Resurrecting Empire: Western Footprints and America's Perilous Path in the Middle East

Resurrecting Empire: Western Footprints and America's Perilous Path in the Middle East
Average customer rating:

Not "Fair and Balanced", But....

vibrant argument

Unbecoming of a scholar with such a pedigree

The book Bush should have read

Strongly Recommended

Resurrecting Empire: Western Footprints and America's Perilous Path in the Middle East
Rashid Khalidi
Manufacturer: Beacon Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Middle East | History | Subjects | Books
Israel | Middle East | History | Subjects | Books
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A History of the Modern Middle East

ASIN: 0807002356

Book Description

Rashid Khalidi_s powerful book examines the record of Western involvement in the Middle East and analyzes the likely outcome of our most recent incursions into the area. Drawing on his encyclopedic knowledge of the political and cultural history of the entire region, Khalidi paints a chilling scenario of our present situation and yet offers a tangible alternative that can help us find the path to peace rather than Empire. Additionally, Professor Khalidi contributes a new introduction to this paperback edition, covering recent developments in Iraq and the aftermath of the U.S. presidential election.

Customer Reviews:

Not "Fair and Balanced", But...........2007-07-16

Other reviewers are certainly correct that Professor Khalidi has a very obvious and largely one-sided agenda which I doubt he would deny. (He does teach at Columbia, after all.) Having said that, I don't believe we Americans are sufficiently exposed to that "other" agenda, and the book serves that purpose if no other. Khalidi, moreover, does a superb job of briefly and compellingly describing colonial involvement in the Middle East by way of supporting his contention that, in brief, we had no idea (but should have) of what we were getting ourselves into in Iraq. In the course of this discussion, he admirably minces no words in describing the failings of the indigenous Middle East regimes and, among other things, their indifference to their peoples' sufferings and refusal to use their oil wealth to alleviate them.

The book understandably suffers from its topicality. Last released in 2005, the author's castigation of the neo-con's and their theories reads like ancient history. Also, it would have been interesting to get the professor's views on what has happended since in Iraq and more generally in the "war on terror". Neither here, nor, I suspect, in such a commentary, does he address the very real, if quixotic, undertaking by Muslim fundmentalists to impose their theocracy on the world. By way of example, Fox News in mentioned (unfavorably!) four or five times while the word "sharia" appears, if I'm not mistaken, once.

Having said all this, the book is well-written and thoughtful, and if you have any lingering doubts about how "Operation Quicksand" is likely to turn out, it will certainly exacerbate them.

So we are left with picking up the pieces in the metaphorical Pottery Barn, forever wondering why we (i.e., our leaders) didn't know better. Perhaps it was too much to expect that they would ponder the history so ably discussed by Khalidi before making their move. I've always thought they could have learned as much by re-screening 1962's "Lawrence of Arabia" in which Peter O'Toole's Lawrence upbraids Omar Sharif's Sherif Ali at the Harith well just after Ali has killed Lawrence's guide because he was a Hazimi and thus could not drink from it. Lawrence says to Ali: "So long as the Arabs fight tribe against tribe, so long will they be a little people, a silly people, greedy, barbarous and cruel, as you are." Yes, indeed.

vibrant argument.......2007-03-02

I enjoyed reading Resurrecting Empire. The argument of the book is precise, informative, and thorough. It is valuable to learn that before finding ourselves into a long bloody war with another nation, we should explore the past, learn its history, and find better ways of dealing with the situation. This book explains not only the importance of history, but also how to learn from historical events and not commit the same mistakes over again.

Unbecoming of a scholar with such a pedigree.......2007-02-23

Rashid Khalidi begins Resurrecting Empire with a brief discussion about why he wrote the book. He describes the public speeches he gave during the process and found, believe it or not, that everyone who came to hear him agreed with what he had to say. He wonders if these people are just a marginalized group of malcontents, but he quickly brushes that notion aside. Surely he, and his audience, must be right. This type of arrogant approach sums up the rest of the book. The supreme irony here is that Khalidi is guilty of nearly everything he blames others for. At the end of his introduction, he has faith that his book will "initiate a more informed and more rational debate," but he has unfortunately produced little more than a rant that preaches to the choir. According to Khalidi, Resurrecting Empire's purpose is to shed light on how America is viewed in the Middle East. This is a worthy goal, certainly deserving of much analysis and debate. Instead of actually doing this, Khalidi presents a hodgepodge of watered-down chapters that do not do the subjects justice.

The 2003 war against Iraq is primarily what inspired the book, but there is not much discussion of the war itself. Khalidi does not completely butcher the analysis of foreign policy under the Bush administration, but there is a serious misreading of the motives behind the invasion. He puts way too much emphasis on the neocon conspiracy theories without bothering to go beyond what was an oversimplified and lazy set of arguments so many others were making. Khalidi uses language like "the war party" when referring to people like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, not the type of language that inspires "informed and rational" debate. Also included in this discussion is the hypocrisy of the U.S. when it comes to democracy promotion. He accurately points out that the U.S. still gives support to the governments of Egypt and Saudi Arabia, but demonstrates a double standard when dealing with countries like Iraq and Syria. He acts as though democracy promotion for the U.S. only includes overthrowing people like Hussein, when in fact there is much more to this policy than Khalidi admits. An excellent overview of these policies can be found in a book edited by Thomas Carothers and Marina Ottaway called Uncharted Journey: Promoting Democracy in the Middle East.

Khalidi presents a very selective and misleading set of arguments. Others are certainly guilty of the same thing, but Khalidi acts as if he's setting the record straight here. To take one example, he grossly misrepresents America's role in Iraq during the 60s. He makes it seem as if the U.S. were allied with Hussein and the Baath party all along. He even states that the U.S. was involved with the Baath takeover in 1968, but the footnote he provides mentions nothing about that particular coup. On top of that, no other Iraqi scholar implicates the U.S. in this coup. Khalidi is presenting what he wants his audience to believe, not what actually happened. These types of problems of selectivity run rampant through the book. The other main chapters deal with Oil and the Arab/Israeli dispute. While he makes a convincing argument in some respects, Khalidi does nothing more than tell a partisan and one-sided story.

What is most disappointing here is that Khalidi should be capable of producing rational and thoughtful debate. Resurrecting Empire does not even begin to reach that threshold. He teaches at Columbia University and has impressive academic credentials, this is not the type of person that should be in the business of producing rants. The book only makes sense if one takes the view that the real goal was to merely produce a book that Khalidi knew would sell, not something that really contributed to the debate over current Middle Eastern events.

The book Bush should have read.......2006-12-21

Khalidi's knowledge on the Middle East is beyond evident in this book, but his distortions and views can be at times somewhat misleading. The information and knowledge given to us from the view of someone within is phenominal. His thoughts and views on why the war in Iraq happened and what should have been done before we went in are fantastic. My problems stem from the obvious bias within that seems to point all the problems in the region on the US and other Western countries.

Strongly Recommended.......2006-11-05

The reviews by the standard troupe of Israel apologistas and Judea-Samaria crowd aside, this is a great book for the novice reader of contemporary Middle-East history. It is not exactly an easy read, perhaps due to language barrier issues, but with a little patience, the Westerner who has only been exposed to drivel from mainstream media has a lot to learn from this book.

To those who fault this book, and many like it, for being "one-sided", I have to say, I wonder how you would write a book about a murder or a rape? Validate both sides equally? The obvious point being, there do not exist two equally valid sides to all human conflicts, and to admit to that is the first step to find a workable remedy.

And to the other few who have trashed this book and other works by Khalidi, I have seen from your other reviews that even works by Israeli Zionist foreign ministers (Shlomo Ben Ami) and pro-Israeli historians (Benny Morris) don't please your taste, since any criticism of the State of Israel is tantamount to an unforgivable sin to you. People like Ben Ami and Morris, despite being strongly pro-Israel and unabashed Zionists, have the couraged to admit that many massacres and atrocities were committed by the Yishuv and later Israel. Their justifications may not appeal to the non-Jewish non-Arab outsider (Morris' famous line: "You have to break quite a few eggs to make a good omlette"), but at least they do not try to deny all historic facts. But to some, mere mention of such facts is a deal-breaker. Let the silence go on ...

Intuitive Thinking As a Spiritual Path : A Philosophy of Freedom (Classics in Anthroposophy)

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What kind of review?
A Philosophy of Spiritual Activity
Ever wondered how you KNOW anything?

Intuitive Thinking As a Spiritual Path : A Philosophy of Freedom (Classics in Anthroposophy)
Rudolf Steiner
Manufacturer: Steiner Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Religious | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 088010385X

Book Description

Of all of his works, Intuitive Thinking as a Spiritual Path is the one that Steiner himself believed would have the longest life and the greatest spiritual and cultural consequences. It was written as a phenomenological account of the "results of observing the human soul according to the methods of natural science.

