Book Description
John Wood discovered his passion, his greatest success, and his life's work--not at business school or leading Microsoft's charge into Asia in the 1990s--but on a soul-searching trip to the Himalayas. Wood felt trapped between an all-consuming career and a desire to do something lasting and significant. Stressed from the demands of his job, he took a vacation trekking in Nepal because a friend had told him, "If you get high enough in the mountains, you can't hear Steve Ballmer yelling at you anymore."
See how John Wood came to start Room to Read and write Leaving Microsoft to Change the World in this video clip: high bandwidth or low bandwidth |
Instead of being the antidote to the rat race, that trip convinced John Wood to divert the boundless energy he was devoting to Microsoft into a cause that desperately needed to be addressed. While visiting a remote Nepalese school, Wood learned that the students had few books in their library. When he offered to run a book drive to provide the school with books, his idea was met with polite skepticism. After all, no matter how well-intentioned, why would a successful software executive take valuable time out of his life and gather books for an impoverished school?
But John Wood did return to that school and with thousands of books bundled on the back of a yak. And at that moment, Wood made the decision to walk away from Microsoft and create Room to Read-an organization that has donated more than 1.2 million books, established more than 2,600 libraries and 200 schools, and sent 1,700 girls to school on scholarship-ultimately touching the lives of 875,000 children with the lifelong gift of education.
Leaving Microsoft to Change the World chronicles John Wood's struggle to find a meaningful outlet for his managerial talents and entrepreneurial zeal. For every high-achiever who has ever wondered what life might be like giving back, Wood offers a vivid, emotional, and absorbing tale of how to take the lessons learned at a hard-charging company like Microsoft and apply them to one of the world's most pressing problems: the lack of basic literacy.
Book Description
John Wood discovered his passion, his greatest success, and his life's work—not at business school or leading Microsoft's charge into Asia in the 1990s—but on a soul-searching trip to the Himalayas. Wood felt trapped between an all-consuming career and a desire to do something lasting and significant. Stressed from the demands of his job, he took a vacation trekking in Nepal because a friend had told him, "If you get high enough in the mountains, you can't hear Steve Ballmer yelling at you anymore."
Instead of being the antidote to the rat race, that trip convinced John Wood to divert the boundless energy he was devoting to Microsoft into a cause that desperately needed to be addressed. While visiting a remote Nepalese school, Wood learned that the students had few books in their library. When he offered to run a book drive to provide the school with books, his idea was met with polite skepticism. After all, no matter how well-intentioned, why would a successful software executive take valuable time out of his life and gather books for an impoverished school?
But John Wood did return to that school and with thousands of books bundled on the back of a yak. And at that moment, Wood made the decision to walk away from Microsoft and create Room to Read—an organization that has donated more than 1.2 million books, established more than 2,600 libraries and 200 schools, and sent 1,700 girls to school on scholarship—ultimately touching the lives of 875,000 children with the lifelong gift of education.
Leaving Microsoft to Change the World chronicles John Wood's struggle to find a meaningful outlet for his managerial talents and entrepreneurial zeal. For every high-achiever who has ever wondered what life might be like giving back, Wood offers a vivid, emotional, and absorbing tale of how to take the lessons learned at a hard-charging company like Microsoft and apply them to one of the world's most pressing problems: the lack of basic literacy.
Customer Reviews:
John Wood, you inspire me!.......2007-09-07
Reading about John Wood's motivations and personal sacrifices, I found myself re-engergized for the volunteer work I do. This book is not just for business people, but for anyone who wants to make a difference in this crazy, beautiful world we live in. Providing children with books whether on a global scale or locally is one of the best gifts (and investments) a person can make. Bravo John! And thanks for making your adventures accessible to the rest of us.
Life Altering Book.......2007-08-21
I managed to finish this book on a flu episode with a fever that lasted two days. It was a great companion at that horrible time.
Now, i read a lot of books. And over time, i got to quickly notice good books from bad books. And ever more, i get to know great books from "books you buy to balance your shelf" books. I try to buy only good books and strive to get all the great ones. This is one of the great ones.
When first browsing through Amazon(yes, i am a very loyal customer), i noticed the title. And being the geek that i am, i wondered what it would talk about(you have to admit, MS and changing the world do not mix easily). I was afraid it would turn out to be a lame book as many books which carry a similar title are. So i took a gamble and i bought it.
It talks about the story of a man(John Wood, marketing executive working at Microsoft) who took a "no-computers" vacation to Nepal. And this vacation changed his life. He describes his life in detail. The details are typical of a modern young successful man working in a high-tech firm. Basically his life consisted of work, work, work and an almost non-existent social life(or any other kind of life for that matter). He thought he was happy this way, we all do, until we stop and take a good look at what we have accomplished.
In Nepal, he noticed that even though some provinces had schools, there were no books and no libraries. So he started out with a little project of collecting a few books for one particular school in Nepal. This all started with a promise to return to Nepal with books. And the whole idea avalanched into one of the most successful projects. An organization that builds schools/libraries and provides books and scholarships for young girls.
I don't want to give out too many details. The beauty of this story is in the events that took place and their chronological order. So i don't want to spoil it. However, i will talk about why i liked this book so much.
John saw the kids in Nepal. He saw that they were trying to learn, but with very poor resources. He also understood that education is the most important gift that you can bestow on a child. Especially girls, since these girls will grow up with this education in mind and carry this belief over to their children and families. "You educate a girl, you educate an entire generation."
After John returned from Nepal, he tried to get back to his old lifestyle. But he could not. How could he? Everything he will do now will seem so empty. How can he go on working knowing that there are children in the world that are not getting the opportunities that we take for granted. He felt so empty. And even if, according to our standard, he is very successful....his life felt meaningless in light of this issue. Everything he accomplished looked so insignificant.
What is truly remarkable though, is that he ran his organization in the same way he would run a normal business. So unlike the other charities around, he never asked people for money out of pity. So instead of showing children with sad faces and sick people like all charities do, he showed the schools he built and the books that he got and the children making use of all of this. It is his belief that contributers do not give money to charity because they don't know where their money is going. They never see results.
I also believe that any book you read must alter your life in some sense. This book did just that. I learned that you shouldn't listen to all the nay-sayers. I learned that for every 1 idea you come up with, there will be a 100 people telling you how it won't work. I also learned to never give up.
If i would only take away one thing from this book, it would be my current favorite quote(which according to the book is an old Chinese quote)
Those who say it cannot be done should not criticize those who are doing it.
