way, can bring about great change. In tune with this transformational nature
James George Frazer certainly describes how fairies in traditional tales can
give “valuable information” to people which transforms their life for the
better (The Golden Bough: A Study In Magic And Religion:__ Macmillan Press,
1976, Pt. VII, p. 227- 228). As Hannah’s
‘spirit-guide’ Brenda certainly gives very wise advice, even if the reader does
not agree all the time. Eric Ackroyd (A
Dictionary Of Dream Symbolism:__ Cassell, 1993, p. 167) indeed says that “in a
woman’s dream the fairy symbolizes her mother, her own femininity, or some part
of her which, if allowed to participate in the conscious organisation of her
life, would bring enrichment.” The approach
to life outlined by Brenda could certainly be said to be more intuitive, more
feeling, more relational, and thus more feminine, and as has been said
enriching.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">In <i>The Only Way Out</i> De Lene gives deeper
insights into life, concentrating particularly on forgiveness, though the
teaching goes much further than that.
The book also examines success, and takes a balanced stance in the
Marxist/Capitalist debate. The
characters capture our interest and will be pleasing to those readers interested
in Feminism and Gender Studies. De Lene
quite competently draws on psychology to make his novel more factually based,
and there is some interesting symbolic content.
I am happy to rate this book as 4.5 stars out of 5.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;"><a href="http://goo.gl/TgTBg5">http://goo.gl/TgTBg5</a> <span style="color: blue;">The Only Way Out (Book
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16399522365969796755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1089421246126704671.post-64712331755176290582013-09-27T11:51:00.001+08:002013-09-27T23:10:31.134+08:00Change Your Perspective by J. Poet <span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">By Susan Mc Michael</span></span></span><br />
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<![endif]--><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">As a long
time singer of Church music, both hymns and songs, and as a
poet, I was looking forward to this book. Christian poetry’s framework and structures have
changed over the past thirty years, in much the same way as secular poetry
has: using much more free verse. Following in this heritage this is
a book of free verse. I appreciated <i>Change your Perspective'</i>s hopeful tone
of getting the reader to enjoy their life, to see how God and Christ could
make a difference to people's lives. In the poetry in <i>Change Your Perspective: A Collection Of Inspirational Poetry</i>, the
reader is asked to take a journey from the physical reality of imperfection to the
spiritual view of change for the better through Christ. Despite this emphasis on the spiritual this
is not a book of ‘grandiose’ events, but rather of the very ordinary. Following along these lines Poet uses the
common, vernacular speech to bring God into these poems: “When your chips are down...
you say you want / To be married / You say this will / Make your life / Whole”
(<u>Ladies – Give God A Chance</u>).<br />
<br />
The book is a series of small recipes for getting your life back together,
for changing your ideas. It is divided into three main sections: Broken, The
Almighty God and Emerge. It delves into
the everyday, including those feelings and actions that we like to deny. In <u>Home Remedies</u> we read: “We have / Jealousy / Hypocrisy / Adultery”. The book’s remedies are equally home-spun and
practical, though effective. In <u>Illusions</u>
we read: “Be cool / Chill / Relax”. Poet
shows God's interaction with us and what can happen for good, when we rely
on God and Christ.<br />
<br />
</span></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="line-height: 200%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioy9nJ1b4R06PCiXKOekQ0kCwIT8c_1hB0rv1LODN8Cjn-JjDBDtnji1ZQJA9p6QQ4yfv5-XIgCtBRlcn-A4HGtbwn7Q1Mt1g527GfaQn90WQwBqvjzgRuMm8Q2K5y2a21Ooo6PnSSBfwX/s1600/cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioy9nJ1b4R06PCiXKOekQ0kCwIT8c_1hB0rv1LODN8Cjn-JjDBDtnji1ZQJA9p6QQ4yfv5-XIgCtBRlcn-A4HGtbwn7Q1Mt1g527GfaQn90WQwBqvjzgRuMm8Q2K5y2a21Ooo6PnSSBfwX/s320/cover.jpg" width="212" /></a></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Christian poetry is as old as the Bible: the <i>Psalms</i> and <i>Song of Songs</i>
come to mind. Christian poetry has been
written by a variety of poets around the world, from T.S. Eliot, in England, and
W.H. Auden, in America (at the beginning of the Twentieth Century) to John
Berryman’s <i>Collected Poems 1937-1971</i>.
In the late twentieth century many
Churches modernised by modifying buildings, building new, modern places of
worship, or using school auditoriums, to allow more people to worship at
Church. The proponents of Christian
poetry also modernised. Like its secular
siblings, in the late 1970s, Christian poetry rid itself of structure and
form. Modern Christian poetry, compared
to previously, is thus necessarily more diverse and comes from a range of
sources, using more free range verse, and a less metrical style. It is in this poetic tradition that
Poet's new book, <i>Change Your Perspective</i>, is
situated. Brought up in Church, with
hymns and music, and having studied poetry, I was glad to read this book of
contemporary Christian poetry which continues a long tradition, though in
modern form. I was also glad to read this
book because, despite the plentiful nature of evil acts in the Bible, good
always triumphs: God generally rescues, providing Manna, solace from whales and
floods as well as returning to one's friends after three days. Similarly, in this book God and good
triumph. It’s a cheerful collection: we
know that God works for good and that through the author’s life experiences God
will be there: “I need / Understanding / Need / Peace in my heart / Want
a little less confusion... I am asking you to / Be my guide / Lord” (<u>I Need
You</u>). God is there.<br />
<br />
In Christian theology Atonement Theory sees sin as the breaking of God’s moral
law. Placing a particular emphasis on <i>Romans</i>
6:23 (the wages of sin is death), Penal Substitution sees sinful man as being
subject to God’s wrath with the essence of Jesus' saving work being, as <i>Galatians</i> 3:13 says, his substitution in
the sinner's place, bearing the curse in the place of man (Wikipedia: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penal_substitution">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penal_substitution</a><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="text-decoration: none;"> </span></span><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="text-decoration: none;">- accessed 27/09/2013</span></span>). In poems such as <u>I Cried Out</u> Poet uses
this perspective to show God and Christ working in people's lives:<br />
“My life was torn / I was in a rut / I was torn / Deep within my bones....I
cried out / He instantly became my glue… / Know that Jesus / is your remedy”.<br />
<br />
<i>Change your Perspective</i> also
uses the Moral Influence view of the atonement which teaches that the purpose
and work of Jesus Christ was to bring positive moral change to humanity. This moral change came through the teachings
and example of Jesus, the Christian movement he founded, and the inspiring
effect of his martyrdom and resurrection (Wikipedia: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moral_influence_theory_of_atonement">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moral_influence_theory_of_atonement</a>
- accessed 27/09/2013). Seeing Jesus,
and admiring him, we imitate, we obey, we change. In a poem such as <u>God's Will</u>, we learn
that: “When the time presents itself / God will let me know / Jesus / Put me on
earth for a reason... I will fulfil God's desire”.<br />
<br />
The Protestant principle of Sola Fide states that no matter what a person's
action, salvation comes through faith alone. Ephesians 2:8–9 reads, "For by grace ye
are saved through faith: and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not
of works, lest any man should boast" (<i>KJV</i>).
According to Protestants, salvation is
God's gift at God's sole prerogative and our resulting metamorphoses comes
through his power. Were salvation
achieved by works, men could take pride in their efforts toward holiness, and
God's gift of grace would be diminished in contrast to man's efforts (Wikipedia: </span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="line-height: 200%;"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<![endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sola_fide">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sola_fide</a></span>
- accessed 27/09/2013). In the poem <u>We
shall be Y2K Compliant</u>, the narrator tells Mr Millennium: “We are the
/ Believers... We have God's / Power / Embedded deep down”. It is God’s power, given through faith, which
is at work: not simply man’s effort.<br />
<br />
This is an enthusiastic collection, full of happy poems where God is present. God's presence is sought, lost and found
again. Poet uses everyday experiences (jobs,
family and relationships) to bring both questions and answers about God's
presence in our lives. In these poems
Poet asks God for help, for guidance and for assistance. Throughout the book
God and Jesus assist man in daily life and through hard times, making life
happier, more bearable, more able to be understood.</span></span></span><br />
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As one point of criticism I might have liked a few more poems to make use of
different forms. There is a uniformity
of style that becomes a little repetitive.
Variation would have added more points of highlight. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">I enjoyed <i>Change Your Perspective</i> very much. I liked its enthusiasm, the concepts of God
and Christ in the everyday, and the book's overall sense of purpose. I am happy to rate this book as 4 stars out
of 5.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;"> </span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Change-Your-Perspective-J-Poet/dp/1628391839/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1380253792&sr=8-1" target="_blank">Change Your Perspective (Book ed.)</a> </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Change-Your-Perspective-ebook/dp/B00E9F0VFG/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=8-1&qid=1380253792" target="_blank">Change Your Perspective (Kindle ed.)</a> </span></span></span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16399522365969796755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1089421246126704671.post-85478316279947119832013-09-18T12:39:00.000+08:002013-09-18T12:57:56.401+08:00The Children Shall Be Blameless by W. Jack Savage <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</xml><![endif]--><span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">By Raymond Mathiesen<span style="line-height: 200%;"> </span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">4.5 stars out of 5</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="line-height: 200%;">Do
the right thing…</span></i></span></span><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Richard Smith had a life
before he lived at St. James Orphanage, St. Paul, Minnesota, but that was too
long ago to remember. Even his first
days at the orphanage seem hidden under a strange cloud of forgetfulness. One thing Richard does remember is that, no
matter what, he must not eat the “cornmeal mush” (Ch. 1 and following) the nuns
serve for breakfast. Refusing this meal is
against the Orphanage rules, and Richard’s insistence over the years, as he
grows up, marks him out as a trouble-maker.
Faced with the harsh bureaucracy of the Catholic Church Richard decides
that all talk of God is a fake, but he is determined to do what is really
“right” (Ch. 1 and following) by people, regardless of what the church says. From a very early age ethics, rather than
morals, interests this young thinker. As
Richard grows up he changes in some ways, but in many ways he stays the
same. What will the course of his life
be?</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><span style="line-height: 200%;">The
Children Shall be Blameless</span></i><span style="line-height: 200%;"> is a story about real life, taking a
very practical and pragmatic view of things.
It is, however, also a ‘spiritual’ (rather than religious) story asking
deeper, philosophic questions about how to live and how we find meaning. Richard does not claim to have all the
answers, and neither does W. Jack Savage, but if you find yourself often
wondering ’what is the right thing to do’
this is the novel for you. Savage’s story is interesting and in parts
very exciting, and the novel is not in any way preachy.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh8uG5ICroF-BksQHqUTAsNtlnpBDIWza3jEE8jD_fjD9jjAxYC-Lw_A131TxTohlRykORFGoMjH3lGfXyLCcmvvoPyqqPCwgEp4i9w5NBz0CLTdHkosi3Gj7e2vX8fjVa5I9gO91ziUho/s1600/cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh8uG5ICroF-BksQHqUTAsNtlnpBDIWza3jEE8jD_fjD9jjAxYC-Lw_A131TxTohlRykORFGoMjH3lGfXyLCcmvvoPyqqPCwgEp4i9w5NBz0CLTdHkosi3Gj7e2vX8fjVa5I9gO91ziUho/s1600/cover.jpg" height="320" width="211" /></a><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">The plot of the novel is
divided into basically two parts. The
first part covers Richard’s early life and his adult search for his birth
family, and also for a partner and family of his own. The second part takes a new direction as
Richard finds himself involved in the intrigues of crime, though the themes and
plot arc of the first part is never lost.
Chapters 1 to 3 cover Richards youth, narrating his growth as an
individual. This is a section of
increasing complexity of story and themes.
Chapters 4 to 5 describe Richard’s early adulthood, particularly his
time in the army. This section is
unfortunately in large part rather a hiatus, in some ways simply repeating the
themes and plot devices of the first section.
It should be pointed out, though, that this ‘dull’ section is a
necessary character device which provides the motivational impetus for the next
section. Chapters 6 to 8 narrate
Richard’s journey of discovery as he delves into his distant, ‘forgotten’
past. Chapters 9 and 10 form the midpoint
of the novel and are marked by a peak of adventure and danger both in terms of
character development and events.
Chapters 11 to 14 involve the new plot direction of crime and
adventure. Much of this section works
well, however, in parts we feel Savage is struggling for plot line. When Richard is knocked unconscious and loses
his memory for a third time we feel it is one time too many. Chapter 15 serves as an epilogue. This last Chapter is too compressed in
narration, with too many events happening all at one time (especially in one
short section). We feel that Savage is
rushing to get the story completely finished, and is perhaps under editorial
direction concerning page numbers. This
is an unfortunate end to a very good book, but does not spoil the overall
effect of the novel, which is for the most part finished anyway.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Virtually all of Savage’s
characters are likable, though imperfect, and the reader immediately relates to
them as ‘real’ people. Even the ‘bad’
character, Shirley Stanton, is in many ways likable in perhaps a dangerous
way. We are beguiled by her ‘charm’ and
double dealing. Richard is good, tough,
practical and pragmatic, and hides a remarkable athletic ability. His failing is that in many ways he is
ignorant of his own motivations, especially where his life’s direction is not
going right. His character has some
mystery as he keeps to himself in some circumstances, but is extroverted in
others. Father Allen Brown, Richard’s mentor, is good, but not
rigid in his ethics, as well as practical and loving. Sargent Bill (William) MCaully, a friend
Richard makes in the Army, is very tough, but extremely harsh in his
self-judgement and depressed in his attitude to life. He expresses the kind of emptiness, ennui and “nihilation” that the philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre so
effectively described ( Richard Appignanesi.
<i>Introducing Existentialism</i>:
Icon Books, 2001, p. 128-133). As the
story continues Bill evolves into a more happy character. Shirley Stanton, as we have said, is an
ambiguous character, and is certainly an interesting element in the novel. She could have been the stereotyped,
beautiful ‘hussy,’ but she is a much more complex character than that. This gives her a ‘reality’ which is difficult
to achieve in a villain. As an example
of a more minor character, Teddy, a small town reporter, is motivated to do
good, determined and capable, but haunted by an alcoholic past. Savage’s novel is a fictional biography and
so has many characters that we only get to look at briefly. Particularly in the second half of the novel,
though, Savage displays a flair for summarized biographies in which he gives us
a lively glimpse into some minor character’s lives and personality. Greg, in Chapter 12, is a good example of
this.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Savage’s novel is for the
most part realistic in style, though in Chapter 10 the plot takes on a macabre,
larger-than-life aura, which is spiced with more than a twinge of humor. This style continues on into Chapter 12,
which is very aptly titled “Dickens.”
Dickens is of course the master of slight hyperbole and character study. Other parts of the story have less surreal
humour, and there are occasional moments of bitter irony. There are quite a few “Oh my Gosh!” moments
and surprise chapter endings to keep the reader on the edge of their seat. I must warn that there is occasional foul
language and mild references to free sex.
This is completely in line with the characters and plot circumstances,
but it may offend conservative readers.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Justice and ethics, in the
broadest sense of those words, is the central theme of the novel. Richard develops a set of personal values
throughout the novel, which guide him in his actions. He is interested, at the most, in guidelines,
rather than a set of rules for correct behavior. These values include stepping up for the
down-trodden (Ch. 1), equality (Ch. 2), tolerance (Ch. 3) and loving the people
you find yourself with (Ch. 8). Most of
us want to do our best, what is right, but why is this so important to us? We could simply let the whole problem slip
and say, “Who cares!” Our need for
connection, the next theme to be discussed, seems to propel us towards
“goodness” (Ch. 2 and following). These
moments of “goodness” have great meaning to us and repeatedly in the novel we
hear that certain events “changed me” (Ch. 1 and following). Criminal justice makes an appearance in the
second half of the book, but the theme is never fully developed. The issue of criminality is rather dealt with
in terms of the personal values we have just been talking about. None the less we face issues such as: (1) are
the law enforcers necessarily good, (2) is justice necessarily always done,
and, (3) what is our correct response to crime?</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">The importance of family is
the second major theme of <i>The Children
Shall Be Blameless</i>. What is family
and why do we seem to need it? In the
1950’s life seemed simple and we all knew that a family was a mother and a
father and two children. Now we have
fractured families, blended families, birth families, adopted families, single
parent families and LGBTIQ families. Indeed,
some of these types of families appear in the novel. In keeping with the ‘spiritual,’ rather than
religious, attitude of this novel the approach to families is “non-traditional”
(Ch. 7). We all, even orphans, have
families of some kind, but it is tempting to romanticize the notion: we dream
of the ‘ideal family’. Richard very much
likes movies, but must learn that while they reflect life, and give us ideas to
think about life, they are not life (Ch. 2 and Ch. 8).</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Bureaucracy appears as a
strong minor theme. We seem to need some
rules and organizations, but they in themselves can become the source of
injustice. This injustice is very easily
denied and swept under the carpet when it is an embarrassment. How can we be “spontaneous” (Ch. 2) in the
face of bureaucracies? There is also a
sub-theme of the horror of war. This is
not exactly an anti-war novel, but it is also not war affirming. How should we treat soldiers and
veterans? Can those who do not go to war
ever really understand what it is like?</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Much of the novel is set in
the late 1960s and early 1970’s, which allows Savage to capture the role of
women right at the Twentieth Century changing points. Sister Carmella, the Head of the Orphanage,
represents the traditional 1950’s view of women in its very conservative
role. Sister Carmella is caring and to a
certain extent proactive about helping the children in her care, but we detect
a restraint about her that limits her effectiveness. Indeed the nuns in general support their
‘establishment’ and those who do not fit in with it are ‘bad’. Far be it from a nun, a woman in a male
hierarchy, to question the establishment.
Only Sister Michael Ann (Ch. 2) seems to have any individual spirit and
we wonder if such a woman will have a smooth path in this rigid female order. Overcome by a sense of ennui after his time in the Army Richard finds
himself entering whole heartedly into the ‘free love’ attitude of the
Counterculture, but that era was actually a time when the new morality was
easily diverted towards using women for physical pleasure, then throwing them
away, and vice versa. Richard wonders
why he never finds a permanent partner, but this ignorance is typical of the
era. As the plot moves into the 1980’s
the reader finds imperfect, but dynamic women achievers emerging. Teddy is an over-comer who has got past both
“bipolar disorder” (Ch. 7) and alcoholism (Ch. 8) to become a successful small
town reporter. Teddy has a special nose
for the news and goes out of her way to get the story. Her namesake, but no relative, Shirley Smith,
is the boss of a regional wing of a drug smuggling operation. In many ways the reverse of Teddy, she is
still a go-ahead, no nonsense operator, also very good at what she does. Over all Savage’s novel gives an accurate and
interesting picture of the history of the role of women and the effects of
Feminism.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">The history of male gender
role is also depicted and delved into.
The character of Father Brown represents the type of man who began to
emerge in the late 1950’s, and who initiated the Vatican 2 reforms of the
Catholic Church. He is less driven by a
sense of ‘authority’ and more interested in interpersonal relationships. Rigid systems are viewed with doubt, and
caring, goodness and development are valued.
This is the kind of thought that later resulted in the development of
‘relational theology’ (Bruce Larson. <i>No Longer Strangers: An Introduction To
Relational Theology</i>: Reprint ed.: Word Book, 1974). Bill McCaully represents the men before the
Father Browns of the world. A career
soldier he is dedicated to the authoritative, male power structure to the hilt. This partly satisfies him, but only
partly. The whole space of relationships
opens up to him like a vast, unsuccessful vacuum, and when he is not occupied
by the structure only alcohol will suffice.
