tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132311632024-03-07T12:06:35.122-08:00Book CornerErnest Dempseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06530584331364171333noreply@blogger.comBlogger150125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13231163.post-26640423717636119722021-01-24T09:16:00.000-08:002021-01-24T09:16:00.852-08:00Book Corner Has Moved<p> Thank you all for visiting! Book Corner has now moved to its new site at https://www.bookcorner.us/. See you all there!</p>Ernest Dempseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06530584331364171333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13231163.post-75443235702777369542020-10-10T22:09:00.004-07:002020-10-10T22:09:35.239-07:00Floating TwigsThere are times when you come across books that are written from the heart, to be read with the heart, through the eyes. When I requested a review copy of Charles Tabb’s novel <em>Floating Twigs </em>(Gifted Time Books, 2018), I didn’t know it would possess my heart in its narrative from the first page to the last. It did.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_0mIo7vnceoDGsw3f8tl6hRtA_GkQwFe4hNyaV2yEOs-fJ5ubPHTxXqM6dh8G1yqNlMdbeR564EOlK8ZZjqJQLah0irqojXqGjViEj2rN6KYS2uZma6V2Dq9DoZ2lqhivurM4uw/s595/Floating-Twigs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="595" data-original-width="371" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_0mIo7vnceoDGsw3f8tl6hRtA_GkQwFe4hNyaV2yEOs-fJ5ubPHTxXqM6dh8G1yqNlMdbeR564EOlK8ZZjqJQLah0irqojXqGjViEj2rN6KYS2uZma6V2Dq9DoZ2lqhivurM4uw/w112-h179/Floating-Twigs.jpg" width="112" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>In<em> Floating Twigs</em>, Jack Turner narrates what happened to him in the small town of Denton, Florida, in 1968 when he was twelve and rescued a starving dog that he named Bones. Being the son of poor and neglectful parents, he had to seek work for feeding Bones and paying for his treatment. Thus he met a few good folks who helped him out of kindness. But the nasty and hateful people around him soon started a gossip that would land him and his benefactors in trouble while leaving scars on his innocence.
</div><div>Jack’s coming-of-age story, told in the voice of his child self, takes the reader to reflect on the fundamental traits of human character: our essential fallibility, the tendency to harm, and the strength to heal with love and kindness. The title “Floating Twigs” gets a sweet and thoughtful story of its own in the childhood experience of young Jack Turner letting twigs float in street rapids during the rain to see how far they go in the current. </div><div><em><br /></em></div><div><em>Floating Twigs</em> is enthralling in its narration, compelling in its plot, heartbreaking in its honest exploration of human indifference, heart-winning in its assurance of the good in humanity, and beautiful in its realism. It is one of those books that you don’t want to put down until the very last word. And when you do, it still stays with you. </div><div><br /></div><div>To everyone who loves good books, you don’t want to miss out on this gem. <div><br /></div><div><b>ISBN:</b> 9781722104399 </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Barnes & Noble:</b> <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/floating-twigs-charles-tabb/1136735042">https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/floating-twigs-charles-tabb/1136735042</a></div></div>Ernest Dempseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06530584331364171333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13231163.post-81026648342041815632020-09-19T22:48:00.012-07:002020-10-10T22:53:11.060-07:00The Seamless WebWhat is a poem and how does one respond to it? This question is deep and it takes a Stanley Burnshaw to explore it inside-out, reaching the nooks and corners of thought where others haven’t before. Burnshaw takes us there in his 1970 book <em>The Seamless Web</em>.<div><br /></div><div>In the three main sections of the book, Burnshaw moves from the psychological-linguistic context to <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf1hVa2_AUyibznJncT2kZmj3W1vtAWYO0Qclwazlbc_IjC3evPzpd5NbAQNJJLqLIGi5lCc0UH-VXiI72ombSiSlQy663TsShcnDhB5hqacsXzWoeR614EpgyiAACTR8FWgThbA/s200/Seamless+Web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf1hVa2_AUyibznJncT2kZmj3W1vtAWYO0Qclwazlbc_IjC3evPzpd5NbAQNJJLqLIGi5lCc0UH-VXiI72ombSiSlQy663TsShcnDhB5hqacsXzWoeR614EpgyiAACTR8FWgThbA/s0/Seamless+Web.jpg" /></a></div><br />cultural-existential perspective and on to the artistic components (object, reader, and encounter) to present his case for a literary-philosophical analysis of poetry. The existential component is central to his thesis of the human organism in all its evolutionary scale responding a whole to the poem. In Burnshaw’s work, a poem is not just words and language but a more complete package of meanings that address the entirety of being. </div><div><br /></div><div>Expect lots of references and citations in <em>The Seamless Web</em> as well as commentary on technical aspects of selected excerpts from verse by some of the most celebrated poets of various literary periods. Burnshaw loves to show what he is talking about albeit in a condensed manner characterizing a poet-philosopher. Endnotes accompany each chapter accordingly. </div><div><em><br /></em></div><div><em>The Seamless Web</em> is the book that gives you a new concept of poetry, critic, and the reader. It’s a gem for philosophy and literature students of moderate to advanced level, particularly to students of poetry and ontology.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>ISBN: </b>0807605344</div><div><br /></div><div><b>AbeBooks Page:</b> <a href="https://www.abebooks.com/9780807605349/Seamless-Web-Stanley-Burnshaw-0807605344/plp">https://www.abebooks.com/9780807605349/Seamless-Web-Stanley-Burnshaw-0807605344/plp</a></div>Ernest Dempseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06530584331364171333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13231163.post-37634079438473246782020-08-08T16:57:00.000-07:002020-08-08T16:57:13.683-07:00Rising from the DeadWe tend to think of medicine as a profession that saves life. But not many of us know that countless doctors working in the medical field themselves are dead—not physically but psychologically, morally, spiritually, and even professionally. You get a glimpse of the inside world of the medical profession after you read Suzanne Humphries <em>Rising from the Dead</em> (2016). <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxZepwQBXwiV6ku1Fu05_7Exmtgb_Xd6vZ1tT5uKio0tTkZcV8OEOrw5xfAxaPHWPgGbOaAWDSXGrmMsIP0dQ8yHAG9l31TAHdaAHi9MEYkGqhFd-cSJlgnYyrwhxebYrPbIXDsA/s357/rising.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="357" data-original-width="238" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxZepwQBXwiV6ku1Fu05_7Exmtgb_Xd6vZ1tT5uKio0tTkZcV8OEOrw5xfAxaPHWPgGbOaAWDSXGrmMsIP0dQ8yHAG9l31TAHdaAHi9MEYkGqhFd-cSJlgnYyrwhxebYrPbIXDsA/w122-h183/rising.jpg" width="122" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>In this autobiographical account of her life, Dr. Humphries tells her story of getting trained as a nephrologist and practicing medicine at the hospital with the core value of the medical profession at the heart of her work: the safety and wellbeing of her patients. But what she witnessed at the hospital became an awakening call for her: a number of medical doctors and the hospital administration putting patient safety and wellbeing at risk while believing they were doing their best. </div><div><br /></div><div>Dr. Humphries tells how her efforts to do things honestly and staying true to her profession made her the target of hostility by her colleagues and employer. At the core of this hostility was her professional obligation to report adverse vaccine reactions and health effects of vaccination her patients suffered; but the medical administration did not want her to question vaccines no matter what. </div><div><br /></div><div>The book is written in engaging first-person narration that emanates courage, honesty, and commitment to the author’s profession of saving lives. The metaphor of rising from the dead is applied convincingly to illustrate how “gold standards” applied across medical facilities stifle real professionalism in doctors and reduce them to automatons resistant to learning and independent thought. The result is more patients left dead or injured with scars for life than saved. </div><div><br /></div><div>While <em>Rising from the Dead </em>is not a book that you can use as a health guide for treating diseases, Dr. Humphries offers a number of important hints and pearls of wisdom on the safer and more healthy approach to a number of serious diseases and health risks. What makes this book a gem, though, is its immense inspirational value that calls for waking up from the grave of ignorance and servile compliance to a new life of awareness and the courage to question.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>ISBN: </b>9780692648186</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Barnes & Noble Page:</b> <u><a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/rising-from-the-dead-suzanne-humphries-md/1123940669">https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/rising-from-the-dead-suzanne-humphries-md/1123940669</a></u></div><div><br /></div><div>Reposted from <i><a href="https://www.ernestdempsey.com/rising-from-the-dead/">Word Matters!</a></i></div>Ernest Dempseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06530584331364171333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13231163.post-6290285229777714132020-07-06T11:13:00.002-07:002020-07-06T11:13:34.432-07:00The Saturday Wife<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