This books is highly recommended with 5/5 stars.
great inspiration along with fantastic advice for those who want to change the world.......2007-08-20
Wood brings a fresh, business-like perspective to the often stale world of not-for-profits. His personal journey from career success, to existential angst, to leaving the rat race to change the world is a true inspiration.
Giving back by giving effectively.......2007-07-06
There are plenty of books about one individual's accomplishments in the march to change the world. This book is different because--along with his passion for education and libraries--John Wood brings a model for transforming that passion into sustainable organizations on the ground. If you are actively involved in a nonprofit organization, you will enjoy John's down to earth advice about focusing on results, fundraising, and having fun while you're doing the hard work.
going from corporate executive to do gooder champion.......2007-06-05
This is a good book to understand risk that is inspired by passion. this guy had everything to lose and so much to gain and he did it. Kudos to him and kudos for a well written book.
Average customer rating:
- True to the man
- A modern day "Thoreau"
- Just as Good the Second Time
- Homesteading in Alaska
- inspiring
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One Man's Wilderness: An Alaskan Odyssey
Sam Keith , and
Richard Proenneke
Manufacturer: Alaska Northwest Books
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More Readings From One Man's Wilderness: The Journals of Richard L. Proenneke, 1974-1980
ASIN: 0882405136 |
Book Description
To live in a pristine land . . . roam the wilderness . . . build a home. . . . Thousands have had such dreams, but Richard Proenneke lived them. Here is a tribute to a man who carved his masterpiece out of the beyond.
Customer Reviews:
True to the man.......2007-09-29
Ten years ago I spent a summer volunteering for the National Park Service at Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, in Alaska. My remote rangers cabin was located at Twin Lakes. Being on the lower lake, I was about 9 miles from my nearest neighbor- Dick. We spoke daily on our walkie-talkies, checking in about the weather, any visitors, or interesting wildlife viewings. I trekked up his way several times over the summer, and enjoyed a few meals with him. I can't remember if it's in his book, but his favorite sandwich was the "Twin Lakes Special": sourdough flapjaks, raw onion, and honey; don't knock it 'til ya try it! Just like his book, he was a gracious, thoughtful man, a true naturalist. Also the most spry 82-year-old I think I'd ever seen! I was saddened to hear of his death several years ago, and was grateful the NPS kept his cabin as a historical site; it is a cozy place, dark inside, smelling faintly of woodsmoke and 1948 sourdough starter, with wonderful decorative touches throughout. Dick was truly a special person, and this book captures his voice, his no-nonsense manner of talking, as well as his appreciation of the beauty of the natural world, perfectly.
A modern day "Thoreau".......2007-09-16
You cannot visit Alaska without reading this book FIRST! Just the photography alone will make you want to go. I dentify in many ways with Dick as I lived in a cabin in the White Mountains of NH for many years. He didn't intrude on nature...he simply lived in harmony with it. He appeals to all of your senses in his simple but beautifully written words, never mind the pictures. He is definitely portrayed as a "loner" but that is a good thing..for a loner has much higher self esteem and sense of character than those who can't survive in the world without people around them all the time. Dick is a true steward of the land because of his deep, abiding love and connection for this piece of God's Creation. His beautifully chronicled life in Alaska will remind you of Robert Frost's words.."We love the things we love for what they are." Enjoy!
Just as Good the Second Time.......2007-09-12
I was telling my husband about this book as I started reading it. He said, "Don't you remember, we read that many years ago when Alaska Magazine published it"? I knew that Babe, the pilot, seemed familiar. It didn't matter. I was happy to read it a second time which is unusual for me. Oh, how I would have loved to have been able to do what Mr. Proenneke did and to live where he lived. There is nothing dull about this book and I suspect the people who find it dull haven't any interest in living in the wilderness without Blackberries, i-pods, automobiles and restaurants.
Even though most of us who enjoyed the book probably don't begin to have the skills that Richard Proenneke had which made what he did possible (and a pilot friend who delivered for free) I think we all wish we could do what he did. I know I do. I didn't realize that a sequel exists. It costs big bucks, but if it's anything close to as interesting as this book, it's worth it. Maybe I'll find out if the Mission Girls ever showed-up.
Homesteading in Alaska.......2007-08-16
The year was 1968. The setting, the Alaskan bush. The mission, to live simply, deliberately, and self-sufficiently off the land, free of the trappings of contemporary society. The protagonist, clearly not what you might expect given the era. He was not some young, free spirited hippie, luddite, or draft dodger. Rather, he was a skilled hard working machinist/woodsman, who at age 51 decided to permanently leave the rat race behind.
Why this man, Dick Prenacke, suddenly left behind his conventional existence to live in a remote and unforgiving section of Alaska is never fully explored in the book. While snippets do reveal his distain for modernity, it never fully embellishes on what ultimately drove the author to do what few would ever conceive of doing. Perhaps Dick realized that at 51, the physical and physiological fortitude required to make such a transition would soon be out of his reach. More likely however, he foresaw the end of an era. No more than a few years after his departure into the wild, Alaska would enact laws prohibiting trappers and homesteaders from freely trudging off into the woods to live the quintessential "Alaskan experience." Soon Alaska would become like the rest of the lower 48, where people like Dick would be considered trespassers and evicted from any land that they did not rightfully own. Fortunately for the author, the laws were grand fathered in.
While the book is essentially a personal account of Alaskan homesteading, the author episodically weaves social commentary into his writings. He laments a society that is wasteful and superficial. The hunters that come into his Alaska, products of such a society, leave garbage and animal meat behind, unaware that the author cleans up after as well as makes use of their squander.
The author also reveals his anxiety for a society that is increasingly consumed by materialism. He feels that man is entrapped by things that he doesn't need and he seeks to avoid the superfluous at all costs. To the outsider, surviving in the wilds of Alaska would seem to require an extravagant amount of equipment and gear. One can only imagine the bill the average suburbanite would amass at the local REI in preparation for such an endeavor. Yet the author demonstrates just how little is required to not only to survive but also to prosper in such an inhospitable region.
The book closes with some thoughts on technology, and the rapidity of change that comes with it. The author's words are both haunting and prescient as he elaborates on his first year in Alaska and how his experience conflicts greatly with society at large.
inspiring.......2007-07-14
Inspiring book. Diarist was over 50 when he began this journey. Helps me look to the future for myself.
Book Description
Bill Bryson meets Bruce Lee in this raucously funny story of one scrawny American's quest to become a kung fu master at China's legendary Shaolin Temple.