Feelings are “unmanly” (Ch. 3).
But Bill will change and evolve as the story progresses. Richard very much represents the new man:
practical and tough, but caring (Robert Bly. <i> Iron John: Men And Masculinity</i>:
Rider, c1990). Richard is a ‘New Age
man’ long before there was a late Twentieth Century New Age Movement. But, as we have seen, Richard’s relationships
with women do not run smoothly. He must
grow and evolve, find his footing in uncertain territory, and this novel is
valuable to Twenty-First Century men who, despite all the development in male
gender roles that have occurred, still find themselves uncertain as to how to
be a good man and a partner.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">LGBTIQ roles make an
appearance in Savage’s novel, although the main character, Richard, is at times
at pains to point out that he is not gay.
The traditional derogatory attitude to gay men is clearly depicted early
in the book (Ch. 3), but later we see the very minor character of David Gannon,
a successful, gay restaurateur, depicted without any animosity (Ch. 4). A more prominent character is revealed to be
gay quite late in the book, however, I will not go into details in order to
avoid spoiling the story. This character
allows Savage to display a much more accepting attitude to gay characters. Lesbian relationships are much more prominent
in the book and acceptance is equally prominently displayed. At first we come across Danika Gusard and her lover Deputy Donna Mills and “Rosie’s
[ … ] a gay bar” (sic.). Mills is of
course a successful woman and this relationship is never depicted in a
derogatory way. Next we see Edie
Charboneau, a capable nurse, and her neighbor, Norma Haslett, mutually attracted,
and described in a sympathetic way, though at this point the story certainly
has overtones of a 1950’s attitude. Then
later in the book we see Edie, once again, and Teddy in a lesbian relationship,
this time fully sympathetically depicted, and allowing love to bloom. This is an important dimension in a novel
dealing so much with relationships, and the book would have been very much less
without these plot lines.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">The aged first appear early
in the book in the character of Monsignor Poferal. The Monsignor is represented as having been
a vigorous worker, but now ‘tired’ (Ch. 1).
The Monsignor is quickly eclipsed by the young Father Brown. This is in some cases a realistic picture of
the elderly, but hardly flattering to this much ignored and often derided group. Much later in the novel we come across an
aged Bill McCaully. This time we are
presented with a determined, smart man, though he is physically limited. This aged McCaully is to a certain extent
successful in his objective, though unfortunately not completely so.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Minorities make very brief
appearances. Very early in the book we
meet Maya, a Mexican descent girl who experiences bigotry in the playground
(Ch. 1). Richard stands up for her but
parents of the bullies describe her as a “dirty little Mexican” (Ch. 1). Later, Clete, an African-American soldier,
does not need defending and is an amiably described co-conspirator in R&R
shenanigans. African-Americans are
positively described as having an astute awareness and practicality. They are described as having a “seemingly
innate ability to stay in and even celebrate the present.” It should be noted though that the word
“innate” may be greeted with ire by some, no matter how well intended. Later again the Black Rights campaign is
touched on as Richard notes and stands against discrimination in his job at UPS
(Ch. 5).</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">From the point of view of
Structuralism we note the obvious opposing “binary pair” (Boris Wiseman. <i>Introducing
Levi-Strauss and Structural Anthropology</i>:
Icon Books, 200, p. 87, 96 & 149) good/evil, however, this dichotomy
takes a decidedly Postmodern slant early on in the novel with the “black and
white” (Ch. 3) dichotomy being abandoned and a much more complex view of ethics
being adopted. The young Richard
comments to Father Brown that ethical questions are “not always that simple”
(Ch. 2). In terms of character
comparison we see the complimentary pair of Richard/Father-Brown, though there
is some opposition there with the Father being ‘inside’ the traditional system
and Richard firmly out of it. Sister
Carmella and Brown are complimentary in that they are ‘insiders’ who try to
rise above the system, but they are opposing in that Carmella is more ineffective
in opposing bureaucratic wrong and Brown considerably effective. Shirley and Teddy at first appear as opposing
pairs. Teddy having come from a
difficult background ends up an upright citizen, but Shirley, coming from a
similar background, chooses a life of crime.
Later, however, the contrast is nowhere near as clear. Teddy displays weakness in facing her past,
while Shirley experiences extreme doubt about her whole life. Finally there is a Richard/Shirley dichotomy:
he on the side of right and she on the side of crime. Once again though, as the plot continues this
clear spit becomes fuzzy. Richard
chooses to help the person, rather than, for example report crime, and Shirley,
as we have just seen, proves to be less firmly set on the side of crime. In this last case we should note that
Bertrand Russell has observed that both strong contributors to society and
criminals often spring from the same personality type, the difference being
that one has a chance to express their creativity in an approved way, while the
other is denied this (Bertrand Russell. <i>Authority And The Individual</i>: Unwin
Hyman, 1977, p. 41-46).</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Levi-Strauss has proposed
that myth is a kind of inherent process which the mind imposes on reality and
that deep down we all view the world in this way (Wiseman, p. 135). Any novel dealing with ‘spiritual’ ideas further
lends itself to this kind of interpretation and <i>The Children Shall Be Blameless</i>, despite all its hard headed
practicality, can be viewed in this way.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Turning to traditional
knowledge, therefore, it can be noted that the Tarot card of <u>The High
Priestess</u>, also called the “Female Pontiff” (Arthur Edward Waite. <i>The Pictorial Key To The Tarot</i>: U.S.
Games Systems, c1971?, p. 13) is important to the opening chapters of
Savage’s novel. Sallie Nichols (<i>Jung And The Tarot: An Archetypal Journey</i>: Samuel Weiser, 1980)<i> </i>comments of this card that the <u>Priestess</u>
represents the idea that “Pure Spirituality is pure nonsense” (Nichols, p.
72). She further notes that: “She wears
the ceremonial robes and trivia of the Church” and holds a “no doubt [ … ] holy
book” (Nichols, p. 72), which Waite identifies as the “Tora” (Waite, p.
71). Yet, of course, the <u>Priestess</u>
is a woman, making a mockery of the whole institution. Nichols further links this card to the
medieval Pope Joan myth, which The Rev. Sabine Baring-Gould (<i>Curious Myths Of The Middle Ages</i>:
Jupiter Books, 1977, p. 69-73) links to views that the Catholic Church was
corrupt and lost to God. This whole
description is very close to the young Richard’s view, and, as we have noted
Sister Carmella, while contemplating good is less effective in actually
fighting evil. None of this is to say
that Savage views the Church as <i>completely</i>
wrong, but rather that taking itself too seriously (rules and bureaucracy) is
its downfall (Ch. 1).</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">On the positive side it
should be noted that Richard takes from his Catholic Orphanage upbringing a
serious concern with the ‘good’. This is
the central topic of the Church and, though he disagrees in detail, this is
Richard’s central touchstone. Nichols
comments of the Tarot card <u>The Pope</u> that it represents “man’s striving
for connection with the godhead” (Nichols, p. 119). She further notes that according to Carl
Gustav Jung “the religious aims to unite the opposites” (Nichols, p. 119) and
that the “prelate .. twins” who kneel before the Pontiff “symbolize par
excellence [ … ] the dual aspects inherent in all life” (Nichols, p. 122). As has been observed above the dichotomy of
good/evil tends to undergo a Postmodern collapse in the way in which Jacques
Derrida claimed it would (Mary Klages. <i>Literary
Theory: A Guide For The Perplexed</i>: Continuum, 2006, p. 59-60) when the
center shifts to relationships and ambiguous people, rather than rules.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">As we have seen, Richard is
guided in ‘spiritual’ matters by practicality and pragmatism. For this reason the Tarot card <u>Temperance</u>
applies to the novel as a whole. Nichols
describes the card in this way: “the Angel Temperance blends two opposite
aspects or essences, producing life-giving energy” (Nichols, p. 249). Richard’s dynamism comes from the combination
of his very down to earth realism and his desire to act by higher, more ideal
values. Writing further Nichols notes of
the card: “The liquid which flows between the two jars [one blue and one red]
is neither red nor blue but is pure white, suggesting that it represents a pure
essence, perhaps energy” (Nichols, p. 250).
Except for the directionless and possibly depressed period after his
time in the army, the adult Richard pursues his life-plan with a great energy
and vigour, and the reader is left with the sense that this character truly
knows how to ‘live life’ and achieve. In
order to create a successful mix of opposite elements Nichols suggests that:
“As in any conflict situation, a creative first step towards resolution is to
find an arbiter – someone whose wisdom and understanding can encompass both
sides” (Nichols, p. 250). Again and
again throughout the plot Richard refers back to Father Brown, the equally
pragmatic spiritual mentor who first befriended him in his youth. Speaking of encounters with angels Nichols
writes: “Such visionary experiences mark dramatic turning points, personal and
culturally” (Nichols, p. 250). As has
been noted, we repeatedly hear that particular events “changed me” (Ch. 1 and
following). This is a story of personal
growth. It is, though, also a story of
cultural change. As has been noted above
the cultural shift in the roles of women, men and LGBTIQ people is documented
in the novel. Nichols comments on the
relationship <u>Temperance</u> has with the astrological sign of <u>Aquarius</u>
(Nichols, p. 249). Nicholas Campion (<i>Zodiac: Enhance Your Life Through Astrology</i>:
Alhanbra House, c2000, p. 161) notes of this traditional wisdom sign that: “Its
strengths are its inventive genius and its strongly held ideas.” Very early in the story Sister Carmella notes
that the young Richard is “aggravating” because of his firm ethical ideas and
wonders who has been tutoring him in these advanced notions. Writing further of <u>Aquarius</u> Campion
notes: “Its weaknesses are its failure to understand its emotions and its
refusal to compromise with signs that do not share its vision” (Champion, p.
161). Father Brown repeatedly observes
that Richard is ignorant of, or does not want to face, his true motivations,
and, particularly in his early romantic relationships we see an inability to
negotiate with, or come to a compromise with, women concerning his need for a
family. <u>Aquarius</u> represents the
problems which <u>Temperance</u> must solve. Pragmatism and temperance, as revealed in the
card <u>Temperance</u>, and the sign <u>Aquarius</u>, can indeed be seen as the
summing up of Savage’s message.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">W. Jack Savage’s <i>The Children Shall Be Blameless</i> manages
to successfully achieve the difficult task of combining high adventure with
‘spiritual’ insight. It takes the themes
of ethics and family and places them in a story of both personal development
and cultural change. The roles of women,
men, LBGTIQ, the aged and minorities are depicted and examined in some
depth. The characters are likable and of
enough complexity to be related to as ‘real’ people. At 410 pages this is probably not a book
suited to a weekend read, but those who pick it up will find from the first
pages that they have encountered a beguiling and interesting novel. These qualities will certainly sustain the
reader through this longer read. I am
happy to rate this book as 4.5 stars out of 5.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Children-Shall-Be-Blameless/dp/1477111514/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1379477268&sr=1-1" target="_blank">The Children Shall Be Blameless (Book ed.)</a> </span></span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Children-Shall-Be-Blameless-ebook/dp/B0086HEGRW/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=1-1&qid=1379477268" target="_blank">The Children Shall Be Blameless (Kindle ed.)</a> </span></span></span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16399522365969796755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1089421246126704671.post-79346825931976391242013-09-13T12:59:00.004+08:002013-09-13T13:13:59.322+08:00’48 by James Herbert – Mini Book Review<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">5 out of 5 stars</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><span style="line-height: 200%;">Black
Shirts and Anarchy</span></i><i><span style="line-height: 200%;">…</span></i></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">What if, in
1948 in the final phase of World War 2, a biological weapon was released? After all such `wonder weapons' were really in
development buy both Britain and Germany. And what if, as a result, virtually all of the
population of Britain were killed in one catastrophic day? Only a few, the partially immune, survive for
a while and even fewer, the naturally immune, live on untouched (at least by
disease). What would life then be like
in 1948? Thus the novel's title.<br />
<br />
As you can see, this is an alternate history, and so technically is science
fiction. James Herbert usually writes horror, but this effort is definitely not
second rate as a result. Herbert is
"Britain's No.1 best-selling writer of chiller fiction, a position he has
held since the publication of his first novel" (<i>'48</i>, p.1). Herbert's novels "have sold 54 million copies
worldwide" (<i>James Herbert</i>: Wikipedia:__
accessed 13/09/2013. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Herbert">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Herbert</a>).<br />
<br />
</span></span></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyQun-_Pp9swlpmHesOXIiAF6os0YxiibqiRc-ubGr5XCQu9NibsrF05_x4VlZFR_Y1eXGn2uZoLKwKZxleHmLLVOzI1zNJyjvcz3iUXe4gmqwa_lPW0-9zM7IgRYJzo5cdiTxJL9FLp8i/s1600/cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyQun-_Pp9swlpmHesOXIiAF6os0YxiibqiRc-ubGr5XCQu9NibsrF05_x4VlZFR_Y1eXGn2uZoLKwKZxleHmLLVOzI1zNJyjvcz3iUXe4gmqwa_lPW0-9zM7IgRYJzo5cdiTxJL9FLp8i/s1600/cover.jpg" height="320" width="193" /></a></span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Hoke, the main character and first-person-narrator, is a US pilot who joined
the British air force before his country joined the war. He is a hard-boiled character who is
embittered by his experiences before and after the war. The novel itself is thus also hard boiled and
the reader is propelled headlong through it accompanying Hoke in a series of
chases and fights. Herbert reveals
himself to be a master of tension with cliff-hanger chapter ending and surprise
plot twists. There is one steamy sex
scene, though it would only offend the most conservative of readers.<br />
<br />
A novel could hardly be written about 1948 without Fascism being mentioned, and
indeed it is furnished with a band of British Nazis to serve as foe. The novel is most trite on this issue, but
then Hitler really did make those, now comic, speeches complete with huge
rhetorical gestures and frenzied, shouted deliveries. Considerable depth is given to the
contemplation of this topic by the inclusion of the character of Wilhelm Stern.
Stern was involved in the war, but he at
least <i>seems</i> to be a decent person. Hoke's reaction to Stern is driven by a wild
kind of hatred. Hoke sees Stern through
the eyes of propaganda. Childishly, he
cannot even stand the German's pronunciation of v for w (as in Vilhelm).<br />
<br />
Class is another theme covered by the novel. Hoke and Cissie, another British survivor, are
both lower class, but Hoke admires the British upper class' "stiff upper
lip". At one point the survivors
wonder what happened to the Royal Family. But isn't this sort of thing as much a result
of propaganda and stereotype as `evil Germans'? Herbert certainly digs deeper than this.<br />
<br />
The theme of madness is also developed in some depth. Can anyone survive disaster virtually
untouched mentally? Is post-traumatic
stress disorder in fact a sane reaction? Doesn't paranoid caution have survival value? As we have seen from his reaction to Stern,
Hoke is touched by a kind of madness.<br />
<br />
Despite the trite appearance of the hard boiled style Herbert has constructed
his characters with some depth. Hoke is
very interesting. As we have hinted his judgements should not all necessarily
be trusted. This ambiguity makes the
reader think rather than the author doing all the thinking for him. Muriel, an upper class survivor, is the
stereotyped weeping floosy, clinging to the neck of the capable hero, but we
should remember that in the era virtually no women worked and at least some
were a product of social pressure which told them that they were exactly that:
weak and in need of a man. Cissie is
much more a determined woman: feisty and willing to stand up to Hoke. Modern female readers will like this
character.<br />
<br />
This novel gets a rarer 5 stars from me because it is both exciting and
thematically rich. The characterization
is excellent and the style is intriguing and emotionally engaging. Herbert manages to be both `popular' and deep:
no easy feat. There is something in here
for many different types of people: even the history enthusiast. <i>‘48</i>
was first published in 1996, and so in the publishing world is a little old,
but this is not a case of ‘past and forgotten’. It is indeed a classic in the alternate-history/chiller
genre. <i>`48</i> is well worth the price.</span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/48-James-Herbert/dp/0006476007/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1379046470&sr=1-1" target="_blank">'48 by James Herbert (Book ed.)</a></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/48-ebook/dp/B003IDMUHW/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=1-1&qid=1379046470" target="_blank">'48 by James Herbert (Kindle ed.)</a></span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16399522365969796755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1089421246126704671.post-72648448392026702322013-09-06T11:08:00.001+08:002013-09-13T13:06:15.552+08:00Stress Pandemic: The Lifestyle Solution by Paul Huljich – Mini Book Review<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</xml><![endif]--><span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">By Raymond Mathiesen</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">5 out of 5 stars</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><span style="line-height: 200%;">How should
we live, and who says?</span></i></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Everybody wants to be happy and successful, but what do these words
really mean? There is no shortage of
people to tell you: your parents, your siblings, school mates, teachers, work
mates, boss; not to mention TV, films, novels, the Internet, society in
general. In the rush to ‘get through’ life we are endlessly pressured by others
and can end up asking ourselves, “”Who am I, and how did I get here?” These are questions that are central to
Huljich’s book <i>Stress Pandemic: The
Lifestyle Solution: 9 Natural Steps To Survive, Master Stress, And Live Well</i>,
and it is his belief that by ignoring the answers we end up in physical and
emotional stress, and that this, at best, reduces the quality of our life, and,
at worst, ends in psychological conditions like depression and bi-polar disease.</span></span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1x83W5ithrXX1R_CY7bykvm2EIl-JpL7bI0GfBSjzJFH8VFJYxwRTZ5_NOaLjUdqRM98x2FhjuGMq6Do21EM6uCSebiwVrAwoT3aLsOCHvzbOWdGtgoeg_4OdWFsYxs0FFWwwPdaAJJr7/s1600/cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1x83W5ithrXX1R_CY7bykvm2EIl-JpL7bI0GfBSjzJFH8VFJYxwRTZ5_NOaLjUdqRM98x2FhjuGMq6Do21EM6uCSebiwVrAwoT3aLsOCHvzbOWdGtgoeg_4OdWFsYxs0FFWwwPdaAJJr7/s1600/cover.jpg" height="400" width="255" /></a><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">This is a book written by a layman for the layman, though it would be wrong
to think that it is therefore not scholarly.
Huljich was intelligent enough to be enrolled at university and he has
written a well-researched book. There
are pertinent references and an extensive bibliography for those who want to
dig deeper, reading about particular experiments and
epidemiological/sociological surveys.
But the real strength of this book is that it comes out of Huljich’s own
struggle with mental illness, and out of his determination not to be dominated
by this condition forever. Huljich
overcame his illness to a degree that is quite rare, and has spent a further 10
year researching the subject. As a
result the book is immensely practical, full of common sense, balanced and
written in such a way that the ‘ordinary person’ can understand it. Even more those suffering from stress will
immediately relate to this book because it has an ‘insiders’ view.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">As an example of Huljich’s wise insight into human nature I will quote
the following passage:</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">“In my experience with people suffering from stress-related conditions,
I’ve noticed a strong sense of denial and failure to realize that we have the
opportunity to change our lives. We can
take charge of our own health and peace of mind.” (p.39)</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Later in the book Huljich devotes a whole chapter to “unconscious
habits” (p.48) and behaviour patterns.