If I hadn’t read Naomi Ragen’s <a href="https://bookreviewpot.blogspot.com/2006/04/chains-around-grass.html"><em>Chains Around the Grass</em></a>, the title “The Saturday Wife” would have been a turn-off enough to make me pass on this book. Who wants to read about another wife/woman/girl story, which sounds like all about how to win her husband or any other man (men)? Not me! But because I was already convinced of Ragen’s magic as a writer, I had to pick it up. And I am glad I did.<br />
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<em>The Saturday Wife</em> (St. Martin's Publishing Group, 2008) is a character-driven story of a young Jewish woman who tries to find an ideal place in her community through good marriage and thus becomes a rabbi’s wife. However, her worldliness starts failing her position in the orthodox Jewish environs and build up to become a disaster for herself and her husband. In Delilah Glodgrab, and later Delilah Levi, Naomi Ragen has created a character that reflects the socio-cultural vibrations of orthodox Jewish faith afloat in the sea of contemporary urban society in the developed west.<br />
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The story proceeds amusingly as Ragen maintains the fun side of Delilah’s journey through life. It doesn’t get dark and gloomy despite every opportunity for Delilah to turn it that way. In fact, her ability, supplemented by chance, to wiggle out of trouble itself becomes an amusement for readers.<br />
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The ending perhaps is a bit anticlimactic and far from cathartic. In character-driven stories, the ending is supposed to come from within the character with spontaneity and sums up the character’s development. That doesn’t happen in <em>The Saturday Wife</em> and readers may feel kind of lost or abandoned at the end. Nevertheless, it’s a story that has a moral side, engaging narration, interesting characters, and some good faith/cultural knowledge for non-Jewish readers.<br />
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<b>ISBN:</b> 9780312352394<br />
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<b>Barnes & Noble page:</b> <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/saturday-wife-naomi-ragen/1100357539">https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/saturday-wife-naomi-ragen/1100357539</a><br />
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Reposted from <i><a href="https://www.ernestdempsey.com/the-saturday-wife/">Word Matters!</a></i></div>
Ernest Dempseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06530584331364171333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13231163.post-58813910694892430432020-07-06T10:10:00.003-07:002020-07-06T10:10:55.854-07:00The Field: The Quest for the Secret Force of the Universe<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
There are books that you read and you get a whole new worldview owing to the nature of information contained and the excellence of narration via which the information is conveyed. Award-winning journalist and author Lynn Mctaggart’s <em>The Field</em> (HarperCollins, 2008) is among those books.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHS-cpSJwnUqnhxAMHucSYj5o_uEHJFi4PLXEzzKScn1fMXCJxKNvj6infvuUXDzyJk3Y5nedT0SyhGvsrhr1Zfhtew79galIbRRnuz7pR85tCTviJyMRsMNEOwV0g6mnL0EqKVw/s1600/The+field.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="260" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHS-cpSJwnUqnhxAMHucSYj5o_uEHJFi4PLXEzzKScn1fMXCJxKNvj6infvuUXDzyJk3Y5nedT0SyhGvsrhr1Zfhtew79galIbRRnuz7pR85tCTviJyMRsMNEOwV0g6mnL0EqKVw/s200/The+field.jpg" width="130" /></a>Written for the average educated reader, the book explains key concepts in science, particularly in <em>unscientific</em> by establishment science.<br />
atomic and quantum physics. The author summarizes the details of important research studies carried out to explain the presence and influence of the fundamental, all-encompassing Zero Point Field—hence the shortened name The Field. Many of these studies, involving carefully designed lab experiments by dedicated scientists around the world, revealed scientific evidence of the Field and validity of several paranormal or out-of-ordinary observations and experiences that mainstream science fails to grasp, and hence refuses to accept: remote viewing, telepathy, distant healing, and many other phenomena that are usually tossed in the bin labeled <br />
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Mctaggart tells the story of the research as well as the researchers in each chapter while also adding adequate historical background to give the reader the complete meaning of the scientific investigation being discussed. This makes her presentation of the case for the Field quite compelling. Of special interest to any critical and analytical reader would be the lack of attention all this groundbreaking research has received over the decades, pointing to the hand of establishment and self-interested authority in the realm of academic science that is intolerant of challenging works breaking with their established scientific view of reality.<br />
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<em>The Field</em> is at its core a science book, and to this writer, it’s a must-read.
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<b>ISBN:</b> 9780061435188<br />
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<b>HarperCollins Page:</b> <a href="https://www.harpercollins.com/9780061435188/the-field-updated-ed/">https://www.harpercollins.com/9780061435188/the-field-updated-ed/</a><br />
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Reposted from <i><a href="https://www.ernestdempsey.com/the-field-the-quest-for-the-secret-force-of-the-universe/">Word Matters!</a></i></div>
Ernest Dempseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06530584331364171333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13231163.post-17505088591421797902020-04-11T18:47:00.001-07:002020-04-11T18:47:57.957-07:00Wilde in America<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
David M. Friedman’s <em>Wilde in America</em> (Norton, 2014) serves a filling account of Oscar Wilde’s historical trip to America and its implications for both Wilde and America.<br />
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Starting with Wilde’s arrival in New York in January 1882, Friedman narrates in rich detail the nearly year-long journey of Wilde through the United States where he took the center stage not so much in literary circles as becoming the object of media’s obsession and an attraction for local elites, particularly women. Hence, concludes Friedman, Wilde virtually became the originator of modern celebrity culture in America while he lectured across the U.S. on the aesthetic movement in art.<br />
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<em>Wilde in America</em> has good deal of history of the American society of the time and the author blends it pretty smoothly with Wilde’s life story. It’s a travelogue, history, biography, literary arts, and cultural study—all in one continues story. Those having a reading interest in any/all of these would find this book a good pick.<br />
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<strong>ISBN:</strong> 9780393063172<br />
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<strong>Barnes and Noble Page:</strong> <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wilde-in-america-david-friedman/1118484477">https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wilde-in-america-david-friedman/1118484477</a><br />
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Reposted from <i><a href="https://www.ernestdempsey.com/wilde-in-america/">Word Matters!</a></i></div>
Ernest Dempseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06530584331364171333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13231163.post-80581835995795862462020-02-10T09:07:00.001-08:002020-02-10T09:14:04.666-08:00Hiding in Unnatural Happiness<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hiding in Unnatural Happiness by Devamrita Swami is a fairly short book of essays and commentary that explore the foundation of happiness. The author introduces readers to the nature of happiness, its various levels in human life, and the path to a life of true happiness—all in the perspective of spiritual philosophy of Hinduism.