Growing up a ninety-pound weakling tormented by bullies in the schoolyards of Kansas, young Matthew Polly dreamed of one day journeying to the Shaolin Temple in China to become the toughest fighter in the world, like Caine in his favorite 1970s TV series, Kung Fu. While in college, Matthew decided the time had come to pursue this quixotic dream before it was too late. Much to the dismay of his parents, he dropped out of Princeton to spend two years training with the legendary sect of monks who invented kung fu and Zen Buddhism.
Expecting to find an isolated citadel populated by supernatural ascetics that he'd seen in countless badly dubbed chop-socky flicks, Matthew instead discovered a tacky tourist trap run by Communist party hacks. But the dedicated monks still trained in the rigorous age-old fighting forms—some even practicing the “iron kung fu” discipline, in which intensive training can make various body parts virtually indestructible (even the crotch). As Matthew grew in his knowledge of China and kung fu skill, he would come to represent the Temple in challenge matches and international competitions, and ultimately the monks would accept their new American initiate as close to one of their own as any Westerner had ever become.
Laced with humor and illuminated by cultural insight, American Shaolin is an unforgettable coming-of-age tale of one young man's journey into the ancient art of kung fu—and a funny and poignant portrait of a rapidly changing China.
Customer Reviews:
American Sholin.......2007-10-07
Very entertaining..wouldn't be surprise if a movie was made based on this experience. Good reading!
An American's delightful stay among the Shaolin monks.......2007-09-28
American Shaolin is an amusing and insightful memoir of a young American's experiences while training with Shaolin monks in the 1990s. It is the kind of book that you will read in a few hours. I especially like the author's mostly positive attitude toward his environment. I compare it favorably to Paul Shirley's memoir as a basketball player, in which Shirley mostly complains and puts down his fellow athletes. In this book, the author has respect and awe for the monks, and it is satisfying to watch him approach their level of expertise. While it is nonfiction, the book follows a narrative structure and is essentially a coming-of-age story. Frankly, I'm suspicious of his success as a kungfu kickboxer. It is hard to believe that someone with months of training can defeat someone with years of training. However I do not think that he fabricated any of the stories. Rather, he chose the anecdotes that fit his storyline of physical (as a martial artist) and personal (as a man) growth. Thus, he starts with a few missteps and then describes a few more successes. I have one slight quibble: at the end, he refers to his respect for China's devotion to its culture, which I thought he could have referenced earlier in the book, to show his progression to that respect.
Six of one, half-dozen of the other.......2007-09-06
As a travel narrative, the book is excellent. It's easy to learn a lot about the Chinese culture from this period of time, and the local characters are likable, well-written, and complex. If read as a memoir, however, it's difficult for me to get over the fact that the author just isn't very likable. He begins as a self-centered college student, and never really evolves all that much. Sure, he gets stronger and more skilled at his art, but I was never able to sympathize with him. No matter why this is the case, the book is mildly recommended if read for what it is--a light travelogue for those interested in China or martial arts. Those looking for an example to follow or a character for which to root ought look elsewhere.
Go to CMAOD dot com to learn Shaolin and any other martial arts style for cheap, and avoid imposter martial arts teachers!.......2007-08-26
Shaolin kung fu is without question beautiful and if you wish to learn complete kung fu forms for only seven ninety nine per video disc, or slightly more for English-Chinese DVDs, visit the website that begins with the first letters of "Chinese Martial Arts On Disc": CMAOD dot com. "CMAOD dot com" offers every kind of kung fu form and style you would ever wish to learn from beginning to end: traditional hong gar, almost all styles of Shaolin, Dim Mak, traditional hong fist, animal styles, many fighting self-defense videos, wudang, er mei, and dozens of other complete systems of kung fu, including weapons, forms, and self-defense. You name it, you can learn it, without having to spend thousands of dollars to learn from phony kung fu teachers. Many Americans don't know that this website allows you to buy the best instructional VCDs and DVDs available. Visit the "wushu for youth" section of CMAOD dot com and you can buy the wushu fundamentals VCDs or DVDs that will teach you from the beginning stages. Visit the Shaolin section and you will find more fundamental Shaolin VCds or DVDs taught by two allegedly real Shaolin monks called Shi De Juan and Shi De Jian. I don't know how real their monkhood is, but they are gifted martial artists, and you can learn complete forms in many styles of martial arts. You've got to see this website to believe it. The owner Bill is a great guy, and offers great discounts on his website. You've got to visit CMAOD dot com to believe it. There are literally thousands of kung fu artists here that are "at least" as good as the so-called real Shaolin monks in China and America, and many are far far better. With a few bucks, they can be your teacher. If you can't find a good teacher in person, here's your only chance to learn real Shaolin or other styles for almost nothing. Ever wish you could find "the secret kung fu manual" to teach you various styles? Well, here it is in video disc or DVD form. Buy these VCDs or DVDs and enjoy learning great martial arts from top Chinese masters without worrying about being fooled by phony kung fu masters. Finally, every American has access to real kung fu learning at his or her own pace! I have written three international cover stories for Inside Kung Fu and Wushu Kung Fu magazines (now Kung Fu magazine) and can vouch that CMAOD dot com is the best source for learning authentic Shaolin and other kung fu step-by-step without being bamboozled by and kowtowing to phony practitioners of fake kung fu styles or schools. Learn at your own pace, according to your own interests from the best Chinese masters and grandmasters for less than eight dollars for VCDs.
A special book - warm, funny and thoroughly enjoyable.......2007-08-20
This book will appeal to anyone who likes a good story and a good laugh. On the surface, the book seemingly appeals more naturally to men, but it is great book for anyone who welcomes adventure, likes rooting for the underdog, and loves great writing ala PJ O'Rourke and Christopher Buckley. Matt Polly is a great new writer -- I'm hooked.
