Reviews Books
LIFE’S OPERATING MANUAL: With the Fear and Truth Dialogues by Tom Shadyac; Hardcover, 261 pp, 5.5x8.5, $19.95; Hay House 2013, www.hayhouse.com.
In his film, I Am, Tom Shadyac told his own story: a successful film director with all the trappings of wealth and fame (mansions, a private jet, etc.). After a lifethreatening illness he gives it all up, moves to a trailer park and begins asking “the big questions.” In this, his first book, he shares his answers through short essays, each followed by a dialogue between Fear and Truth. He proposes that life comes with a set of guidelines that we can follow. And although things are obviously not going well on our planet, there are built-in solutions to all the problems, solutions that share an underlying basis of love. Inspiring! KARMA: The Ancient Science of Cause and Effect by Jeffrey Armstrong; Hardcover, 95 pp, 5x7.25, $12.95; Mandala Publishing 2007, www.mandalapublishing.com.
Beautifully designed and illustrated, this small book reveals the inner workings of a perfect science. As described by David Frawley, it “unfolds the laws and mysteries of karma…[and] is one of the best introductions to this profound and often misunderstood topic.” Jeffrey Armstrong explains ritam, the universal law that governs all our actions, thoughts, feelings and intentions—and the “universal parcel system” that unfailingly delivers the results back to us. Within this framework, he discusses death and reincarnation, why we are here, how we got here, and how to get off the Wheel of Karma—birth and death, the alluring pleasures and the pains, disappointments and sufferings that accompany them. A book that can make a big difference in how we understand and conduct our lives. THE GIRL WHO SANG TO THE BUFFALO: A Child, an Elder, and the Light from an Ancient Sky by Kent Nerburn; Paperback, 408 pp, 5.5x8.5, $15.95; New World Library 2013, www.newworldlibray.com.
This is the third in a trilogy focused on Kent Nerburn’s unfolding relationship with Dan, a Lakota elder living on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. Dan is intent on finding out
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what happened to his little sister, Yellow Bird, forcibly taken to a white man’s boarding school and never returned to her family. Nerburn finds ample challenges within and without as he grows to know the people and circumstances in Dan’s life. While he continues the search for Yellow Bird, he is also drawn into a present day drama surrounding a young Lakota couple whose spiritually gifted daughter is receiving unwanted attention from white doctors and social workers. Each character is brought into focus with sensitivity, humor and a keen eye for a good story. This concluding volume opens wide the deep shamanic power of the Native American culture and its living reality in its oldest—and youngest—members. SPIRITUAL ECOLOGy: The Cry of the Earth edited by Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee; Paperback, 266 pp, 8x5, $15.95, The Golden Sufi Center 2013, www.GoldenSufi.org.
The teachings and writings of Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee on spirit-based ecology continue to be among the most inspirational we have found. In Spiritual Ecology he invites academics, scientists, teachers, authors and climate activists to give a spiritual response to the present ecological crisis. Among the twenty presenters are Thomas Berry, Thich Nhat Hanh, Vandana Shiva, Fr. Richard Rohr, Bill Plotkin, Susan Murphy Roshi, Pir Zia Inayat Khan, and others. In a noteworthy chapter, The Greening of the Self, Joanna Macy reveals: “The life pouring through us, pumping our heart and breathing through our lungs, did not begin at our birth or conception. Like every particle in every atom and molecule of our bodies, it goes back through time to the first splitting and spinning of the stars. Thus the greening of the self helps us to reinhabit time and own our story as life on earth.” A superb collection of thoughtful ideas and heartfelt wisdom that is crucial at this crossroads in human history. THE LAST LAUGH, A Novel by Arjuna Ardagh; Paperback, 249 pp, 6x9, $16.95; Hay House 2013, www.hayhouse.com.
Matt is a seeker down on his luck. When his guru, in the lineage of Ramana Maharshi, takes him on a roller-coaster ride of adventures, Matt allows the love, trust and power within to unfold. In a way, Arjuna Ardagh is sharing his own story, but the ups and downs of awakening that he depicts likely apply to most of us. The first five pages of this book contain enthusiastic endorsements. Here is one from Peter Russell: “At last…a spiritual novel with guts and depth.” We agree and would add excellent writing, a good story with interesting characters, honesty, humor and a big, open heart.