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Swami distinguishes between the entrapping materialistic approach to happiness, which is what many people today adhere to, and the liberating spiritual approach to happiness, one that comes with the true knowledge of our place in the universal scheme of things. His commentary moves though the fields of economy, psychology, society/culture, philosophy, and personal wellbeing in order to illustrate the different levels of our awareness that determine the kind of happiness in our lives. Here you see a special emphasis on practicing yogi lifestyle for attaining contentment.<br />
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The chapters in this work are short and some chapters are expanded versions of the author’s presentations at various educational institutions. Swami’s language has a pleasing, aesthetic feel to it. With a length of around a hundred pages, Hiding in Unnatural Happiness is a decent pick for lovers of short books that offer some pearls of wisdom.
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<span style="background-color: transparent;"><b>ISBN: </b>978-0947259860 </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent;"><b>Amazon Page:</b> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Hiding-Unnatural-Happiness-Devamrita-Swami/dp/0947259864">https://www.amazon.com/Hiding-Unnatural-Happiness-Devamrita-Swami/dp/0947259864 </a></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent;"> Reposted from <i><a href="https://www.recoveringself.com/reviews/books/hiding-in-unnatural-happiness-by-devamrita-swami">Recovering the Self</a></i></span></div>
Ernest Dempseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06530584331364171333noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13231163.post-30898350907925895432019-01-04T22:21:00.002-08:002019-01-04T22:21:26.977-08:00The Archetype of the Number and Its Reflections in Contemporary Cosmology<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL9zLlGAk0AjFqo37ODPms03vT-fnxkvYfUgoDhl87_mKdr5ya0k7-Q5ly4w4fgcRwfgE6yEzmlmFnvUMK7Y1Gr6Cuow-5Y9NX_XhYpaHCaidI-fgrshejtfA8I_jvknCrNcjCaQ/s1600/The-Archetype-of-the-Number-.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="272" data-original-width="769" height="70" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL9zLlGAk0AjFqo37ODPms03vT-fnxkvYfUgoDhl87_mKdr5ya0k7-Q5ly4w4fgcRwfgE6yEzmlmFnvUMK7Y1Gr6Cuow-5Y9NX_XhYpaHCaidI-fgrshejtfA8I_jvknCrNcjCaQ/s200/The-Archetype-of-the-Number-.jpg" width="200" /></a>Alain Negre’s <em>The Archetype of the Number and its Reflections in Contemporary Cosmology</em>
explore <br />
a field of study that mainstream science has steered clear of
and thus mainstream media also doesn’t obsess itself with, yet one which
is applicable to the story of the universe—numbers and their
association with the evolution of consciousness and of universe.<br />
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In twelve chapters, the author makes a case for number having a
qualitative aspect by virtue of which it qualifies as an archetype
reflecting a deeper reality of consciousness; the same also reflects in
the history and evolution of our universe as contemporary cosmology
views it. Based on the content, the book can be roughly divided into two
main parts—the first part explaining the number archetype as concluded
from existing scientist, philosophical, and cultural understanding of
reality; and the second part explaining the implications of the number
archetype in universe and collective consciousness, particularly in
astrology.</div>
<br />
Read complete review on <a href="http://www.ernestdempsey.com/the-archetype-of-the-number-and-its-reflections-in-contemporary-cosmology/">Word Matters! </a></div>
Ernest Dempseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06530584331364171333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13231163.post-5786937117730338042018-04-02T21:28:00.002-07:002018-04-02T21:28:55.430-07:00Parallel Universes: The Search for Other Worlds<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Any detailed discussion of space-time in quantum physics and what it
means in terms of classical <i>Parallel Universes</i> (Simon & Schuster, 1990) is not
an exception. But I must add it is one of the books on the topic that
can keep a reader engaged all along by some really cool examples and
scenarios.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfyJTsR-kAyBUYHeMN649WI6Nn9PIv9KVRJArA2g1TRIi0qY8i88LvSkiNe3vDu3rIz65VsQfq4JJepKkeEOhchPtSMkgeTr24-JeNsS0QrfmASH8ad6bixdQ8Ib3wFDUOJF_i0A/s1600/parallel-universes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="311" data-original-width="236" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfyJTsR-kAyBUYHeMN649WI6Nn9PIv9KVRJArA2g1TRIi0qY8i88LvSkiNe3vDu3rIz65VsQfq4JJepKkeEOhchPtSMkgeTr24-JeNsS0QrfmASH8ad6bixdQ8Ib3wFDUOJF_i0A/s200/parallel-universes.jpg" width="151" /></a></div>
<br />
Committed to the its title—parallel universes—the book starts with the
fundamental physical phenomenon of wave-particle duality that actually
serves as the basis for quantum phenomena and parallel realities—or
possibilities, to be more precise. Things are easier to grasp and
visualize at this stage of the story.<br />
<br />
Read complete review on <a href="http://www.ernestdempsey.com/parallel-universes-the-search-for-other-worlds/">Word Matters! </a></div>
</div>
Ernest Dempseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06530584331364171333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13231163.post-59572321686371328312013-12-10T19:08:00.000-08:002013-12-10T19:08:19.232-08:00Gandhi and Beyond<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://www.ernestdempsey.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Gandhi-and-Beyond.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Gandhi and Beyond" class="size-medium wp-image-480 alignright" height="300" src="http://www.ernestdempsey.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Gandhi-and-Beyond-200x300.jpg" width="200" /></a>For all the decades of their astounding technological advance and expansion in many fields of education, mankind has persistently faced one big failure: attain peace. In the 21<sup>st</sup> century, we face not only war but the dark reality of terrorism, gang culture, organized crime, and continued oppression of minorities, leading to more hatred, anger, and ultimately violence. What’s the answer to this constant question of violence?<br />
<br />
In one word, it’s nonviolence. This solution, sounding simple at first, is easier said than done. Yet there is an inspiring history of nonviolent social action in human history. David Cortright, peace activist and educator at the University of Notre Dame, discusses the work of the most influential nonviolent social activists of the 20<sup>th</sup> century in his book <i>Gandhi and Beyond: Nonviolence for a New Political Age </i>(paradigm Publishers, 2010).<br />
<br />
Cortright starts with the legendary Indian social activist Mahatama Gandhi and his philosophy of nonviolence materialized in his movement for freedom and social justice in the British Colonial India. The following chapters of the book detail the struggle for social justice in the west by leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. and activists such as Barbara Deming, Cesar Chavez, Dorothy Day, Margaret Sanger, and others. The influence of Gandhi’s philosophy of nonviolence was present in most of these later activists though there were certain differences in strategies and approaches to social change.<br />
<br />
Cortright also discusses the role of various institutions – public and private – in facilitating or obstructing the goals of a social action movement. For this, the book draws on historical examples in 20<sup>th</sup> century and illustrates how social change is influenced by various factors, including media.