This seminal work asserts that free spiritual activity - understood as the human ability to think and act independently of physical nature - is the suitable path for human beings today to gain true knowledge of themselves and of the universe. This is not merely a philosophical volume, but rather a warm, heart-oriented guide to the practice and experience of living thinking.

Readers will not find abstract philosophy here, but a step-by-step account of how a person may come to experience living, intuitive thinking - "the conscious experience of a purely spiritual content."

During the past hundred years since it was written, many have tried to discover this "new thinking" that could help us understand the various spiritual, ecological, social, political, and philosophical issues facing us. But only Rudolf Steiner laid out a path that leads from ordinary thinking to the level of pure spiritual activity - intuitive thinking - in which we become co-creators and co-redeemers of the world.

Customer Reviews:

What kind of review?.......2001-01-31

Are there words to be found for this book? I wish courage to all those who want to give it a try and read it. Life gets different after the experience...

A Philosophy of Spiritual Activity.......2000-04-13

This is a new translation of Rudolf Steiner's most important work. It has an especially good introduction by Gertrude Hughes Reif. However, I preferred the two older titles: "Philosophy of Freedom" and "Philosophy of Spiritual Activity" because the significance of the experience of the book comes across better for me with those titles. This is not a book that can be "read" in the usual sense. It must be worked on because it forces you to think about your own thinking. Through this difficult process you yourself discover your spiritual self, your "I" being. This book should be the most important book of the last 100 years, but it hasn't been because there are not many people who want to discover themselves. That is too fearful and difficult. It is much easier to be asleep or to belong to a religion or to have a guru. For anyone who is brave and courageous about "Know Thyself!" this is THE book.

Ever wondered how you KNOW anything?.......1998-10-11

Perhaps one of the most significant questions you can ask in your life: How can I know anything? How can I feel sure that what I hold as the basis for reality has any reality at all? These and other significant life questions are worked through in this remarkable philosophical work. Be prepared to do your own work as you follow the intuitive path that has been carefully outlined by Rudolf Steiner. The careful reader will find few books more deeply satisfying. I have returned to re-read it many times.

The Simplest Path to Personal and Planetary Awakening, Step One: FREE YOUR MIND: 10 Keys for Unlocking Your Personal Potential, Achieving Spiritual Awakening, ... of Humanity's Ultimate Cosmic Destiny

Average customer rating:

Way Beyond "Socrates Revisited"
True, but gimmicky
A Unique and Inspiring Wake-up Call
Challenge Consensus Reality!
A Simple Cure For What's "Eating Us"

The Simplest Path to Personal and Planetary Awakening, Step One: FREE YOUR MIND: 10 Keys for Unlocking Your Personal Potential, Achieving Spiritual Awakening, ... of Humanity's Ultimate Cosmic Destiny
Vincent Casspriano Jr.
Manufacturer: Lulu.com
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1847285783

Book Description

The Simplest Path, Step One: Free Your Mind delineates, in one slim volume, a complete system for achieving personal spiritual awakening, along with a straightforward, no-nonsense plan individuals and groups so enlightened can follow to awaken Humanity en masse and positively transform the world. This book contains keys to awakening. Awakening from our personal dream shatters the solid "box" of limitation memes have built around our lives, and frees us to fluidly craft our personalities, environments, relationships, careers, etc. as an artist paints a landscape or a sculptor teases form from formless clay. All of us awakening together from the shared dream of the planet will mark the birth of our species out of our current global nightmare of decline into a limitless future literally beyond our present ability to imagine, even in our "wildest dreams," indeed.

Customer Reviews:

Way Beyond "Socrates Revisited".......2007-08-22

After reading the commentary attached to the one star rating given by the young man from Texas, I feel compelled to step forward in defense of this very fine book. With only one exception, every point made in that negative review is simply wrong. Just not factually correct. The reviewer identifies himself as a young man (... "to my young mind"), and since all of his other Amazon reviews are of TV episodes on DVD, video games and rock music CDs I take him at his word. Well, I am an "old man," closing in on my sixty-third birthday, and I came to Mr. Casspriano's book after six decades of life experience, the last three of those decades a zealous practitioner of Zen Buddhism. I say this not to "brag," but simply to qualify myself as a reviewer before beginning.

I'll start where the one star reviewer closed his argument, with his statement that the simplest path reduces to two Socratic concepts: "Admit that you don't know anything" and "know yourself."

The first part is nominally true (the exception). Like Zen Buddhism, a central tenet of the simplest path is working to release the false notion we all hold that we know ourselves, other people, the world around us. But identifying and releasing our attachments to our illusions is a life's work, not some brash "I don't know nothin'!" as the young Texan seems to imply. Under normal circumstances, we go about our daily lives with no idea we are deluded about anything, as Maya (the illusion of the phenomenal world around and even inside us) is so convincing that most of us never even think to question its validity. Casspriano did not invent the notion of human beings being trapped in illusion, as this truth was known to the timeless authors of the Hindu Vedas and is central to all schools of Buddhism (not just Zen). But his scientific/spiritual exploration of the mechanism by which Maya ensnares our minds and can, with effort, be overcome is among the best "plain English" explanations of this process I have read. There is no "inscrutable mystery" in the simplest path (a criticism that has been accurately leveled toward Zen Buddhism, as a lot of Eastern thought truly does come off as "inscrutable" when translated into English and/or the metaphors of Western culture). Casspriano lays out in no-nonsense American English exactly what our brains are doing when they create the illusion we mistake for reality, then shows the reader in the same clear terms how to train his or her brain to break free of illusion and taste reality as-it-is. In just 216 pages, that is no mean feat. After thirty years of Zen practice and numerous kensho experiences (of varying depths and intensities), I can say from personal experience that Casspriano is correct. Enlightenment comes as the fruit of a long, incremental process of retraining the mind to touch reality in a new way, and the process described in the simplest path is the same as that followed in Zen practice, especially Rienzi Zen koan study (I'll have more to say about this in a later paragraph). Casspriano's approach and language is very different from traditional Zen (more "scientific," and no sitting meditation is required), which I think would appeal to Americans and other Westerners seeking to experience "awakening" without necessarily committing themselves to a religion like Buddhism, but the internal mental/spiritual process and final destination are the same.

"Know yourself," on the other hand, is not in this book at all, at least not in the way the young reviewer, or Socrates for that matter, uses the phrase. As in Buddhism, Casspriano takes pains to demonstrate that "self" is as much of an illusion as our misapprehension of the phenomenal world, and is a byproduct of exactly the same mind process that creates outer Maya. A core teaching of Buddhism is that our "self," our personality/ego, is nothing more than an aggregation of outside influences that cluster together in our minds like shiny stones gathered into a pile, and which we mistake not only for something "real," but tragically, for our essential selves. Yet this "pile" has nothing really to do with who we are at all. Buddhism teaches "no-self." Belief in the illusion of a unique and independent "self" is our greatest obstacle to enlightenment. Wasting time and energy getting to "know yourself" in the Western sense is foreign to Eastern thought. Casspriano again does a great job of translating the Buddhist concept of "no-self" into Western scientific/spiritual terminology. He shows the process by which our ego/personality aggregate "piles up," as well as how to take the pile down, stone by stone. Enlightenment is what the pile was covering up, and so it naturally appears as soon as the pile is removed - but oh how we cling to our personal pile of stones! "Self" is what we must trade for enlightenment, what must be surrendered, and Casspriano returns to this truth many times in the simplest path. My point is that the one star reviewer's reduction of the simplest path to "know yourself" has no basis at all in the actual book.

As to the book being "gimmicky": Yes, the words "The Simplest Path" recur frequently throughout the book, but not in reference to the book itself (at least that's not how I took it), but rather to the system of understanding the mind and working toward "awakening" Casspriano is describing - and it is a complete system that deserves to be considered as a whole, on its own. At times the repetition does have a feel of "branding" in the commercial sense, so I understand where the reviewer may have taken his impression. But the simplest path, while resonant with Zen Buddhism (and apparently, according to Casspriano, with the Toltec philosophy espoused by Carlos Castaneda, of which I have no personal knowledge, so I'll have to take the author's word for that) is far enough different that it needs its own "name" to set it apart from other schools of similar but not identical thought. The reviewer's criticism is like saying that every use of the term "Zen" in a book called "Zen Buddhism" should be taken as a reference to the book, and not to the larger practice of Zen Buddhism as a spiritual discipline that the book is describing. Casspriano's point in repeatedly linking The Simplest Path, Zen Buddhism and Toltec Shamanism throughout the book, at least as I understood it, is to highlight these three spiritual practices as related reliable paths through a dark forest of illusion, a forest in which many apparent (and more popular) paths, including most (all?) religious beliefs, actively vie to mislead travelers toward deeper ensnarement in the dream, rather than leading them toward "awakening."