The philosopher and mystic G.I. Gurdjieff observed that most modern
people are “sleepwalking”, unthinkingly going through life, guided entirely by
outside pressures and never really reaching their full, individual
potential. Society certainly tells us
how to think, what success and happiness is, but what is it to the inner man,
to each individual? Huljich, like Gurdjieff,
and indeed others, believes that it is up to each individual to discover their
own definitions.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">As the subtitle suggests the book revolves around 9 steps to cope with
stress. Steps 1, 2, and 3 deal with
helpful mental attitudes and are foundational to the whole approach. Steps 4, 5, 6 and 7 are practical tools that
can be carried out each day. Steps 8 and
9 encourage continued personal assessment and improvement.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">The chapter of the book which will most come under criticism is: “Step 4
: Affirmations”. Many people reading
this will immediately dismiss it as new age hokum: totally ineffective. Huljich, however, points out that it is our
thoughts that drive our behaviour, and that these thoughts are often automatic,
and the result of repartition over many years.
We need to interrupt old thoughts and build new thought patterns. This may sound hokum to you, but it is the
foundation of cognitive psychology, the most researched and proven school of
psychology today.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">The section on titled “Survival, My Story” of course narrates Huljich’s
own battle with bi-polar disease. It
adds considerable authenticity to the book, telling us clearly that that Paul
has been there, suffering severely, and is not an armchair commentator. Also, those who suffer will immediately feel
solidarity. Most of all this section
shows that serious, chronic mental illness can be gradually and carefully
overcome to the point of virtually total success.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">One slight criticism I have is that the book is a bit repetitive, but
Huljich needs to get his points through and, as I have pointed out, we tend to
be woolly headed about life: asleep.
Huljich indeed recommends that the whole book be returned to again and
again to check that you are not straying into trouble, and to see if you can
gain further insight into your own behaviour.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Another slight criticism is that some minor details can be
questioned. I did, for example, raise my
eyebrows at the recommendation of decaffeinated green tea. The solvents used to extract the caffeine are
quite unhealthy and certainly at odds with Huljich’s organic produce approach
to nutrition. It must be remembered,
however, that Huljich struggled with very serious neurochemical imbalances and
that this probably justifies the inclusion of this beverage.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">If you feel that this book is a little too ‘full on’ for you try
Huljich’s novel <i>Betrayal of Love and
Freedom</i> which contains some of the information in this book in a quite
readable and entertaining form.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">For those who still doubt Huljich’s approach a simple search of any
database containing reports of health experiments will easily reveal that he is
not talking nonsense.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Huljich has written a most practical, helpful, sensible and well researched
book. <i>Stress Pandemic: The Lifestyle Solution: 9 Natural Steps To Survive,
Master Stress, And Live Well</i> is in fact the best book on stress I have ever
read. I studied psychology as a part of
my Bachelor of Arts degree. I am happy to rate this book as 5 out of 5 stars.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Stress-Pandemic-Lifestyle-Paul-Huljich/dp/0615489206/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=8-1&qid=1378436345" target="_blank">The Stress Pandemic: The Lifestyle Solution (Book ed.)</a> </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Stress-Pandemic-Lifestyle-Solution-ebook/dp/B0087OS7GK/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=8-1&qid=1378436345" target="_blank">The Stress Pandemic: The Lifestyle Solution (Kindle ed.)</a> </span></span></span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16399522365969796755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1089421246126704671.post-85392845936480636572013-08-30T18:40:00.000+08:002013-08-30T18:45:13.898+08:00Sleeping With The Beast by Dale Ryan - Mini Book Review<span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size: large;">by Raymond Mathiesen</span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></span></span>4 out of 5 stars</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: purple;"><i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Our Pets And Who We Are...</span></span></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">When Dale Ryan was a
child people had the idea the life should be very ordered and
hierarchical. Everything had its place
and a dogs place was certainly in the yard, or perhaps in the kitchen. (p.109) As the title <i>Sleeping With The Beast</i> suggests, this book certainly
doesn’t take that position, though it does not propose that life with dogs must
be chaotic, dirty and ugly. Dale Ryan
has been a dog lover since childhood when her family owned Charcoal, an adored
but ill-fated canine. (p. 14-15) Dale
has owned15 dogs over the years, and this book reveals the personality of a
kind soul who takes the time to care, to think about life from a perspective
different from her own, and to be flexible enough to adapt to those differences
however possible. Dale is qualified in
art and design (Bachelor of Science Degree in Art Education) and this book is
filled with beautiful, colour photographs that add to the text and demonstrate
that a less ordered life is not necessarily an unpleasant, disordered life. These photos illustrate practical solutions
to the problems of having dogs as companions, a less seemly dog-fight, and most
of all dogs just being dogs.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmCbHG4pHpqZy_x_f9gAbUJgfn-4kJ6EGJCSwWhWFeQFUQW-GXZMeUgI-KPCbGUtfcOtG62LI5s3C_F8Ld7-cAGMKf84KLxOr9DinN51TOg-UyIpiuLLP5njsHX69OMUo6WeWixhQdThn4/s1600/cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmCbHG4pHpqZy_x_f9gAbUJgfn-4kJ6EGJCSwWhWFeQFUQW-GXZMeUgI-KPCbGUtfcOtG62LI5s3C_F8Ld7-cAGMKf84KLxOr9DinN51TOg-UyIpiuLLP5njsHX69OMUo6WeWixhQdThn4/s1600/cover.jpg" height="320" width="256" /></a><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">The idea of the “beast”
is central to this book and Dale plays with the meaning, sometimes referring to
the obvious dogs, sometimes referring to man, and sometimes meaning ‘beastly,’
as in ‘not nice.’ We see ourselves as
separate from nature and the animals, but of course we are always in nature
even in our ordered homes, and, as scientists remind us, we are animals
ourselves. This is a very Taoist idea
(Alan Watts. <i>The Tao Of Philosophy</i>: Tuttle Publishing, 2002, p. 17-34) and the
book is indeed lightly philosophic, in a common sense kind of way. Following from the idea that dogs and man are
similar, it is no surprise to find that much of the advice about living with
dogs is at the same time applied to people.
The book is very nitty-gritty and practical and the suggestions are
indeed useful to all of us (dogs and people).
Of course much in Sleeping With The Beast could apply to any animal,
especially domesticated animals such as cats and birds.</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">A second important idea
in Dale’s book is ‘family.’ As she
points out in her Introduction (p.13-17) we once had a very limited idea of the
nuclear family (mother and father and two children), but since the 1960s our
notions have broadened. We have single
parent families, second marriage families, defacto families, LGBTI families,
etc. It is Dale’s idea that our pets can
very much be seen as part of our family and that they are are perhaps as
something like children. As a result
this is a very family oriented book and the reader will find much information
in it that will benefit their whole family and not just their dogs. For example Chapter 2 <u>Decorative Dogs
</u>contains very practical information on decorating a house with both children
and dogs in mind: what applies to one generally applies to the other.</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
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</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Dale is an artist and
much of this book shows a touch of her skills in that field. She displays an artist’s observation when she
notes that dogs have a heightened sense of smell and therefore enjoy being in
the kitchen when you cook (p. 49) and also playing in herb gardens. (p. 68) Similarly, she shows an artist’s contemplative
thought when she wonders if dogs really like having their heads patted. (p.
85) Most of all she demonstrates
drafting skills when she observes that living with dogs requires planning. (p.
30) My point is that, as I have said,
this book is very practical. To take
this argument further I note Dale observes that, like us, dogs are pack animals
and need the company of other dogs. You
therefore should not really have just one dog (p. 86). Dana Kramer-Rolls, in <i>The Way Of The Cat
</i>(Conari Press, 2004, p.85-105) makes a similar point about cats. With a little thought this idea is very
obvious, but in our “Take One Home For The Kiddies” (Philip Larkin. <i>The Whitsun
Weddings</i>, 1960) attitude we purchase just one and then go out to work leaving
them alone all day, locked in the yard, or even worse in the flat. The books practicality is very much enhanced
by the inclusion of a “Tips” list at the end of each chapter. These tips are summaries of the useful ideas
in the chapter and are very good for easy reference, saving the reader from
having to leaf through pages.</span></span></span></span></div>
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</span></span></span><br />
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</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Balancing its
practicality the book also contains a little philosophy. Dale considers, for example why we like dogs
(p.17-18). Similarly she considers the
nature of dogs (p. 48) and the nature of man (p. 79).</span></span></span></span></div>
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</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Of course no situation
is perfect and it would not ring true if Dale insisted that dogs are faultless
pets. She has indeed included some
criticisms of dogs, such as their eating habits and the possibility of
aggression/fighting. (p. 54)</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">To my mind there are
one or two minor faults in the book.
First, the recipe “Clementine’s Classic Chicken Soup” (p.55) involves a
total of one hour and twenty minutes cooking time and seems very ‘overdone,’
leaving not much nutritional value.
Second, Dale’s suggestion of a white cover sheet for the bed seems very
much the wrong colour as it will immediately show every speck of dirt. These are, as I say, minor quibbles.</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Dale has a very friendly
writing voice and her book is entertaining and easy to read. The many illustrative stories she includes
from her family life very much help us to feel ‘at home’ with the book.</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">In brief the book
covers:</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">A general comparison
between man and dog and their inner nature as social animals</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">The challenges and
bonuses of living with dogs</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
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<br /></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Decorating and
remodelling your house so that it’s dog friendly</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
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<br /></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Cooking for your dog,
with special consideration to health</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Designing your bedroom
with dogs in mind, and the psychology of sleeping with dogs</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Making your garden a
safe and friendly environment for dogs</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Problems that can arise
from living with dogs, including human problems such as cruelty</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
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<br /></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Raising dogs from
puppies </span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
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<br /></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">How to cope when dogs
die, and what to do in case the owner dies</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Dale Ryan has written a
more unusual book about the relationship between dogs and man. <i>Sleeping With The Beast</i> is full of down-to-earth practical
tips about living with dogs. It also
contains some observations and philosophy about what the man/dog relationship reveals
and indeed some thoughts about society in general. This is a very friendly book and a for any
dog owner joy to read. It is beautifully
illustrated with full colour photographs and would make an excellent coffee
table book.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sleeping-With-Beast-Dale-Ryan/dp/098500830X/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0" target="_blank">Sleeping With The Beast (Book ed.)</a> </span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sleeping-With-The-Beast-ebook/dp/B007Z9VAO4/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=&qid=" target="_blank">Sleeping With The Beast (Kindle ed.)</a> </span></span></span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16399522365969796755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1089421246126704671.post-23137784248369186812013-08-23T13:23:00.001+08:002013-08-23T13:31:22.532+08:00Everybody’s Gay! [Come With Us To Be Free] by German Alcala – Mini Book Review<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</xml><![endif]--><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">4 out of 5 stars</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Torch-song for those young enough to suffer</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">A group of teenagers pass through the doors of a gay
club, past the bouncer and into the spectacular and dreadful company of a drag
queen. Inside the club everybody is
unconventional, themselves, gay. The
world of rules and regulations, with priests, parents and piers, is
outside. Inside the club everybody is
free just to be.</span></span></span></span></div>
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</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">This is a book of poems especially for youth and
particularly for gay youth. As the ‘It
Gets Better’ campaign has revealed, life for gay youth is not easy; in fact, it
can be downright cruel and dangerous.
Our youth are suffering and our gay youth suffer much more. These poems are written in the persona of an
older gay man who has a protective wish for the young. He is battle scared, but still fighting. In the guise of a drag queen he bellows songs
of anger for the torturers, and warbles messages of encouragement to the young. (German Alcala, the poet, is in fact a 15
year old youth.)</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuJLUDYwUzZ_ABWzEuCjgDuHCVsunlkfDYGNPpINeoL55-o-6RFFPQeXD3OEcuEaxqVO1N06rGgz7GelUGfrMhYkuMqBXAztmqih9UQLc6wPvWAQq1XUaYgCJ4EGe70_UkMG37rKvnyuld/s1600/cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuJLUDYwUzZ_ABWzEuCjgDuHCVsunlkfDYGNPpINeoL55-o-6RFFPQeXD3OEcuEaxqVO1N06rGgz7GelUGfrMhYkuMqBXAztmqih9UQLc6wPvWAQq1XUaYgCJ4EGe70_UkMG37rKvnyuld/s1600/cover.jpg" height="320" width="200" /></a><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Sometimes using rhyme, but mostly in completely free
verse, this book of poems is interesting and energetic. Imagery is heavily used, but there is nothing
in this book that is beyond the ordinary reader. One or two poems do require a little thought,
but a rereading with a fresh mind easily solves this minor difficulty.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">The title poem, which is at the centre of the book,
sums up what most of the book is about.
You might protest, “But everybody is not gay!” But this is to miss the subtly of what gay
people have to offer.</span></span></span></span></div>
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</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Of course this book certainly will offend the
conservative, but we all need to be stretched at some point in life, and how
can we really know why we don’t like something if we don’t explore places,
people, ideas?</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Accompanying the text are a series of photographs,
mostly in colour, of German himself, his clothes speckled with glitter, posing
with a globe in his hands. The thought
behind these pictures is also in the title poems. These pictures are a nice touch.</span></span></span></span></div>
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</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">This book is certainly worth reading. Its sharp and soft words have a worthwhile
message, and its extravagance is entertaining in a bold surprising way.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Everybodys-Come-Poetry-Photography-ebook/dp/B0077JMK78/ref=cm_cr-mr-title" target="_blank">Everybody's Gay! [Come With Us To Be Free] (Kindle ed.)</a> </span></span></span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16399522365969796755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1089421246126704671.post-85326990299982220792013-08-16T13:47:00.001+08:002013-08-16T13:52:33.824+08:00The Hidden Realms of Firestone by Linda M. David<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</xml><![endif]--><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: red;">4 out of 5 stars</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="line-height: 200%;">Volcanic
Lava Logs and an awesome holiday...</span></i></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">A mysterious figure is looking at a
featureless wall.... then Agathea Fulstropp arrives with the bang of the car
door. She doesn't want to go on holiday
seeing things: “I want to go the beach with granddad.” She knows quite well where she wants to go: to
school, on another planet and her parents aren't going to stop her. However, lots of other people have plans for Thea
and she is kidnapped....</span></span></span></span></div>
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</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Who has kidnapped her? Where is she?
Returned to the school with little knowledge of what happened Thea is
simply delighted to be back. All,
however, is not well, with a new girl spoiling everything. Will Thea ever again be friends with Annalije? Will she be able to find out who kidnapped
her, before she is kidnapped again?</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Linda M. David's <i>The Hidden Realms of Firestone</i> is an
engrossing Fantasy/Science-Fiction book for teenagers. It
will also appeal to those teenage readers who enjoy the School Story genre.</span></span></span></span><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span></span></span><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;"> Beyond this David’s novel can be
read and greatly appreciated by adults who wish to recapture a little of their
youth.</span></span></span></span><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span></span></span>
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</span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggB6abRv_HcmNd_MgvrfiRxGTzjxDrJAa7LQyELUSxF5j-GYLvDsosv3m5D6d0bmtlJxHI-SzvtF5lzZ5UXWhawQZ7r-1Xpdz-gAx5QiDNlwQS85h_5FJKYh1e2pLW7-2F4BsOXmIU25kt/s1600/cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggB6abRv_HcmNd_MgvrfiRxGTzjxDrJAa7LQyELUSxF5j-GYLvDsosv3m5D6d0bmtlJxHI-SzvtF5lzZ5UXWhawQZ7r-1Xpdz-gAx5QiDNlwQS85h_5FJKYh1e2pLW7-2F4BsOXmIU25kt/s1600/cover.jpg" height="320" width="230" /></a><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">"Thea had a great adventure and
even managed to help you out of your ...erm...situation but now ... well maybe
it's time for her life to get back to normal."</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">"I was ...quite intrigued about
your encounter with the legendary Winged-Zaphina. You must have been absolutely terrified!"</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">"Well no, not really",
said Thea taking another mouthful of her Lava. Shake, "it turned out to be a very kind
and friendly creature - not frightening at all."(Chapter 2)</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">In Planet Aruuliah, David presents a
complete (other) world, filled with interesting characters, and with new
animals (the Cheebles, the Gruzzlings), food and people. The book is interestingly described and well
structured.</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">The issues that the novel deals with
(friendship, loneliness, and difference and acceptance) introduce a strong and
engaging character. Thea is real and not
always likeable. She is sulky, rude and precious
about her friendship and her clothes:</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">"Every item of her clothing was
strewn across the bed...and an oblivious Annalije posing before the floor
length mirror...</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">“What do you think you're doing?"
spluttered an incensed Thea as she strode in; snatching the garment from her
with such force she almost ripped it in two." (Chapter 3)</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Thea has an opinion, and is able to
do things and get things done. The above
scene is well written and explores the dynamics of friendship. During the course of the novel various
friendships are explored in detail. Thea's
relationship with Jojan is a lovely look at friendship: the two share an
interest in the Garden of Meditation. Jojan
helps Thea at the beginning. David
explores a changing relationship very well and the ending is pleasing.</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><span style="line-height: 200%;">The
Hidden Realms of Firestone</span></i><span style="line-height: 200%;">
also explores the importance of family. Thea
has an interesting relationship with her parents. Her mother is distant at the beginning and we
are not surprised Thea wants to go to another planet! Having both parents employed as archaeologists
is a nice touch. Thea’s relationship
with her grandfather is a particularly well drawn one: it shows how different
generations can coexist and enjoy each other's company, and it emphasises the
importance of grandparents to the family structure.</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">The novel's predominant structure is
that of the milieu: we are interested in the world of Planet Aruuliah and its
Academy; in the food, including Volcanic Lava Logs, Foaming Froth Cups,
Thunderbolt Sizzlers and Chilly Shocks; in pills which turn into food; and in the
technology that surrounds Thea and which she makes use of. There are also elements from the story which are
beautifully structured; for example, when things happen in the villages, that
the class are creating, it is reflected in the larger world of Planet Aruuliah and
the Academy. </span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">David owes some debt to J.K.
Rowling: some elements in the novel reminded me of Harry Potter; for example,
the Gardens of Meditation & Tranquillity, were similar to the forest
outside Hogwarts. However, in this genre
I don't see being reminded of other books as a problem; being reminded is more
of an expectation that a world has been created, and the expectation is
fulfilled.</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><span style="line-height: 200%;">The
Hidden Realms of Firestone </span></i><span style="line-height: 200%;">has
an omniscient narrator. Our main focus
is on Thea who is well drawn. We
understand her, learn about her and sympathise with her desire to be at school,
with her friend Annalije, and when things go wrong with Annalije and Ruganwyn,
we are on Thea's side. </span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">David, however, has skilfully drawn
characters and their relationships keep us reading. What is so weird about Ruganwyn? Why does she treat Thea the way she does? The answer is interesting and reminds the
reader that though the Fantasy/Science-Fiction novel depicts another world, it mirrors our own.</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">As a reader of the School Story
genre, I liked this story. Thea was an
engaging student and many of the lesson pieces and school sets appealed. The school friends are also well drawn as
characters. The relationships between
all of them (Jojan and Thea, Thea and Annalije, Ruganwyn and Annalije) are
complex and treat loneliness, difference and friendship sympathetically.</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">The animals and magic dolls are an
interesting aspect of the plot, and add to the believable world which David
creates.</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">The novel is well structured. Although it is the second in a series, I
didn't feel I needed to read the first. That
said I am interested to go back and read the first one. David’s hints at what happened in the first novel
were intriguing and have left me curious: "Qualon... or Maladour
...whatever his name was! What if he's
found a way to return from the grave and has come back to finish what he started?“
David makes good use of various devices
to move the plot along, including an object or objects with some great power,
kidnappers, evil and technology:</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">"You see, portals have such an
adverse effect on Earth's atmosphere that only a limited amount can be opened
per year, each of which has to be sanctioned by the authorities."</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">The characters in the novel all come
from different planets and so there is a great deal made of how 'people' look. Ursula K Le Guin one of the foremost writers
of Fantasy/Science-Fiction has “often made use of alien cultures to examine structural
characteristics of human culture and society and their impact on the individual”
(<i>Wikipedia,</i> Marilyn Strathern,
‘Gender as it Might be’ <i>RAIN,</i> No. 28,
1978 pp. 4-7, accessed August 13 2013). David’s Planet Aruuliah asks us to look at
society and people:</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">“There were so many students in the
Halls of Dining that she did not know where to look first. There was an absolute multitude of skin
colours, from the palest to the darkest imaginable in a variety of patterns and
markings. There were also a range of appendages
and attachments, from tails and horns to tentacles and feelers, additional skin
augmentations in the form of spikes and ridges, fur and feathers, not to
mention talons, claws and webbed feet!"</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Everyone makes fun of Thea because of
what she can’t do, for example change her skin colour like Ruganwyn, who comes
from the Planet Chameleon, and also because Earth is technologically
challenged, so Thea has issues with technology.