<i> </i><br />
<br />
<i>Gandhi and Beyond</i> is informative, especially for those who don’t know much about the history of social movements, as well as inspirational and motivational toward adopting a philosophy of nonviolence as the only solution that can lead to lasting peace against the constant existence of violence. Cortright ends the book with a letter to a Palestinian student, sharing his thoughts on the movement for justice against Israeli oppression of the Palestinian masses in the disputed territories of Israel-Palestine region. His concluding sentences reads: “New struggles for freedom lie ahead. If guided by Gandhian principles, they can wield a higher power and greater hope of success.”<br />
<br />
ISBN: 978-1594517693<br />
<br />
Amazon Page: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Gandhi-Beyond-Nonviolence-Political-Second/dp/159451769X">http://www.amazon.com/Gandhi-Beyond-Nonviolence-Political-Second/dp/159451769X</a></div>
Ernest Dempseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06530584331364171333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13231163.post-61909753497869778242013-11-29T11:37:00.001-08:002013-11-30T08:38:50.447-08:00The McDonaldization of Society – 6<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The 6<sup>th</sup> edition of
George Ritzer’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The McDonaldization of
Society</i> (SAGE Publications, 2010) critically </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYSx9oyPx382Zrgea2ZEksqoopKcLmfCHuNE7D13XRz0V4_9y20ts6GIISfBboeHto8mgvIWUkJ-QVtynqF13nN7P2lgc1_DWvbGds5s7q1LWdWjbSxyslL6ONIwuEv9_Ncy6qgw/s1600/The+McDonaldization+of+Society++6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYSx9oyPx382Zrgea2ZEksqoopKcLmfCHuNE7D13XRz0V4_9y20ts6GIISfBboeHto8mgvIWUkJ-QVtynqF13nN7P2lgc1_DWvbGds5s7q1LWdWjbSxyslL6ONIwuEv9_Ncy6qgw/s320/The+McDonaldization+of+Society++6.jpg" width="234" /></a></div>
examines the fast food model
of social life in modern urban societies. Taking the United States as the prime
example of an increasingly McDonaldized society over the decades, Ritzer
discusses the evolution of a number of key social institutions along the lines
of the fast food restaurants – hence the name “McDonaldization”, after the fast
food giant that has expansively established itself in US and is also growing
steadily abroad.<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
The book discusses four core
principles of McDonaldization: efficiency, predictability, calculability, and
control. Each one is discussed separately as well as in relation to social
structure and social relations. Ritzer illustrates how an overemphasis on these
principles is leading to deterioration of our status and values as humans,
increasingly being mechanized by the McDonaldization model whether in feeding,
education, health, or a number of other areas in our daily life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
Perhaps the most revealing aspect
of the Ritzer’s book is showing the self-defeating nature of the </div>
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</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
McDonaldization
process, or what he terms as “irrationality of rationality”. His examples from
various social institutions explain to readers how standardized procedures
characteristic of a McDonaldized system work against it such that efficiency
turns into inefficiency, predictability gives way to uncertainty, and so on.</div>
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This book has a good deal for the
reader to digest including a few examples of potentially DeMcDonaldized systems
or those that have not been completely taken over by the McDonaldization
principles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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This edition of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
McDonaldization of Society</i> is a good read for any serious readers and
particularly for those studying social institutions, modern societies, or more
recent history of the American society. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
ISBN: 978-1412980128</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; 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;">Amazon Page: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/McDonaldization-Society-6-George-Ritzer/dp/1412980127/">http://www.amazon.com/McDonaldization-Society-6-George-Ritzer/dp/1412980127/</a></span></div>
Ernest Dempseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06530584331364171333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13231163.post-60764674940254803792013-11-23T21:03:00.001-08:002013-11-23T21:03:15.481-08:00The Pine Island Paradox<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
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First published nearly a decade
ago, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Pine-Island-Paradox-Disconnected/dp/1571312811"><span style="color: blue;">The
Pine Island Paradox</span></a></i> (Milkweed Editions, 2004) remains a <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMEyt2hGIO7IhqSBApMRT2V1ij_phrcw11nXNlpnUC11NfQXajRkkkCCmFTmc_pEgQF1efHJzXHGLGrA6vlMcJ3JV8i7TYTCObYTxglZzq2Rr7egOyE8YpHSokYHfD0fPH1vJbjA/s1600/Pine_Island_Paradox.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMEyt2hGIO7IhqSBApMRT2V1ij_phrcw11nXNlpnUC11NfQXajRkkkCCmFTmc_pEgQF1efHJzXHGLGrA6vlMcJ3JV8i7TYTCObYTxglZzq2Rr7egOyE8YpHSokYHfD0fPH1vJbjA/s1600/Pine_Island_Paradox.jpg" /></a></div>
timeless read.
Author and speaker Kathleen Dean Moore takes her readers along on her personal
journey in and with nature on Pine Island, in the Alaskan wilderness. And while
camping with her family on the island, Moore makes some vital connections with
the place and life there.</div>
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Moore’s approach toward living in
nature borders on the ecological and the philosophical – a state of finely
tuned consciousness that diffuses the boundaries between one’s “self” and
nature. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To Moore, the “harmony of the
whole” is of prime importance, and that shows in her camping experience on Pine
Island where she finds a reciprocal relationship between people and their places:
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">people and the world are co-creators of
the future</i>. (126) <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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The imagery in this book will literally
possesses any reader who has experienced the purity of wilderness, but will also
likely engage the attention of those who stay tethered to modern urban settings
and have at least some vicarious experience of unadulterated nature. The
sounds, colors, and feel of being out in the open enrich one’s reading experience
on Moore’s pages – a journal wherein lost connections are discovered.</div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Pine Island Paradox</i> has deep ethical implications. Nowhere
preachy, Moore’s work calls for “ecological ethics of care”; it is more a call
for retrieving our lost relationship with our true nature, the one we have
reduced to our ever-rising consumerism. These chapters work against the
divide-and-rule view that has sucked our society in over the decades; it is a
call for a unite-and-thrive way of thinking and living.</div>
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Moore’s book raises a number of important
questions for thought. The one that stayed with this writer long after the book
was closed is: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">If the world was created
by the separation of one thing from another, the seas from the dry land, the
birds of the air from the fish of the sea, will it end with a gradual coming
together?</i> (224) <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<br />
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ISBN: 978-1571312815</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