I want to say a word about koan study in Rienzi Zen and how it relates to the simplest path. Koans are those quirky Zen sayings and stories like "what is the sound of one hand clapping?" or "what was your original face before you (or your parents) were born?" that have no rational answer, and which Zen students turn and turn in their minds like the tumblers of a combination lock until their imprisoned psyches "explode" in a "super-rational" experience of reality beyond the illusion ("irrational" would be the wrong term, as that implies "nonsense"). That "super-rational" vision of reality is called "kensho." I have experienced it myself, more than once in my lifetime. I have come to think of Casspriano's "Key Questions" in the second half of the simplest path, especially the later seven of the ten, as "cultural koans" designed to trigger "collective kensho" for the whole human race at once. Like "what is the sound of one hand clapping?", unflinching consideration of the value of human life, of how our beliefs about the future shape the present, of the true origin and destiny of life on Earth, etc., especially as seen through the lens of Casspriano's "Key Question Technique," reveals that none of these questions have rational answers, yet all require our active and immediate response. Successful resolution of these larger riddles that impact everyone will require us all to eventually "explode" into reality, together, in a "super-rational" way. We'll have to break through the illusion and wake up together, as one (which has been the goal of Mahayana Buddhism, of which Zen is a sect, since around 200 BCE). That is the "Planetary Awakening" addressed in this book, and I believe Casspriano's "Key Questions" are a concrete step in that direction. I'm glad I spent my fifteen dollars.

This is my "old man" take on the simplest path, having encountered it after 30 years of Zen Buddhist practice (I'm not veering off my chosen path here, just bowing respectfully in passing toward Casspriano's). From a Buddhist perspective, the simplest path is true Dharma, though I do not get the impression from reading his book that Vincent Casspriano is himself a Buddhist or a follower of any religion. That to my mind makes his book all the more interesting.

True, but gimmicky.......2007-08-09

Casspriano's book is scientifically and philosophically sound as best as my young mind can tell, but I don't recommend this book. Its scattered with numerous pages of advertising about how his "program" works and how it compares to other religions and spiritual movements. Why must this author physically write out "The Simplest Path" in reference to his book every other page, and talk about his second volume? Perhaps because he's not out for pure truth, but for our money.

All this book comes down to after you strip away the nonsense is two things. First, admit that you don't truly know anything. Second, know yourself. Do those two things (they essentially both mean to question EVERYTHING), and you'll have Casspriano's "Planetary Awakening," with 15 bucks still in your pocket. And you'll be following the fundamental truths already said by Socrates.. so do yourself a favor and pick up Plato's "Apology" and read up on the Socratic dialogue on how to live a good life. And don't stop there, because you can't be sure he's right.

And I have 10 bucks that says these other couple of reviews were written by the book publisher. In any case, ignore the hype.

A Unique and Inspiring Wake-up Call.......2007-05-15

This is one of the most clear-headed books I've read in years on the subject of real, nitty gritty, get your hands dirty spiritual development (as opposed to the fru fru New Age variety). So much of what passes for "spirituality" in our time amounts to some author, celebrity, priest, philosopher or self-appointed guru telling us what to "believe," sight unseen, if we want to reach heaven, attain enlightenment, achieve "ascension," etc. Casspriano takes an at times startling opposite approach. For Casspriano, such unquestioned/unquestionable beliefs are not only NOT the path to spiritual awakening, they represent the chief obstacle blocking our realization of higher consciousness. And it's not just religious beliefs ("faith") he's talking about, but all our beliefs about reality, especially those that enclose our thinking in "boxes" that limit our freedom to find solutions to real-world threats like Peak Oil, overpopulation, Global Warming, etc. Though much of the book focuses on individual enlightenment, for Casspriano, these larger planetary issues are "spiritual," as well. Whether the issue is our personal inability to find happiness or Humanity's collective rush toward physical extinction, the cause is the same - our wrong-headed beliefs about what's real. The solution is the same, as well - continuous, deep questioning. Using Richard Dawkins' concept of "memes" as a central metaphor, Casspriano first breaks down the basic process of belief, showing the mechanism in our brains by which beliefs misdirect and control our psyches, then he walks the reader through an exploration of a series of ten "anti-meme questions" aimed at breaking down the walls of our mental "boxes" and setting our minds free. With each question, he supplies an exercise designed to allow the reader to attain a personal taste of reality "beyond the box," especially as flavored by that chapter's "Key Question." For the most part, this formula works very well (with a few rare moments of over-exuberance on the author's part, as already described in other reviews, though as a card carrying vegan environmentalist, I can't say I particularly minded), delivering a cumulative series of death-blows to some of the most basic "pillars" of our present human consensus reality. Beyond the walls those pillars supported lies real reality, where we are all interconnected and interdependent, and, in Casspriano's view, mutually destined for greatness, if we can just wake up and grab the reins of our runaway culture in time. This is not a book for spiritual "feel gooders" seeking soft assurances that they're perfect just they way they are and everything's going to be all right, no matter what. This is a wake up call, a tool kit and a concrete action plan for becoming individually enlightened and collectively saving the world, all rolled up into one. That, I think, is a cause well-worthy of exuberance.

Challenge Consensus Reality!.......2007-05-10

This is a thoughtful book that addresses how we may go about developing a process to question our everyday consensus reality. I suppose if I have learned anything in 49 years of life, it is that all personal and social problems stem from our fundamental views on the nature of reality itself. Vincent Casspriano uses the concept of a "meme" as a fundamental unit of ideas, assumptions, etc. that often block our understanding of reality itself. One such meme, for example, may be that we have to "fight for our freedom" or the world's a "fearful" place and hence, we have to be ready to kill to protect ourselves. I suppose you could also use the word "paradigm" here as well, but the essential point of this book is that we "unconsciously" function in our life with many limited points of view that block our ability to solve problems on both a personal and a social basis.

While Vince Casspriano is to be congradulated for producing a book that presents both a methodology and a motivation for personal transformation, there are a few pitfalls here that the potential reader should be aware of before tackling this material. The author has some rather strong views on fossil fuel consumption, meet consumption, and the role of humans in the cycle of procreation. While I generally agree with his analysis on fossil fuel consumtion and meat consumption (as I have viewed large tracks of deforrested grazing land in developing countries), these viewpoints can distract the reader from the essential point here which is to rigourously question consensus reality. Since I am single, and have no motivation to have children, I definitely disagree with his views on the necessity of human procreation on this planet, but here again, it is important to extract the essential meaning rather than get caught in the specific political/social debates that these issues may spawn.

If you are serious about personal transformation with the potential for changing our global consciousness, than this book can be an invaluable tool. I do agree with the Author that a world population of "high functioning" people can resolve every planetary problem we face today. As we systematically question our consensus reality, we will see our problems in new ways, and with this new perspective, problems can often be quickly resolved or transcended.

A Simple Cure For What's "Eating Us".......2006-11-13

I considered titling this review, "Stop Whining, Wake Up and Get Busy Saving the World," but decided "Eating Us" would be more attention-grabbing - which matters because I believe Vincent Casspriano, Jr.'s "The Simplest Path, Step One: FREE YOUR MIND" is an important book, and I want to do whatever I can to draw your attention to it. Pick the title you like best. Both very fittingly describe what you will find within the pages of this remarkable new release from New Paradigm Press.

I have selected three short quotations to explore in this review that I think best summarize Casspriano's overall message:

From Chapter One, "The Boxes We Dream In":

"Right now, this very moment, you are asleep... Even if you are reading these words in broad daylight - sitting at your desk or beside the kitchen table, your feet firmly planted on the floor, eyes open, senses alert, feeling the weight of this book in your hands as sounds of life rise and fall rhythmically around you - you are deeply asleep, and dreaming furiously"

Now, the idea that Humans are sleeping, and must therefore "awaken," is by no means unique to Casspriano's "Simplest Path" spiritual system, being the root observation underlying pretty much all Eastern religion, and a lot of Western Occultism and New Age metaphysics, as well. In fairness, Casspriano makes no claim to this as an original insight, openly supporting his assessment of the human predicament with quotations taken from Animism, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism and Islam. He then flows seamlessly into a list of complementary illustrations from the secular realms of Quantum Physics, brain/consciousness research, and most to-the-point, the study of memes and memetics, ala Evolutionary Biologist and world's best-known cheerleader for scientific atheism, Richard Dawkins.