However, with the help of various friends Thea is able to defeat the
enemy and work out who the enemy is. There
is also an interesting discussion of exactly who is alien on Planet Aruuliah. <i>The
Hidden Realms of Firestone</i> does a great deal for tolerance and
understanding about diversity.</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Linda David's <i>The Hidden Realms of Firestone</i> is a strong novel about friendship,
combining elements of the School Story Fantasy and Science Fiction. The book is well written and provides both a
story in itself, as well as tantalising hints of what happened in a first book
in the series. It will appeal to a wide
raging of readers, having a strong plot line, and an opinionated and thoughtful
main character. </span><span style="line-height: 200%;"> I
highly recommended this book and am happy to rate it as 4 out of five stars.</span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;"> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hidden-Realms-Firestone-Linda-David/dp/1782993738/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1376629396&sr=8-1" target="_blank">The Hidden Realms of Firestone (Book ed.)</a></span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;"> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hidden-Realms-Firestone-ebook/dp/B00BVHR3LU/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=8-1&qid=1376629396" target="_blank">The Hidden Realms of Firestone (Kindle ed.)</a></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></div>
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<![endif]-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16399522365969796755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1089421246126704671.post-68517156265022240432013-08-09T12:18:00.002+08:002013-08-09T18:58:34.762+08:00Delighting In Your Company by Blair McDowell <span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">5 out of 5 stars</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
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<span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><span style="line-height: 200%;">Past
suffering and future bliss?</span></i></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Amalie Ansett is a busy working professional who
part owns an advertising agency in Los Angeles. California. She has just suffered a painful break-up of
her marriage and while cleaning her family home, which is now on the market, she
discovers an unopened letter to her mother from a previously unknown cousin,
Josephina Ansett. Josephina lives on St.
Clements, a small island in the Caribbean.
The letter invites Amalie and her mother, who is now deceased, to a
visit on the island. Sorely in need of a
break Amalie decides to go. Imagine her
surprise when, while touring on St. Clements she learns of another Amalie
Ansett, who lived in the early 1800s, and who looks remarkably like her
twenty-first century descendent. Life
takes on an even stranger turn when Amalie is visited by the ghost of Jonathan
Evans, the 1810 lover of the Amalie of the past. Jonathan died in strange, unexplained
circumstances and asks for Amalie’s help to solve the mystery.</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Blair McDowell’s <i>Delighting
In your Company</i> is an exciting, action packed novel of the paranormal
romance/erotica genre. Much more than
this, though, the book gives a glimpse of life in the early 1800s, especially
for women and slaves. Most of all this
is a novel about Amalie’s need to come to terms with her very present and very
‘real’ life problems.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYkIZg7zmQzUbNhOD8nIYMwrT4iXY4wSKTB3rGDLh1X-Q8rZXN1x1smHPf19qUsQys8dlkA-qTI6IBJyb4HXik0uZrlMHot-vzRge5yKuVAA58JPD1qmc8_eA_T8nrQv-rBBXT91rO0TU0/s1600/cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYkIZg7zmQzUbNhOD8nIYMwrT4iXY4wSKTB3rGDLh1X-Q8rZXN1x1smHPf19qUsQys8dlkA-qTI6IBJyb4HXik0uZrlMHot-vzRge5yKuVAA58JPD1qmc8_eA_T8nrQv-rBBXT91rO0TU0/s1600/cover.jpg" height="320" width="231" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">McDowell’s novel has a more unusual and complex
narrative structure. There is a short
introductory section, set in L.A. (Ch. 1), followed by an introduction to St.
Clements and its history (Ch. 2 to Ch. 4).
Next there is a sequence of three visits to the past, each successively
moving towards some kind of resolution of Jonathan’s problem. After each visit there is a further working
out, in the present, of the consequences of the stay in the past. These three sections are: First visit and its
consequences (Ch. 5 to Ch. 6); Second visit and its consequences (Ch. 7 to Ch. 9),
and Third visit and its consequences (Ch. 10 to Ch. 12). Finally there is an Epilogue which neatly
wraps up and resolves both the past and present plot lines. This more unusual plot line serves well to
keep the reader interested, while at the same time allowing questions to remain
open until the very end. The three
visits involve a little repetition, but are in no way boring. Rather McDowell skilfully works in many new
details, weaving more and more complexity as the novel proceeds.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="line-height: 200%;">Delighting
In Your Company</span></i><span style="line-height: 200%;"> is written in omniscient narrator mode,
but mainly centres on Amalie’s perspective.
There are, though, a number of shifts to Jonathan’s perspective, and
that of other characters. The novel
contains a number of surprise plot twists and “Oh my God!” chapter
endings. There is also some humour,
especially in the early part of the book, including a “hair-raising” drive from
the St. Clements airport, chauffeured by Andrew, Josephina’s half-blind, hired
hand (Ch. 2). There is also here and
there a touch of irony to remind us of the bitter truth of life’s suffering. All of this goes to make an interesting and
well written text with plenty of stylistic flair. It should be noted that sex is quite openly
depicted in the novel and that this may offend conservative readers. While it containing erotic elements the novel
is not pure erotica.</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">McDowell’s ‘good’ characters are suitably likable,
though most not perfectly so, and we relate to them even though many come from
a past, unfamiliar time. Amalie is a
capable woman, but in emotional need.
Josephina, at 80 years old, is suitably wise and motherly, though
perhaps a little “fey” (Ch. 3). Jonathan
is caring and kind, but is certainly to some extent trapped in the male bigotry
of his era. McDowell’s ‘bad’ characters,
chiefly Charles Benstone the 1800s “Island Administrator” (Ch. 2), is suitably
dastardly, though as a point of criticism he is perhaps slightly too evil to be
‘real’. Perhaps just a bit more insight
into his history and motivations could have made him more rounded. The name Amalie is a variation of the name
Amelia, which itself is a blending of Emilia and Amalia (Patrick Hanks &
Flavia Hodges. <i>A Concise Dictionary of First Names</i>: Third ed.: Oxford University
Press, 2001, p. 10). Emilia means
“rival” (Hanks, p. 79) and Amalia means “work” (Hanks, p. 10). Amalie finds that her past counterpart is in
many ways a competitor for the affections of Jonathan, and certainly has much
labour set out for her in solving the mystery of the past. Jonathan means “God has given” (Hanks, p.131)
and he has certainly been blessed with wealth and position, though this name
has some irony as those are the very possessions which he seems to have been
stripped of. Josephina means “God shall
add (another … [child])” (Hanks, p. 132)
and she indeed acquires a ‘daughter’ in the form of Amalie.</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">The novel very much resolves around the theme of
possession. How firmly do we hold our
land or place in society? Should one
person ever ‘own’ another (slavery)?
More broadly are we free to think beyond our culture, or are we trapped
in it, ‘possessed’ by it? We all
surrender a little of our ‘control’ to others, whether we like it or not, but
surely the human spirit reaches for the maximum freedom pragmatically
available? In another direction we as
free individuals often choose to co-operate, and this indeed is a theme
relevant to Western culture, and perhaps particularly to U.S. society. We value frontier individuality, but much of
the ‘West” was won by teams of people working together. In modern society the 1960’s marked the
beginning of the ‘I” culture, but as Rollo May has pointed out in <i>Freedom and Destiny</i> (W.W. Norton, c1981)
we have the restraint of responsibility to others on us, and beyond this history
has shown that we truly achieve by co-operation (Robin Dunbar, Louise Barrett
& John Lycett. <i>Evolutionary
Psychology: A Beginner’s Guide</i>: Oneworld, c2007, Ch. 11). What are the limits of the hard headed U.S.
individualist? Indeed they can achieve
much, but at what cost? Finally
open-mindedness is an important theme which builds upon the last two
mentioned. To see beyond what our
society tells us about possession and individuality we must have an open mind
or we are forever subject to ‘enculturation’, trapped. Are other cultures religious beliefs
completely foolish? Are we doomed to
repeat our history by the rigid bounds of the society we are ‘constructed’ in,
matured in? Are psychic phenomena
completely foolish as we are likely to say in a ‘pat,’ off-hand way, or are
there possibilities beyond our experience?</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">The female characters in <i>Delighting In Your Company</i> are virtually all capable women who
enjoy a challenge and have skills to meet it.
Amalie and her business partner, Lorna Cummings, were “two women in a
class of twenty men” (Ch. 1), but never-the-less they graduated from the UCLA
with business degrees. “They watched and
commiserated with each other as less competent men were promoted over them,”
but in the end set up their own “L.A. advertising agency”. “Lana’s support through all these
circumstances and more very much reminds us of the second wave feminist’s
“consciousness-raising” rap groups in which they shared their experiences,
successes and failures, and gave each other support (Cathia Jenainati. <i>Introducing
Feminism</i>: Icon Books, c2010, p. 81, 95, 102). Josephina proves more wise than “fey” (Ch.
3). Amalie of the 1800s is “no shrinking
violet” (Ch. 5). She was a “tomboy” (Ch.
5) as a child. She swims and rides
horses like a man and is a very forward lover.
Gustavia Graham, a descendent of St. Clement’s slaves, administers the
Island museum by herself. Elvirna
Jones, one of Josephina’s employees proves savvy to the goings on of St.
Clement’s society. Even Jemma and Krishia, slaves though they are, show their
worth as loving, caring individuals where they could easily be haters and
betrayers. The position of women of the
1800s as ‘protected” (Ch. 7) individuals who should not worry their “pretty
little heads” (Ch. 5) about important matters is very much portrayed, with
considerable condemning comment from Amalie.
But even the position of post second wave feminist women is
examined. In chapter 1 Amalie reveals
that she sees herself as “mousy” and “over-weight”, though Lorna strongly
denies this. This whole conversation is
highly ironic as Amalie has fallen victim to the very myth perpetrated by the
advertising business. We immediately
think of Naomi Wolf’s <i>The Beauty Myth</i>
(William Morrow, 1991). In general
Feminists will enjoy this novel as a work looking at both past injustices,
present achievements and present difficulties.
As we have observed even the history and current position of African descent
women is looked at.</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Following from Feminism, those interested in Gender
Studies will find the depiction of Jonathan worth examination. As a man of the early 1800s Jonathan’s view
of women in some ways quite fits the bigoted attitude towards women of his
time. When Amalie tries to inform him of
the shady business deal her father has got himself entrapped in Jonathan doubts
her word very much and insists that he will sort the whole issue out himself by
discussing the matter man to man (Ch. 10). Jonathan must be gently “persuaded” (Ch.
10) to listen to Amalie. On the other
hand Jonathan is very much a non-stereotypical, caring man. He is in many ways very tender with Amalie. He also cares very much for the slaves on his
plantation. In this time of transition
from slavery to freedom (1810) he is the only plantation owner on the island
experimenting with new crops which are less labour intensive and involve much
more humane working conditions. He
secretly plans to free his slaves.
Samuel, Jonathan’s freed African descent companion, is also a caring man. Having seen and experienced the cruelty of
the slave system he has every right to be vengeful and aggressive, but he is
very much above this kind of macho behaviour: instead he is a man of deep
thought and caring, as well as action.
Benstone, on the other hand is the epitome of 1800’s male bigotry and
stereotype, being motivated by power, and a female dominator to boot.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Gay characters are completely absent from the
novel. This is an unfortunate oversight
in a book dealing so much with the notion of typed roles, exclusion and
rebellion.</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">The aged are of course represented by the 85 year old
Josephina who is depicted as having a wise understanding of life, in all its
complexity and strangeness, and a loving, caring and open personality. The absent characters of Amalie’s mother and
father are also described as being caring people who supported their daughter
with affection, a listening ear and wise advice (Ch. 1). Of course not all of the aged are wise and
caring, but it is excellent to see this often overlooked, and frequently
demeaned, group depicted positively.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">The idea of wealth verses personal fulfilment is
prominent in the novel and this notion will quite appeal to those interested in
the Marxism/Capitalism debate. Marx was
very much interested in “the relationships between individuals and the society
they lived in” (Gill Hand. <i>Understanding
Marx</i>: Hodder Education, 2011, p. 67), and in allowing people to reach the
full potential they are capable of.
Early in the story Brett, Amalie’s ex-husband, is revealed to be only
interested in Amalie for the social connections her family offers: connections
to wealth and success. Benstone also is
interested in ”conquest” (Ch. 6) in all its various forms. The “Hollywood Hills” lifestyle (Ch. 1) is
contrasted with the quieter, but more personally fulfilling, existence of St.
Clements. Marx of course was very much
interested in the evils of, and the countering of, Colonialism (Hand, p.44-46),
and <i>Delighting In Your Company</i> very
much deals critically with the suffering of slaves, and the drive for money and
power, in the British Colonial Caribbean.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">As we have just said, Dowell’s novel spends a
considerable amount of time looking at English colonialism and its
implications. The part of the world
depicted in the book, both in the present and in the past, is not <i>post</i>-colonial. In the present Josephina is a white land
owner, with African descent employees, sitting in her, certainly much faded,
but not past estate. The Island museum
enshrines only colonial history. There
are no African descent items on display, and certainly no archaeological items
from the original, indigenous Caribbean occupants. In the past Colonialism is of course very
live and well. This colonial ethos,
however, certainly does not go unquestioned or uncriticised: far from it. In her first tour of the museum, for example,
Amalie is struck by the harsh conditions of the cook house, where the slaves
worked, with its very low roof and no windows, thus trapping the heat of the
oven (Ch. 2). In the past the horrors of
the “boiling house” (Ch. 4), where the sugar cane is cooked is even more
graphically described. As has been noted
many of the African descent characters are positively portrayed. As one further example Edward Sloan,
Josephina’s lawyer, is of African descent and is quite prosperous and
successful. The African Obeah religion
is in many ways positively represented, and the negative qualities are compared
with the adverse qualities of Christianity.
The novel could be criticised for weaving a ‘mystical’ aura around the
Caribbean in a similar way that Edward Said noted the West romanticises the
East (<i>Orientalism</i>: Vintage Books,
1979). Much of this mystery, however,
comes from the shifting, multi-cultured circumstance of the narrative, which is
very much in line with Post-Colonial Theory (Peter Barry. <i>Beginning Theory: An Introduction to Literary And Cultural Theory</i>:
Third Ed.: Manchester University Press, 2009, p. 189-190). St. Clements is in the Caribbean, but is part
English / part African, and the island
is visited by an American. We freely
move through these cultures and through time, none of which is represented as
perfect, and none of which is unfairly condemned.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Structuralists, particularly those influence by
Levi-Strauss (Mary Klages. <i>Literary
Theory: A Guide For The Perplexed</i>: Continuum, 2006, p. 42-43), will observe
that McDowell’s novel includes a number of paired characters. The complimentary pairs are: Amalie of the
present/Amalie of the 1800s, Amalie (both present and past)/Jonathan, Amalie/Josephina
and Brett/Benstone. The opposing pairs
are Amalie/Brett and Amalie/Benstone.
The novel very much revolves around a good/bad dichotomy which is quite
marked. As we have observed the ‘good’
characters are rounded, having faults, but Benstone is very much the arch
villain. As we have also seen there is a
man/woman dichotomy and s slave/master opposition, though these tend to
reconcile, in a more Postmodern fashion, as the book progresses.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Postmodernists, influenced by Jacques Derrida, will
note that white/upper-class/male is the centre of the system of the 1800’s, as
depicted in the novel, and that, as we have just said above, this centre
becomes destabilized as the plot progresses (Klages, p. 55-60). Giving details would of course spoil the
book.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="line-height: 200%;">Delighting
In Your Company</span></i><span style="line-height: 200%;"> very much depicts Jacques Lacan’s idea
of the “Other” (Lionel Bailly. <i>Lacan: A
Beginner’s Guide</i>: Oneworld, 2009, Ch. 7).
We all desire ‘something’ which we feel is missing in our life and which
is possessed by, and can be fulfilled by another person. According to Lacan the sense of the Other can
never completely be fulfilled, and indeed McDowell has interestingly depicted
the Other as a ghost, a real yet unreal, ephemeral thing. The novel can be read as a symbolic
therapeutic journey: a suffering woman
who has lost her parents and husband goes to an island to find answers from the
past to resolve her current circumstances.
The ocean can be a symbol of the consciousness, of “our psychic depths”
(Kathleen Martin, ed. <i>The Book Of
Symbols: Reflections On Archetypal Images</i>: Taschen, c2010, p. 36) and
indeed, one way or another Amalie must delve into her psyche to resolve issues
regarding her parents, divorce and rushed business life. The ocean also has mother/creative-force
aspects (C. G. Jung. <i>Symbols Of
Transformation: An Analysis Of The Prelude To A Case Of Schizophrenia</i>:
second ed.: Princeton University Press, 1967, p. 217-219), and interestingly on
St. Clements Amalie finds a mother figure.
Ghosts can refer to “unfinished business,” specifically “unresolved
grief and persistent attachment,” and “tender ghosts … return to console”
(Martin, p. 788). Jonathan could very
much be said to comfort Amalie in her time of need. Much of the story revolves around the need
for a key to a safe. For Freud the key
is a sexual symbol (Sigmund Freud. <i>The Interpretation
Of Dreams</i>: Penguin Books, 1976, p. 471) and indeed sex and sexual need is
fairly prominent in the plot. More
broadly the lock and key is symbolic of “transformation,” as something that
“will give access to the object of longing – self-discovery, peace of mind, the
enigmatic heart of the beloved” (Martin, p. 562). McDowell’s novel is indeed a depiction of a
search for these longed for matters.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">As it has paranormal content McDowell’s novel very
much lends itself to mythological interpretation. As we have seen the plot contains an Amalie
of the present and ‘twin’ Amalie of 1810.
As Claude Levi-Strauss points out in his essay ‘Harelips And Twins: The Splitting
Of a Myth” (<i>Myth And Meaning</i>:
Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1978, p. 24-33) twins, in American indigenous
culture, are often depicted as rivals, and indeed in McDowell’s book both women
are competitors for Jonathan’s affections.