Amazon Page: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Pine-Island-Paradox-Connections-Disconnected/dp/1571312811/"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.amazon.com/Pine-Island-Paradox-Connections-Disconnected/dp/1571312811/</span></a></div>
</div>
Ernest Dempseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06530584331364171333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13231163.post-35852092381212802942013-11-07T13:21:00.002-08:002013-11-07T13:21:15.396-08:00The Road-Shaped Heart <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLU0VrmzSl2hQTSeg_ThjKENAWu1yJZuHknxw9u1cfBIPU2sGziLjv224MDiqZarSSF-7VlkUiH1Fgvj_4dCDbXy4WkIsa99EktTME4aQenooE6lYVrO0W1_oGSK_khhbAQc_BBQ/s1600/cover+image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLU0VrmzSl2hQTSeg_ThjKENAWu1yJZuHknxw9u1cfBIPU2sGziLjv224MDiqZarSSF-7VlkUiH1Fgvj_4dCDbXy4WkIsa99EktTME4aQenooE6lYVrO0W1_oGSK_khhbAQc_BBQ/s320/cover+image.jpg" width="212" /></a>Free verse doesn’t always
instantiate the freedom of voice carried within its lines. Not so with Nick
Purdon. <i>The Road-Shaped Heart</i>
(Modern History Press, 2011). The poet from South African liberates his poetic expression from the
constraints of time, space, and perceptual confines of man in his book of
collected poems</div>
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The 25 poems included in this collection explore the dimensions
in and beyond the perceptual experience. Purdon’s motifs include the sacred
distance, the tenderness of emotion, life as a journey, and the cycle of life
and death. His freedom of spirit shows in blending perception with delirium to
witness what he terms “blinding synethesia” (p. 15).</div>
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Purdon’s use of language has poetic beauty, often fitting
short words skillfully to create the rhythm in lines: “I <i>will</i> you to slice me open/I <i>want</i>
you to see/how scarlet I am for you” (p. 27).</div>
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The message that takes precedence in <i>The Road-Shaped Heart</i> is celebrating this unique journey called
life, with “an awesome heart” that is likely to drown in itself – the gift of
being able to make our choice of the path we take in life.</div>
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This book is lovable for its aesthetic and literary merit. </div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">ISBN: <span style="background: white; color: #333333;">978-1615990573</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="background: white; color: #333333;"><br /></span></span></div>
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Amazon Page: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Road-Shaped-Heart-Nick-Purdon/dp/1615990577/">http://www.amazon.com/The-Road-Shaped-Heart-Nick-Purdon/dp/1615990577/</a></div>
</div>
Ernest Dempseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06530584331364171333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13231163.post-54991708881983630732013-10-19T18:33:00.004-07:002019-05-08T06:23:58.144-07:00Yearning for Normal <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrMhK0lhgYBplYP8-ZolbmIarnMfN9hCZv7fKzZwY8PoWy2LZQ3FOGrOr9AW5TzZWswbpHqrh8xS5Gn3mnROR2eq7e9N5xdPI0JnNtXbhNpNvTPCN9HW6SnbTank0cZk7BCZVUxg/s1600/Yearning+for+Normal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="380" data-original-width="247" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrMhK0lhgYBplYP8-ZolbmIarnMfN9hCZv7fKzZwY8PoWy2LZQ3FOGrOr9AW5TzZWswbpHqrh8xS5Gn3mnROR2eq7e9N5xdPI0JnNtXbhNpNvTPCN9HW6SnbTank0cZk7BCZVUxg/s320/Yearning+for+Normal.jpg" width="208" /></a>Twenty-two year old Mike was lying in intensive care at the burn unit in a hospital in Ohio. Sitting beside her is his mother. Both are struggling for his life while his nearly dead body is showing signs of its last breath. Will he make it? If he does, will he be able to return to normal life at all?<br />
<br />
<br />
The story of Susan Ellison Busch, as narrated in her memoir <i>Yearning for Normal: My Son’s Life with Deletion 22q.11</i> (Tate Publishing, 2013), engages the reader since its very first page. An experienced nurse, Susan shares with readers the story of her second child, Mike, who was born with a less-known genetic condition called <i>Deletion 22q.11</i> <i>syndrome</i>. This condition, extremely difficult to diagnose, made Mike a special need child who faced a range of adverse, often life-threatening risks, both physical and psychological, since his birth.<br />
<br />
But equally, or more so, it was the challenge faced by his mother who, from her experience in the medical field, was torn between hope and despair as to how to save her son’s life from what seemed an inevitable disaster. From rushing her son to emergency rooms to monitoring his breathing and praying non-stop for his life, Susan’s journey is filled with the compassion and strength of a mother that are next only to the divine in this universe.<br />
<br />
There is plenty of invaluable health-related information in this book – medical terminology and their meaning, various medical procedures and their importance, things to watch out for, and the way life is affected by medical conditions like <i>Deletion 22q</i> that are difficult to diagnose and treat. Above all, however, this book shows the power of love and compassion, which makes life meaningful and valuable in the face of threats that most of us face at one stage or another in our lives.<br />
<br />
Highly recommended for everyone who values life and love.<br />
<br />
ISBN: 978-1625106728<br />
<br />
Amazon Page: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Yearning-Normal-Susan-Ellison-Busch/dp/1625106726">http://www.amazon.com/Yearning-Normal-Susan-Ellison-Busch/dp/1625106726</a></div>
Ernest Dempseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06530584331364171333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13231163.post-87686971499761641432013-09-13T10:49:00.000-07:002013-09-17T00:44:19.102-07:00Daddy Versus The Suck Monster<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Are you a guy planning to get married and have kids? You
need to read this book first. A memoir of first-time fatherhood, <i>Daddy
Versus The Suck Monster</i> details the nature and extent of challenges the
author experienced with the birth of his first child Keller – aka “The Suck
Monster” (the book explains better whence comes the moniker).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiG-TDwmvNSgtMyGdGvoTNYWcyUwqQ2bqdGhQ-7M5Eh_SvvNOHlM8nWdEiaiKZ3mmudQ6M01kxEL0KZn44ewRJ6h1vDt5aUTR0mT0zHsGZsDdtwt3JWXsIPFXly6GzEMNyewc5qg/s1600/Daddy+Versus+the+Suck+Monster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiG-TDwmvNSgtMyGdGvoTNYWcyUwqQ2bqdGhQ-7M5Eh_SvvNOHlM8nWdEiaiKZ3mmudQ6M01kxEL0KZn44ewRJ6h1vDt5aUTR0mT0zHsGZsDdtwt3JWXsIPFXly6GzEMNyewc5qg/s320/Daddy+Versus+the+Suck+Monster.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<br />
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Joseph Matthew Nespoli makes full use of his humor to show readers what it
is like to be a father for the first time, how it rewards the man as well as
bounds the once free-roaming single guy. As a new dad, the author’s challenges
ranged from changing stinking diapers to an intimacy crisis with his spouse and
embarrassments in public places. At the same time, the new life now breathing –
and crying at the oddest of hours – galvanized the machine of life in ways
never experienced before. His baby, as readers will feel in the book, is the ultimate
gift of life, warts and all. </div>
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In the book, in different chapters, readers also get to know
20 “Essential Rules of Parenting” – witty and attention-grabbing inferences
derived from the “thrilling” parenting experiences narrated therein. There is
some light-hearted, at times sharp-toned commentary on social issues, usually
involving family, gender roles, and stereotypes. </div>
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With an adorable cover title showing the little cute