If you've never heard of memes or memetics, a quick Google of those terms will reveal hundreds of serious, information-rich websites devoted to this now thirty-year old science. In a nutshell, a "meme" is a sort of contagious thought-form that spreads between people by way of imitation. Obvious memes in our environment include advertising jingles, fads and fashions, etc. Casspriano somewhat radically extends the concept to include just about everything that makes up the contents of our individual brains and shared human culture. While he resists redefining the word "meme" wholesale, he decidedly expands its definition to make memes and "memeplexes" (what you get when a number of memes band together into an organic, relational unit, like a religion or cultural or political movement) the basic, fundamental building blocks of everything we habitually label "real..."

And then he demonstrates, in at times excruciating detail, the complete emptiness of the "apparent-reality" that is a byproduct of memetic activity in our brains. What we call "real" is not real at all. It's an illusion spun up by our memes. And our memes are not original to us. They are "viral invaders" assailing our minds from without. Worse - and, while even this thought is not wholly unique to Casspriano, he certainly gives it his own very effective spin - memes are by no means mere passive beliefs or simple "harmless ideas." They are, Casspriano believes, actively predatory psychic parasites whose survival depends on our buying into the illusions they create in our minds. Think of illusion (Samsara, Maya, etc.) as a web we're caught in. Memes are the spider. We are the fly. Gotcha.

One thing I like very much about Casspriano's book is that he never asks us to take anything on faith, least of all this rather ugly depiction of the human psychic/spiritual condition. He not only challenges readers to test his hypothesis firsthand in order to experience what is real and true for ourselves, he spends a large chunk of the book outlining specific exercises anyone can do to escape memetic interference and personally experience reality as-it-is. The exercises in Part II of the book are powerful medicine... But this is a digression, so let me return to the point.

Memes are the spider, and we are the fly. A better metaphor might be that memes are the farmer, and we are the cow. Domesticated and docile, we allow memes to milk us daily, to extract from our minds the potent human psychic energy which, if reclaimed by us and put to proper human use, would quickly and positively transform our lives and our world. This transformation is awakening, ascension, enlightenment, metanoia, the Buddha-like change of consciousness most religions and spiritual systems on Earth hint at, but few ever actually deliver to followers. In this analysis, Casspriano's "Simplest Path" is very much in line with Gurdjieff's "Fourth Way," Carlos Castaneda's Toltec sorcery, and a few other well known spiritual practices inhabiting a somewhat darker, though perhaps more realistic corner of the New Age. But unlike most of those other systems, Casspriano's prescription for escaping illusion and awakening to reality is remarkably, well... simple.

From Chapter Three, "Waking Up":

"The simple truth is that we are sleeping because we lack sufficient energy to wake up."

And later in the same chapter:

"The real work that brings about awakening, rather than merely granting the external appearance of "being spiritual," while actually embroiling us ever more deeply in the dream, is a rigorous, daily commitment to the identification and elimination of every self-serving belief from which our personal dream-lives are constructed."

For "belief" in the quotation above, read "meme/memeplex." Casspriano certainly does, treating the terms as largely interchangeable. In the end, this genuinely simple - at least in the sense of being uncomplicated and pragmatic - spiritual practice amounts to discovering reality as-it-actually-is less by searching for a glimpse beyond the illusion, than by systematically withdrawing our participation in, and identification with, the dream. When we disentangle our psyches from memetic illusion, only reality remains. We don't have to chase it; to a meme-free mind, reality just appears. This is "Satori" in Zen Buddhism. This is "stopping the world" in the Toltec sorcery of Castaneda and others. Casspriano's genius lies in his talent for exposing the core mechanism behind such complex and often inscrutable spiritual systems, and for putting into plain language clear instructions for unraveling the dream and achieving personal awakening. The virus-like process by which memes take over and control our human minds, as described by Casspriano is, to my mind, very complicated (but well worth struggling through). What is genuinely simple about "The Simplest Path," however, is Casspriano's prescription for breaking those bonds, once you've made the effort to understand how they are created and maintained. For Casspriano, remaining a victim of spiritual sleep and energetic exploitation by memes is a complex activity in which we unconsciously invest enormous amounts of psychic energy every day of our lives. Awakening is the product of a simple act of withdrawing that investment, which automatically re-energizes of our minds and lives. Or as Casspriano cleverly phrases it when closing Chapter Three, "Waking Up":

"Unweave the tapestry of the dream, and awakening happens."

Anyone can do this. Spiritual awakening, in Casspriano's view, may be hard work, but it is not complicated work. The path to enlightenment is really rather shockingly simple. Fall out of love with the dream. Reclaim your psychic energy. Wake up to reality.

The ten "Key Questions" Casspriano explores in the second section of the book are designed to put the theory laid out in Part I to practical and immediate use. Essentially, I think Casspriano sees these ten issues - why we treat enlightenment as an "airy-fairy" ideal instead of a measurable transformation of brain functioning, the excuses we make for avoiding personal responsibility and integrity along the lines of Castaneda's "impeccability," the fallacy of belief in a "separate self," etc. - as pillars of both our personal and collective human dreams. They are by no means an exhaustive listing of the memes twisting our minds. But they are primary keystones on which layers upon layers of the grand illusion are built. Topple these ten baseline pillars and the larger structure crumbles.

Casspriano explores some "Keys" more successfully than others. One downside to the book is that, especially in the "Keys," Casspriano's own memetic prejudices shine at times rather glaringly through, as when, in his discussion of the American "What Would Jesus Do?" religious fad, he characterizes the Evangelical Christian purveyors of WWJD as, "ultra-conservative, right wing ideologues." Even should the reader personally agree with such pronouncements, its hard to resist thinking, "Hey Vince! Your memes are showing!" But where he nails his point, Casspriano's prose can be downright inspiring, as with the "Key" cosmological study "Is Earth the Center of the Universe?," which explores the gap between what we know, scientifically, about the Universe and what our daily choices and behavior says we really believe, about the cosmos and about ourselves. His closing "Key" "Are We Alone?" so poetically frames the true stakes of our global human predicament - species survival VS extinction - that its hard to imagine anyone keeping their gaze glued squarely to their own self-involved navel in the wake of reading it. Of course we are not alone. There are six and a half billion of us on Planet Earth, and whether we awaken to what's best in us or follow our darkest drives over History's cliff into oblivion, we do so as one. One planet, one fate.

This notion of "oneness" and of a common, intertwined human spiritual and biological destiny is a core theme in The Simplest Path, Step One: FREE YOUR MIND that sets it apart from any spiritual book in recent memory. My final quotation from the book returns us to the opening lines of Chapter One, "The Boxes We Dream In":

"We are all aware of the challenges facing us as we enter together into the 21st Century:

· World oil supplies are running out.

· Global warming is transforming the Earth into a steamy greenhouse.

· Even as our technology connects the world, ideological extremism, terrorism and militarism divide us as never before.

· Headlines bombard us with news of war, famine, pestilence and death until we feel overwhelmed and unable to respond.

· Time is running out..."

Vincent Casspriano, Jr.'s "The Simplest Path to Personal and Planetary Transformation, Step One: FREE YOUR MIND" does not offer easy escape from these very pressing real-world human ills, but rather, a down to Earth, workable prescription for their cure. Yes, we must awaken as individuals, and, rest assured, "The Simplest Path" shows spiritual seekers exactly how to do that. But a prime message of "The Simplest Path" is that, for personal awakening to have meaning, it must occur within the context of a complete re-visioning of global culture, and a mass wrenching away of the wheel of History from the control of viral memes, that we might create a common cosmic human destiny worthy of our highest potential as a species.

Now that's a meme worth feeding.

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Love this book and series
Readers are caught in a drama of well-crafted storytelling
Truth and Moses' story....First Black man in high office
Plunge Into the World of 1882 in Nicodemus, Kansas
another great book in the Freedom' Path series

Daylight Comes (Freedom's Path, Book 3)
Judith McCoy Miller
Manufacturer: Bethany House Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Historical | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Fiction | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Historical | Romance | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Morning Sky (Freedoms Path Series #2)
First Dawn (Freedom's Path Series #1)
Whispers of Winter (Alaskan Quest #3)
Sophie's Dilemma (Daughters of Blessing #2)
In the Company of Secrets (Postcards from Pullman)

ASIN: 0764200003
Release Date: 2006-11-01

Book Description

Truth Wyman has watched Nicodemus, Kansas, grow into a busy little prairie town. And she has grown up, too. Her family was among the first settlers to homestead this area, and there is nowhere she'd rather live. She's always thought her husband felt the same way. . . . Then Moses comes home with news that he has been nominated for state office. If he wins, they'll need to move to the state capital. Pregnant with her first child, Truth does not plan to move to Topeka. How can she raise her baby in an unfamiliar city? How can she leave her family and her home? Yet what will happen if she refuses? Nicodemus's sister community, Hill City, is thriving, too. Macia Boyle returns to her family after a European holiday. The storekeeper's nephew, Garrett Johnson, captures her attention, but she can't seem to forget Jeb Malone, the young blacksmith who showed interest in her before her trip. Soon, Macia must make a choice: Should she return to Jeb's arms or seek a new life with Garrett?

