Book Description
Thirty-five years after publication of her first novel, The Dorp (followed by other works on cooking and gardening), Frieda Arkin returns to the world of fiction to give us another darkly humorous novel, Hedwig and Berti.Hedwig and Berti is a saga of the totally unlikely marriage of a grandly Teutonic woman, Hedwig Kessler, and her diminutive cousin Berti, two upper-class German Jews forced to leave their homeland during the rise of the Nazis. They flee to London, then to New York City, and from there, finally, to a university town in Kansas. In London, Hedwig gives birth to a daughter whose broodingly dark construction and immense genius for the piano point back in time to the tragedy of her bloodline.This is a story of prejudice taken to extremes, both within the domain of a severely class-conscious German-Jewish family and beyond it. The characters are subtle, and finely-honed, and their story is told with grace and unexpected humor. Like Penelope Fitzgerald, Frieda Arkin possesses a rare gift for combining love, wit, and dark realism in the reactions and behavior of her characters in the several cultures they are forced to adapt to.
Customer Reviews:
Reprinted from the Aug 2006 "The Historical Novels Review".......2006-08-26
Hedwig and Berti is the saga of a mismatched upper-class German Jewish couple who escape from Nazi Germany, going first to London, then New York, and finally Kansas. The overbearing Hedwig and diminutive Berti must cope with the culture shock of a new home, a lower class way of life, as well as unwanted memories of the past. The birth of a daughter, a strange, combative, rather ugly child with a genius for music, ultimately unlocks a secret of the past, one which is perhaps better left alone.
This is a remarkable novel about failed people, loss, and above all, the effects of prejudice. Intolerance from within their own family defines them. Bigotry from without drives the direction of their lives. Both ultimately contribute to their personal tragedies.
The story is told in a lighter, more humorous tone than the subject matter would suggest. Frieda Arkin's prose is witty and unsentimental. Her style is spare yet colorful. Characters are drawn sharply and expertly. One will recognize members of their own family in them, and perhaps even a bit of themselves. The 88 year old author writes as fresh as a teenager, but with the touch a master, resulting in a book that is both marvelously entertaining and memorably illuminating.
If there is a fault, it is that at times the writing is too clever. The author's unexpected similes and creative comparisons provide much of the flavor of the book, however they can be repetitious and occasionally even jolting, like a fine recipe that is a bit over seasoned. This is a minor point, however, and I heartily recommend this fine work of fiction.
Tender, Wise, and Funny.......2005-09-28
This is a beautifully written book. Its wisdom and lyricism glide on the page, never acrobatic, never anything but absolutely true. Its honed mastery reminds of Kundera's best work. The characters are wonderful and compelling.
compelling, but a few loose ends.......2005-09-22
This book resonates with me, as I have a similar background: an uprooted German family with an aristocratic lineage, stories of various relatives' exploits in years past, an ambivalence towards organised religion (and in my case a mixed Jewish and Christian heritage as well). The descriptions of various German dishes prepared with love and tradition in equal measures is evoked with 100% accuracy! In reality, German cuisine of today has evolved way beyond the variations of hearty soups with dumplings, roasts and very filling puddings...
Hedwig, the matriarch, marches on in spite of everything; yet she seems to have little depth aside from being a control freak. Her only means of expressing herself seems to be through cooking, even if only for a grotty house full of frat boys in the later part of her life. Though she barely tolerated Berti (her husband/cousin), she enjoys "the boys" and ends up tolerating their mess and lack of hygiene. The inference is that she might have wanted a son instead of a daughter (but that is speculation on my part). By the time she moves to the frat house, she and Berti have drifted apart, perhaps inevitable given their lack of common passion and interests. Gerda, the daughter lives in the same house as her father but is equally distant emotionally.
Berti is portrayed as a wallflower: no passion, no will to venture outside his tight boundaries, no will to adapt to the challenges of the new. He eventually finds satisfaction as a night clerk of a similarly grotty "hotel" in Kansas catering to women of the night. Later on, he and one of those women see each other on a regular basis. However, even that pleasure is cut short; he dies in flagrante delicto. If the reader is patient they will discover Berti found religion at some point, alluding to some sort of private thoughts. The final insult to him is that he is not allowed burial at any synagogues as a "non-member". Perhaps he is meant as the Everyman World War II immigrant who was never able or willing to adjust to their new life; he could be a "non-member" of the US or life in general.