“monster”, this book is one of those not-to-miss reads for would-be fathers and
humor lovers. </div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
ISBN: 978-1489533975</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Amazon Page: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Daddy-Versus-The-Suck-Monster/dp/1489533974">http://www.amazon.com/Daddy-Versus-The-Suck-Monster/dp/1489533974</a> </div>
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Ernest Dempseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06530584331364171333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13231163.post-2772085392443387262013-09-09T10:01:00.000-07:002013-09-09T10:01:29.332-07:00Reena’s Bollywood Dream<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Jewel Kats always writes special books addressing the most
important needs of children, particularly of <i>Reena’s Bollywood
Dream</i> is unique in that it takes an Indian girl as its central character and
shows how her dream of becoming an actress in Bollywood makes her the pick of a
sex predator.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG7X0LjpRd95-jrp03pz73KWe27-ZJUF5UF4gIg_Yd1GkV6LCTUMVGUx7X-P63N-P9CYQ6XBg5BKt2dAXon4U69WL6FwUUK-tFZ4vQr4E3xyT_zZy0ToEf_jwLEAmO32gmqJKR_w/s1600/Reena+Bollywood+Dream.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG7X0LjpRd95-jrp03pz73KWe27-ZJUF5UF4gIg_Yd1GkV6LCTUMVGUx7X-P63N-P9CYQ6XBg5BKt2dAXon4U69WL6FwUUK-tFZ4vQr4E3xyT_zZy0ToEf_jwLEAmO32gmqJKR_w/s320/Reena+Bollywood+Dream.jpg" width="256" /></a></div>
young girls. <br />
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The story has a great lesson about the innocence of a
child’s dream and her bad experience with a relative who tries to take
advantage of her by appearing as a source that could lead to the realization of
her dream. Reena’s character shows courage, honesty, and intelligence. </div>
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Also lovable are the illustrations by Richa Kinra.</div>
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This book is a must-read for all kids, especially for young girls
so many of whom grow up with fantasies of becoming a showbiz girl and this
fantasyland prays on their healthy inhibitions. It is also for parents and
teachers of all cultures who need to protect their children from sexual abuse.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
ISBN: 978-1615990146</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Amazon Page: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Reenas-Bollywood-Dream-Story-Sexual/dp/1615990143/">http://www.amazon.com/Reenas-Bollywood-Dream-Story-Sexual/dp/1615990143/</a></div>
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Ernest Dempseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06530584331364171333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13231163.post-83755580260998231472013-08-05T11:01:00.000-07:002013-08-31T12:36:39.507-07:00Teddy Bear Princess<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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A short and sweet book for toddlers, <i>Teddy Bear Princess</i> (Marvelous Spirit Press, 2013) by Jewel Kats
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqFFsTvSKpTILpQsYKm3sqRXAY7K1pj0BZxq_ss103-n0qrT3gx3cZ_ico1rfX2uDIpV00KPMC5s5hYoYjEIrutHFzxktnee9dCQ256H1IqLn_G6CmdyBD1OcgPCskux0LRdGv3w/s1600/Teddy+Bear+Princess.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqFFsTvSKpTILpQsYKm3sqRXAY7K1pj0BZxq_ss103-n0qrT3gx3cZ_ico1rfX2uDIpV00KPMC5s5hYoYjEIrutHFzxktnee9dCQ256H1IqLn_G6CmdyBD1OcgPCskux0LRdGv3w/s320/Teddy+Bear+Princess.jpg" width="249" /></a></div>
tells the story of a girl named Teddy bear Princess who lives in a castle in
the forest and has a peaceful and fun life with simple, innocent pleasures.<br />
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<i>Teddy Bear Princess</i> has beautiful full-page illustrations –
from Richa Kinra – for each page of the story, such that the story is told in
written as well as visually. The story shows the beauty and value of sharing
with others as children see Teddy Bear Princess sharing her treats with her pet
friend Zumba, a unicorn, and other unicorns in Zumba’s world. </div>
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This book makes a great first lesson for toddlers,
introducing them to the meaning of kindness and sharing with friends, including
animal friends and pets. Highly recommended for every parent/educator who has a
toddler at their care. </div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
ISBN: <span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">978-1615991631</span></div>
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Amazon Page: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Teddy-Bear-Princess-Sharing-Caring/dp/1615991638">http://www.amazon.com/Teddy-Bear-Princess-Sharing-Caring/dp/1615991638</a></div>
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Author Website: <a href="http://www.jewelkats.com/">http://www.jewelkats.com</a></div>
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Ernest Dempseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06530584331364171333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13231163.post-24440575006978425712013-07-28T00:22:00.001-07:002013-07-28T00:22:20.333-07:00Cinderella's Magical Wheelchair <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Major accidents, injuries, and illnesses in early life, all
have the debilitating potential to run rings of fear </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCrEphZlUSggcD3GDO3ZNBzOgE1Jxh83BQfAQa3pnlsgKsE1jXPcpLE-elFLw4TO-7uENdClBkk16OYuVKt4t-sLJyl1Qb_r2UB3mLd_cuXBCBmhMZdC5dr1HG1WSOOA4MpiKy6A/s1600/cinderalla+magical+wheelchair.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCrEphZlUSggcD3GDO3ZNBzOgE1Jxh83BQfAQa3pnlsgKsE1jXPcpLE-elFLw4TO-7uENdClBkk16OYuVKt4t-sLJyl1Qb_r2UB3mLd_cuXBCBmhMZdC5dr1HG1WSOOA4MpiKy6A/s1600/cinderalla+magical+wheelchair.jpg" /></a></div>
around a child and
imprison them in a cage of low-self-esteem and negative self-image. Here is one
book for children that liberates them from fear and brings them the message of
hope and confidence. <br />
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;">Winner of the silver medal for the <i>Mom’s Choice Awards 2013</i> in the category “Children's Picture Books:
Inspirational/Motivational</span>, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Cinderellas-Magical-Wheelchair-Empowering-Fairy/dp/1615991123"><i>Cinderella's Magical Wheelchair: An
Empowering Fairy Tale</i></a> (Loving Healing Press, 2011) by Jewel Kats is a
modern version of the timeless fairy tale Cinderella in which children meet a
young Cinderella who is physically bound to a wheelchair. However, her beauty
and creative talent are boundless. As her relatives make fun of her wish to
meet the Prince at the up-and-coming royal costume party, her destiny turns out
to be beautiful and true.</div>
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Taking a character with a physical disability and making her
as lovable and strong as anyone is easier said than done; but Jewel Kats has
done it perfectly. Her Cinderella on a wheelchair makes a model character for
children who have suffered any kind of trauma or injury and its related psychological
toll. Cinderella in Kat’s book lovingly goes about her jewelry-making work and
remaining very positive and patient against the negative attitude of her
family.</div>
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<i>Cinderella's Magical
Wheelchair</i> also breaks with social stereotypes. Beauty for the Prince in
this story does not mean looks; the Prince is moved when he sees Cinderella’s
caring heart as she has made a get-well-soon card for her ill father, the King.
Then, at the dance session, neither the Prince nor Cinderella is kept from
dancing together by her wheelchair. It is a unique dance made possible by
mutual love, respect, and care. Later in the story, Cinderella becomes an
independent character, renting her own place and actualizing her artistic