Customer Reviews:

Love this book and series.......2007-06-25

I'll miss this series as this is the last book. I read this one in 2 days and couldn't put it down. The characters are well developed and this book is from Truth's point of view. I miss Jenna's narrative, and the book skips at least a few years which I feel like I would have liked to have "been part of" if the author didn't jump forward. Still a great read and I'm off to another series by the author.

Readers are caught in a drama of well-crafted storytelling.......2007-06-06

Moses Wyman's horseback ride to Nicodemus, Kansas, is filled with emotion. He's been away from home at the young state capital of Topeka far longer than he planned. His young wife, Truth, has waited for Moses to be the first person to learn that she is pregnant with their first child. Within a few sentences, the reader is plunged into several threads of drama from 1882 in the first African American settlement on the plains of the Old West.

Moses breaks the news to his wife that he's been nominated to the office of State Auditor and, if elected, will be the first African American state official. The new job will require Moses and Truth to relocate to Topeka. Everyone around Truth is thrilled with the potential gain; despite praying that they will stay in town throughout her pregnancy, Moses wins the position and they move. Truth's twin sister, Grace Harban, comes from Nicodemus to help care for Truth in the final days of her pregnancy. Through complications Grace extends her stay in Topeka, which tangles some relationship matters back in Nicodemus.

In DAYLIGHT COMES, the third book in the Freedom's Path series, Judith Miller uses multiple plot threads to maintain a high reader interest and keep the pages turning. Hill City, Kansas is the sister city to Nicodemus, which is inhabited primarily by white people. Macia Boyle, the only daughter of Dr. Samuel Boyle, has returned to Hill City from an extended two-year trip to Europe. While she was away, her boyfriend and blacksmith, Jeb Malone, started a new relationship with Fern Kingston.

Unfortunately, Macia can't escape reminders of her old flame because Fern is the Boyle family housekeeper. Reluctantly, Dr. Boyle agrees to make a change if Macia can find another housekeeper. Through Macia's scheming, Fern moves to Nicodemus and cares for Truth's home when the Wymans move to Topeka. Macia is torn about her relationship with Jeb Malone, and the question grows more complicated when the handsome Garrett Johnson, nephew of the storekeeper, attempts to capture her affection.

Another key storyline is the arrival of the Faraday family. Mr. Faraday, a pharmacist, has an unusual number of men hanging around his business. Later, readers learn that he has a gambling problem and eventually he runs away. The high drama between Mrs. Faraday and her husband, and daughter Camille, serves to remind readers that addictions were also a part of prairie town life.

With vivid characters and detailed descriptions and research, readers are caught in a drama of well-crafted storytelling. Through the vehicle of historical fiction, we are reminded of our ever-present need to keep close to God and depend on Him for the ultimate justice of issues, which often can't be resolved easily. DAYLIGHT COMES is historical fiction at its best.

--- Reviewed by W. Terry Whalin

Truth and Moses' story....First Black man in high office.......2007-04-29

Truth and Moses are married, and expecting their first baby. He has been elected as the first Black man to a high political job in Topeka, expects to move his family there and comes into opposition from Truth. She wants to stay in the little town she now loves, keep her lovely new home they built and raise their family near her twin sister and extended family. Her twin, Grace is torn between her loyalties to Truth and her betrothed, Silas, as she plans a long stay in Topeka with Truth. Aunt Lilly has changed, and now wants to move to Topeka, open a business and become a respected citizen for the first time in her adult life. Macia has finally recovered fully and returned home only to find that Jeb has not waited 2 years for her, and he is engaged to Dr. Boyle's new housekeeper, Fern. Obviously this does not set well with Macia Boyle, because Fern is mean to her, and Macia is confused how she actually feels about Jeb. The author does a good job combining historical facts with love and suspense, and has put together a lovely three volume series of Christian Fiction genre. Thanks Judith Miller

Plunge Into the World of 1882 in Nicodemus, Kansas.......2007-01-07

Judith Miller weaves vivid detail based on careful research with fascinating characters and realistic difficulties. The result is a page-turning drama and great addition to the Freedom's Path series.

I've read the other two books in this series and was eager for this saga to continue. It is excellent and an example of historical fiction at its best. I highly recommend it.

another great book in the Freedom' Path series.......2006-11-17

Daylight Comes is the third book in the Freedom's Path series. Truth is married to Moses Wyman who has been nominated for state office. Women can't vote in Kansas in 1882, but if Truth could vote, she'd cast her ballot against Moses. If he wins they will have to move to Topeka and she doesn't want to leave Nicodemus. Truth is pregnant with their first baby and she insists her twin sister Grace move to Topeka with them, at least until the baby is born. Grace doesn't want to go. She is engaged to Silas and they both resent Truth being so determined to separate them. But Truth is proving to be as adept as Aunt Lily when it comes to manipulating people.

Macia Boyle has returned home from Europe, but Jeb Malone got tired of waiting for her. He's engagaged to another woman who deeply resents his first love. Garrett Johnson is obviously interested in Macia, but she's not sure how she feels about him or about Jeb, who's no longer available.

This is the continuing saga about the Harban and Boyle families. The same cast of characters we met in First Dawn and Morning Sky are all here. Lily is back and Truth doesn't trust her one bit. Miss Hattie is still handing out advice whether anyone wants it or not. The characters are just as compelling and the plot is just as gripping as in the first two books. Judith Miller stories are so well written and so intriguing that reading one is like taking a trip back home.

The Book of Understanding: Creating Your Own Path to Freedom

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Like no other - Extraordinary
Enlightenment and Spiritual Development
Start with the Body
miss understanding
Changing the World by Changing Ourselves

The Book of Understanding: Creating Your Own Path to Freedom
Osho
Manufacturer: Harmony
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Self-Help | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Mental & Spiritual Healing | New Age | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Spirituality | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Emotional Wellness: Transforming Fear, Anger, and Jealousy into Creative Energy
Body Mind Balancing: Using Your Mind to Heal Your Body
The Book of Secrets: Keys to Love and Meditation
Courage: The Joy of Living Dangerously
Intuition: Knowing Beyond Logic

ASIN: 0307336948
Release Date: 2006-02-14

Book Description

The path to freedom is filled with questions and uncertainty. Is it possible to truly know who we are? Do our lives have a purpose, or are we just accidental? What are we meant to contribute? What are we meant to become, to create, and to share? In The Book of Understanding, Osho, one of the most provocative thinkers of our time, challenges us to understand our world and ourselves in a new and radical way. The first step toward understanding, he says, is to question and doubt all that we have been taught to believe.

All our lives we’ve been handed so-called truths by countless others—beliefs we learned to accept without reason. It is only in questioning our beliefs, assumptions, and prejudices that we can begin to uncover our own unique voice and heal the divisions within us and without.

Once we discover our authentic self, we can embrace all aspects of the human experience—from the earthy, pleasure-loving qualities that characterize Zorba the Greek to the watchful, silent qualities of Gautam the Buddha. We can become whole and live with integrity, able to respond with creativity and compassion to the religious, political, and cultural divides that currently plague our society.

In this groundbreaking work, Osho identifies, loosens, and ultimately helps to untie the knots of fear and misunderstanding that restrict us—leaving us free to discover and create our own individual path to freedom.

Doubt—because doubt is not a sin, it is the sign of your intelligence.

You are not responsible to any nation, to any church, to any God. You are responsible only for one thing, and that is self-knowledge. And the miracle is, if you can fulfill this responsibility, you will be able to fulfill many other responsibilities without any effort. The moment you come to your own being, a revolution happens in your vision. Your whole outlook about life goes through a radical change. You start feeling new responsibilities—not as something to be done, not as duty to be fulfilled, but as a joy to do. —OSHO

Customer Reviews:

Like no other - Extraordinary.......2006-12-19

New perspectives and thoughts like none I have seen before. OSHO provides the possibility of a new and intriguing path to a place beyond mundane spiritual teachings. While exposing the path he keeps both feet firmly planted on the ground. His teachings are not based on wishful illusions but on the real here and now.

Enlightenment and Spiritual Development .......2006-07-29

Osho has a way with words in his Book of Understanding but the power of his words lies in the readers ability to think open mindedly and accept his unique approach in helping the reader find clarity of mind. Although the book may come across to some as a continuous bashing on religion, the worth of his knowledge lies in a person being able to see things from a distance rather than so close that the lines are blurred and the obvious easy overlooked. This book is a must read for anyone able to open their mind to new ways of radical thinking in an attempt to understand ourselves in a clearer and more defined way.