In astrology “Gemini represents a search for self through the mental
process …” (Kim Farnell. <i>Astrology: New
Illustrated</i>: Starfire, 2002, p. 86)
In the Northern Hemisphere this sign falls at the seasonal time of year
when “more light is being shed on this world so that it can be seen,
contemplated and understood in its myriad expression” (Farnell, p. 86). As we have just seen in the preceding
paragraph the novel can be seen as a therapeutic journey. Gemini is ruled by the planet Mercury, the
servant of the Gods (Farnell, p. 86) and Amalie finds herself called to solve a
kind of “cosmic error” (Ch. 7). For
those born under Gemini “life’s different options can be identified” (Nicholas
Campion. <i>Zodiac: Enhance Your Life
Through Astrology</i>: Quadrille, c2000, p. 49) and “fresh possibilities” are
explored. In McDowell’s novel Amalie
must try several different solutions before she is successful. Gemini is sometimes represented as a couple
(Campion, p. 53) and Amalie and Jonathan, both blond haired characters, must
together work to restore order to the past.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Continuing on with the mythological aspects of McDowell’s
novel it can be noted that the tarot card of <u>The Devil</u> is relevant to
the book. As we have noted, Benstone is
depicted as a quite malicious person, with no redeeming features. He manifests throughout the book as an arch enemy
and evildoer. Sallie Nichols in her
analysis of this tarot card notes that the Devil is known for “arrogance and
pride,” that he has “too much ambition,” that he has “charm and considerable
influence,” and that “Temptation … [is] … his specialty” (<i>Jung And Tarot: An Archetypal Journey</i>: Samuel Weiser, 1980, p. 261). This is Benstone to a T. He uses his position of Island Administrator
to charm Amalie’s father into a very lucrative, but very shady deal. He is puffed up with his own power, intelligence
and conceit. Further Nichols notes of
the devil that he is known for “temper tantrums and … vengeance” (Nichols, p,
262), and indeed Amalie encounters exactly this behaviour when she moves to
cross Benstone. Waite, in his commentary
on <u>The Devil</u> card notes that it represents those “fallen into the
material and animal state” (Arthur Edward Waite. <i>The Pictorial Key To The Tarot: Being Fragments Of A Secret Tradition
Under The Veil Of Divination</i>: U.S. Games Systems, c1971, p. 135), and
indeed Benstone is motivated by money and power, and prone to rather animal
emotions. The traditional Marseilles Deck shows to characters,
perhaps one male and one female (they are ambiguous), chained to the alter on
which the Devil stands. In the early twentieth
century Waite Deck these figures are definitely man and woman. Amalie of the past and Jonathan are unwitting,
and apparently inextricably, trapped in Benstone’s mesh of intrigue and deceit. Even Amalie of the present finds it extremely difficult to break the
chains which bind those two characters to disaster.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">In her commentary Nichols notes that the
psychological state represented by <u>The Devil</u> card connects to that of
the next card, <u>The Tower</u> (Nichols, p, 287), and indeed this second card
is also relevant to McDowell’s novel. <u>The
Tower</u> depicts a small, stone keep struck by flames/lightening with two
people falling from its walls. Nichols
notes that these two people “are being thrown from a position of lofty security
into one of exposure and confusion” (Nichols, p.283). Amalie and Jonathan of the past are certainly
thrown from their colonial positions of privilege and certainty, and Jonathan’s
mansion will literally go up in flames.
In a broader sense Crowley, in his commentary on the card, notes that it
represents “destruction of the old-established Aeon” (<i>The Book Of Thoth: A Short Essay On The Tarot Of The Egyptians</i>:
Samuel Weiser, 1974, p. 107). As we have
seen <i>Delighting In Your Company</i> very
much has to do with slavery, Colonialism and the end of these systems. Nichols notes that in order to break from the
state of the card the individual must break free of “rigid system” (Nichols, p.
285). Jonathan, as we have seen, is
experimenting with new crops, different from the tried and tested, but cruel,
Colonial crop of sugar cane.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Blair McDowell’s <i>Delighting
In Your Company</i> is a novel of considerable complexity and depth of thought,
dealing with issues that will interest those fascinated with Feminism,
Post-Colonial Theory and Marxism. The
psychological aspects of the book are also intriguing, particularly in terms of
the depiction of the therapeutic journey.
On one level the novel can be read for the pure pleasure of paranormal
romance, but on another level it will give the reader much to think about. It is certainly not a dry scholarly tome;
indeed, this is an exciting and very enjoyable read. This novel also has much to say about
ordinary human experience, touching on issues of possession, co-operation and
open-mindedness. Most of all this is a
book about the search for human fulfilment.
I am happy to rate this book as 5 out of 5 stars.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Delighting-Your-Company-Blair-McDowell/dp/1937265625/ref=tmm_pap_title_0" target="_blank">Delighting In Your Company by Blair McDowell (Book ed.)</a> </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Delighting-in-Your-Company-ebook/dp/B007UT37VI/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=1-3&qid=1376021165" target="_blank">Delighting In Your Company by Blair McDowell (Kindle ed.)</a> </span></span></span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16399522365969796755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1089421246126704671.post-44317981978786199912013-08-02T16:30:00.001+08:002013-08-02T16:40:43.436+08:00Think From The Heart, Love From The Mind by Gian Kumar - Mini Review<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Awareness And A Clear View Of Life</span></span></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">On Monday morning, as you wolf down breakfast, drop the kids at
school and fight the traffic to work, have you ever thought, “I wish I could be
happy!” or even more, “I wish I could have more days of peace!” If so, this is the book for you. You may think the answer will read something like,
“Think about what you like and don’t like, make lists, then work out strategies
to increase and avoid them respectively.
Quite the contrary, Gian suggests that the first thing you do is DON’T
THINK. Instead we should calmly observe,
noticing our thoughts and feelings, and the world around us. Eventually, Gian says, we will receive
intuitions from our unconscious that will point us in the direction we should
really go. Gian calls this whole process
“awareness”, but some may know it by the Buddhist name “mindfulness” (Michael
Carrithers.<i> Buddha: A Very Short Introduction</i>:
Oxford University Press, c1996, p. 50-52). According to Gian the trouble with thinking is
that our beliefs are based on past experiences while we live in a fast changing
human life. Even our past experiences
were interpreted by us in terms of what our parents, teachers, religious
leaders, political leaders, etc. taught us.
These ideologies are themselves interpretations of those people’s pasts. Gian is not suggesting that there is anything
wrong with thinking, but the idea is that we be truly informed before we think.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">This book could be classified as New Age, but it is much more
accurately described as Eastern philosophy.
Gian presents an interesting mixture of Buddhist and Hindu thought. The Hindu thought largely comes from <i>The Bhagwat Gita</i> (Ch. 13). There is also a sprinkling of Christian and
Islamic ideas. Gian is a free-thinker,
self-taught, and, as we have hinted, one of his main ideas is to avoid being
trapped in any one dogma as we immediately limit our view of what is “now.”</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTtTKGJvNaoOJ9Bkef_cXpEMCVCxMWR5EWdrkywUrd1N1Fl92rxTHbEvH1aOuaFx6Ga3PVRNv-Cza1WQXIESiulq1eN2kiFFQ1Q0R1vSSSi43aukBoWL28cFjPyax0QSLUPl638ubwq95M/s1600/cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTtTKGJvNaoOJ9Bkef_cXpEMCVCxMWR5EWdrkywUrd1N1Fl92rxTHbEvH1aOuaFx6Ga3PVRNv-Cza1WQXIESiulq1eN2kiFFQ1Q0R1vSSSi43aukBoWL28cFjPyax0QSLUPl638ubwq95M/s1600/cover.jpg" height="320" width="226" /></a><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">The first quarter of the book deals with a brief overview of (1)
the condition of man, and, (2), the solution of awareness. The second quarter concentrates on a largely
Buddhist view of knowledge (Ch. 4), choicelessness (Ch. 5) awareness (Ch. 6),
and duality and non-duality (Ch. 7). The
third and fourth quarters concentrate on Hindu ideas of the absolute (Ch. 8),
creation and destruction (Ch. 9), spontaneity and the now (Ch. 10), sensitivity
rather than emotionality (Ch. 11) awareness in practical living (Ch. 12),
completeness (Ch. 13), and zero (Ch. 14).
This world wind summary of course can only hint at the depth of the book
which shows much study.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">The reader who is experienced in this field of knowledge may
find <i>Think From The Heart, Love From The
Mind</i> a little repetitive; however, this same quality will very much help
those new to the ideas. The book indeed
contains some quite difficult concepts which need to be thought about and even struggled
with. In Chapter 2 “awareness,” which
reveals “absolute reality,” is described as being both “changeless” and
“constant flowing”: one definition
implying something static, and the other something changing. If the reader keeps going, however, all will
be explained later in the book. The
concept of “choicelessness” (Ch. 5) is even more of a mystery, especially when
faced with the problem of evil in others.
What should we do? Once again
keep reading and keep thinking.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">For those who are particularly interested in philosophy in general,
many will recognize in Gian’s work a similarity with the Existentialist’s view
of ‘normal’ life as gratuitous, contingent, meaningless, and nauseating (e.g.
Jean-Paul Sartre. <i>Nausea</i>: Penguin,
1965). More particularly there is a
noted similarity with the existentialist Karl Jaspers’ view of absolute reality
as immensely complex, beyond all systems of knowledge, but none the less in
some way knowable through mystical experience (<i>Philosophy Of Existence</i>: University of Pennsylvania Press, c1971
& <i>Reason And Existenz</i>: Noonday
Press, c1955). Also Gian’s view of creativity welling up from the unconscious
is very similar to that of the existentialist psychologist Rollo May (<i>The Courage To Create</i>: Bantam Books,
c1975).</span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="color: blue; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">This book is good for all ‘seekers’ from beginners to the
experienced: each will take from it something at their own level. While sometimes dealing with weighty
questions the book is quite short, though it probably should be read over
several weekends in order to digest the issues.
All in all <i>Think From The Heart,
Love From The Mind</i> is an enjoyable and interesting read.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: blue; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Think-From-Heart-Mind-ebook/dp/B0089DXEL2/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1375432037&sr=1-1&keywords=think+with+the+heart+love+mind+kumar" target="_blank">Think From The Heart, Love From The Mind (Kindle ed.)</a> </span></span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16399522365969796755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1089421246126704671.post-69421510381623575672013-07-26T13:32:00.000+08:002013-07-26T13:41:15.621+08:00The Serpent's Bite by Warren Adler - Mini Review<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;"><i><span style="color: purple;">The Sting of the Natural World</span></i></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">What could be nicer than a family get together in the
wilderness?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s get back to nature and
relax.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The idea of the benefits of a
family get-together is a popular one, but isn’t the reality of the situation
somewhat different?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Families after all
are the subject of a very number of interviews with psychologists.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In this novel George Temple has this idea of
getting together with his adult son and daughter, Courtney and Scott, by going
on a trek through the wilderness of Yellowstone Park.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Things have not been right with his family
and George seems to want to heal the matters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Unfortunately matters are not quite as simple as this.</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Warren Adler is a leading writer of thrill/chill fiction and
this is his thirty-sixth novel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His most
famous work is <i>The War of the Roses</i>, which was made into a movie starring Danny
De Vito, Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Unlike some horror books <i>The Serpent's Bite </i>is not a work of the fantastic, but it
does have a slightly larger than life quality.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But then how normal is ‘normal’ life?</span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJca6mqLkxv7wfbdlcA4Fe2a-U4G7G3N1ezoiMcrRoC7OEffyBsudnDkG79s3YmPHZaPfkpnpo8l28khIJpQqIM2i_o-ZWEX42lMv622Zy216dTUvBkV1w6qKtH9m3hUkf0uliTiV3ddTG/s1600/cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJca6mqLkxv7wfbdlcA4Fe2a-U4G7G3N1ezoiMcrRoC7OEffyBsudnDkG79s3YmPHZaPfkpnpo8l28khIJpQqIM2i_o-ZWEX42lMv622Zy216dTUvBkV1w6qKtH9m3hUkf0uliTiV3ddTG/s1600/cover.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">True to the genre the plot of Bite has many twists and
turns.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some changes of direction are
well prepared for, others are hinted at and some are very unexpected.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The style is calm, then explosive, then calm
again in a cycle that runs throughout the book.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There are two sex scenes which may shock very conservative readers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Adler manages admirably to maintain our
attention by including many flash backs (prior to the trip), which add
variety.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He also uses the interesting
technique of writing each chapter from a different character’s point of view.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This sometimes adds considerable irony to the
book as we see that some character’s perspective is not quite right.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the whole Adler presents a rather
hard-boiled view of human nature and the style captures this well.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">The characters in this novel are hardly likable, but Adler is
not trying to be ‘nice’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are indeed
delighted by these people’s nastiness and foolishness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even the good George Temple comes in for some
criticism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Being powerfully motivated,
these characters are relentless, carving a clear direction for themselves, but
some evolve over time.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">The book has a clear theme of addiction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First we meet alcohol addiction, but there
are other compulsions waiting to be discovered later in the plot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Temptation and ‘sin’ also run as topics,
though I do not mean to imply that this is a religious book.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Temple’s are Jews, but not practicing
synagogue visitors.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">From the psychological perspective Adler has written a fairly
accurate novel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The information about
addiction rings true to life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Adler
delves into peoples’ blind spots: the lies they consciously and even
unconsciously maintain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Close to this is
the truth of secrets kept from others.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Women may at first be a bit offended by this tale.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Courtney is certainly a powerful, determined
woman, however she falls into the category of the classic ‘prime hussy’, a
rather stereotyped role.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mrs Temple,
only alluded to in the text, also seems the stereotyped ‘loving mother’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Adler is, however, talking about the very
notion of stereotyping which very really occurs in our lives as we are subject
to social values from family, books, TV and films.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The very idea of feminism is based on this
notion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Adler certainly encourages us to
question this stereotyping.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To add
balance the male characters are equally driven pigs.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">In the larger perspective of the society Adler playfully upholds
vales and questions them at the same time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>His characters are bad people but their rebel views sometimes make sense
and carry weight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The philosopher Michel
Foucault pointed out that a great deal of society is a power system which
manipulates us and in this novel much of what manipulates us is delved into and
questioned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I do not mean that this is a
heavy philosophy text of the likes of Jean-Paul Sartre.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The average reader will most certainly enjoy
this book.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Nature features prominently in the book and Adler plays with it
as he plays with the notion of society.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>George
Temple’s idea is to get his children away from things in order to work their
life together out, but can we ever get away from life and is life really what
we think.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The ambivalence of nature
provides an interesting, symbolic backdrop to the book as a whole.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Adler has written an exciting, very readable book which also has
deeper meaning if you look twice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Be
prepared to be shocked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have mentioned
feminism, philosophy and symbolism but don’t reject this book because you think
it is too intellectual for you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At its
heart this is overwhelmingly horror, pure and simple.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Serpents-Bite-Warren-Adler/dp/159006044X/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1374815739&sr=8-1-fkmr0" target="_blank">The Serpent's Bite by Warren Adler (Book ed.)</a></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Serpents-Bite-ebook/dp/B00906GKRC/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1374815739&sr=8-1-fkmr0" target="_blank">The Serpent's Bite by Warren Adler (Kindle ed.)</a> </span></span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16399522365969796755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1089421246126704671.post-16484063592642017692013-07-10T08:36:00.002+08:002013-08-09T12:27:46.660+08:00Clover Doves by Courtney Filignezi<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</xml><![endif]--><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">4.5 out of 5 stars</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="line-height: 200%;">Struggling towards the light</span></i></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Emma
Fiorello is sixteen and deeply in love with Eric Florentino, a bright and
caring, but wayward youth. They have a
very special connection which Emma felt virtually as soon as they met. According to Emma they are “soul mates”. Eric knows what she means, but is perhaps a
little less ‘spiritual’ in his outlook.
Life is fresh and good, but Emma also senses that perhaps she and Eric
will not stay together. Suddenly Emma is
attacked and raped and her life begins the swift process of falling apart. Can Emma survive this turmoil and will she
and Eric struggle through it, or will the premonition of relationship break-up
come true?</span></span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4vb1p3Dv7z5paSfRRdhYdfpZCKWDAFoWJJGyYquoKT9GKf5rY25EG1HVMmHH0Y2ltjZhspnMTA-VcOgGUIXFPp2IRtYF88DthaG2LMiApsQabTzanOpMfL_HFrlZJToVZFZmd3fREeHJW/s1600/cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4vb1p3Dv7z5paSfRRdhYdfpZCKWDAFoWJJGyYquoKT9GKf5rY25EG1HVMmHH0Y2ltjZhspnMTA-VcOgGUIXFPp2IRtYF88DthaG2LMiApsQabTzanOpMfL_HFrlZJToVZFZmd3fREeHJW/s1600/cover.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="line-height: 200%;">Clover Doves</span></i><span style="line-height: 200%;"> could be classified as a paranormal
romance: it is a love story with references to precognition, empathic telepathy
and ghosts. The novel is, however, also part
spiritual philosophy and part self-development/psychology. This is not to imply that <i>Clover Doves</i> is overly ‘preachy’ or
contains lectures on these subjects: the philosophy and psychology arise
naturally from the plot and characters, and are quite skilfully woven into the
novel. It is clear, though, that Filigenzi
has done much reading and thinking about the subject of human potential. Beyond these specialized subjects the novel
is also very much about ‘ordinary’ life struggles: family, friends, love
relationships, suffering, conflict and death.
<i>Clover Doves</i> is skilfully
written and will appeal to a quite wide variety of readers, especially those
willing to keep an open mind.</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">The plot is
divided into three sections of equal length.
<u>Part 1: The End</u> begins with a peak of disaster and descends in a
spiral of crises as life falls apart for Emma and Eric. <u>Part 2</u> adds further development and
complication, and consists of a series of revelations about the past. Several years after <u>Part 1</u> Emma meets
Jared, a very loving and understanding college student who seems to have his
future well planned and who is very much interested in Emma. <u>Part 3: The Beginning</u> once again starts
with a peak and continues with increasing sadness, but also increasing joy, as
relationships are developed and worked out, and plot details are resolved. Emma must face the complicated issues of her
love for both Eric and Jared, her dislike of her drunken mother, Cassie, her
need for other friends, and the general question of meaning and development in
her life.</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Filigenzi
writes well and the plot moves its readers along, never boring them or dwelling
too much on any particular point. There
are a number of plot twists to surprise us and keep us wondering where we are
going. At times the writing is quite
poetic and at other times it is full of tension. The two chapters describing Emma’s rape and
subsequent experiences in hospital are very well written. The emotion is quite palpable. As just one example the reader should note
the subtle comparison between the rapist’s “dark, rough whiskers” which
“scratched” Emma’s face and the “scratchy hospital blanket” which covers her
when she awakes from her ordeal to face yet another ordeal of investigative
prying. The narration shifts from
character to character and we see experiences from first one point of view and
then another. This Postmodernist
technique allows us to see deeper into the narrating characters and reveals the
inadequacies of point of view. What one character
thinks of another is incomplete, biased and occasionally quite wrong. There is one example of imagery associated
with the title of the book (which I will not describe in order to avoid
spoiling the reading experience), but beyond this symbolism is absent. Just as a word of warning, there are mild sex
scenes in the novel and occasional course language, both of which may offend
conservative readers. <i>Clover Doves</i>, however, would certainly
not qualify as erotica. Sex is of course
a normal part of romantic relationships and most modern readers will have no
trouble accepting Filigenzi’s tasteful depictions.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">The
characters are very likable, though they possess personality failings, and the
reader immediately empathizes with them and hopes the best for them. Even Cassie, who is a classic ‘bad’ mother,
has hidden depths as we come to know her better, recognizing our own failings. All of the five main characters, Emma, Eric,
Jared, Cassie and James, Emma’s guilt ridden father, are well rounded, having a
mix of good and bad points, which makes them quite believable and lifelike. All of these characters must struggle to grow
and in some way, great or small, overcome their failings. Jared is the most ‘perfect’ character, but
even he has moments of jealousy and suffers from some lack of thought about the
implications of his relationship with Emma.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">As has
already been indicated, the main theme is suffering and overcoming pain and
difficulty. As Buddhist philosophers
point out, the First Noble Truth is that life inherently involves “dukkha” or
suffering, and that even in our happiest moments there is latent pain (Michael
Carrithers. <i>Buddha: A Very Short Introduction</i>: Oxford University Press, 2001,
p. 55 - 57). Why do we suffer and what
are we to do about it? Can we grow
toward happiness, or is this the idle fantasy of the optimist? Does spirituality and psychological
development offer at least some reconciliation with pain and suffering? These are the types of questions Emma must struggle
with. There is also a related theme of
relationships (in the form of family, friends and lovers). Personal connections can cause us pain, but
can also heal. As the Existentialist
Gabriel Marcel points out in <i>Man Against
Mass Society</i> (Gateway, 1970) modern people “lack a sense of their own worth
and are strangers to themselves and one another” (Thomas Flynn. Existentialism: A Very Short Introduction:
Oxford University Press, 2006, p. 90).