Amazon.com
Ron Suskind won the Pulitzer Prize for feature writing in 1995 for his stories on Cedric Jennings, a talented black teenager struggling to succeed in one of the worst public high schools in Washington, D.C. Suskind has expanded those features into a full-length nonfiction narrative, following Jennings beyond his high-school graduation to Brown University, and in the tradition of Leon Dash's Rosa Lee and Alex Kotlowitz's There Are No Children Here, delivers a compelling story on the struggles of inner-city life in modern America. While it appears to have a happy ending (with Jennings earning a B average in his sophomore year), A Hope in the Unseen is not without a few caveats (at times, Jennings feels profoundly alienated from his white peers). Trite as it may sound to say, this book teaches a lesson about the virtue of perseverance, and it's definitely worth reading. --John J. Miller
Book Description
It is 1993, and Cedric Jennings is a bright and ferociously determined honor student at Ballou, a high school in one of Washington D.C.’s most dangerous neighborhoods, where the dropout rate is well into double digits and just 80 students out of more than 1,350 boast an average of B or better. At Ballou, Cedric has almost no friends. He eats lunch in a classroom most days, plowing through the extra work he has asked for, knowing that he’s really competing with kids from other, harder schools. Cedric Jennings’s driving ambition–which is fully supported by his forceful mother–is to attend a top-flight college.
In September 1995, after years of near superhuman dedication, he realizes that ambition when he begins as a freshman at Brown University. In this updated edition, A Hope in the Unseen chronicles Cedric’s odyssey during his last two years of high school, follows him through his difficult first year at Brown, and now tells the story of his subsequent successes in college and the world of work.
Customer Reviews:
Overrated. .......2007-08-26
A Hope in the Unseen was an engaging read and I absolutely fell in the love with the beginning. Cedric's life was put into a perspective that I could connect to and it was as if I could see everything through is eyes. It is a story that is uplifting and can be appreciated by people of any gender or color.
However, I did find a few things to frown upon. One part of the book that bothered me was the constant racial labeling. Understandably it is one of the main themes throughout the story and it is what makes this book so appealing to many. You get to see a struggling young black man make it out of a situation where many others would have gotten swallowed up. Yet, to me it became annoying because when I would finally reach a moment when I could connect to the characters as people the writer, and sometimes Cedric, would draw the whole focus back to who was what race and where they come from. It is great to be proud of who you are and what your background is but it doesn't have to define you.
During one of the later chapters we encounter Cedric and Zayd eating lunch. Zayd's friend, Josh, wanders over and immediately Cedric makes a remark about he should not be seen with two white guys. Whether he meant it jokingly or not it hurt Josh's feelings and created an awkward situation. Maybe it's because I just don't understand it but I think it was a little insensitive of Cedric. This was the only flaw that I had problems ignoring. It just seemed as if Cedric felt that he was entitled to be at Brown simply because he was a minority. Even if he wasn't in the minority, I sense a certain attitude that develops from attending an ivy league institution. It is almost as if by having your name on their roster that it makes you superior to everyone else.
This is definitely not the case and if people to hold on to such a mentality is disturbing.
Another problem I had with the novel was that after finishing such an uplifting story you start wondering what is next and if the system has ever changed. Sure, Cedric made it out and became successful but what about everyone else who was left behind? What about the students who were not as academically inclined or those who were not fortunate enough to have people supporting and pushing them like Cedric did? This book gives people an insight into a world that many are oblivious to. This could have been a great opportunity to open people's eyes about social injustice and to spark their interest in finding a way for more students to become like Cedric. I believe the author could have steered this book into becoming a link between the readers and social activism. Plenty of people have either had similar experiences or are now more aware of such situations and would be more than happy to support and contribute to any programs that are trying to turn this around. I believe more could have been done with A Hope in the Unseen in this regard.
All in all, this story was fairly interesting and inspiring. It was definitely helpful to read about the transitions from high school to college and to see how one person dealt with the common worries of university life. However, I do not see myself recommending this to many people and I believe that it is highly overrated. I do not believe it is "formula shattering" as one reviewer described it. In fact I think it follows the basic guidelines to any underdog story. I felt as if I could have been reading any number of stories, except with a different setting and character. A Hope in the Unseen is good for classroom reading assignments or book clubs because it has many discussion points and may lead readers to be more aware of the various issues it touches on. Other than that, I must truthfully say that I would not have read this given the chance to choose it for myself.
A Beautiful Mind.......2007-07-07
Ron Suskind's A Hope in the Unseen: An American Odyssey from the Inner City to the Ivy League is reminiscent of A Beautiful Mind: The Life of Mathematical Genius and Nobel Laureate John Nash. In "A Beautiful Mind," our hero, John Nash, faces and fights his own demons to finally succeed and excel in the Ivy League world. In "A Hope Unseen," our hero, Cedric Jennings, fights and faces demons of societal injustice to finally succeed and excel in the Ivy League world.
Suskind's riveting narrative of Jenning's ascension from inner city life to Ivy League life paints a portrait of the contrasts between cultures like few other books ever have or ever could. More importantly, it tells the story of moving beyond suffering to a place of hope through persistence and resilience based upon Christian faith, maternal wisdom (mother wit), and the inspiring tradition of African American music.
Reviwer: Bob Kellemen, Ph.D., is the author of Beyond the Suffering: Embracing the Legacy of African American Soul Care and Spiritual Direction, Soul Physicians, and Spiritual Friends.
Awesome Book!.......2007-02-06
This is an awesome book that I would have never read if it weren't required by one of my classes! Even though I paid for standard shipping, the book arrived quickly! I am very pleased with my purchase from this company.
Hope is seen.......2007-01-22
Moving story about a young man struggling through life in the inner city, who through grace, faith, determination and hardwork achieves the dream. The story follows him through high school and college. Outstanding novel for anyone to read, but especially for young black males.
Inspiring, but I'm not a fan of Suskind's style.......2007-01-04
I read A Hope in the Unseen recently and found it to be an uplifting story which had the potential to create awareness about DC's inner-city schools - but that's where it stopped.
I had been hoping for a bit more research within the story on the inner-city situation and proposals for its improvement, but I was let down in the face of a lot of needless detail which I did not care about and which had no lasting impact on me. The book is a nice story, but I finished it feeling as though I had not really learned anything new and although the book had a personally inspiring effect, its value as a tool for social activism is not there. That doesn't in any way make it a bad book, but it certainly could have been better, perhaps in the vein of Ted Conover's work - a combination of research, storytelling, and activism together.
I didn't feel that paragraphs devoted to such things as what CD Cedric happened to be holding were relevant, and was generally irritated by their inclusion. Suskind's "invisible author" perspective bothered me greatly, and could have been better handled in a different fashion. Those things said, the book was indeed a nice story - but it just could have been so much more.
Average customer rating:
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History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
Anatoly Fomenko
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History: Fiction or Science? Chronology 2 (Chronology)
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History: Fiction or Science? Astronomical methods as applied to chronology. Ptolemy's Almagest. Chronology III
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They Cast No Shadows: A Collection of Essays on the Illuminati, Revisionist History, and Suppressed Technologies
ASIN: 2913621058 |
Book Description
Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.