Start with the Body.......2006-05-26

I highly recommend The Book of Understanding. It changed the way I meditate. In the Afterwords, the following quote was quite unique in suggesting that in meditation, I begin with the body:

"That's why my effort here is to start every meditation with the body. That is something new.
In the ancient days people tried to start meditation directly in your innermost core. That is a difficult process. You don't know anything about your inner center; how can you start your journey from somewhere where you have never been? You can start your journey only from where you already are. You are in the body, hence my emphasis is on dancing, singing, breathing - so you can start from the body. When the body starts becoming meditative....
And don't be puzzled by my use of the word meditative for the body. Yes, the body becomes meditative. When it is in a deep dance, when it is functioning perfectly, undividedly, as a whole, it has a meditative quality about it, a certain grace, a beauty."

I liked this suggestion. To find out more, I went to [...] and saw a video clip of a meditation, Kundalini, which uses dance before doing a seated meditation. I found that being active before sitting in meditation helped me to be less restless when I did the sitting phase. There is even a free download of the meditation music. I found this meditation more suited to me than zazen or vipassana.

miss understanding.......2006-03-14

i do not have an active social life...and i am not an intellectual...atleast i never wrote a book review before for amazon.com...but i find it facinating that two ex girl friends who gave me my walking papers in the last 6 months gave me a book by Osho as a going away present.
the first book i got as a going away present, i simply left unopened at a starbucks as i was upset by the breakup...the second girl gave me The Book of Understanding...i can't say whether i read this meditation book cover to cover like a suspence novel because i was spooked that two different e x-friends gave me a book by the same unknown to me author, or because i truly loved the second girl and respect her mind so much.
anyway i wish i read this book before i ever dated either one of these gals...this Osho is a master relationship counsellor. i was especially touched when he aked is it worth puttin energy into improving my personality...i said to myself 'hell yes'...he replied 'heaven no'...he actually said "the personality has to be dropped so that your individuality can be discovered."
i won't be leaving this book at starbucks...and i'm taking her home with me the next time...no more misunderstandings for me.

Changing the World by Changing Ourselves.......2006-02-22

If I could recommend only one book to everybody who senses that the world is going to hell in a handbasket, it would be this one. The author clearly identifies the crossroads where we're standing these days, as the belief systems of our primitive past bump up against the future and its demands for a more generous, aware, and evolved species of human being. Wouldn't it be great if everybody woke up tomorrow morning with the understanding that all we've got is this one, beautiful planet, and it's up to us - not some government, pope, God or extraterrestrial delegation - to figure out how to live on it harmoniously? This book is for those who wonder if and how that much-needed awakening might happen.

The Freedom Path: Formerly "Your Mind Net"

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The Freedom Path: Formerly "Your Mind Net"
Robert E. Detzler
Manufacturer: Src Pub.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | New Age | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Mental & Spiritual Healing | New Age | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Occult | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Soul Re-Creation : Developing Your Cosmic Potential
Spiritual Healing
Entering the Castle: An Inner Path to God and Your Soul
Matrix Energetics: The Science and Art of Transformation
The Divine Matrix: Bridging Time, Space, Miracles, and Belief

ASIN: 0964004127

Book Description

The Freedom Path has basic instructions on pendulum dowsing of the subconscious mind and past lives. The book contains case studies, a work outline and 4 basic charts with releasing statements. The book teaches you how to understand your three minds, research the subconscious, pendulum dowse for answers, clear traumatic memories, release blocking energies, free earthbound souls, change past life records, contact your High Self for guidance, and help clear blocks for friends.

Average customer rating:

Judith Miller has created a remarkable story worthy of your reading attention.
Getting settled in Nicocemus
A Suspenseful Series That Keeps the Reader Turning the Page
A Rich Historical Novel
Excellent historical

Morning Sky (Freedoms Path Series #2)
Judith McCoy Miller
Manufacturer: Bethany House Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Historical | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Fiction | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Daylight Comes (Freedom's Path, Book 3)
First Dawn (Freedom's Path Series #1)
Summer of the Midnight Sun (Alaskan Quest)
Under the Northern Lights (Alaskan Quest #2)
Whispers of Winter (Alaskan Quest #3)

ASIN: 0764229990
Release Date: 2006-03-01

Book Description

Ezekiel Harban carries bitterness and suspicion toward his wife's half-sister. Lilly recently fled New Orleans and moved to his Kansas prairie. He is sure she is hiding something, but what? Freedom's Path book 2.

Customer Reviews:

Judith Miller has created a remarkable story worthy of your reading attention........2007-06-05

Set in Kansas in 1880, MORNING SKY centers on the Harban family in the town of Nicodemus (predominantly African American) and the Boyle family in Hill City (predominantly white).

Lilly Verdue has traveled west to see her sister's family, the Harbans. More than a social visit, she's fleeing a promiscuous lifestyle in New Orleans and turns to her only relatives in Kansas. Ezekiel, her brother-in-law and head of the family, isn't happy to see Lilly because he knows her arrival signals some sort of trouble. An expert at manipulation, Lilly takes a position as housekeeper and cook for the family of George Nelson, a banker in nearby Hill City. This is a challenge for Lilly because she has to care for their three children (she doesn't like youngsters), and as a lady of leisure she isn't much into cooking or cleaning.

Dr. Samuel Boyle moved his family out west from Kentucky and is the only physician for either town. His daughter Macia, who has fallen in love with the local blacksmith, is sent to New York City by her mother for a summer of education at the Ruthledge Academy of Arts and Languages, a school of distinction for young ladies. Each new student is forced to sign some extra "papers," which turn out to be a life insurance policy. Mr. Marvin Laird, a distant cousin of the Ruthledges, slips into their food or drink a drug that makes them sleep constantly.

When the Boyles receive a letter that Macia is sick, they send Truth Harban, their housekeeper and cook, to accompany their daughter home. Eventually, Truth uncovers this sinister plot to keep Macia captive. In coordination with Silas, the African American stable hand at the school, Truth devises a means for the three of them to escape and return to Kansas.

While Truth travels to New York, her older sister, Jarena, takes up Truth's duties at the Boyle home. Truth is engaged to newspaperman Moses Wyman, but Lilly decides that her niece is too young for this marriage and plots to put Jarena and Moses together. The scheming backfires and reveals the long-held family secret of an unexpected relationship between Lilly and Jarena. The theme of forgiveness is a strong aspect of this story. As Moses says about some of his past, "Now here's the most important part, Jarena: I wouldn't change one thing in my life. There's been pain and sorrow, but I know that God was always in control."

From my standpoint the litmus test for this second title in the Freedom's Path series is to see how quickly I fall back in love with the characters from the first book, despite months of not reading anything about them. It transpired in an instant, and I immediately plunged back into the world of the 1880s; the experience was seamless and rich with drama. With MORNING SKY Judith Miller has created a remarkable story worthy of your reading attention.

--- Reviewed by W. Terry Whalin

Getting settled in Nicocemus.......2007-03-22

The all Colored town has finally gotten started. The adjacent all white town has a compassionate doctor, whose daughter has traveled away to school. She becomes ill with a mysterious illness which takes up a good portion of the book. Back home in Hill City, Truth and Moses are still in love, but is something wrong? Poor Jarena....is her betrothed really dead? Will she never marry? Of course the arrival of a wicked aunt has the Harban family in an uproar. What disturbance will she bring? Her revelations are at the heart of this book, and I am sure will play a major role in book three. Thank you Judith Miller

A Suspenseful Series That Keeps the Reader Turning the Page.......2006-07-20

Aunt Lilly Verdue traveled from New Orleans to Nicodemus and was desperate. Her situation was mysterious.

She carries a rabbit's foot and evil eye...items of voodoo magic. Yet she seems afraid of something...or someone.

The Harbans lives would change with Aunt Lilly there. Lilly's brother-in-law, Ezekiel, was not at all happy to see her. He felt bitterness towards her and hoped she would go back to New Orleans or anywhere else far away. She has a way of creating trouble for people through her manipulating ways.

Truth continued to work at the Boyles taking care of Mrs. Boyle, along with the household duties. Moses wants to marry Truth soon but what does Truth want?

With Macia sick at the school her mother insisted she attend, Truth is sent to bring her home. This becomes a difficult, and dangerous, task. Evil lurks at the school and Truth discovers that things are not what they appear.

Jarena fills in for Truth at the Boyles while she is gone. She longs to see Thomas again. Will that be possible? She hasn't received a letter from him for a long time. Then she receives news about him.

Morning Sky is Book Two of the Freedom's Path series by Judith Miller. First Dawn is Book One of the series.