It does not take a genius to realise that Gerda, the dark and gifted daughter, is a bastard. She was conceived by a Nazi official as a bargain in order to allow the Kessler family to escape Berlin. This is revealed late in the novel, but apparently too late to "save" Gerda's character. Her self-destructiveness is understandable but as with many rebellious children, she apes her mother's behaviour in one respect - frigidness. Might this be a bit of a stereotype of the musician dedicated only to "art" yet never "love"? This frigidness results in her breakdown; her further degeneration is inexplicable in that Gerda is allowed to drift and sink further. A domineering mother might well have taken an active role in her daughter's recovery, even if that meant a mental hospital and the crude drug therapy of that period. Gerda's later suicide is only alluded to (unless going to sleep on a comfortable pile of sheets in the hospital laundry room counts). Is she really missed (except by Berti, her distant yet loving "father")?
The characters most vividly characterised are minor - in particular, Gerda's piano professor, and a heavy-drinking father of a frat boy (who mistakenly puts the make on a drunk Hedwig!). There is an emphasis on vomiting throughout the novel, perhaps this represents a reflexive expression of repressed emotion.
Oh yes, what did happen to Hedwig's packing cases full of family heirlooms? Late in the novel, she is revealed as living with almost no furniture, almost as an afterthought. Were all the heirlooms sold over the years?
Intriguing, insightful, and sometimes funny.......2005-04-01
From the moment Hedwig & Berti arrive at the door of their cousin's flat in London, this novel takes off and involves the reader in the improbably probable lives of Hedwig, Berti, and their daughter Gerda. Hedwig and Berti are German Jews fleeing the Holocaust. Gerda is their prodigy pianist daughter. Hedwig is the defining force of the Kessler family, but Berti and Gerda have their share of the story, as they are dragged from London to New York to Kansas by Hedwig. A quick, enjoyable and involving novel--recommended.
"She had lost the flavors of her past.".......2005-01-02
When Hedwig Kessler marries her shy and diminutive first cousin Dagobert, known as Berti, she plans never to leave the substantial German villa which her family has occupied for generations--until the Nazis come to power. Escaping to London with Berti, the imperious, Valkyrian Hedwig totes the family history along with her in boxes, arriving at the doorstep of her cousin Harry Eisenstein, where she promptly takes over.
Steadfastly refusing to believe that the situation in Germany is as bad it really is, Hedwig keeps the family afloat by selling items from the family boxes when they need cash. When she visits Germany after the war, she finds that "every Kessler she sought was gone. She had lost the flavors of her past," except for what she has saved herself. When her strange, dark, and hairy daughter Gerda is born, Hedwig pays little attention to her.
Disregarding the conventions of plot, Frieda Arkin creates unusual and oddly intriguing characters, who seem to take control of the book, just as Hedwig takes control of everyone's life. Gerda, always at odds with her mother, is a ferocious child who quickly develops a passion for the piano and eventually becomes a prodigy, a "fury" who plays everything her own way. Berti, so self-effacing that even the author finds little to say about his life, finds a job as a veterinarian's assistant, and Hedwig remains perpetually unhappy.
The focus of the novel constantly shifts--first from Harry to Hedwig, and then either to Gerda, as she develops a musical career, or to Berti, shifting back and forth during thirty years. The settings also change, as Hedwig uproots the family and moves from England to New York and then to Kansas, always toting her precious boxes, and always feeling isolated from the Kessler connections which have formed the basis of her life. The constantly shifting perspectives parallel in many ways the dislocations of all emigrants as they move to new places and attempt to establish new lives.
Filled with oddly charming characters, the novel is full of surprises and quirky humor. Arkin never demeans her characters nor does she satirize them. Instead, she shows the characters in action, the wry humor arising from their very human characteristics and the difficulties they have individually in dealing with themselves and their own worlds. Ultimately, their lives are resolved as a result of their own choices combined with the uncontrollable accidents of fate. Filled with ironies, twists, and warm humor, Arkin's novel moves quickly and resonates long after the book is closed. Mary Whipple
Average customer rating:
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Hedwig And Berti
Frieda Arkin
Manufacturer: Thomas Dunne Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OTOBC0 |
Average customer rating:
- 4+ stars.