talent to earn her own living. She proves by example that one’s inner strength,
the strength and beauty of one’s spirit is superior to physical abilities. </div>
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Like all empowering books, <i>Cinderella's Magical Wheelchair</i> is full of hope and encouragement
for children. And it is also fun to read with the special fairy character
Monique coming as a surprise and an amusing presence in Cinderella’s life. Written
tightly with a touch of good humor and adorned with Richa Kinra’s eye-catching
illustrations, this is one uplifting book for every child with any kind of
physical disability, or any lingering effect of trauma, illness, or injury. </div>
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ISBN: 978-1615991129</div>
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Amazon Page: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Cinderellas-Magical-Wheelchair-Empowering-Fairy/dp/1615991123">http://www.amazon.com/Cinderellas-Magical-Wheelchair-Empowering-Fairy/dp/1615991123</a>
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Author Website: <a href="http://www.jewelkats.com/">http://www.jewelkats.com</a>
</div>
</div>
Ernest Dempseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06530584331364171333noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13231163.post-23831909022377102382013-07-22T00:36:00.002-07:002013-07-22T00:36:35.129-07:00Lucky<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Denise Carey-Costa writes empowering, uplifting stories for children. Her stories teach compassion for <i>Lucky </i>(Robertson Publishing, 2011) is one such heart-warming story about the life of a homeless cat, named Lucky, who is lucky enough to survive on the street against accidents and people’s neglect.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC4u1IjTdMwqAhcXE7-DIjsBvFJozxr105GYmyRsY1Pi757awmQZtPAXQwQySFbNn_GvFjqtuF0jtkId8iXJ2PSsm6nmo-hmDyLZ8-mqYQ0ccjr99tdR4tH9GAQva0EEquNsuzIg/s1600/Lucky.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC4u1IjTdMwqAhcXE7-DIjsBvFJozxr105GYmyRsY1Pi757awmQZtPAXQwQySFbNn_GvFjqtuF0jtkId8iXJ2PSsm6nmo-hmDyLZ8-mqYQ0ccjr99tdR4tH9GAQva0EEquNsuzIg/s1600/Lucky.jpg" /></a></div>
animals, particularly for animals with a disability or physical limitation that makes them less attractive at first sight. <br />
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In the story, Lucky is a character that calls for compassion, being himself a model of love and care as he befriends a lonely boy with a disability. The two find each other as best friends but Lucky is not accepted by the boy’s mother. How he ultimately fins her place in the boy’s home is the inspiring tale of Lucky that will entertain children while also teaching an invaluable lesson in care and love. </div>
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The book is written in an interesting style with a good deal of suspense that keeps the reader turning page after page to learn what happens to Lucky as he hopes for having a family while facing rejection due to his ugly appearance. The story’s illustrations have been provided by Nicole Sjostrom and Jonathan Iseminger and they visually complement the story well.</div>
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<i>Lucky </i>will touch hearts and amuse kids and make a great read for kids in school and at home. </div>
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ISBN: 978-1611700350</div>
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/Denise%20Carey-Costa%20writes%20empowering,%20uplifting%20stories%20for%20children.%20Her%20stories%20teach%20compassion%20for%20animals,%20particularly%20for%20animals%20with%20a%20disability%20or%20physical%20limitation%20that%20makes%20them%20less%20attractive%20at%20first%20sight.%20Lucky%20(Robertson%20Publishing,%202011)%20is%20one%20such%20heart-warming%20story%20about%20the%20life%20of%20a%20homeless%20cat,%20named%20Lucky,%20who%20is%20lucky%20enough%20to%20survive%20on%20the%20street%20against%20accidents%20and%20people%E2%80%99s%20neglect.%20In%20the%20story,%20Lucky%20is%20a%20character%20that%20calls%20for%20compassion,%20being%20himself%20a%20model%20of%20love%20and%20care%20as%20he%20befriends%20a%20lonely%20boy%20with%20a%20disability.%20The%20two%20find%20each%20other%20as%20best%20friends%20but%20Lucky%20is%20not%20accepted%20by%20the%20boy%E2%80%99s%20mother.%20How%20he%20ultimately%20fins%20her%20place%20in%20the%20boy%E2%80%99s%20home%20is%20the%20inspiring%20tale%20of%20Lucky%20that%20will%20entertain%20children%20while%20also%20teaching%20an%20invaluable%20lesson%20in%20care%20and%20love.%20%20The%20book%20is%20written%20in%20an%20interesting%20style%20with%20a%20good%20deal%20of%20suspense%20that%20keeps%20the%20reader%20turning%20page%20after%20page%20to%20learn%20what%20happens%20to%20Lucky%20as%20he%20hopes%20for%20having%20a%20family%20while%20facing%20rejection%20due%20to%20his%20ugly%20appearance.%20The%20story%E2%80%99s%20illustrations%20have%20been%20provided%20by%20Nicole%20Sjostrom%20and%20Jonathan%20Iseminger%20and%20visually%20complement%20the%20story.%20Lucky%20will%20touch%20hearts%20and%20amuse%20kids%20and%20make%20a%20great%20read%20for%20kids%20in%20school%20and%20at%20home.%20%20%20ISBN:%20978-1611700350%20Amazon%20Page:%20http://www.amazon.com/Lucky-Denise-Carey-Costa/dp/1611700353">Amazon Page: http://www.amazon.com/Lucky-Denise-Carey-Costa/dp/1611700353</a></div>
<div>
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</div>
Ernest Dempseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06530584331364171333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13231163.post-7161935363416191182013-04-22T02:22:00.001-07:002013-04-22T02:22:58.342-07:00Girl in Translation<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Jean Kwok literally brings her characters to life in her
debut novel <i>Girl in Translation</i> (Riverhead
Books, </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiyZZxdtWGtScH-bykI2w1afe8Pkrb4HsSy-Bu9hTVNVWfVC_YhjupZaGMsKGaO_LWSbFkOegJ0aQLlsWY7sqQpmFyIiiiK4IfPd14m4ngdqv9RqBuzF4c7ERvaq6jJuaWyAQPlQ/s1600/Girl+in+Translation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiyZZxdtWGtScH-bykI2w1afe8Pkrb4HsSy-Bu9hTVNVWfVC_YhjupZaGMsKGaO_LWSbFkOegJ0aQLlsWY7sqQpmFyIiiiK4IfPd14m4ngdqv9RqBuzF4c7ERvaq6jJuaWyAQPlQ/s320/Girl+in+Translation.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
2010). The book traces the life journey of a Chinese girl Kim who moves
along with her mother from Hong Kong to New York as an immigrant and takes on
the challenges of poverty, underpaid labor, and cultural adjustments – her
strength being the “talent of learning”.<br />
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Of the challenges Kim faces as a young Chinese immigrant in
her new place, she specifically struggles with language. To her, learning
English is at once the problem and the solution to her difficult situation.
Given her gift of learning, Kim gradually takes control of her life and by the
time she steps into adulthood, she has achieved what would make her and her
mother proud. A tale of challenges and the courage to face them with patience,
this novel has immense inspirational and motivational value, particularly for
the newly immigrated people who have to grapple with issues of culture and
identity in a foreign country.</div>
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Kwok’s voice is compelling, her talent of expressing
character situations extraordinary. Far from trying to raise her protagonist to
an inflated model of courage, the author lets Kim’s character come of age
realistically, showing various shades of her person – the fear, the innocence,
and the spirit driving her forward. The author’s approach is direct, her
characterization anything but lofty so that the reader gets a sense of immediacy
about the characters and their situations. By the end of the novel, the reader
is most likely to be already in love with it.</div>
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<i>Girl in Translation</i>
is one of the more refined works of contemporary fiction in English language.