Customer Reviews:
Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03
Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.
Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19
Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.
Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09
There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.
For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.
Very Interesting.......2007-03-07
It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.
History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10
Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.
I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.
Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.
Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.
I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.
This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.
Average customer rating:
- Best read straight through without stopping
- Mithras and Apollo
- No hope No despair
- Homer would have loved it
- Homer would have loved it
|
The Odyssey: A Modern Sequel (Touchstone Books)
Nikos Kazantzakis , and
Kimon Friar
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
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ASIN: 0671202472 |
Customer Reviews:
Best read straight through without stopping.......2006-04-26
I read this in a period of weeks while homeless in a city, each day I would return to the library and read another huge section,never missing a day...the incredible prolixity and repetition, far from being burdensome, were like great rolling waves of majesty and freedom upon which I floated until the last cantos, surely one of the greatest climaxes in all world literature, brought me to rest and peace as Odysseus was united with Christ, and sailed off through the ice. And then I knew that for the rest of my life I would be as free as Odysseus had showed me how to be in this work. How's that?
Mithras and Apollo.......2001-01-26
I read Kazantzakis absorbing and compelling verse novel over a two-month period, rich and crazy as a Christmas fruit cake, and only to be nibbled in small doses. This is a deeply flawed work of consumate art; flawed, because it expresses a weltangshaung and philosophical stance utterly at odds with the complexities and values of the human spirit which it still succeeds in celebrating in verse of passion, intensity and beauty. Flawed, because it defines the human spirit in terms of the unsubtle, extroverted, violence of masculinity at its most obnoxious, a Nietzschean ubermensch driven to sweep through the human mind like a panzer division; flawed because it present a vision of utter and self-serving solipsism.
But of consumate art in that within those paramaters it creates, with a richness and intensity rarely encountered in modern literature, a detailed, elaborate and sensory world of image, passion and experience; and in positioning the human spirit dancing at the edge of the abyss, in celebrating the defining moments and relationships of life, it ultimately triumphs over its own weakness.
Its stages of the soul's evolution, its imagery and its passionate invocation of the sun link it with the old warrior-cult of Mithras; and while the leopards, elephants, drunkards and maenads seem at first more of Dionysos, the elegance and elegaic elements also link the work with the Greek Apollo, and the discipline of an exact and exacting verse.
Essential to an understanding of the twentieth century vision - and also to an understanding of what made so many of us passionately feminist.
No hope No despair.......2000-12-06
A long, long time ago, I read this book and it changed the way I read literature. Kazantzakis' book goes beyond writing - it is a vivid exploration of the flame that consumes man. To go back to reading the frivolous so-called literature of today almost seems pointless. I am just thankful that Kazantzakis left us with such a rich body of work to read. The libraries were full of his books twenty years ago, but today I rarely find them on any shelf. To those of us who were lucky enough to discover him early, we know that he is the best kept secret of the twentieth century.
Homer would have loved it.......2000-08-30
This is the best book I have ever read. Granted, I have read it in greek but still, there is no match. Homer would have loved his hero over again.
Homer would have loved it.......2000-08-30
This is the best book I have ever read. Granted, I have read it in greek but still, there is no match. Homer would have loved his hero over again.
Book Description
There Is No Me Without You is the story of Haregewoin Tefarra, a middle-aged Ethiopian woman of modest means whose home has become a refuge for hundreds of children orphaned by AIDS. It is a story as much about the power of the bond between children and parents as about the epidemic that every year leaves millions of children, mostly healthy themselves, without family. Originally a middle-class woman with a happy family life, Haregewoin fell into a deep depression after the death of her recently married daughter. But then a priest brought her two children, AIDS orphans, with nowhere to go. Unexpectedly, the children thrived, and Haregewoin found herself drawn back into daily life. As word got out, an endless stream of children began to arrive at her door, delivered by dying parents and other relatives who begged for her help, and, pushing against the limits of her home and bank account, she took more and more in. Today, Haregewoin runs a school, a daycare system, and a shelter for sick mothers. Without medication for her charges—some HIV-positive, some uninfected, and some infants trying to fight off the virus, but almost all of whom come to her terrified and malnourished—she forges on, caring for as many as she can handle. Increasingly, she also places them for adoption with families like that of journalist Melissa Fay Greene, who has two children adopted from Ethiopia. In Haregewoin Tefarra’s story, Greene gives us an astonishing portrait of a woman fighting a continent-wide epidemic.
Customer Reviews:
Opening our eyes to global needs.......2007-06-30
Melissa Fay Greene has the gift of story telling. The book beckons the reader to think beyond themselves and consider what contribution they may make to the cause of the orphan/Aids in Africa. Thank you Ms. Greene for inviting us on the journey...for educating us on real life on the other side of the globe...for jolting us out of our comfort and compelling us to action. One would need to have a heart of stone not to be moved by this powerful story!
awesome, informative book.......2007-06-09
I am so thrilled that I spent time reading this book. I loved it. This is a well written, informative book. I enjoyed the writing style as it moved through factual historical perspectives to the story of one women making a difference. Take time to read...you will be happy you did!
Moving, informative, gripping picture of humanity in Ethiopia.......2007-05-29
This is the best book I have read in some time. It is meticulously researched, insightful, and explains difficult technical issues clearly. It is gripping in its description of the plight of AIDS orphans and the incredible poverty of Ethiopia. But it is particularly special in the even-handed description of Haregewoin, not as a saint, thought she has given of herself like one, but as a flawed human (as we are all flawed) who has accomplished incredible good at a time when doing so put herself in great jeopardy in her society. This book is a great accomplishment by an accomplished author. I hope she receives the National Book Award for this one!
inspiring book.......2007-05-27
I loved this book! If you want to learn about Ethiopia, the AIDS crisis there, or if you want to be inspired by a true hero, read this book.
A must-read for the globally minded!.......2007-05-25
Sometimes it is difficult to break out our own local environment to learn more about important events are taking place around the world. Melissa Fay Greene's book, "There Is No Me Without You," allows even the most superficial of us to learn about the AIDS crisis in Africa and begin taking steps to help support a solution to the social problems plaguing that continent. I was familiar with the AIDS crisis in Africa but was horrified to learn about the lack of available pharmaceuticals for treatment of HIV-positive adults and children. It was truly an eye-opener to hear about the gross (for lack of a better word) profits made by drug companies producing these medicines and then the reluctance of those same companies to allow these treatments to be shared with the sick and dying.I was appalled.