- A Beauty Quest
- Xanth at its best
- Cube Route
- This book is the root of goodness...
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Cube Route (Xanth)
Piers Anthony
Manufacturer: Tor Fantasy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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ASIN: 0765343096
Release Date: 2004-08-05 |
Book Description
For nearly three decades, Piers Anthony's bestselling Xanth series has been delighting tens of thousands of fantasy fans around the world. Now, with Cube Route, the series' twenty-seventh adventure, Anthony has penned a tale that adds another dimension to this exciting saga.In the magical land of Xanth, wishes are far more than mere words. So when a Plain Jane called Cube whispers a wistful wish to be beautiful, she finds herself leading a company of colorful companions on a search for the mysterious Cube Route--a perilous path that leads to danger, adventure, and perhaps her heart's desire as well.This curious quest takes them all over Xanth, into the mythical realm of Phaze, and even to our own world, where Cube rescues a beautiful human woman from a very ugly situation, ending at last in a mysterious Counter-Xanth where things can be transformed into their opposites in the wink of an eye.A rollicking tale brimming with laughter, wonder, and enchantment, Cube Route is also a moving exploration of the beauty that dwells within all of us.
Customer Reviews:
4+ stars........2004-03-27
Very enjoyable. Good characters. Great ideas and values.
One of his best efforts.
A Beauty Quest.......2004-02-04
Cube Route is the twenty-seventh novel in the Xanth series, following Up In a Heaval. In the previous volume, Umlaut completed his quest by delivering all the letters, so the Demoness Fornax lost Counter Xanth to the Demon Xanth and she has committed herself to an extended visit with the Demon Jupiter. Surprise convinced the Demons to allow Umlaut to continue his existence and even provided him with half her soul. The dragon girl Becka also convinced Brusque Brassie to visit with her for a while.
In this novel, Cue is a very plain girl, downright ugly in fact, who is called Cube because she is so square. Boys notice her face and figure, then glance aside. When she explains her desire to be beautiful to Demoness Metria, she is asked why she has not taken her Question to the Good Magician. Since she had not previously thought of doing so, Cube immediately sets off to the Good Magician's castle.
On the way, Cube meets Ryver Human and Karia Centaur. When the Good Magician declares that she must gather nine companions and follow the Cube Route to find a way to Counter Xanth, Cube decides to start recruiting with these two. Sofia Socksorter, the Magician's current designated wife, provides her with a magical pouch made from one of his old socks that can hold anything of any size in stasis. Cube is to use the pouch to contain her Companions whenever someone else might notice them, for the quest must not attact unfavorable attention.
When Metria shows up, Cube recruits her as the first Companion, then sends her to ask Karia to come to her. When they meet, Karia agrees to join the quest and they fly to Ryver's house. Although Ryver is disappointed that she is not yet beautiful, he finally agrees to join. They go next to Castle Roogna and recruit the Princesses Melody, Harmony and Rhythm. Then the Princesses conjure a magical thread that shows them the path that they must follow and they add Drek Dragon, the sidestepping Mundanes Cory and Tessa, and the dog Diamond to their band.
While they are searching for the Companions and even afterwards, strange things happen around them. Since the level of magic they are facing is extremely high, they conclude that the Demoness Fornax is interfering with the quest. When one of the interventions causes Cube to drop the pouch, with all her Companions within it, into a stream that soon carries it underground, Cube immediately finds a way to the castle of Nimby and Chlorine to ask for their help, which Nimby provides.
All throughout the quest, Cube is faced with situations and people for which she has to strain her abilities to handle properly. Although the route is extremely winding and indirect, the Companions believe that the path is preparing her for the final resolution of the quest. Cube is definitely having new experiences and learning new skills and insights.