Whether immigrants or natives, this book makes an enjoyable and moving read of
solid literary merit for all readers. </div>
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ISBN: ISBN: 978-1594485152 </div>
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Amazon Link: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Girl-Translation-Jean-Kwok/dp/1594485151/">http://www.amazon.com/Girl-Translation-Jean-Kwok/dp/1594485151/</a> </div>
</div>
Ernest Dempseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06530584331364171333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13231163.post-2891342637917669772013-04-07T22:29:00.004-07:002013-04-07T22:34:30.482-07:00Angelina’s Angel<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<i>Angelina’s Angel</i> (Robertson Publishing, 2011) is about a nine-year old girl Angelina who feels sad after her mom tells her they won’t be able to buy all the items Angelina wants for Christmas.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifBmAuXIORC4xZIP2F9JclnjMaUYukzH11hbgDmm-ifLrX7OJXImyWfr0SKUaLXu2j-7g-CLaDaDWyjbs78B-8QachNKgiMOgbzdDjW9o7ixLDunJJdbRpEVT6EOBDEUUrWsWXlw/s1600/Angelina%E2%80%99s+Angel.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifBmAuXIORC4xZIP2F9JclnjMaUYukzH11hbgDmm-ifLrX7OJXImyWfr0SKUaLXu2j-7g-CLaDaDWyjbs78B-8QachNKgiMOgbzdDjW9o7ixLDunJJdbRpEVT6EOBDEUUrWsWXlw/s1600/Angelina%E2%80%99s+Angel.JPG" /></a></div>
But when Angelina visits her Uncle Marty’s workshop, her feelings
change to happiness and excitement. What gifts she sees there and how they
cheer her up switch the mood of this story to sweetness and pure joy. <o:p></o:p><br />
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Authors Marilynn Carey and Denise Carey-Costa have dedicated this very special Christmas story to ‘Great’ Uncle Marty. A life well lived is never forgotten, says the dedication page of this book. The story of Angelina and her uncle make the perfect example of what makes life really good.</div>
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<i>Angelina’s Angel</i> shows kids what is most valuable in life. It’s a book for all kids and makes an excellent Christmas gift, since the story takes place at Christmas time when happiness and hope fill the air all around us. <i> </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
ISBN: 978-1611700480</div>
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Amazon Page: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Angelinas-Angel-Marilynn-Carey/dp/1611700485">http://www.amazon.com/Angelinas-Angel-Marilynn-Carey/dp/1611700485</a></div>
</div>
Ernest Dempseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06530584331364171333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13231163.post-951325729868809932013-04-05T23:25:00.001-07:002013-04-05T23:26:31.033-07:00Edwin’s Flight<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Interesting, inspirational, and uplifting – </span><i style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Edwin’s Flight</i><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> (Trafford Publishing,
2010) by Denise Carey-Costa </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqXJJz4W-5pEZdV8Bk-Kfb1SEy_G1E7NEKS6TPqoiyjKGpSU945AhHf2er_4blbLdU73hdTIuP0dCXkdiXo_Wb4QyoVDpCeIuDXX3rqIV-0CEK-Q_JcI7_kcgiTEtvIsAPtpNNNg/s1600/Edwin%2527s+Flight.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqXJJz4W-5pEZdV8Bk-Kfb1SEy_G1E7NEKS6TPqoiyjKGpSU945AhHf2er_4blbLdU73hdTIuP0dCXkdiXo_Wb4QyoVDpCeIuDXX3rqIV-0CEK-Q_JcI7_kcgiTEtvIsAPtpNNNg/s200/Edwin%2527s+Flight.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
is an important book for children and for parents –
particularly those having children with any kind of disabilities. It tells and
shows the story of a baby bird named Edwin, born with a disability and unable
to fly at first due to his physical limitation. However, with determination and
personal effort, Edwin overcomes his weakness and flies high as any other birds
of his kind and age.<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The story is touching and written in an
easy-to-understand language so that children who are just starting school can
read and learn from it. Edwin’s change in his situation from a depressed bird
to a confident flying one has an empowering potential for many children with
special needs who will readily identify with Edwin’s character. Nicole Sjostrom
and Jonathan Iseminger have beautifully illustrated this book with colored
drawings of scenes from the story. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i>Edwin’s Flight</i> can be of great value to for parents
and educators who live or work with children having special needs and are vulnerable
to low self-esteem and/or lack of participation in activities due to their special
needs. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">ISBN: 978-1426922176</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Amazon Page: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Edwins-Flight-Denise-Carey-Costa/dp/1426922175">http://www.amazon.com/Edwins-Flight-Denise-Carey-Costa/dp/1426922175</a>
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
Ernest Dempseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06530584331364171333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13231163.post-51491290291659278462013-03-16T23:06:00.000-07:002013-03-16T23:06:36.140-07:00Not Becoming My Mother<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlfNAL7sGYTaD06fLGEEise840RNtJJiwL9inAE5M7xMNfnrgblGUlk1xsbmz9p2x7oAz5xTDw1PC2uLRvmGrzJHwBv8j6P761h-7CpT-Ouky8IbjOmDLZoeAJzqZcfehZ5hoZbA/s1600/Not+Becoming+my+Mother.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlfNAL7sGYTaD06fLGEEise840RNtJJiwL9inAE5M7xMNfnrgblGUlk1xsbmz9p2x7oAz5xTDw1PC2uLRvmGrzJHwBv8j6P761h-7CpT-Ouky8IbjOmDLZoeAJzqZcfehZ5hoZbA/s320/Not+Becoming+my+Mother.jpg" width="224" /></a></div>
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One of the most interesting aspects
of literature is the ease with which it bridges the gap between relationships
that define generations, particularly when the relationships are
gender-specific. Tracing traits among a line of descent provides a measure of
the progress and/or decline in various parameters of life. Ruth Reichl’s <i>Not Becoming My Mother</i> (Penguin Press,
2009) draws a perceptible line of circumstances and individual choices from the
time her mother grew up in a conservative American society of the 1920s to her
own life in a more emancipated status. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Reichl tells the story of how
she finally decided to pen her mother’s diaries on the day of what would have
been her mom’s 100<sup>th</sup> birthday, and she found bits of her own self
strewn through the lines in the pages her mom wrote. Growing up in Cleveland,
her mom had to choose between becoming a good wife or fulfill her potential as
a person in the way she liked. As she opted for becoming what society expected
of her, the woman left unfulfilled inside her chose to record her life’s gaps
in words that would later fill the spaces discovered by her daughter in her own
life. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Not
Becoming My Mother</i> is a book of deeply personal and highly valued
relationships – that of a mother and child, and that of a person with
themselves. It is a tribute to womanhood for all what this gender has been and
how it has continued to come out of the haze of social standards set
particularly for her. Aside from the exceptionally illustrative title cover, Reichl’s
style of writing has a feel of immediacy and depth that goes to the core of her
subject. It is a book for people who want to know their mothers’ lives and their
own. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Amazon Page: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Not-Becoming-My-Mother-Things/dp/1594202168">http://www.amazon.com/Not-Becoming-My-Mother-Things/dp/1594202168</a>
<o:p></o:p></div>
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Author Website: <a href="http://www.ruthreichl.com/">http://www.ruthreichl.com/</a> <o:p></o:p></div>
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Ernest Dempseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06530584331364171333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13231163.post-62321350586552034022013-01-12T10:54:00.001-08:002013-01-12T10:54:11.702-08:00Stricken Yet Crowned <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Suffering rape at the age of 12 was the beginning of
Michell Spoden’s eventful life as Spoden tells her life story in <i>Stricken Yet Crowned </i>(Sakura Publishing,
2010). Physical rape, as the author shows through her story, is only one of
several forms of abuse besides various factors facilitating abuse of women even
in societies where they have more civil rights than the rest of the world. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Michell Spoden’s book outlines the abuse of women in
multiple forms and at various stages in life – physical rape, emotional deceit
and manipulation by intended immigrants, and administrative denial to help
pursue the truth and bring the culprits to justice – all laced in the same thread
of womanhood. Readers will find it inspiring and motivating how something
greater within the author never gave up on life. Making her past the path to
her liberation, Spoden shows us that the spirit of healing never fails us if we
commit not let ourselves down. That is how she learnt to be in the presence of
the Holy Spirit and save her inner self from life-long possession by trauma and
abuse.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The style of narration in Spoden’s book is
interesting, fairly unusual as we read it like a documentary with an omniscient
voice introducing various phases in the author’s life followed by her
first-person account of the details of those stages in her life. It is the
straightforwardness, the unaffectedness of her voice that feels as the most
striking quality of her story. There is no drama in her book, no sentimentalism
or appeal to any sort of trite gender-based victimization. The author’s account
as well as questioning of attitudes and procedures is clear, to-the-point, and
grasping. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Now involved in helping the affected, traumatized,
and suffering, Michell Spoden is starting to reach out to women in places where
they suffer abuse regularly but have no voice to raise against it. By her own
example, as detailed in <i>Stricken Yet
Crowned</i>, she affirms that oppression is to be taken no more by the victims;
that it “really is time for change”. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">ISBN:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> 978-1463546304<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Amazon
Page:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Stricken-Yet-Crowned-Michell-Spoden/dp/1463546300/">http://www.amazon.com/Stricken-Yet-Crowned-Michell-Spoden/dp/1463546300/</a>
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Ernest Dempseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06530584331364171333noreply@blogger.com0