I would highly recommend this book. After finishing "There Is No Me Without You," I researched the websites in the back of the book and found it was possible to directly donate to AHOPE. Interested individuals can even sponsor an orphan for as little as $30 a month. I easily spend more than that on books every month.
I was inspired, enlightened, motivated and educated by this book. Thank you Melissa for writing about these wonderful people and sharing their stories with us.
Kathy Morones, Long Beach, CA
Average customer rating:
- Really a gut-wrencher!
- One of the best Cold War thrillers ever written...
- Excellent spy thriller, lots of action
- countless flaws and bad logic
- First of all, beware of the cassette version ...
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The Talbot Odyssey
Nelson DeMille
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The Gold Coast
ASIN: 0446358584 |
Book Description
It started as a simple spy hunt. It became a desperate battle to save the west. For forty years Western intelligence agents have known a terrible secret: the Russians have a mole code-named Talbot inside the CIA. At first Talbot is suspected of killing European agents. Then a street-smart ex-cop uncovers a storm of espionage and murder on the streets of New York, while in a Long Island suburb a civic demonstration against the Russian mission masks a desperate duel of nerves and wits. Engineered by Talbot, a shadow world of suspicion and deceit is spilling onto the streets leading to a new Soviet weapon and a first-strike war plan threatening the foundations of American government. For the U.S., time is running out. For Talbot, the time is now.
Download Description
For forty years Western intelligence agents have known a terrible secret: the Russians have a mole--code-named Talbot--inside the CIA. At first Talbot is suspected of killing European agents. Then a street-smart ex-cop uncovers a storm of espionage and murder on the streets of New York, while in a Long Island suburb a civic demonstration against the Russian mission masks a desperate duel of nerves and wits. Engineered by Talbot, a shadow world of suspicion and deceit is spilling onto the streets--leading to a new Soviet weapon and a first-strike war plan threatening the foundations of American government. For the U.S., time is running out. For Talbot, the time is now.
Customer Reviews:
Really a gut-wrencher!.......2007-06-25
One of Demille's best. Highly charged from page one until the end. Still relevant even in post Cold War era.
One of the best Cold War thrillers ever written..........2005-10-02
There is no one better than Nelson DeMille at keeping you at the edge of your seat, keeping you up late at night, and keeping you turning pages as you read page after page of his suspense filled stories.
The Talbot Odyssey is another of these great books, taking place during the tense period of the Cold War during the 1980s. Though not as good as "The Charm School," DeMille sets up a believable tale of intrigue as long-time friends and colleagues try to determine who among them is a traitor. The characters are deep and realistic, the story is taut and suspenseful. Another good DeMille choice.
Excellent spy thriller, lots of action.......2005-02-02
This was the most far out plot in any of the DeMille books and like a couple of others, it had a lot of characters and a lot of action. That can be a good thing, but it can also be a bit distracting, I enjoy DeMilles later works that have a single protagonist and follow that characters POV most of the way a bit more than I like this format.
This isn't the type of book to read a bit then go back to, it's the type of book that's best read straight through in a single weekend or vacation or similar time to get absorbed simply because it's easy to get lost on who is who and what's going on.
I think this is the last of DeMille's books for me, I'll have to wait until the next one comes out or go back and reread Gold Coast. He's a very good author and this book is no exception. I believe another movie is on the way, Up Country, featuring the same character that was the protagonist in The Generals Daughter. I hope it's done well.
If you haven't read DeMille yet, this is a good place to start as any if you like action, intrigue spy thrillers, if you want more of a serious single POV plot, try Gold Coast or Word of Honor, both novels that are among the best I've ever read.
countless flaws and bad logic.......2005-01-19
have read all of demille's books, this is perhaps the worst one ever written by him. so many holes, countless flaws...the whole book just read like a poorly and blindly patched quilt. in order to give some twists to the plot and scenario, demille had thrown in so many nuts and bolts but simply failed to make all of them match or connet together properly. when you have read something happened in the former scenes, he later seemed to totally forgot what he had already written and the same situations came out almost like nobody knew it had already happened. nearly a half century's mole hunt just turned out to be more ridiculous page after page. i just wish that demille could re-read what he had written in this book and would not turn a blind eye to what he did to this lousy work-maybe the only one-by facing himself in the mirror, slapping his both cheeks for what he had done and, so poorly done. any viewer who gave high praises need to enroll in the logic 101 class pronto.
First of all, beware of the cassette version ..........2004-12-22
I had the misfortune of checking out and listening to an abridged cassette version, and it was terrible. The featured actor would read the dialogues in such a monotone that one could hardly keep track of the genders of the speakers, let alone their identity. Then another reader would try to fit in a couple of chapters into a couple of sentences, sounding like a speed-read version of "Readers Digest." This was, by far, the worse audio-book I have ever heard.
Having said that, though the author may have been able to keep some captivated by his book though his terrific style, the plot is a mess. As has been mentioned, nearly everyone except the hero is a mole, a secret agent, a double agent, or even a triple agent, and nearly nobody "really" dies. If Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) didn't scare you, the fact that McCarthy was right, that our intelligent services WERE infiltrated to the top, might.
Of course EMP really does exist, but most of his teeth has been pulled by the time the book came out. [Or did you think that our long-line phone cables were replaced by fiber optics just to hear pin drops and to accommodate the Internet?]
Average customer rating:
- Uses for this Translation
- Fantastic Read
- If Homer were a down-home balladeer...
- People Don't Make Up Curses Like That Anymore...
- "I long to be homeward bound" Simon and Garfunkle
|
The Odyssey
Homer
Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
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The Iliad (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)
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The Aeneid
ASIN: 0140268863 |
Amazon.com
Robert Fagles's translation is a jaw-droppingly beautiful rendering of Homer's Odyssey, the most accessible and enthralling epic of classical Greece. Fagles captures the rapid and direct language of the original Greek, while telling the story of Odysseus in lyrics that ring with a clear, energetic voice. The story itself has never seemed more dynamic, the action more compelling, nor the descriptions so brilliant in detail. It is often said that every age demands its own translation of the classics. Fagles's work is a triumph because he has not merely provided a contemporary version of Homer's classic poem, but has located the right language for the timeless character of this great tale. Fagles brings the Odyssey so near, one wonders if the Hollywood adaption can be far behind. This is a terrific book.