This story has a running joke about fractional moments, the length of silences and other timespans. There are the usual puns and situational jokes aglore. Moreover, Cube gets the grand tour of Xanth and Ida's moons in addition to Mundania, Phaze and Counter Xanth. Of course, she completes her quest and becomes beautiful; however, the payoff is not quite what she expected.
Highly recommended for Anthony fans and for anyone else who enjoys comic fantasy with some basic humor and a humane message.
-Arthur W. Jordin
Xanth at its best.......2003-10-25
In the land of Xanth Cube feels depressed and unwanted because as she knows that once you peel away a dimension from her what you have left is a wholesome usable but ugly square. In spite the warning labels, Cube desperately asks the Good Magician Humphrey to help her attain her wish of being beautiful for she thinks that will bring her happiness and contentment.
As is Humphrey's typical response that means nothing yet everything to anyone else but himself including the requestor (aside: is Humphrey a reincarnation of Professor Irwin Corey?), he tells her to search for the CUBE ROUTE. There he insists she will find her heart's desire. Thus, Cube begins a journey in which she does not understand the instructions, the objective, or the time it will take to complete (aside two: sounds like American nation building missions). Soon with a retinue of characters that can only live in Xanth, Phaze or Mundania, she treks towards the realm of Counter-Xanth where anything can change so just don't blink or miss the transformation.
As is usual with the Xanth tales (this is number twenty-seven), Piers Anthony uses puns and multiple entendres to satirize human frailty within a strong epic fantasy adventure. The story line is the usual epic quest of an individual, who this time seeks beauty. Mr. Anthony does a delightful job with Cube and company as she learns what the true essence of beauty is. Though clearly for fans of the author (can't just say the series as the crew travel to Phaze), CUBE ROUTE is a refreshing witty morality tale that lovingly escorts the audience across the complex Anthony galaxy.
Harriet Klausner
Cube Route.......2003-10-16
The best book of the first Trilogy of Xanth. Not too many puns. Overall a good book.
This book is the root of goodness..........2003-10-13
Goodness....I enjoyed that book very well. I haven't had much time due to school, but I always have time for Xanth. If you get into the series, it is hard not to. Well, this book was very inspiring...I won't spoil anything for anyone. Whenever anyone starts to spoil things for me, I know I usually stop reading the review.
But anyways, this book is about Cube, and she is very ugly. This is a very unusual thing for Anthony to have...an ugly character. Almost all of the books focus on beautiful, sexy characters. And in those books, a large amount of the plot revolves around the characters using their sex appeal to get out of sticky situations. In this book, though, Cube must use her gumption and intellect to save herself. Her ugliness also adds to the wonderful inner beauty aspect of the book's morals
The puns in the book are wonderful as my main humor is pun-based. But, there were a few less puns than were needed...Maybe eight more puns in the book would have been good....maybe gr-eight...
Well, this book is feel-good, as all of the xanth books are. Though there are many major characters, the most characterization goes towards Cube. This is because of the fact that most of the characters are stuffed in a sock for the majority of the novel. This book covers most of the areas in Xanth: Mundania, Ida's Moons, The Isles, et cetera. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I hope others do. This book is enjoyed to the greatest capacity when preceeded by the other 26 books in the trilogy. But even non-xanth fans can appreciate this book as great literature...Alright, goodbye.
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Frozen Food Age, published by Thomson Gale on October 1, 2005. The length of the article is 1073 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Delivery insight: Cube Route helps Reliable Foods monitor its operations through real-time supply chain visibility.(Food Logistics Age)
Author: Alan Robinson
Publication:
Frozen Food Age (Magazine/Journal)
Date: October 1, 2005
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 54
Issue: 3
Page: 47(1)
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and bestselling author Ron Suskind takes you deep inside America's real battles with violent, unrelenting terrorists -- a game of kill-or-be-killed, from the Oval Office to the streets of Karachi.
You may think you know what the "war on terror" is.
But to know it truly, you must read this book.
Suskind has written a riveting work of narrative nonfiction, filled with exclusive, historically significant disclosures that will echo across America and the world.
What is the guiding principle of the world's most powerful nation as it searches for enemies at home and abroad? The One Percent Doctrine is the deeply secretive core of America's real playbook: a default strategy, designed by Dick Cheney, that separates America from its moorings, and has driven everything -- from war in Afghanistan to war in Iraq to the global search for jihadists.