We are lonely, afraid and hurt but aid is near if we can overcome our resistance,
our defensiveness. But of course no
relationship is perfect or runs entirely smoothly. Death is the final, inevitable affliction and
it too appears as a prominent theme in this novel. Once again from a Buddhist perspective,
“without an awareness of death, life can only be lived on a shallow level”
(Jane Hope. <i>Introducing Buddha</i>: Allen & Unwin, 1999, p. 31). We fear death, feel life is made meaningless
by death and deny our own death (because when young it seems unreal and with
age it seems too close). Since
prehistoric times people have speculated about death and an afterlife and Emma,
along with many, many others in this long tradition, is forced to contemplate
her own mortality from a very young age.
At sixteen she is beaten almost lifeless and the implications of this
last for years to come. Closely allied
to death is the theme of violence and war.
Aggression is of course usually avoided, but is it sometimes a solution
to extreme problems? Do we sometimes walk
lightly into violence and what are its consequences? Is the immediate victim the only one to
suffer? Of course life is complex and
there are not always clear answers, and Filigenzi’s text does not always offer
hard and fast rules or solutions.</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">As has
already been noted spirituality features prominently in this novel. We see references to the concepts of “Yin”
and ”Yang”, “soul mates”, “guardian angels” and the “afterlife”. This is not surprising in a book which talks
so much about death. The void of the
unknown naturally comes to mind as we all contemplate our mortality. As Emma comments:</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">“Facing death with no spiritual belief is difficult,
especially as a child. You’re left with
so many unanswered questions.”</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">The
spiritual philosophy presented is not Orthodox.
“God” is mentioned, but church-going Christians come out looking not so
nice. Jared talks about the garbage that
“so-called religious people” talk about abortion. The “faith” presented is “personal and
private” with a New Age flavour, that is a mix of Hinduism and modern
mysticism. The paranormal aspects of
the novel are given a distinctly spiritual aspect. Emma regularly watches the popular TV program
“Spirit Hunters” with her friends. They
have a light hearted party, but later she remembers those days with a much more
serious attitude. Her paranormal
experiences give her strength and peace of mind, helping her to face difficult
circumstances. Just as an aside it
should be noted that the paranormal ideas concerning “electromagnetic fields”
comes from real research by the university academic Michael Persinger
(Wikipedia. <i>Michael Persinger</i>: </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Persinger"><span style="line-height: 200%;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Persinger</span></a><span style="line-height: 200%;">).
Persinger has conducted an extraordinary number of experiments and
studies on this subject.</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Psychology
naturally goes along with spirituality.
As Emma comments, she finds peace of mind, strength and meaning in “a
belief system outside myself”. <i>Clover Doves</i> is jam packed with details
which will be noticed by those interested in the mind. Filigenzi has obviously done library research
into psychology and her characters and plot are much more real and believable
as a result. The psychological effects
of rape on the victim are vividly depicted, including Post Traumatic Stress
Disorder flash backs, rage, guilt and feeling ‘dirty’ (Psychology Today. <i>To
Forgive Or Not Forgive: That Is The Question</i>: </span><a href="http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-compassion-chronicles/200803/forgive-or-not-forgive-is-the-question"><span style="line-height: 200%;">http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-compassion-chronicles/200803/forgive-or-not-forgive-is-the-question</span></a><span style="line-height: 200%;"> for anger and guilt). The plot also includes society’s tendency to
blame and bully rape victims (Psychology Today.
<i>The Blame Game: Rape And Bullying
I Teen America</i>: </span><a href="http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/youth-and-tell/201106/the-blame-game-rape-and-bullying-in-teen-america"><span style="line-height: 200%;">http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/youth-and-tell/201106/the-blame-game-rape-and-bullying-in-teen-america</span></a><span style="line-height: 200%;">).
The therapeutic techniques of deep breathing, meditation and mindfulness
as a way of dealing with psychological pain and stress are also alluded
to. The most notable psychological
concept explored in the novel is the idea of the “Other”. As the psychoanalysis Jaques Lacan pointed
out (Lionel Bailly. <i> Lacan: A Beginner’s Guide</i>: Oneworld, 2009,
Ch. 7), we are very much haunted by a sense of lack and separation from the
world. We see ourselves as an isolated
‘I” and believe that we are cut off from others and they from us. We are even ‘other’ to ourselves, that is cut
off from self-understanding. We
consequently feel a void, a longing, a desire for connection and true
understanding. We long for unity with
someone truly ‘like us’, who comprehends our experiences and perspectives and
who we can comprehend. This longing is
central to <i>Clover Doves</i>. According to Lacan the sense of separation
from the ‘Other’ can never really be overcome, but Filigenzi, following a more
mystical path of ‘Oneness’, peruses the ideas of connection and of finding
those who truly understand us (for one of many books on Oneness’ see – Alan
Watts. <i>The Book: On The Taboo Against
Knowing Who You Are</i>: Vintage Books, 1972).</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="line-height: 200%;">Clover Doves</span></i><span style="line-height: 200%;"> largely deals with a very
individualistic view of life, but the larger perspective of society is present
to some extent. Much of the action takes
place in the “small town” of Ellicott City, Maryland. We are not presented with the much celebrated
view of small town America, but instead we see a rather shallow, nasty, gossip
ridden, small-minded place. Rather than
producing individuals of character this part of the U.S. is depicted as
resulting in high conformity. The girls
who torment Emma all have the “same fake disgusted look”: they are carbon
copies and artificial at that. From the
perspective of the Marxism/Capitalism debate we see that the pursuit of money
and power is virtually completely absent from Emma’s life. She decides on a career in “Special
Education” helping “autistic students” because it gets her out of her own
problems and gives her personal satisfaction and meaning. Cassie, on the other hand, is lost in a
pursuit of the good life: wine, parties, clothes, make-up and money. She is depicted as a result of this attitude
as being a hollow and bad mother.
Successfully, or unsuccessfully, Marx tried to create a more humane
society (Gill Hands. <i>Understanding Marx</i>:
Hodder Education, 2011, Ch. 6) and criticized Capitalism for being exactly the
opposite.</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Feminists
will be pleased to note that Emma as a sixteen year old is a physically fit
young woman who enjoys outdoor sports, like jogging. She has a positive attitude and is already
contributing to society in a caring way through her part-time job at the local
veterinary clinic. The great bulk of the
book of course deals with the personal effects of rape, which is an overwhelmingly
male crime and one which is proposed by Feminists to be at least partly
motivated by a desire for power (Wikipedia.
<i>Rape</i>: </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rape"><span style="line-height: 200%;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rape</span></a><span style="line-height: 200%;">).
As we have already noted Filigenzi depicts the ‘re-rape’ which the
interview and legal process inflicts on the victim (Susan Alice Watkins &
Marta Rodriguez. <i>Introducing Feminism</i>: Allen & Unwin, 1999, p. 136-137). Emma is very much disempowered by the rape,
but the capable 16 year old is never completely lost, and we can admire her as
a woman who struggles through difficult circumstance. Emma’s friend, Erica, who appears in <u>Part
3:The Beginning</u>, is a caring woman willing to go to considerable trouble to
help her friend, traveling long distances to aid Emma. Cassie, by contrast, is a ‘painted lady’,
following the values of male dominated society and representing much of what
Feminism stands against.</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">From the
wider perspective of Gender Studies Eric in some ways fits the Western
stereotyped view, which was propagated in the 1950’s, of the ‘tough guy rebel’
who others know to leave alone. His room
is messy and his temper is short. Eric,
however, is also loving and sensitive towards Emma, and has hidden depths and
understanding. As he develops through
time he, like Emma, overcomes his failings becoming a much more rounded,
non-stereotypical male. Jared is
sensitive and loving from his first appearance in the book. Emma is surprised by his apartment noting
“how clean it was inside”. As we have
noted he does have some stereotypical male qualities: he is unthinking. He is, however, much more a New Age man of
the Men’s movement type: strong but feeling.
James, Emma’s father, first appears in the text as the typical
retro-1950’s father who feels he must be strong and who is insensitive to
others' needs. As the story progresses,
though, he gains at least some contact with his caring side.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">LGBTIQ
readers will be unhappy to find that they are negatively represented by Eric’s pedophile gay Uncle Tim. Not all pedophiles are gay and not all gays are pedophile, but this is the wide
spread accusation in popular culture. Of
course gay pedophiles do exist, but we wonder why this character could not
have been balanced by a more positive LGBTIQ portrayal in another minor
character? The statistics clearly reveal
that LGBTIQ people contribute positively to society (Prudential Financial. <i>The
LGBT Financial Experience: 2012-2013 Prudential Research Study</i>: Prudential
Financial, c2012, <a href="http://www.prudential.com/media/managed/Prudential_LGBT_Financial_Experience.pdf">http://www.prudential.com/media/managed/Prudential_LGBT_Financial_Experience.pdf</a>). There is in fact some evidence that these
people contribute more than other groups, although it should be noted that
these studies have been criticised on methodological grounds (for one example
of extra contribution see – Richard Florida.
<i>Technology And Tolerance: The
Importance Of Diversity Too High-Technology Growth</i>: Center On Urban &
Metropolitan Policy, The Brookings Institution, June 2001, <a href="http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/1000492_tech_and_tolerance.pdf">http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/1000492_tech_and_tolerance.pdf</a>).</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">African-Americans
also receive representation in Filigenzi’s novel, though in this case the
representation is positive. Erica, a
friend Emma’s meets later in the book, is described as having “chocolate brown
skin” and we can infer from this that she is African-American. Erica is represented as bright, caring, a
good friend, and married to a successful officer in the Marines. Dr. Reynolds, similarly has “brown
skin”. He is an “oncologist” and has a
“kind” and gentle manner.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">The elderly
are referred to in the absent character of Emma’s grandmother. Here, once again, we have a positive
depiction of an often forgotten group.
Emma remembers her relationship with this elderly woman with a sense of
“peace”. The aged sometimes, though not
always, have an experience of the world and a kindness towards the very
young. In our very nuclear family world
these connections and contributions are often ignored and it is good to see
that Filigenzi has not completely ignored them.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">American
Indians and the disabled are unfortunately absent from the plot. The novel only has 3 main characters and 3
lesser characters and it is therefore more understandable that these groups,
which are so often passed over in society, are not represented. We wonder, though, if they could have
appeared as minor characters?</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">From the
perspective of Structuralism we note that, in line with the binary theory of
Claude Levi-Strauss (Boris Wiseman. <i>Introducing Levi-Strauss and Structural
Anthropology</i>: Allen & Unwin, 2000, p. 87, 96, 149), Filigenzi’s novel centers on a number of complementary pairs.
They are: Emma/Eric, Emma/Jared, Eric/Jared and Eric/Cassie. In each case these characters have something
in common: both Emma and Eric, for example, suffer from very painful pasts. The members of these binary pairs are of
course individuals and not exactly alike, but the comparisons are notable. In terms of ethics we also see the good/bad
dichotomy, although in this case the binary relationship is opposed. Emma, Eric, Jared and Erica are ‘good’ while
Cassie and the school kids of Ellicott City are ‘bad’. This dichotomy is not always sustained
though, and, in line with Postmodernist thought, good and bad blends into
grey. We see that people behave as they
do partly because of circumstances, and that we are not necessarily simply one
thing or another. This is certainly a
more mature view of the world and ethics.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Continuing
with Levi-Strauss’ anthropological version of Structuralism it should be noted
that myth plays an important role in <i>Clover
Doves</i>. The paranormal and spiritual
elements of the book give it a mythic quality, though I do not mean to imply
that it is pure myth. The Emma, Eric,
Jared love triangle is a type of element that often appears in myth, and indeed
in life, both really and metaphorically (Sallie Nichols. <i>Jung And Tarot: An Archetypal Journey</i>: Samuel Weiser, 1984, p.
130-131). If we take the Tarot card <u>The
Lover</u> as one example we can very much see the pertinence to Filigenzi’s
tale. In the Marseilles Deck, the
‘traditional’ version, we see a young blond haired man standing between two
women. On his right we see a woman with
a different visage, who is perhaps older and who touches him on his shoulder
(near his head). On the youth’s left is
a blond haired woman who has similar facial features to the young man, and who
touches him on his heart. The lover’s head
is turned to the first woman, but his body turns to the blond. Above them all, and presumably unseen by
them, hovers the god Cupid, his arrow aimed at the Lovers heart. Cupid can be
said to represent fate, or natural forces, or greater unseen powers (Sallie
Nichols. <i>Jung And Tarot: An Archetypal
Journey</i>: Samuel Weiser, 1984, p.135-137).
In the Waite Deck Cupid is replaced by “a great winged figure with arms
extended, pouring down influence” (Arthur Edward Waite. <i>The Pictorial Key To The Tarot: Being Fragments Of A Secret Tradition
Under The Veil Of Divination</i>: U.S. Games Systems, c1971, p.92). This “winged figure” is in essence an
angel. It is said that the first, older woman
could represent intelligence and things of the mind, and the blond woman the
emotions and matter of the heart and body (Sallie Nichols, p.130). In Filigenzi’s novel we have a woman and two
men, but the circumstances are otherwise quite similar. Emma has “brown eyes” and “gorgeous brown
hair”. Eric also has “brown eyes” and
“soft brown hair”. Jared, by contrast has
“blue eyes” and “long locks of blond hair”.
Emma is very attracted to Eric, emotionally and physically, but her mind
(especially later in the book) and her intuition tells her that things will not
go smoothly. When Emma meets Jared her
emotions make her hesitate, but on reflection she decides on a rational plan of
openness and honesty which will enable her to have a sensible love relationship
with him. For Emma fate and other
‘spiritual’ forces will play a great role in her relationships with both Eric
and Jared. Interestingly a number of
people who positively influence Emma are referred to as being like a “guardian
angel”. Much more could be said about
this comparison between the mythic quality of <u>The Lover</u> card and <i>Clover Doves</i>.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Courtney
Filigenzi has written a novel which is in essence a paranormal romance, but
when examined is much more than that. A
spiritual philosophy is developed in the book.
Psychological accuracy adds to the reality of the characters and
plot. Some comments are made about
society, including observations about the pursuit of riches and ‘the good
life’. Women, African-Americans and the
elderly are represented positively. The
negative depiction of LGBTIQ people, though, is open to criticism. Viewed from a Structuralist and Mythic
perspective the book is complex and shows considerable depth of thought and
sophistication. But beyond all this
Filigenzi has written a novel that has much to say about life: the
circumstances we face, and how we develop.