Book Description
If The Iliad is the world's greatest war epic, then The Odyssey is literature's grandest evocation of everyman's journey though life. Odysseus's reliance on his wit and wiliness for survival in his encounters with divine and natural forces during his ten-year voyage home to Ithaca after the Trojan War is at once a timeless human story and an individual test of moral endurance.
Translated by Robert Fagles
Introduction and Notes by Bernard Knox
Customer Reviews:
Uses for this Translation.......2007-09-30
this is an amazing book, with something for anyone. if you are interested in studying philosophy, you'll find it here. but, you can also read a great adventure story with fables and a love story written in. in that sense, this is a great translation; if you want to read this for the sake of entertainment, Fagles is a great translator. if you want to read for philosophical discussion, however, he might not serve your purposes. the thing you have to know about Fagles is, he often inserts adjectives and the feel of the entire story changes. so, if you want fidelity to the Greek words, try Lattimore. if you want fidelity to the Greek metrical sense, try Mandelbaum or Pope. and if you want fidelity to the Greek adventure epic, Fagles is your guy.
Fantastic Read.......2007-09-26
I'd tried to read some of the "classic" translations in college, and though I love poetry I found that Chapman, Pope et al. were extremely difficult to wade through. I skipped around, read what I thought were the "best parts," and put it aside.
I found the prose translations to pedantic, and none caught my interest.
Fagles version enthralled me, and made me realize that I knew nothing about the story. It was far deeper, more complex, and emotionally rich than I ever suspected.
There were certainly parts that dragged - there were whole pages devoted to feasting, and some of Odysseus' longer lies grew tiring. There were also parts that soared - Calypso's unrequited love for the hero, Athena's deadly games, Nausicaa on the beach, Odysseus meeting his dead countrymen in Hades, and the slaughter in the hall are all vividly captured. I'm ready to move on to the Iliad and Aeneid now!
If Homer were a down-home balladeer..........2007-09-20
Fagles's colloquial translation is far from faithful to Homer. It lacks any hint of the grandeur or gravitas proper to the epic, and in places borders on paraphrase. Some will argue that because most of the Odyssey is either dialogue or narrative told by one the characters, colloquial language is appropriate. However, the colloquial tone extends even to poet's (or muse's) own narration. One need look no further than the translation's first line for an example: where Homer speaks of the man who is polytropos ("of many turns"), Fagles gives us "the man of twists and turns." Moreover, it is hard to accept the colloquialism of much of the dialogue. For example, Fagles makes Nestor respond to Telemachus's request for the story of Agamemnon's murder, with: "Gladly, my boy, I'll tell you the story from first to last..." This is hardly the way one talks about the tragic and treacherous death of a former comrade in arms. Nor is Fagles's rendering of Odysseus famous narrative in Books 9-12 convincing: for example, Fagles has Lampetie bringing news to Helios of his cattle's slaughter "Quick as a flash." By contrast, Lattimore tells us she "ran swift with the message."
If Homer were a down-home balladeer, Fagles would be the translator of choice.
People Don't Make Up Curses Like That Anymore..........2007-06-14
My freshman English class tackled The Odyssey, and we all relished it. The high-key adventure, the indomitable Odysseus, the history and culture of our adored Greek society, and the rich dialogue all kept us hooked. The curse of the Cyclops is still a monologue I fall back on, even three years later, because, I'm telling you, people nowadays just don't know how to cast curses! As a little recommendation to enhance the reader's enjoyment, read a little bit about the Trojan War before starting. For my class, we had a packet with the history of the war, beginning with the Choice of Paris and ending with the Wooden Horse. It helps with the understanding of the story and whets the appetite for Homer's epic.
"I long to be homeward bound" Simon and Garfunkle.......2007-04-29
The Trojan War is over and one of our hero kings is lost. His son (Telemachus) travels to find any information about his father's fait. His wife (Penelope) must cunningly hold off suitors that are eating them out of house and home.
If he ever makes it home Odysseus will have to detect those servants loyal from those who are not. One absent king against rows of suitors; how will he give them their just deserts? We look to Bright Eyed Pallas Athena to help prophecy come true.
Interestingly all the tales of monsters and gods on the sea voyage was told by Odysseus. Notice that no on else survives to tell the tale. So we have to rely on Odysseus' word.
Many movies took sections of The Odyssey, and expanded them to make interesting stories those selves.
Not just the story but the way in which it is told will keep you up late at night reading.
Book Description
Bhaumik offers us his remarkable rags to riches story, his understanding of the true nature of science, and his vision of spirituality as that which gives meaning to our lives.
Customer Reviews:
East + West = "God".......2007-09-13
We live today in a world so divided by disparate religious ideas that there is a very real possibility that we as humans won't survive these differences.
The spectrum of this divde is great and varied. Extreme Christian fundamentalists longing for a biblical Armageddon promote political choices that could bring on an ultimate nuclear holocaust. More moderate Christians eschew science in favor of a literal reading of the Bible and turn a blind eye to scientific "theories" as varied as global warming, the evolution of our species or the age of the universe.
Extreme Islamic fundamentalists scoff at earthly political goals altogether and wish only to live in a world governed entirely by the Koran. Unfortunately, like the Judeo/Christian Bible, interpretation of these sacred scriptures is subject to whoever perceives that he/she has been selected by his or her god to do so. This has resulted, in many instances, in the wide-scale destruction of people by those convinced by these chosen spokesmen that they will achieve heavenly rewards by their own and their victims' deaths.
Obviously, examples like these can be found everywhere in the world and in many other religions as well.
In a fervent desire to get beyond religious misconceptions of basic spiritual concepts, many thoughtful people have followed one of two divergent philosophical paths of inquiry concerning the universe and our place in it.
Science and spirituality (as opposed to religion) both seek the answers to this most fundamental question. While never quite at physical odds with each other, proponents look askance at each other for the others' naive understandings of reality. Yet a few individuals in both camps have been able to take a "quantum leap" of understanding and realize that science and spirituality should not just "agree to disagree".
For some scientists, David Bohm, Rupert Sheldrake, Karl Pribram and others, the deeper science goes towards discovering the most fundamental nature of Matter and Energy, the more the paths of science and spirituality merge into one.
On the spiritual side, a person such as the Dalai Lama honors the discoveries being made by science; to the extent that he says that if science proves a concept that is counter to his own Buddhist tradition, then the Buddhist idea must succumb to science! Truly a remarkable statement in view of most religious orthodoxies.