The story begins on September 12, 2001, the day America began to gather itself for a response to the unimaginable. Ultimately, that reply would shape the nation's very character.
Suskind tells us what actually occurred over the next three years, from the inside out, by tracing the steps of the key actors -- the notables, from the President and Vice President to George Tenet and Condoleezza Rice, who oversee the "war on terror" and report progress to an anxious nation; and the invisibles, the men and women just below the line of sight, left to improvise plans to defeat a new kind of enemy in an hour-by-hour race against disaster. The internal battles between these two teams -- one, under the hot lights; the other, actually fighting the fight -- reveal everything about what America faces, and what it has done, in this age of terror.
Who is actually running U.S. foreign policy? Is there an operational cell, armed with WMDs, inside the United States? Have some of the world's most dangerous terrorists -- including leaders of al Qaeda -- been caught and accidentally released? Can America prevail in this struggle against enemies who are patient, ingenious, certain, and have clear tactical advantage?
With his unparalleled access to senior officials, past and present, Ron Suskind -- author of The Price of Loyalty, the most revealing book yet written on the Bush administration -- finally answers the questions that keep Americans awake at night.
And in this startling book, he reframes the debates that roil the globe.
Customer Reviews:
Inaccurate information makes conclusions suspect.......2007-09-20
The present administration misled the american public regarding the presence of weapons of mass distruction (WMD) in Iraq.
Suskind alleges that George Tenent, former chief of CIA, knew nothing about the misrepresentation. This seems to be incorrect.
This inaccurate reporting makes other conclusions Suskind reaches suspect as well.
Fascinating.......2007-09-06
As someone who originally supported the Iraq war, I very much appreciate this book. It's insightful and engaging, well-researched and thoughtfully written. If you're undecided or lean toward the conservative and want to hear a good anti-war argument (as well as an analysis of the state of the government and its intelligence or lack thereof) that isn't just empty mud-slinging or hoaky conspiracy theories, then I highly recommend this book.
A strong book about what were facing in the post 911 world........2007-09-04
I'd recommend this book for anyone who wants to find out how the internal dynamics of the Bush WhiteHouse operate in the post-911 world. The author also gives us a better understanding of what our intelligence and law enforcement agencies are also having to face in the post-911 world. If the author is right and I think he is in many regards we are not really much safer now than we were on September 10th, and Al Qaeda is poised to strike again. I recommend that anyone interested in this title also read the 911 Commission Report.
AmBUSHED.......2007-08-28
Suskind makes a strong case that being smart doesn't mean you can't be president. After reading The One Percent Doctrine and another Suskind book, The Price of Loyalty about Paul O'Neill, I am more than ever convinced that we have a C- GPA graduate of Yale in the White House and we deserve what we get.
So much for exchanges of opinion in the Oval Office. I must say, however, that Suskind has done a thorough job of researching the way policy is adopted and implemented, even though Cheney comes out looking like the mad Rasputin.
I recommend you read The Price of Loyalty because this time, it GETS PERSONAL with Paul O'Neill and puts the frosting on Bush's obvious mantra, "My mind is made up. Don't confuse me with the facts."
Signed,
Ashamed Utah Republican
Mostly Blowing Smoke.......2007-07-26
Unlike some other reviewers, I found this book unfocused and lacking a central theme. It bounces all over time and the world without tying the pieces together.
Perhaps I am just naive and unimaginative in not identifying Bush bashing and Cheney chasing as a good central basis for a largely fictional plot.
That is the other great problem with this book. I guess Suskind is trying to copy Bob Woodward in writing a tell all book without identifying source material. If you compare his description of supposedly secret events with his with the author's index, there is little correlation. Suskind attributes his sources as "Many former officials with the CIA, the FBI, the White House" and others in the US government. But we accept the claims of an author who seems to have such a political bias?
If you are a committed Bush hater, the answer is obviously yes. This must be great reading and confirms what you have suspected all along.
For those who might be interested in having a more solid feel to the information you are reading, this book will be disappointing.
