Category Archives: books

If you are

If you are waking up to a grey morning, clouds hanging low and wet like those mornings in China. If you then brew a pot of jasmine tea to break the fog that is in your head from reading history texts until the wee hours of last night. And if you are weary of this day before it has even begun, then this is the perfect excerpt of a song for you to discover in the flyleaf of John Demos’ Unredeemed Captive

Ring the bells that still can ring.
Forget your perfect offering.
There is a crack in everything.
It’s how the light gets in.
–Leonard Cohen, “Anthem”

biography: Oliver Sacks


I’m writing a brief biographical article about Oliver Sacks for a forthcoming academic encyclopedia. It’s a thrill to be delving deep into the life and writings of one of my favorite authors. A few years ago Mike Davis sent one of my essays to his editor, describing my writing style as akin to Oliver Sacks’. I walked on clouds for a few weeks after that.

Below is a list of Sacks’ major publications. You probably know him best as Robin Williams’ character from the movie “Awakenings” (based on his novel with the same title). I suggest that you explore a few of his books. A Leg to Stand On is my personal favorite. The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat is probaby his most popular book. It’s good reading, too!

Sacks, Oliver. An Anthropologist on Mars: Seven Paradoxical Tales. New York: Vintage, 1996.
—. Awakenings. New York: Summit Books, 1987.
—. A Leg to Stand On. New York: HarperPerennial, 1990.
—. Migraine. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1992.
—. Oaxaca Journal. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic, 2002.
—. Seeing Voices: A Journey into the World of the Deaf. New York: Harper Perennial, 1990.
—. The Island of the Colorblind; and, Cycad Island. New York: Vintage Books, 1998.
—. The Man Who Mistook his Wife for a Hat: And Other Clinical Tales. New York: Touchstone, 1998.
—. Uncle Tungsten: Memories of a Chemical Boyhood. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2001.

pray for me…

What I found when I reached down to put my laptop into my shoulderbag this morning on my way to class–

A note, written in bright green ink:

For Jana,
Pray for me–I’m an atheist, too!
All Best,
William Shunn

For a split-second I stood there, gap-jawed, contemplating how & why Bill Shunn had crept into my house and placed that note on my computer. Then I quickly remembered that John told me that he’d had Bill sign a card for me when they met at WorldCon.

Whew….For a moment there I was sure that I really _had_ listened to a few too many podcasts lately.

on my nightstand…

Here’s what I’m reading right now:
King Leopold’s Ghost
Required reading for the World History class that I’m teaching. It’s one of those books that shocking–millions of Africans killed to satisfy the greed of a Belgian monarch. Helps put the challenges of post-colonial Africa into perspective.
Survival in Auschwitz
Another read for World History. One man’s perspective on life in a concentration camp. This book is almost impossible to put down because of its candid horror and lucid writing. I can’t wait to discuss this one with my undergrads.
Plain Living
I’m reading this text as I study Simplicity this month. In addition, I’m reading selections from Simple Abundance
The Water is Wide
This book tells about a teacher on a an impoverished South Carolina island in 1969. His upper-grade students don’t know how to read and they think the biggest city in the world is Savannah. A ripping good story by an awesome writer.
Giants in the Earth
It’s a classic tale of danish immigrants homesteading the Dakota prairie. I found myself gripping my seat, almost wanting to yell at them, “Get that harvest in NOW” as I knew the crickets would be coming. And they did, in hordes, every year. Protagonists Beret and Pers Hansa felt like friends by the end of this book (I just finished reading it last week). It reminded me of the Kristin Lavransdatter series (another must-read!), though KL is set in an entirely different time and place.

All of these books are probably in your local library, and almost all are available on amazon.com for less than $5 each. You can click on the hyperlinks to read more about them 🙂

’tis a gift to be simple…

This past month I’ve been praying, meditating, and studying about simplicity. My primary text has been Plain Living: A Quaker Path to Simplicity, though I have also used other texts about Simplicity, and have augmented my study with the Queries from my local Quaker Meeting (they are also focusing on the value of Simplicity this month).

For those who are interested, here are the queries [Note: ‘queries’ are questions that can guide your meditation and silent worship]:

“Life is meant to be lived from a Center, a divine Center—a life of unhurried peace and power. It is simple. It is serene. It takes no time, but it occupies all our time.” Thomas R Kelly, Testament of Devotion (1941, p.124)

“Simplicity, beauty, and happiness go together if they are a by-product of a concern for something more important than ourselves.” Elise Boulding, My Part in the Quaker Adventure

A life centered in God will be directed toward keeping communication with God open and unencumbered. Simplicity is best achieved through a right ordering of priorities: maintaining humility of spirit, avoiding self-indulgence, resisting the accumulation of unnecessary possessions, and avoiding over-busy lives.

Advice and Queries for all individuals:
Do I center my life in an awareness of God’s presence so that all things take their rightful place?
Do I live simply, and promote the right sharing of the world’s bounty?
Do I keep my life uncluttered with things and activities, avoiding commitments beyond my strength and light?
How do I maintain simplicity, moderation, and honesty in my speech, my manner of living, and my daily work?
Do I recognize when I have enough?

published!


Tomorrow A Voice in the Wilderness will be released. I’m not expecting this book to hit the top of the charts at amazon.com (our print run will actually be quite small), but it is still quite thrilling to have my interview with Terry Tempest Williams published in this anthology. 🙂

just about as good as sex

–hunting for a pen in the space behind the parking brake–that space where random car objects live–and finding a dark chocolate bar, 73% cocoa content, with a label that reads “Sexy”

–wearing sandals. little white strappy sandals with tissue-thin soles. for the first time in 21 years. the air moving over my instep making my foot feel mustang-convertible cool.

–taking my 5 min daily lay-in-bed-naked-after-my-shower moment and have Toby lay down next to me, purring up a storm. doze for a moment and wake up with toby napping at my ear and ellycat draped over my foot.

–biking home at 11 pm after my AROOM group discusses A Midwife’s Tale. speeding down the hills that were so arduous on my way to group. walking in the door to greet John with cheeks flushed and heart pumping hard. wanting nothing more than to get back on the bike and go for another few miles.