Mani Bhaumik is one of these "leapers", whose early life happened to be suffused in mystical Hindu traditions. Yet, the talents for science and mathematics he displayed at a young age allowed him to escape the poverty and ignorance epidemic in his community.
Finding his way to the West and his subsequent invention of the Exemer Laser (known commercially as Lasek) culminated in his enjoying a fabled lifestyle of the rich and famous; coincidentally the name of a popular television show of the day in which he displayed his wealth. His Hollywood star-studded life of parties and luxury in Beverly Hills is the stuff of dreams.
But somewhere along the way, the dream ended. Like many others throughout history, he finally had to ask himself, is this all there is?
Even while climbing the ladder of success, however, he never forgot the ground below from where he began. His political and spiritual grounding as an acquaintance of the "living saint" Mahatma Ghandi (in the political struggle for independence by the Indians against Great Britain) demonstrated to him how true spirituality can be manifested in the everyday world.
Throughout his early life in America he used his practice of Hindu meditation as primarily a method of remaining calm and centered in the high-flying academic and business worlds he was increasingly a part of.
But when he began to ask whether "this is all there is", he wanted to explore the deeper realms of reality found through mediation; those spoken of in the Gitas, the sacred writings of his religious tradition.
As a man with one foot in Western science and one foot in mystical Hinduism, he came to realize that it was perhaps his dharma to create a bridge between the two.
The result is the narrative of a wonderful, poetic journey through his own life before he begins the even more fantastic journey into the realms of quantum theory and sublime mystical states.
In the process, he does a truly amazing thing. He makes the underlying scientific field of all physical reality--which is, in fact, non-reality--move so closely towards the highest mystical states that it makes the a non-belief in "god" the most non-rational and least plausible conclusion one could make for a human being.
As a formerly agnostic seeker of knowledge, I've spent the past few years, trying to reconcile the remarkable scientific discoveries of DNA, quantum theory and consciousness with the fantastic realms of mind explored and written about by mystics, shamans, artists, users of entheogenic plants and others throughout the ages.
Mani Bhaumik's journey is a wonderful stepping stone on our own journey through a life that offers so many unanswerable questions. I've found that the most wonderful thing about our journey is that once a stepping stone is reached, another one appears almost magically.
And it's only one step away.
Good thing I'm familiar with these physics topics.......2007-07-13
I think this book is wonderful approach to the science of God's existence. If you've ever seen the "Elegant Universe" (I think it is called) on PBS where they delve into String Theory and explain quantum physics to the layman, this book is a perfect follow-up. I think that because I had seen this show, I absorbed much of the physics he presented very quickly. I remember stopping at one point and thinking, "this is some scientific stuff."
Even if you've never heard of String Theory or Quantum Mechanics, it is worth reading this book. Dr. Bhaumik's book presents complicated physics theories in simple terms, and then ties those principles into his statement that everything from human consciousness, to the farthest stars, to the smallest particles are all interrelated and have a single name: God.
When I got to certain points in the book, I could hear my brain frying ;-) These were some increbile points he was making and I was blown away.
The only reason I gave it four stars is because he spends a little too much time in my opinion on his upbringing in India. Yes, it helps set the stage for the life eventually goes onto, and underscores several of his ideas, but it should have been cut shorter.
We Are One.......2007-05-21
Dr. Bhaumik's book should be required reading for all religions! Using the discoveries of Quantum Physics and other areas of science, he proves how the universe we know all comes from one source, Code Name God, beginning with the Big Bang. He explains the seemingly conscious evolution of elements and the universal laws that permeate and guide our universe. Then he shows that we are all made of the same material (a nucleus consisting of one up quark and one down quark and electrons). In proving the oneness and interconnectedness of all, he shows how we are truly brothers and sisters. Perhaps if we all got that, we would stop our senseless fighting revere this beautiful home we have been given and live in peace.
A Must-Read for Inquiring Minds.......2007-04-11
This book has been most helpful in deepening my understanding of Hinduism and Christianity and their Common Ground. I am very thankful Bhaumik has committed himself to integrating his backgound of East and West, of science and mystery, and presenting his knowledge and insights in ways the lay person can begin to grasp. Now the scriptures have become fully believable, though I do not claim to comprehend it all. I am scheduled to review the book for a study group and I have recommended it to several friends.
EXCEPTIONAL.......2006-12-02
How often does a book captivate you to the point of altering your schedule, tracking down its author, and spending hours with him in order to engage in dialogue about the subject after you've read the book? This is exactly the effect Dr. Mani Bhaumik's "Code Name God" had on me.
Actually, it was the subtitle, "The spiritual odyessey of a man of science," that first grabbed my attention and made me buy the first of 30 copies. I needed something "smart" to pass on to my intellectual, over-achieving and under-believing agnostic friends and colleagues.
However, the one whose eyes were opened the most were perhaps my own.
Mani Bhaumik was a devestatingly impoverished child from the Indian province of Bengal. His beloved grandmother died before his very eyes when she gave Mani her ration of food so that he may live. The entire village sold what meager belongings they possessed in order to send the unusually gifted youngster to UCLA. As a result, today hundreds of poor children from India are enjoying higher education and radically improved lives not only for themselves but those from their communities as well, thanks to his efforts and numerous scholarships; and, millions of people around the world literally "see" because of his accomplishments. Dr. Bhaumik is best known for being the co-inventor of the excimer laser--the class of laser than made LASIK corrective eye surgery possible. Eventually, the dirt poor Indian boy became a Bel-Air mega-millionaire, found himself featured on "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous," and even dated the Paris Hilton of his day, Ava Gabor.
As fate would usually have it, success, position, awards, wealth and fame wasn't enough. A void ensued in his soul that required all else to be put into question and in perspective. It is this journey that makes the rest of his extraordinary life experiences pale by comparison. It is a journey that I hope you too will want to read about...one that will alter the course of your destiny as well.
Julie Chrystyn,
author of "Body Transformation"
Books:
- Mark Twain : Historical Romances : The Prince and the Pauper / A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court / Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc (Library of America)
- Metamorphoses (Oxford World's Classics)
- Moby Dick
- Mr. Untouchable: My Crimes and Punishments
- Murder by Moonlight and Other Mysteries: New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes Volumes 19-24 (New Adventures of Shelock Holmes)
- My Horizontal Life: A Collection of One-Night Stands
- Nightwood
- Northanger Abbey, Lady Susan, The Watsons, Sanditon (Oxford World's Classics)
- On The Wealth of Nations (Books That Changed the World)
- Othello (Folger Shakespeare Library)
Books Index
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