Miller's detail of history and racial struggles in the late 1800's is accurate. She writes a suspenseful story that keeps the reader wondering what will happen next.

A Rich Historical Novel.......2006-07-06

In historical fiction, it's key to fall in love with the characters and the setting. If the book is good, then you want to return to these characters over and over. MORNING SKY is one of these books. It is well-written and the characters spring to life from the pen of Judith Miller. I enjoyed the drama and the tension combined with a solid Biblical message about forgiveness. I recommend this FREEDOM'S PATH series and look forward to the next one.

Excellent historical.......2006-04-21

Morning Sky is the second book in Judith Millers Freedom's Path Series about the Harban and Boyle families. Nicodemus, Kansas is settled by predominatly African-American familes while neighboring Hill City is mostly white.

Exekiel Harban is doing his best to keep his family together following the death of his wife. Then Lily Verdue, his sister-in-law, arrives from New Orleans. Exekiel suspects Lily is running from someone, which doesn't surprise him one bit. A free spirited woman who makes her own rules, Lily is not the kind of person he wants living in the same house with his daughters.

Before long, Lily starts to cause just the kind of trouble Exekiel feared. She tries to break up Truth's engagement to Moses Wyman, because she feels he would be better suited to Jarena. Nevermind that Jarena is in love with Thomas, who is serving in the army, fighting Indians. Lily is a woman of the world and knows what is best for her sheltered nieces.

Dr. Boyle asks Truth to travel to New York to see about his daughter Macia, who is enrolled in an exclusive finishing school. Macia has been sick ever since reaching the city. Truth uncovers a diabolic scheme which could be fatal to her friend.

The characters in Judith Miller's Morning Sky are so skillfully developed you will feel as if you know them as real people. Morning Sky is an intriguing story guaranteed to hold the readers attention from start to finish.

Average customer rating:

Michael Collins the Thinker
Michael Collins In His Own Words
Eye opening, informative reading
A good detailed read on the life of Michael Collins
A well-edited testament of wasted genius

A Path to Freedom
Michael Collins
Manufacturer: NuVision Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

Michael Collins: The Man Who Made Ireland
Bloody Sunday: How Michael Collins's Agents Assassinated Britain's Secret Service in Dublin on November 21, 1920
Michael Collins and the Troubles: The Struggle for Irish Freedom 1912-1922
1916: The Easter Rising
The Squad: The Intelligence Operations of Michael Collins

ASIN: 1595479805

Amazon.com

The legendary Irish revolutionary Michael Collins (the subject of the film starring Liam Neeson) was known to be an avid reader. And during his brief career he set up a few underground newspapers. Before his violent death at the age of 31, he also found time to write essays, which are collected here. There is a lively and informative introductory essay by Tim Pat Coogan, a prominent Irish journalist and author of the definitive biography on Collins, Michael Collins. In his essays, Collins distills his political thoughts and offers his unique insights into Ireland's troubled history.

Book Description

This book gives a great insight into the brilliant mind of General Michael Collins, a true revolutionary leader of Ireland. The book's chapters include "Advance and Use Our Liberties," "Alternative to the Treaty," "The Proof of Success," "Four Historic Years," "Collapse of the Terror," "Partition Act's Failure," "Why Britain Sought Irish Peace," "Distinctive Culture," "Building up Ireland," and "Freedom within Grasp. Also included are notes by General Michael Collins, 1922.

Download Description

This book gives a great insight into the brilliant mind of General Micheal Collins, a true revolutionary leader of Ireland. The book's chapters include "Advance and Use Our Liberties," "Alternative to the Treaty," "The Proof of Success," "Four Historic Years," "Collapse of the Terror," "Partition Act's Failure," "Why Britain Sought Irish Peace," "Distinctive Culture," "Building up Ireland," and "Freedom within Grasp. Also included are notes by General Michael Collins, 1922. Please Note: This book is easy to read in true text, not scanned images that can sometimes be difficult to decipher. The Microsoft eBook has a contents page linked to the chapter headings for easy navigation. The Adobe eBook has bookmarks at chapter headings and is printable up to two full copies per year. Both versions are text searchable.

Customer Reviews:

Michael Collins the Thinker.......2002-03-29

It is difficult to top a book on Michael Collins composed primarily of his own words. After all, what better way to peek into his brilliant mind than by reading his words? This book was indeed published to coincide with the release of Neil Jordan's film in 1996, ostensibly to give curious moviegoers a way to better understand Collins before or after viewing the biopic. Tim Pat Coogan's foreword to the book is excellent and shows him in his usual top form. The book's chapters are "Advance and Use Our Liberties," "Alternative to the Treaty," "The Proof of Success," "Four Historic Years," "Collapse of the Terror," "Partition Act's Failure," "Why Britain Sought Irish Peace," "Distinctive Culture," "Building up Ireland," and "Freedom within Grasp." This book sheds light on how articulate, well read, historically aware and insightful Collins actually was. It is too often thought that Collins was a country bumpkin whose knowledge of anything beyond 'murder and mayhem' was quite limited. This simply isn't the case and it becomes apparent almost immediately into the book that Collins was a more than capable thinker. Collins discusses Ireland's tumultuous history, the accomplishments of the Easter Rising, the political events of 1914-1918, the many aspects of British rule, the potential resources of Ireland, and the work of Sinn Féin.

If you are looking for a traditional biography on Collins, this is probably not the right selection for you. _Michael Collins: The Man Who Made Ireland_, the book Tim Pat Coogan excerpted his foreword from, would be a much better fit for that need. If you are already basically familiar with the life and times of Collins, this book will give you a much richer sense of how his mind worked.

Michael Collins In His Own Words.......2000-07-23

These essays or articles are engrossing reading for the insight they provide into the mind of one of the most fascinating revolutionary leaders in modern history. Thought of by many during his time and even now as a 'terrorist' or gunman, these writings reveal Collins to be a thoughtful, intelligent leader with a far-ranging interest in all aspects of the present and future of his country. Had he lived it seems very clear that the quality of his mind and the compassionate concern he had for his people would have made him as formidible a leader in peacetime as he was in war. His death was Ireland's great loss but he left an impressive legacy.

Eye opening, informative reading.......1999-09-13

Michael Collins own words provide a clear and insightful look at life in Ireland circa 1921, delving into the social conditions and circumstance that led to the infamous Black and Tan War. This book helped me see that enormous importance of the independence movement of the time, how Ireland was not even recognized as its own country, and what it meant to finally achieve that status. I could not picture a world without a free, seperate Ireland, its amazing to me that this was the case up until well into this century. Micheal Colins here is addressing the people directly, so you get a head-on view of the realities of the times without a lot of historical or sociological analysis. Thats good, because its better to encounter his words personally, to understand the case he is making in all its simplicity: The Irish people are, now and forever, Free!

A good detailed read on the life of Michael Collins.......1999-08-05

Tim Pat Coogan's account of the life of Michael Collins is full of information. The time and people come alive, and you are left knowing a lot more then you started with. This is the definitive biography of Mick.

A well-edited testament of wasted genius.......1997-01-18

"Of all the words/ Of tongue or pen/ the saddest are these/ 'It might have been'/". Such go the words of a poet that I cannot identify. But they adequately encapsulate the emotions intended to be evoked by this finely-edited collection of various writings by Michael Collins, the Irish patriot, hero, and martyr (or traitor depending on one's perspective) who led his country's successful war of independence betwen 1919 and 1921. Assassinated during the Irish Civil War of 1922-1923 because of his role in setting up an Irish government not sufficently independent of Britain nor sufficiently encompassing the whole island to satisfy many of his former comrades in the struggle, he never got to be tested as a peacetime leader. Path To Freedom allows us to see the man through his own writings where he emerges as far more than a warrior. Keenly interested in economics and culture, well-informed and articulate on virtually every issue of state, foreign or domestic, Collins' legacy to the reader is to make him/her wonder what would the history of Ireland (North and South) be like -- even the history of Europe itself in the time of a coming Depression and Age of Dictators -- had Collins survived. The renowned modern Irish scholar-journalist Tim Pat Coogan provides a good introduction which is mostly lifted verbatim from his earlier biography of Collins.

The Patchwork Path: A Quilt Map to Freedom

Average customer rating:

Great history lesson
A Well-written Fictional Story by Gifted Georgia Author
inspiring story, handsome illustrations
Modern-Day Myth-Making
Rehash of the disputed secret quilt code

The Patchwork Path: A Quilt Map to Freedom
Bettye Stroud
Manufacturer: Candlewick
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

The Secret to Freedom
Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt (A Borzoi Book)
Under the Quilt of Night
Hidden in Plain View: A Secret Story of Quilts and the Underground Railroad
Follow the Drinking Gourd

ASIN: 0763624233
Release Date: 2005-01-13

Book Description

The images stitched into Hannah's patchwork quilt lead to secret signposts on the Underground Railroad as she and her father take flight from slavery on a perilous path to freedom.