I am happy to rate this book as 4 and a half stars.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Clover-Doves-Courtney-Filigenzi/dp/1452571392/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=8-2-fkmr1&qid=1373415948" target="_blank">Clover Doves by Courtney Filigenzi (Book ed.)</a> </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Clover-Doves-ebook/dp/B00CJKGHKG/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=8-2-fkmr1&qid=1373415948" target="_blank">Clover Doves by Courtney Filigenzi (Kindle ed.)</a> </span></span></span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16399522365969796755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1089421246126704671.post-1988239288546449502013-07-06T05:22:00.002+08:002013-08-09T12:30:04.020+08:00Making The Grade by Peter Pollak - Mini Review<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Tough Police And Serious Criminals</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Ever wondered what it is like to be a rooky police
detective? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What if you were the first
woman detective on staff?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What if your
first case was a no breaks murder by a bona fide psychopath? Shannon Lynch is
on her first day of duty as a detective and she immediately feels that her new
workmates don’t really trust her and won’t until she proves herself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She knows this is a serious job and she is
determined to meet the standards.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her
new boss, Lieutenant Keller, says he at first will not appoint Shannon to a
partner, but attach her to two other detectives, Al Joiner and Chuck Miles, to
basically just observe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shannon is not
impressed and Joiner and Miles’ reception of her leaves her even more peeved. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Peter Pollak has written a novel that grips
the reader right from the start guiding them through the working of a case that
takes the police to standard and not so standard territory.</span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRuSi_xmL4TsWwInCturu9-c4n_viFEO0EfLcLpySsoSuwcbzdznswYpUhhTFs4MkeztEz2V-WQOUx5RpmI6x6yWnZ_xaoO1h8vLnkmzC46DrZPyhKraye-JLD_AYJbIq6cb5834uv7wTB/s1600/cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRuSi_xmL4TsWwInCturu9-c4n_viFEO0EfLcLpySsoSuwcbzdznswYpUhhTFs4MkeztEz2V-WQOUx5RpmI6x6yWnZ_xaoO1h8vLnkmzC46DrZPyhKraye-JLD_AYJbIq6cb5834uv7wTB/s1600/cover.jpg" height="320" width="209" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">This is a ‘hard boiled’ police yarn ideal for any reader
wanting to be entertained.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While Pollak’s
approach to police work is standard, giving us some idea of the routine of a
police job, the events are hardly standard and are narrated in an exciting
style.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pollak surprises us, shocks us
and keeps us on tenterhooks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most of the
book is written from Shannon’s point of view, however, at key points we also
see into the lives and thoughts of other characters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This gives variety and depth.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">From the start we gain a liking for Shannon and in time we
come to understand Joiner and Miles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>These characters ring true and are well crafted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While the style is ‘hard boiled’ we still
feel that Shannon and her partners, and even the perpetrator are real.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are not in any way larger than
life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shannon slowly evolves over time developing
into a more complex view of her work and life. Joiner and Miles also change,
though to a lesser extent.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Making The Grade is chiefly about success.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What is success?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How do we get there?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What should be our mental attitude to both
success and failure?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So much of modern
society revolves around this issue and the topic arises early, when we are
young.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We may consider ourselves beyond
that but we all have to take tests, keep our jobs, be accountable to our
friends and family.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Indeed a second issue is friends in trouble.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some people are pure users and others are
not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How do we decide who to help and
who not?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pollak does not give us any pat
answers, but instead chooses to raise questions in our mind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Life is never easy to navigate.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Closely connected to friendship is the issue of
loyalty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once again it is recognized
that life is complex and there are no easy answers.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">As I have indicated the book has a lot to do with a woman
trying to make it in a man’s world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Feminists will not be offended by the novel, but Pollak is not issuing
standard polemics. Pollak recognizes that there certainly IS a male power
system, but once again life is seen to be complex.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is definitely not a cut out detective
story with cut out opinion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shannon is a
feisty capable woman, but she does shed a few tears (though she certainly struggles
for control with fortitude).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She never
was and never will be a stay at home with the kiddies ‘little woman’.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Pollak has got the psychology of his novel right.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most of all this is not your standard out
there over the top psycho.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The killer
could easily pass for any man in the street, except of course when he is in the
act of actually killing someone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Martha
Stout is a psychologist who is successful both as an academic and in a
flourishing clinical practice and her book The Sociopath Next Door makes it
clear that these people are very good at appearing normal and even helpful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Indeed a psychopath could be living next door
to you and you wouldn’t even know it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Pollak’s killer certainly fits this picture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The details I have mentioned and others make
it clear that the author has certainly done his research on this one.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">The law is of course an institution of society and Pollak invites
some contemplation of the matter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What
is the purpose of the law? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
philosopher Michel Foucault has challenged the law, saying it is another power
system used to manipulate the masses in such a way that ruling elites are
reinforced.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Would we, however, survive
without it?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once we step out of our
comfortable lounge room into the hustle of everyday living we may learn that
life can be unpleasant, dangerous.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even
the ‘safety’ of our homes is not an assured fact.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Close to the discussion of the law and society is that of
bureaucracy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Organizations certainly can
put ridiculous restraints on people, but then again some order is needed to
make systems work.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">At 255 pages this book is excellent for a weekend read on
the patio.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is interesting and
entertaining, with some excitement and characters that are believable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Making The Grade can be read purely as light
entertainment, but also has some depth if you care to look for it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t get me wrong: it is not a boring
philosophic tome.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All in all the book is
a great read, especially for those interested in police yarns.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Making-Grade-Peter-G-Pollak/dp/0985036605/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1373058000&sr=8-1&keywords=pollak+making+the+grade" target="_blank">Making The Grade by Peter Pollak (Book ed.)</a> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Making-Grade-Peter-G-Pollak/dp/0985036605/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1373058000&sr=8-1&keywords=pollak+making+the+grade" target="_blank">Making The Grade by Peter Pollak (Kindle ed.)</a> </span></span></span></div>
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<![endif]-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16399522365969796755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1089421246126704671.post-92089496490844272432013-06-28T11:45:00.001+08:002013-06-28T11:58:32.411+08:00Unexpected Tales From The Ends Of The Earth<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: red;">5 out of 5 stars</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">
</span></span><br />
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<![endif]--><span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">A Quality Of Life</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">We all want certainty because it gives us security,
but as the philosopher Alan W. Watts has pointed out, both Buddhists and Taoist
have concluded that life is inherently changing, and indeed we can even benefit
by abandoning our fixed notions, our structures, our certainties and embrace
the convolutions of life. (Watts. The Wisdom Of Insecurity, 1951<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">)</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If you enjoy a buzz in life Unexpected Tales is for you, but if you enjoy
routine, or even want more stability, this book also has notions about life to
offer you.</span>
</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhqkHZzcToy2p7AV0wC7DzDius6IzoQppjm6Qdr3A1vXFl8QpdwOl_jLNVd58RZb2IQfZ_KKIs9O7KVigWbKlk1D9emU-EY8syTOKa6JCm0v9FfYFKZfwAcC9nFexJrztycWLJEM06PbW_/s1181/cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhqkHZzcToy2p7AV0wC7DzDius6IzoQppjm6Qdr3A1vXFl8QpdwOl_jLNVd58RZb2IQfZ_KKIs9O7KVigWbKlk1D9emU-EY8syTOKa6JCm0v9FfYFKZfwAcC9nFexJrztycWLJEM06PbW_/s1181/cover.jpg" height="320" width="208" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Life has a certain unexpected quality that can come
upon us in many ways.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Preface to
this book points out that these stories come from a wide variety of geographic
places and thus describe different cultures that we might find
“unexpected”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is indeed true,
though the various descriptions of uncertainty go beyond that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some of these stories are humorous, with an
unexpected punch-line: we are astonished, delighted, revel in the surprise
twist.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some tales describe the sort of
situation that we call ‘a turn up for the books’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These are the sort of real life events where
we end up saying, “Can you believe that?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Some of the narratives are enigmas: we assume answers, but that is
exactly what we don’t get.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some of these
yarns are quite philosophical: they express truths which we at first don’t see,
don’t want to see, even hide from ourselves.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Society is depicted in various forms, but never
with complete acceptance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All of these
authors ask questions, forcing us to evaluate where we stand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In particular localities some of these tales
would be considered quite revolutionary, in others, they would be more
conventional, but not quite mainstream.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
philosopher Michel Foucault, and many others, have taught us to question all
structures as possible devices to reinforce powerful minorities, and indeed
many of the tales specifically examine the question of power and elites.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Female readers will be happy to find that there is
an ample representation of positive female characters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Certainly, as in life, some of the women
portrayed are hurt and searching individuals, but others are strong, determined
and even rebellious.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the
philosophical theories of Luce Irigarary and Julia Kristeva women are viewed as
oppressed, but self-containing the possibility of considerable creativity, and
indeed these tales reflect those views; however, even female powers systems are
examined, particularly by Xarina.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Women
also can be sell-outs to the system.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Members of repressed ethnicities are portrayed with
considerable understanding in two stories.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>These characters receive both criticism and positive acceptance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are viewed both from an outside
standpoint (the point of view of others) and an inside perspective (self-analysis).</span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">None of the many characters strike the reader as
false; indeed, as readers we often recognise ourselves, even in those tales
that are more bizarre.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While these tales
are ‘unexpected’ they very much portray how ordinary people react in unusual
circumstances.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is to say these
stories ring true psychologically.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">As we have noted some of the tales are
tongue-in-cheek; that is, slightly larger than life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many others are written in the ‘social realism’
style.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tomov’s surrealistic vignettes
are a prominent departure from the ‘normal’, though not from real life.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Money, power and success are central driving forces
in our society and it is no surprise that this issue appears in various stories
buy Candy Korman, Abby Fermont, Xarina and Martin Craig-Downer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We see the lengths people will go to achieve:
the tricks and sacrifices of personal value.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We are lead to wonder what real success is: money, reaching the top of
the ladder, friendship?</span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">The stupidity of bigotry, in various forms,
features in the tales of Korman, Craig-Downer and Fermont.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This failing is examined in the actions of
governments, but also in the rote thought patterns of individuals following the
pat beliefs of their society.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Looking deeper into the workings of the human mind
we see the quest for meaning in the works of Craig-Downer and Alexandur
Tomov.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Can we find significance in work
or do most of us need something deeper than that?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How can we escape from the sense of
pointlessness and emptiness?</span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">How could a book be written about people without at
least touching on the subject of love?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Craig-Downer, Fermont, Xarina and Tomov indeed all have written tales
that specifically detail and examine this basic human motivation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are enlightened by the authors as to how
we come to miss love and botch it, how we fail to give it (though we imagine we
do), how we come upon it and how we deeply need it.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">In a world of ever increasing communication and
travel we all must face the issue of cultural difference.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fermont and Xarina each consider this topic
in fairly lengthy tales. The third world certainly operates differently to the
first (Western) world, but increasingly such global divisions are becoming
obsolete.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People of third world
background are living in our societies and we are at least visiting there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How do we react and cope when we meet someone
of very different values?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is there, at
least in theory, a ‘right’ way of doing things?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Will we eventually abandon these differences, or are they a result of
particular circumstances that are not going to go away in a hurry?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">While all the authors are skilled at their art of
short story writing, Alexandur Tomov clearly stands out as the best
contributor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He contributed 13 tales and
so could be said to be the most prolific, though his stories are quite
short.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Beyond that, however, his work
has an informed insight into life with a surprising depth of vision.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is, indeed, an interesting new author of
some considerable talent and understanding.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>At first glance Tomov’s stories seem repetitive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is the frequent dream motif, the
recurrent trip to the future and the unexplained loss of memory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On a closer reading, however, we see that
most of the tales highlight particular points, giving special insight into
particular facets of life and emphasizing new philosophical details.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is the work of one mind and so of course
there is an overall, coherent ideology.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Most notably Tomov is influenced by Existentialism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tomov’s tale Crime And Punishment, like
Dostoevski’s novel of the same name, examines the question of moral decay
arising specifically from the philosopher’s own reasoning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>William Barrett in his book Irrational Man: A
Study In Existential Philosophy (c1958) identifies Fyodor Dostoevski as a
proto-existentialist. In Tomov’s story The Squad the plot is set in the future,
but the society depicted is very much reminiscent of the German Axis or the
Soviet Block.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This story reminds us
of<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Max Frisch’s The Fire Raisers (1953)
in which official state persecution is explored.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tomov’s surreal plots, as indeed Frisch’s,
are of course influenced by Albert Camus’ idea of the absurd. (The Myth Of
Sisyphus And Other Essays, 1955)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As
Jean-Paul Sartre demonstrated in Existentialism And Humanism (1946) that
philosophy is not without its ethical implications and Tomov’s works certainly
dig into the issue of moral decay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Always,
like the Existentialist, Tomov leads us to ask, “Do we truly need to live like
this?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tomov, however, is not simply
rehashing old ideas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These are very much
tales of the Twenty First Century.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
future implications of the ideas, first fully expressed in the post-World War 2
period, are very much examined.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Where is
this relativism and absurdity leading us?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The philosopher is in some ways guilty of the ideas he releases, though
of course much of the ‘damage’ comes from other’s misunderstandings, additions
and misuse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In this way Tomov, in the
mode of Postmodernism, deconstructs Existentialism as much as he supports it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Psychoanalysis is another minor influence on
Tomov’s work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>More than once characters
refer to “The Ego” as a seemingly rational explanation of ‘mad’ behaviours.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These explanations, however, are not to be
trusted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In A Too Confused Dream Tomov
depicts a nightmare which could fit into the category of a Jungian archetypal,
or ‘big’ dream (Ann Faraday. Dream Power: Berkley Books, 1980, p.124), but
which is also reminiscent of Near-Death-Experiences (Raymond Moody. Life After
Life, 1975).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both these phenomena have a
‘life-changing,’ never-to-be-forgotten’ quality, as does the events of Tomov’s
tale.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Tomov’s tales are darkly surreal, ironic and deeply
philosophical (without being overly scholarly or boringly academic).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He raises questions about modern relativistic
life, depicting our fears and hopes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
does not always answer the questions he raises, thus avoiding ‘pat’
answers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Memories of childhood offer
only partial comfort at best.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Love is
depicted as hopeful and helpful, but we are not given an abstract, absolute
view of that ‘solution’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tomov’s love is
very practical and mundane, not reaching much further than finding a friend, or
better still a partner. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In line with
Foucault’s thoughts (Madness And Civilization – A History Of Insanity In The
Age Of Reason, 1990), and the theories of other anti-psychiatrists, psychology
is often depicted as being used by ‘the establishment’ to write off very real
feelings by seemingly logical explanations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The seemingly intelligent ’answers’ when really considered turn out to
be hollow and “absurd”, as indeed many of Tomov’s characters protest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One criticism of Tomov’s tales is that women
mainly appear only as very undeveloped characters: they remain shadow figures:
they represent the unknown ‘Other,’ who we don’t know, but with whom we seek to
unite.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Certainly these shadow women offer
the potential for creativity and fulfilment, as the philosopher Julia Kristeva
suggests, but only as adjuncts to men.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Indeed in the three of the four stories in which female characters are
more developed (Eternal Love, From The Future and Crime And Punishment) women
are represented in the stereotypical ‘prime hussy’ role: powerful and active,
but of evil intent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is clearly an
idea of the dominant patriarchal culture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Also while partnerships are represented as a positive source of meaning,
all of them are heterosexual: gay partnerships are completely absent from
Tomov’s tales.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Over all of Tomov’s tales
hangs a sense of meaninglessness and moral decay that results in a dreamlike,
hazily futuristic, visionary judgement.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Of course it would be difficult to write a review
of Unexpected Tales without some comparison with Roald Dahl’s Tales Of The
Unexpected: the humour, the “Oh my God! endings, and the reflection on the
darker side of human nature are all analogous.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Dahl is of course a master of his art, though his tales are sometimes
over long and in some ways repetitive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Unexpected Tales holds up reasonably okay in many respects.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Coming from the minds of various authors, as
Unexpected Tales does, we see different perspectives of the world and different
writing styles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you enjoyed Dahl’s
short stories you will certainly want more and this new book is a good choice.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Unexpected Tales is a book ideal for those who like
to be surprised, who like the unusual and even at times surreal, who like to be
challenged to think just a bit deeper.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Most of these stories are short and can be read within half an hour, and
so the book is ideal for people on the go, for weekend reading, or for a brief
read before bed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The writing style is
consistently good and none of the tales are at all boring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The themes covered are varied and we have the
benefit of reading different perspectives on each issue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Different moods are captured, from the
humorous to the chilling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All in all
this book is an excellent read which has something for many different readers,
from those who want to be lightly entertained to those who are willing to think
quite deeply.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This book certainly
deserves a 5 out of 5 rating.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Unexpected-Tales-Ends-Earth-ebook/dp/B009225F3E/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1372390016&sr=1-1&keywords=unexpected+tales+from+the+ends+of+the+earth" target="_blank">Unexpected Tales From The Ends Of The Earth (Kindle ed.)</a> </span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16399522365969796755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1089421246126704671.post-40872304898265600442013-06-21T11:46:00.003+08:002013-06-21T11:46:32.599+08:00The Rosebush Murders by Ruth Shidlo<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<![endif]--><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">4 out of 5 stars </span>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">The Thorny World Of Humanity</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;"></span><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;">Danielle Hall is found dead
in the peaceful grounds of an inner city park in Jerusalem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She had been shot in the back of the
head.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Investigation soon reveals that
Danielle was a psychologist.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Could it be
that a client has lost their cool?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Danielle was married to Mira Morenica and they have a daughter
Shelia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How will the family cope with
this sudden and violent death?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>D.I.
Helen Mirkin finds that, despite her cool professionalism and objectivity, she
cares for the survivors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Helen must use all her skills, her logic and
her intuition, to solve this case, even if just to give the Morenica-Hall
family closure.</span>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: blue;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;">Ruth Shidlo’s first novel,
The Rosebush Murders, is a fine police murder mystery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While not quite of the ‘hard boiled’ style,
this book is a no-nonsense account of a classic crime investigation case.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is no histrionics here, but we follow
the plot with interest as Shidlo step by step reveals the mystery of the
murders.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the same time Shidlo reveals
to us bit by bit exactly who her character Helen Mirkin is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even more Shidlo digs into some of the
questions of life that fascinate us all.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;">The novel follows a fairly
standard structure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the first half we
are given a complex of defuse plot threads that leave us asking, “What does
this all mean?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Life is of course often
like this and any crime investigation is at first an open question.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some of us like to think that we understand
all about our life but philosophers, psychologists and scientists will tell us
that things are not necessarily simple or obvious.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The second half of the novel moves more
swiftly as the hunt nears its close.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Shidlo skilfully draws her themes and imagery neatly together to a
satisfying conclusion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One small
criticism is that the first half is perhaps just a little too long.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just before midway we begin to grow slightly
tired, wondering where will all this lead?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The opening of the book has some very well written descriptions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The long section describing Helen’s viewing
of the corpse and crime scene is excellently written.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We get a real sense of the ugliness of the
death.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Murder is of course a heavy subject
and requires serious writing, however, Shidlo has included some moments of humor
to lighten the mood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most of this humor
comes as banter between Helen and her colleagues.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In Chapter 8, after a late night and restless
sleep, Captain Adam Tamir, Helen’s boss, comments, “You look fresh as a lettuce.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Police detectives need some release from the
pressure of their work and so does the reader otherwise reading a novel like
this would become a chore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shidlo has
included the occasional ‘aha’ moment and surprise chapter ending which helps us
keep turning the pages.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;">This novel is of the mystery
genre; however, Shidlo supplies us with questions beyond the intrigue of the
crime.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Who is Helen Mirkin?” we wonder,
and as the novel progresses we dig deeper into the character.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We get to know Helen as we get to know a
friend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On first impression we like her
very human responses to the brutal murder and her compassion for the relatives,
but then questions arise and we wonder what her life beyond work is, what her
past is and what motivates her?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By the
end of the book we certainly feel we have got to know Helen better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Beyond this many characters in the novel have
secrets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We meet a series of people who
are unknown to us, as they are to Helen, some leaving us with a good
impression, some bad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By the end of the
book we have certainly got to know the criminals better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It should be noted, however, that Helen is
the only sympathetic character which Shidlo develops.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In this array of character sketches one more
individual we can relate to, developed to some depth, would have been good for
reader empathy.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;">Murder is an act of
dominance and The Rosebush Murders primarily has the theme of power.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The philosopher Michel Foucault, and many
others, have pointed out that much of society revolves around power and keeping
people, organizations, classes and societal institutions in control.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This theme is developed in many different
ways.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We see, for example, right from
the Prologue onwards references to Fascism and the Nazis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This group, with its aim of European
domination, and perhaps even world domination, is the ultimate example in
modern history of the thirst for power.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>For this book, set in Israel, Fascism is of course a very potent example
of the real and extreme effects of a desire for power.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also much of the story revolves around City
Hospital, Jerusalem’s prestigious and world famous establishment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here we see the world of bureaucracy which,
as the sociologist Max Weber (Economy And Society: 1922) and the novelist Franz
Kafka (The Trial: 1925) have pointed out, are very efficient and rational but can
also lead to a “polar night of icy darkness” and an “iron cage” (Weber) which
crushes the individual.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>City Hospital is
depicted as literally a very large, complex warren in which Helen fears getting
lost.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The air is constantly stale.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In Chapter 15 we see a visit to, Dr. Lev, a
cardiology specialist, who is surrounded by cold technology.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To get there Helen walks down “long, grey
corridors” bathed in “ice-cold white neon lights” past machines that are
“dinosaurs … [which] … had seen better days…”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The specialist, along with others at the hospital, is cold and
distant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Doctors in general are depicted
as having power over life and death: they decide our fate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Religion also appears as a social institution
prying into our lives and pushing us about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Terrorism also makes an appearance in the book.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the nine days the book covers there are
two encounters with suspected bombs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Terrorism, nationalist and religious, is of course a fact of life in Israel
and this is just how Shidlo depicts it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Terrorism is murder on the large scale and the contemporary equivalent of
Nazism: an extreme grab for power.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;">Religion is indeed so
prominent in the book that it can be considered as a theme in its own right.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The ecclesia is meant to be a protection but
Shidlo depict it more as a controller.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Certainly much of the music that Helen listens to, sings, and takes
comfort and restoration from, is religious based.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In Chapter 38, while Helen rehearses her
choir pieces, we read:</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;">“I felt the prayer pour from
me and at its conclusion felt somehow cleansed of the oppressive atmosphere of
the hospital.”</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;">But of course this is very
much a personal, informal, unstructured, untheological experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is not the religion of the synagogue, of
orthodoxy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In Chapter 8, in the context
of a conversation about cancer, the Biblical notion of “sanctuary cities” is
disparagingly mentioned as a metaphor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The idea of criminals escaping to a safe city, beyond the grasp of the
law, is of course objectionable to police and something objectionable about
Judaism is implied.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By far the most
important plot line in this theme is the scenario about the Morenica-Hall
family wanting to bury their family member in a way free from the “despotism of
the Orthodox Rabbinate…”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here religion
is seen as a kind of ‘fascism’ in the popular use of the term.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;">Death is central to the
book, but this theme goes well beyond the plot line of murders.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Death is depicted as something we must come
to terms with, something that is pervasive and inescapable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In Chapter 14 Dr. Kate Jordan, head of the
interns, comments:</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;">“Makes you wonder what
separates you from death, doesn’t it?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
take so much for granted…”</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;">As we learn more about Helen
we see how important the death of her own father is to her.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;">Interestingly H.E. Eysenck
in his essay The Psychology Of Anti-Semitism (Uses And Abuses Of Psychology: Penguin
Books, 1953) identifies “superstition … i.e. a belief in the mystical
determinants of the individual’s fate …” and “power and toughness”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>as statistically discernible features of
Fascism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He further notes of this group:</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;">“There also seems to be
relatively little enjoyment of sensuality or of passive pleasures such as affection,
companionship, or art and music …” (p. 271)</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;">And later:</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;">“… art, music, literature,
and philosophy … may be considered … interests [that] contribute substantially
to greater resourcefulness, and to the comparative diversion from power and
status …” (p. 277)</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;">Power and religion
(superstition) are, as we have seen, central themes in The Rosebush
Murders.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Helen, the central character, seeks
her friends to relax, is looking for a partner, looks at the art on the walls
of the abodes of those she interviews, is interested in music and quotes
literature.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She stands against those who
would grab power.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;">Shidlo’s novel is definitely
in the main part a no nonsense police drama, however, it also contains some
imagery, which gives the book greater depth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>As we have seen music, choirs and opera are a part of the
characterization.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Music also takes on a
symbolic nature as a metaphor for life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Music brings Helen great pleasure and relaxation and she uses it as an
escape from the pressures of her work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>At the end of Chapter 6 we see Helen tuning her car radio to a jazz
program while returning to the office after a difficult interview with Mira
Morenica.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In Chapter 13 Helen unwinds
from a tiring day with music.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Music
communicates feeling and most composers would say that they hope to capture
some quality of life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Music can be
joyous, help us to express sadness and even be dramatic and tense.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nature also repeatedly is depicted as
beautiful and relaxing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is contrasted
with humanity and civilization.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
Chapter 3 Helen takes in the quiet beauty of the Morenica-Hall’s garden, but
later in the chapter she drives passed the wrecked hulks of vehicles left over
from the War of Independence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nature
certainly is restoring to us but there is one or two hints of danger.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In Chapter 10 Shira, Danielle and Mira’s
friend, comments on a “cute cat” she sees out of the police station
window.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Helen responds, “It’s not easy
to be a street cat.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On a different tack
police work is frequently compared to a psychologist’s job.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Helen must of course help the victim’s family
cope with grief, but also detection itself requires a knowledge of human nature,
reading facial expressions, searching below the surface for hidden facts, and a
Freudian ‘free association’ of one thing with another.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In Chapter 11 Helen jokes with Dr. Sol,
Danielle’s psychoanalyst and friend, about the similarity of their
professions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Helen comments, “In fact
would you care to join the Psychological Service of the Police Force?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Life is full of problems and in a way we are
all in need of ‘the psychiatrist’s couch.’</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;">Ruth Shidlo is a qualified
psychologist and it is no surprise that this book is an accurate picture of
life in that respect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shidlo recognizes
that people are of diverse motivations, that they have secrets, that while not
suffering from a diagnosed illness they can have “rescue fantasies” (Ch.