Average customer rating:
- Bob Medak, All Books Reviews
|
In Pursuit of the Enemy
A. C. Ellis
Manufacturer: Infinity Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Mystery
| Mystery & Thrillers
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Mystery & Thrillers
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0741439468 |
Customer Reviews:
Bob Medak, All Books Reviews.......2007-07-13
From the prologue: "Kim woke with a start, and immediately knew something was wrong." This was enough for me to read on.
Brad Carpenter, a San Diego, California homicide detective, while being the hunter, he also becomes the hunted in this story. Will Brad be a successful hunter or succumb being hunted by a foe.
This story is woven with intrigue, believable characters and situations that are taken from real life, only the names have been changed to protect the innocent.
Mr. Ellis has written short science and mysteries for magazines and the web. He has also written novel length mysteries and science fiction for release in paperback editions as well as e-books. He spent time in the Navy and twenty-two years for a major telecommunications company. Mr. Ellis lives in Denver, Colorado.
I found the twists and turn in this story to be compelling. Brad Carpenter has demons from a war some forty years back in his life, The Vietnam War to be precise. Now a homicide detective in San Diego, CA, must work on his own in a murder investigation, for his peace of mind in Denver, Colorado. For lovers of mysteries, I highly recommend this book.
Product Description
Author: Ron Suskind
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Columbia Journalism Review, published by Thomson Gale on March 1, 2007. The length of the article is 4119 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Capturing Cuba: Ann Louise Bardach's relentless pursuit of a dictator, his enemies, and their secrets.(Interview)
Author: Bree Nordenson
Publication:
Columbia Journalism Review (Magazine/Journal)
Date: March 1, 2007
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 45
Issue: 6
Page: 44(5)
Article Type: Interview
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Military Review, published by Thomson Gale on May 1, 2007. The length of the article is 1007 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: The One Percent Doctrine: Deep Inside America's Pursuit of its Enemies Since 9/11.(Book review)
Author: Jim Varner
Publication:
Military Review (Magazine/Journal)
Date: May 1, 2007
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 87
Issue: 3
Page: 117(2)
Article Type: Book review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Product Description
Christian based pre-teen adventure books. Commander Kellie and the Superkids - First 5 Titles - Mysterious Presence - Quest for the Second Half - Escape From Jungle Island - In Pursuit of the Enemy - Caged Rivalry
Book Description
Honor Your Body as the Instrument of Your Soul
Our view of the human body is always evolving. From the goddess-worship of civilizations millennia ago, to the strict social rules of Victorian England, to the modern feminist movement, the human body—particularly the feminine body—has always been a point of interest, mystery, and contention.
Discover an entirely new way to look at your body—as a pathway to the Divine. Award-winner Jan Phillips takes you on an energizing journey through your physical self, drawing connections between the bone, muscle, and sinew of your body and the spiritual teachings of various faith traditions, modern scientific research, and her own experiences. You will find yourself empowered to work to transform the world around you and overcome self-defeating thoughts through positive, practical exercises and meditations that show you how to climb back into your body and honor it as the temple of God that it is.
Customer Reviews:
Accomplishes what the title states.......2007-01-03
This book contained new information as well as reinforcing concepts I already knew. If refer to different pages often, as I feel a need to reinforce new beliefs. A futuristic book much in line with many advanced spiritual leaders.
A spiritual self-help guide especially for women.......2005-08-13
Divining The Body: Reclaim The Holiness Of Your Physical Self by award-winning author Jan Phillips is a spiritual self-help guide especially for women. Written to counter a negative culture of self-hatred by cultivating appreciation for the holy qualities of the physical body as God's temple, Divining the Body focuses on different physical parts chapter by chapter: the feet, legs, hands, back, generative organs, belly, heart, breasts, throat, ears, eyes and brain. Exercises and reflections offer means to dwell upon the sacredness in the body as a gift from God, and spiritual quotes in the margins from a wide assortment of authorities enrich this guide to life-affirming personal contemplation.