The wagon wheel. The bear's paw. The flying geese. These are some of the squares in the quilt Hannah's mama helped her to sew -- before Hannah's sister was sold to another plantation and before Mama died of a broken heart. Now that Hannah's papa has decided to make the run for freedom, this patchwork quilt is not just a precious memento of Mama -- it's a series of hidden clues that will guide them along the Underground Railroad to Canada, where they'll finally be free. A fictionalized account of a fascinating oral history, THE PATCHWORK PATH tells the story of a brave father and his young daughter, two of thousands who escaped a life of slavery and made the dangerous journey to freedom -- a story of courage, determination, and hope.

Customer Reviews:

Great history lesson.......2006-11-03

I purchased this book along with others to help young people learn about not only a history of quilting, but also a history pf the human spirit. It's a wonderful book filled with great illustrations. It is being used in conjuction with a program presented by the Education Committee of our local quilt guild.

A Well-written Fictional Story by Gifted Georgia Author.......2005-05-30

This memorable book is based on a story of quilts and The Underground Railroad passed down orally from grandmother to mother to daughter. Instead of nonfiction, this book is a well-written fictional story about a young slave girl, Hannah, living on a Southern plantation. Bettye Stroud's sensitive prose, illustrated by Erin Susanne Bennett's bold, angular drawings, is an excellent way to introduce young children to a tragic time in US history; a time when children, as well as adults, were owned by others. Stroud uses her well-honed writing skills to bring this time back, and to show a little girl coping with the challenges and succeeding.

inspiring story, handsome illustrations.......2005-02-11

This tale of a child who makes a quilt as a map for her escape along the Underground Railroad is an inspiring story with handsome, earth-toned illustrations. The characters' stylized faces reflect the book's storybook "climate." I am not going to present this story to students as a slice of realistic history about the harsh period of slavery (that stain on our country's history). Instead, I'll present this lovely story as an idealized portrait about the human spirit prevailing against darkness/suffering. The main character is a child - born a slave, torn from family - who creates a quilt to guide her to freedom. Her quilt is really a symbol of order and beauty. This is a story about human ingenuity using the resources at hand to prevail against weighty odds, to triumph.

Modern-Day Myth-Making.......2005-02-09

As pretty as the pictures are, the story that children 4-8 are being told in this book has as much truth as Washington chopping down a cherry tree or Betsy Ross making the nation's first flag. Unfortunately the author presents the story as fact and not the fiction that it is. Virtually all quilt and textile historians and historians of the Underground Railroad (both white and black people) have found absolutely no evidence to corruborate the 1990's fabrication of a quilt code being used to guide slaves to freedom. It is a shame that folks anxious to make a few dollars off of this attractive but false story are teaching it to our children to the exclusion of true tales of heroic 19th century African Americans.

Rehash of the disputed secret quilt code.......2005-02-09

This wonderfully illustrated book attempts to tell the story of a little girl and her father and their quest to find freedom from slavery. What is most disturbing is that the book's content focuses on the "secret quilt code" which scholars and historians have been disputing ever since the book Hidden in Plain View was published in 1999.

Even though we realize that the use of quilts with secret messages is an appealing theme, researchers have found no evidence that quilts or quilt blocks were used in any way to guide slaves to freedom. Thus, this book shares incorrect historical information with an unsuspecting audience. This does a great disservice to African-American people everywhere especially when there are more worthy topics that could be covered which celebrate their strength, ingenuity, and courage in the face of adversity.

Shining and Other Paths: War and Society in Peru, 1980-1995 (Latin America Otherwise)

Average customer rating:

Great Book
different perspectives paint complete picture
A revolution that only brought suffering & death
Interesting and Informed

Shining and Other Paths: War and Society in Peru, 1980-1995 (Latin America Otherwise)
Steve J. Stern
Manufacturer: Duke University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Americas | History | Subjects | Books

Social History | Historical Study | History | Subjects | Books

War & Peace | Current Events | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Terrorism | Current Events | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

History & Theory | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Women's Studies | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Human Rights | Constitutional Law | Law | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

The Shining Path of Peru
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ASIN: 082232217X

Book Description

Shining and Other Paths offers the first systematic account of the social experiences at the heart of the war waged between Shining Path and the Peruvian military during the 1980s and early 1990s. Confronting and untangling the many myths and enigmas that surround the war and the wider history of twentieth-century Peru, this book presents clear and often poignant analyses of the brutal reshaping of life and politics during a war that cost tens of thousands of lives.
The contributorsâa team of Peruvian and U.S. historians, social scientists, and human rights activistsâexplore the origins, social dynamics, and long-term consequences of the effort by Shining Path to effect an armed communist revolution. The book begins by interpreting Shining Path’s emergence and decision for war as one logical culmination, among several competing culminations, of trends in oppositional politics and social movements. It then traces the experiences of peasants and refugees to demonstrate how human struggle and resilience came together in grassroots determination to defeat Shining Path, and explores the unsuccessful efforts of urban shantytown dwellers, as well as rural and urban activists, to build a âthird pathâ to social justice. Integral to this discussion is an examination of women’s activism and consciousness during the years of the crisis. Finally, this book analyzes the often paradoxical and unintended legacies of this tumultuous period for social and human rights movements, and for presidential and military leadership in Peru.
Extensive field research, broad historical vision, and strong editorial coordination enable the authors to write a coherent and deeply humanistic account, one that draws out the inner tragedies, ambiguities, and conflicts of the war.
Providing historically grounded explication of the conflicts that reshaped contemporary Peru, Shining and Other Paths will be widely read by Latin Americanists, historians, anthropologists, gender theorists, sociologists, political scientists, and human rights activists.

Contributors. Jo-Marie Burt, Marisol de la Cadena, Isabel Coral Cordero, Carlos IvÃ¡n Degregori, IvÃ¡n Hinojosa, Carlos BasombrÃo Iglesias, Florencia E. Mallon, Nelson Manrique, Hortensia MuÃ±oz, Enrique Obando, Patricia Oliart, Ponciano del Pino H., JosÃ© Luis RÃ©nique, Orin Starn, Steve J. Stern

Customer Reviews:

Great Book.......2005-07-16

I have read many books on Sendero Luminoso. This is one of the best. Some of the contributers are genious. If you have any interest in the war in Peru from 1980 to 1995, you simply must read this book.

different perspectives paint complete picture.......2005-06-27

stern does a great job in collecting essays that tell the story of the rise and fall of the shining path... I had mcuh fun reading this book.

A revolution that only brought suffering & death.......2003-08-04

"Shining and Other Paths: War and Society in Peru, 1980 - 1995," by Editor Steve J. Stern is a collection of essays that vividly documents a revolution that only brought suffering and death. This five-part book traces the roots of the Shining Path from its heady beginning to the conquest that failed.

Part One is dry. However, Part Two & Three generate much more interest. I found Ponciano del Pino, Nelson Manrique, Orin Starr, Jo-Marie Burt and Patricia Oliart the best of the bunch. They crystallized the subject...bringing it to life and provided stimulating insights.

Shining Path started in rural Ayacucho in the late 1970's and eventually made its way into the urban centers, particularly Villa El Salvador outside of Lima nearly ten years later. Initially Shining Path was ethical and moral. The Founding Father of the movement Professor Abimael Guzman instructed his Indian followers to punish adultery, alcoholism, vagrancy, robbery and cattle rustling. Moreover, the young flocked to the revolutionary rhetoric of a "people's war."

Early on the Shining Path maintained good ties with the peasants in the countryside. However, this did not last for long because in 1983 - 1984 the armed forces implemented a brutal "dirty war" that forced the guerrillas away from traditional regions of support and into new territory where they too used fear and intimidation tactics against the local peasant population.

Eventually, the Shining Path went out of control...conducting terrible massacres against unarmed civilians and forcing children into its ranks. The tide turned against the Shining Path with the 1990 election of President Alberto Fujimori. The new president accelerated the organization of self-defense groups among the unprotected peasant population with the distribution of shotguns, rifles and handguns.

The unfortunate part of the Shining Path revolution was that the poor were trapped in violence from both sides. However, the true downfall of the Shining Path is that at the end they were nothing but ruthless terrorists who preyed on the poor.

Bert Ruiz

Interesting and Informed.......2002-05-14

This book collects the thoughts of Peruvians and Peruvianists on the terrible decade of the 1980s - the most thorough and nuanced account of Sendero Luminoso I have read, with attention to many events in a variety of regions of the country. The reader really walks away with a sense of what this period was like for the people who lived through it.

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