7).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dreams as revelations of personal
reactions, turmoil and thought feature fairly prominently. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Ch. 7 & Ch. 41)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dr. Ann Faraday’s Dream Power (1972) is a
good source illustrating this approach to self-development.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Suicide is depicted, not as a real desire for
death but as a cry for help and an attempt at communication.( Ch. 55)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Robert E. Larson, ed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Preparing To Listen: Contact Teleministries,
c1978, p. 99)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shidlo is of course also
correct on the psychology of a killer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>(Martha Stout. The Sociopath Next Door: Broadway Books, 2005)</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;">A lesbian couple are at the center of this murder mystery and GLBTIQ issues are thus quite prominent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Queer people and their immediate families are
generally depicted with respect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
Chapter 3 Sheila shows Helen<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>a photo of
her and her two mothers on holiday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
read:</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;">“Shelia was in the middle,
looking happy and contained and proud.”</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;">The word “proud” has of
course come to have special meaning to LGBTIQ people, as in, for example, ‘pride
marches’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Danielle’s mother is
completely accepting of the lesbian matching. (Ch. 10)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The problems which queer couples face is also
mentioned, for example, the difficulties of donor parenting. (Ch. 56)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bigotry occasionally rears its head.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In Chapter 12 Adam, on hearing that the
lesbian couple are married comments, “Wonders never cease.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In Chapter 33 a minor character brings on the
bigoted, fantasy notion of a powerful heterosexual man “converting” a lesbian
woman.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shidlo also does not err in being
overly favorable to LGBTIQ people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In Chapter
24 Daniel blocks a gay couple from receiving IVF.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No special favoritism there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>None-the-less Shidlo notes the sociological
fact that people, including LGBTIQ, have an affinity for others of similar
background.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(C. Peter Wagner. Our Kind
Of People: J. Knox Press, c1979)</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;">The Rosebush Murders also
has quite a good standing from a feminist perspective.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The book is full of successful professional
women and femininity is depicted in all its many and varied forms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In Chapter 50 we encounter a typical male
chauvinist in the form of IVF researcher Alberto Silberman.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once again women are not patronized by being
overly favored either.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are a
number of unsympathetic female characters as well.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: blue;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: blue;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;">As we have already seen
society is examined to a certain extent, particularly in terms of
bureaucracy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>City Hospital is very much
a wealthy establishment and an institution for the privileged.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Ch. 23)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>From a Marxist view the latter is no surprise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Money means power, and power means
elites.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When success is over-rewarded
and over-valued others suffer.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: blue;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: blue;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;">Israel is a place of many
ethnicities and national backgrounds as the diaspora have returned to it and
consequently Shidlo’s novel represents a view of the world and its people
beyond the narrow limits of nationalist literature. The disabled make a brief
appearance in Chapter 14 in the form of Dr. Maurice Leibovici, the head the
Outpatient Psychiatric Clinic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Leibovici
is successfully working in a prestigious job, but is a bit gruff.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The picture is positive but not over
flattering.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: blue;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: blue;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;">Ruth Shidlo’s The Rosebush
Murders is excellent for those interested in police work and murder
mysteries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While displaying the standard
features of this type of novel, it also has more unusual themes such as power
and religion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The imagery of music, art and
psychology gives the book further depth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>To varying degrees the book is successful in presenting psychological,
LGBTIQ, Feminist and Marxist perspectives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The novel is, however, most of all simply an entertaining read,
excellent to relax with. I am happy to rate this book as 4 out of 5 stars.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Rosebush-Murders-Mirkin-Volume/dp/0988437902/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1371785971&sr=8-1" target="_blank">The Rosebush Murders (Book ed.)</a> </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Rosebush-Murders-Helen-Mirkin-ebook/dp/B009Z6BLMG/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1371785971&sr=8-1" target="_blank">The Rosebush Murders (Kindle ed.)</a> </span></span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16399522365969796755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1089421246126704671.post-64374766804369438392013-06-14T08:29:00.000+08:002013-06-17T20:07:19.999+08:00The Power, The Miracle and The Dream by Don De Lene<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%;"></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">5 out of 5
stars</span></span></span>
</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: purple;"><i><span style="line-height: 200%;">Hindered or helped by our minds</span></i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Hannah Lane
is seven years old and lives in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She has terrible asthma and has learned to
think of herself as not much good at most of what she sets out to do in
life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She does, however, have an active
imagination and has been interested in fairies for quite some time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She has a collection of fairy dolls which she
plays with often.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Imagine her surprise,
though, when one day she finds Brenda, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>a
fairy, in her garden.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Brenda is not so
convinced that Hannah is without talent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She sets about guiding Hannah to a wiser and happier life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hannah’s 11 year old brother Harvey thinks
she is a little “crazy” (Book 1, Ch. 2) and that Brenda’s advice is a bit
beyond belief.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is Hannah crazy and will
she ever really improve her life?</span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;">
</span><br />
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<br /></div>
<span style="color: blue;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Particularly
as children, but also through most of our life, we all have secret wishes and
hidden dreams about the person we would like to be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Remember that fantasy career you longed for
but never went after?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We convince
ourselves that we are not good enough to achieve these goals, that we are
unrealistically aiming too high, and perhaps that we do not really deserve such
fulfilment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is not unusual to reach
40 years and ask, “What happened?” and “Does what I have done really mean
anything to me?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you are in this
situation Don De Lene’s book is specifically for you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The book is subtitled “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">a beginner’s guide to lasting happiness</i>”’ and is filled with
interesting, surprising and useful advice on how to achieve exactly that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This book is part novel, part
self-development manual and part spiritual philosophy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those who are “open-minded” (Book 1, Ch. 6)
and have “a little willingness to believe” (Book1, Ch. 4) will benefit the
most.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The book is aimed at children and
youth, but adults can certainly enjoy it and benefit; indeed, perhaps more so.</span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: blue;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%;">De Lene’s
book was originally written as a trilogy and is still divided into three books,
however, the text very much hangs together as one unit, being very united in
content development and plot progression: the ideas and the story progresses
neatly from beginning to end.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the end
of each “Book” the reader may want to put the text aside for a short period in
order to digest the content.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is best,
though, to pick the book up again soon as what first seem like simple ideas are
elaborated and expanded later in the text.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Criticisms of De Lene’s ideas, for example, which at first may occur to
the reader are often dealt with in the next “Book”.</span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: blue;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4VrPdzDDrZkZ15DLx1qs78p9vhFoQhuvnP0xg6Y9HisQLRz0WOO9aD38hotgZ9aSfAmYQIsyPprs6v9-gy5-lVhe1W8lDEWQJpeEmIs-i6sTTM-28080X-Fq4IIp8CYEdtZWv7B9pfVtl/s1600/cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4VrPdzDDrZkZ15DLx1qs78p9vhFoQhuvnP0xg6Y9HisQLRz0WOO9aD38hotgZ9aSfAmYQIsyPprs6v9-gy5-lVhe1W8lDEWQJpeEmIs-i6sTTM-28080X-Fq4IIp8CYEdtZWv7B9pfVtl/s1600/cover.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Book 1 <u>Hannah’s
Power</u> deals with the title character, and concentrates on the problem of
the conflict between fear and happiness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It introduces the idea of “the power in our own minds” (Bk. 1, Ch. 2) to
handle every situation that arises in a positive way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Harvey is the main character in Book 2 <u>Harvey’s
Miracle</u>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This section of the text
takes a more complex look at the general subject of happiness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It examines the problem in terms of the
conflict between the “ego”, that is “the self-centered” part of ourselves (Bk.
2, Ch. 6), and the “Self” (Book 1, Ch. Ch. 13), a ‘higher’ part of ourselves
referred to throughout the whole book as “the power”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This section of the text concentrates very
much on disbelief and counter arguments.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Book 3 <u>Jonathan’s Dream</u> once again takes Harvey as the main
character and looks again at the basic question of happiness in the same terms
as Book 2, that is ego/power.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This last
book, though, very much examines the real life implications of the ideas, dramatizing
how choosing one or the other side of our selves, can result in life taking a
very different course.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is the least
‘instructional’ part of the text and most narrative driven.</span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: blue;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The
characters in the novel are very likable and we immediately associate with them
and wish the best for them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hannah does
not have a good opinion of herself, but is cheerful and good natured.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Harvey is outwardly boisterous and has a
level head.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is by nature cautious and
the reader likes him because he expresses many of our own questions and doubts
about the personal development ideas contained in the book.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Brenda is both wise and funny.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In one incident her “garland of flowers” (Bk.
1, Ch. 4) repeatedly goes awry. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Caesar,
a talking German Shepard and Harvey’s advisor, is both gentle and stern.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We like him, as we would like any pet, but we
also respect the advice he gives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hannah
and Harvey both very much have an arc of development and the novel leaves us
with a feeling that we have truly gone somewhere.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course people are not necessarily exactly
what we think they are and De Lene plays with the varying point of view of the
novel to surprise us and keep us interested.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%;">One point of
criticism is that the plot of Book 1 is at times slightly unrealistic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We expect Hannah to learn about life, but she
learns just a little too well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In one
incident, for example, she goes from being the slowest runner in her class to
suddenly beating all the girls.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Surely
it is more likely that there would be an intermediate state, and perhaps it
would be more believable if she simply improved rather than came first?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No doubt De Lene would accuse us of ego
driven self-limiting doubt, but that is exactly what the book is about and
these are the thoughts of his readers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Perhaps children are more open to such ideas and so more likely to
actually excel with them, and perhaps not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Interestingly this sudden outstanding achievement is not the case with Harvey,
for example with his bad spelling (Bk. 3, Ch.4), and indeed Books 1 & 2 do
much to make up for the slightly exaggerated ethos of Book 1.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Plot wise Book 3 is certainly the most
interesting and imaginative as the story takes a more surrealistic turn with
alternate futures, shifts back and forth in time and <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>a slightly science fiction twist.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is in this last book one truly ‘Oh my
God’ moment to grip us and keep us turning the pages.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The whole book is set mainly in Australia;
however, readers from other counties will not have any cultural difficulty or
misunderstandings reading it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This story
could take place anywhere, at least in the European world.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%;">As I have
already said, the book is part self-development manual and De Lene has used
various techniques to emphasise his ideas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We see direct instruction from Brenda and Caesar, and repetition of this
instruction with further elaboration. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
see important points written in italics. We see some of the instructive points
illustrated by dramatic events.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In Book
1 Chapter 5, for example, Hannah acts out her ego driven fear by literally building
a ‘fort’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On occasions we also see more
symbolic elements which illustrate on a more unconscious level.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The most obvious symbolic element is of
course the idea of fairies who stand for the intuitive, ‘magic’ part of our
mind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Interestingly all the techniques I
have just listed are used in hypnosis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Milton H. Erickson, an eminently successful hypnotist, maintained that
trance “is a common, everyday occurrence” that occurs, for example, when
“reading” (Wikipedia. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milton_H._Erickson">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milton_H._Erickson</a><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="text-decoration: none;">).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Erickson
recommended the use of “story” and “metaphor” (Wikipedia).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Christopher Hyatt and Calvin Iwema in their
book <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Energized </i>Hypnosis (New Falcon
Publications, 2005), which is in essence a hypnotic induction script, use
italics to add emphasis to critical wording.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>De Lene, in his book, specifically recommends the hypnotic techniques of
deep breathing and mantra like repeated phrases to induce personal change (Bk.1
Ch. 13 & following).</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The core
message of De Lene’s book is summed up in the words:</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“Don’t resist life’s’ experiences.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Embrace them with the willingness to learn
from them.” (Bk.1, Ch.1)</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%;">This is an
essentially Eastern idea.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is, for
example, also the key notion in Chris Prentiss’ <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Zen And The Art Of Happiness</i> (Power Press, c2006). Beyond this De
Lene advises the reader to: (1) be aware of your personal circumstance, (2) remember
that wrong thinking causes problems, and (3) ask the power within your mind
(your higher self) to help you (Bk.1, Ch.4 & following).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Awareness is a key notion in Eastern personal
development theory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Awareness: the key to living balance</i> by Osho (St. Martin’s Griffin,
2001), for example, is one of many books on this approach to life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Observation is of course also the first step
in the scientific method.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Correcting
wrong thoughts is the key notion of cognitive therapy (Albert Ellis. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">How To Keep People From Pushing Your Buttons</i>:
Citadel Press, c1994, Ch.1).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Martialling
our natural, inner resources of relaxation and focused concentration, that is
“the power within” (Stanley Fisher & James Ellison. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Discovering The Power Of Self-Hypnosis</i>: 2<sup>nd</sup> ed.:
Newmarket Press, 2000, Ch. 1), is a central aim of hypnosis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Carl Jung proposed that the human mind
(including its resources) was comprised of more than what we are consciously
aware of (M.-L. von Franz.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><u>The
Process Of Individuation</u>, in Carl G. Jung, ed. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Man And His Symbols</i>: Doubleday, c1964, p. 161-163) and also
maintained that there are parts of it that are independent, like personalities
that can be addressed by our consciousness (Anthony Stevens. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Jung: a very short introduction</i>: Oxford
University Press, 2001, p. 13 & 17).</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Of course De
Lene’s book contains much more advice than what we have noted above.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What I have tried to indicate is that his
ideas have a strong background in both spirituality and psychology.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To provide just one more example of the
psychological accuracy of the book it should be noted that De Lene includes a
good description of the physiological responses associated with “resistance”
(Bk. 1, Ch. 6).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The wandering mind and
sleepiness which Harvey feels in response to Caesar’s advice (which he does not
want to believe) are close to “demifugue” which is essentially stress response,
that is, an inbuilt capacity to ignore, to in essence ‘fly away’ from a problem
in our mind (Martha Stout. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Myth Of
Sanity: divided consciousness and the promise of awareness</i>: Penguin, 2001,
p. 35-36).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Stout gives specific examples
of this exact sleepiness (Stout, Ch. 10).</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Some readers
may be a little worried by the ‘spiritual’ aspects of the book, however, it
should be noted that De Lene takes a mainly practical, rather than religious
approach to those facets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is true
that Hindu reincarnation is mentioned, but this is not a necessary or key part
of the main thesis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Intuition, for
example, is simply described as knowing something which is not really obvious
from the 5 senses (Bk.1, Ch. 4) and “the power of knowing or understanding
something immediately, without reasoning or being taught” (Bk. 1, Ch. 8).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As Malcolm Gladwell in his book <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Blink: The Power Of Thinking Without Thinking</i>
(Penguin, 2005) points out, scientists have known about swift unconscious
thought for quite some time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Synchronicity is another apparently mystical idea which De Lene refers
to, however, much of it is simply explained by the notion that things occur to
a pattern and that elements of this patter repeat, so we experience similar
events to those we have experienced before (Bk.1 Ch. 10).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As James Gleik describes in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Chaos: Making A New Science</i> (Penguin:
rev. ed.: 2008) even chaotic events have a form of order and this order includes
repeating patterns in a fractal like structure.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%;">As has been
mentioned this book is written primarily with children in mind, though that
certainly is not the limit of the possible audience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a consequence De Lene makes simple
statements without going into too complicated a discussion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This may at first lead parents and adult
readers to conclude that the book is misleading.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In Book 1 Chapter 6, for example, Hannah is
encouraged by Brenda to do what she really wants, but we may well object that
some people’s inner prompting are hardly the ‘right’ thing to do even when they
think they are right.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Brenda’s advice to
“follow your heart” (Bk.1, Ch. 9) seems naive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The problem of evil is certainly very real in the world, even in
children’s lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>De Lene certainly
realizes this and it is best to keep reading as deeper issues like this are
dealt with later in the text.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Books 2
and 3 certainly detail the emotive ego-traps we can fall into, which we can
mistake as our “heart” and which can lead us into deep trouble.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Of course De
Lene’s novel contains much more than could possibly be summed up in this review.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The author has written a simple story which
contains much, and which a child will discover in increasing degrees as they
grow older.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A child of Hannah’s age, 7
years, may only read the first book, but an adolescent of 15 or 16 will gain
much from the whole book.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I have
indicated adults, also, will certainly be entertained and learn much.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is truly a multi-levelled book.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%;">In <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Power, The Miracle and The Dream</i> De
Lene has written a novel which is both (1) endearing and entertaining, and (2)
deep and insightful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While containing
‘spiritual’ elements it is not deeply religious.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The book has a strong background in both
psychology and eastern philosophy, but these ideas are put to the reader in a
very agreeable manner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is not at
all a dry, scholarly tome.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At just 240
pages it is a quick read: ideal for children and excellent for busy
adults.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>De Lene’s novel was truly a
delight to read and I am happy to rate it as 5 stars out of 5.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Power-Miracle-Dream-Beginners-Happiness/dp/1463781962/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1371100555&sr=1-1&keywords=de+lene+power+miracle">The
Power, The Miracle & The Dream (Book ed.)</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Power-Miracle-Dream-ebook/dp/B006OYOFRA/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1371100555&sr=1-1">The
Power, The Miracle & The Dream (Kindle ed.)</a></span></div>
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