Profound And Timely Message Delivered With Exquisite Prose.......2005-05-03
"The Divine, being invisible, needs our bodies to become manifest in the world...we have to abandon, once and for all, the erroneous, small-minded, sacrilegious notion that the body is evil and keeps us separate from the Divine." -From the book
For millennia, some forms of organized religion have taught that the body is the source of sin, temptation, and even evil itself-especially when it takes female form. The damage inflicted by patriarchal attitudes has created a culture of women who hate their bodies, and where parents give their children breast implants and liposuction as birthday or graduation presents. The cosmetics industry in America alone rakes in 8 billion dollars annually. Individuals allow their bodies to be sliced, stretched, lifted, tucked, reduced, or inflated so they can love themselves-or, more importantly, have the approval and love of others.
In her newest book Divining the Body - Reclaim the Holiness of Your Physical Self, author Jan Phillips explores the graceful curves, sinewy muscles, sturdy bones, and pulsating aliveness of the physical self. Using the latest scientific research as well as mystical traditions and personal experience, she puts the glory and magnificence of the human body on proud display. This insightful, gentle guide attempts to un-do the damage we've sustained from living in a culture that teaches-and thrives on-our self-hatred by renewing a sense of wonderment, respect and appreciation for the rich terrain of the physical body.
Phillips reminds us that the body is the "temple of God", and that the continuing creation of the universe happens through us as the "word made flesh". Indeed, energy medicine and quantum physics echo what mystics have known for eons: every thought and action we undertake directly influences the flow of our life force. Therefore, our well-being becomes a matter of mindfulness. This process of mindfulness is not the accumulation of facts, but the cultivation of feelings-for "there is nothing to learn, but much to unlearn."
Through exquisite prose and poignant stories, Phillips throws a sacred celebration and dares the reader to join in. She recounts the bliss of photographing birds roadside, and the excruciating pain of burning flesh experienced minutes later as a car hits her at 60 miles per hour. She shares the pain of being dismissed from a religious community, and the joy at discovering that the path she thought she was destined to travel was really a thru-way to something greater.
A breath-taking travelogue of the physical and metaphysical body, Phillips takes us on a tour of the feet, legs, hands, back, generative organs, belly, heart, breasts, throat, ears, eyes and brain. She deftly weaves scientific discoveries (such as those discovered at the Institute of Heart Math and the Max Planck Institute) with subtle-body observations ("Our throats are like the flue. When we don't open them up, speak our truths, blurt out our feelings as they arise, the fire within turns to smoke"), and challenges us to express our authentic self, discover our grandeur, claim our voice, and know our priceless worth that stems from within. Encouraging us to display "extraordinary heroism in the realm of the everyday", this revolutionary work:
"...calls us to take a stand. To stop colluding in the darkness of duality, to stop trafficking in negativity, and to let out, once and for all, over and over, the light within. To see through the veil of multiplicity to the kingdom of God within, we must act on the basis of what we feel and known from our own experience."
Divining the Body is peppered with a multitude of beautiful, profound quotes that are found throughout the text as well as the margins. Each chapter ends with a reflection, exercises, and a writing exercise aimed at re-connecting ourselves with a particular body part, promoting introspection, expanding perspectives, and igniting awe and gratitude for the Great Beloved that is in and around us. As "souls dressed up in sacred, biochemical garments", we're invited to see the body as a cauldron where alchemical transformation explodes into global transmutation. What's at stake, Phillips asserts, is life itself:
"...if we don't begin to find God in the bodies we see in the mirror, if we don't reel our God in from the heavens and honor God's holy presence in the flesh and bones in our neighborhoods, we're betraying ourselves and the Divine."
This book is a rare gem that nourishes, informs, and inspires. I've taken my time savoring (and highlighting) many passages in Divining the Body, and appreciate the timely message that Jan Phillips has delivered so artfully to the consciousness of humanity.
Books:
- Henry James: Novels 1896-1899: The Other House / The Spoils of Poynton / What Maisie Knew / The Awkward Age (Library of America)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- Holden's Performance: A Novel
- Honor without Integrity
- Horn of Africa: A Novel
- Human Capital: A Novel
- In Revere, In Those Days: A Novel
- In the Shape of a Boar
- It Happened in Boston? (20th Century Rediscoveries)
- Japanese Celebrations: Cherry Blossoms, Lanterns And Stars!
Books Index
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