Making Peace with the Universe
Making Peace with the Universe

Author: Michael Scott Alexander

Publisher: Columbia University Press

Published: 2020-11-03

Total Pages: 139

ISBN-13: 023155270X

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The world’s great religious and philosophical traditions often include poignant testimonies of spiritual turmoil and healing. Following episodes of harrowing personal crisis, including addictions, periods of anxiety and panic, and reminders of mortality, these accounts then also describe pathways to consolation and resolution. In Making Peace with the Universe, Michael Scott Alexander reads diverse classic religious accounts as masterpieces of therapeutic insight. In the company of William James, Socrates, Muslim legal scholar turned mystic Hamid al-Ghazali, Chinggis Khan as described by the Daoist monk Qui Chuji, and jazz musician and Catholic convert Mary Lou Williams, Alexander traces the steps from existential crisis to psychological health. He recasts spiritual confessions as case histories of therapy, showing how they remain radical and deeply meaningful even in an age of scientific psychology. They record the therapeutic affect of spiritual experience, testifying to the achievement of psychological well-being through the cultivation of an edifying spiritual mood. Mixing scholarly learning with episodes from his own skeptical quest, Alexander demonstrates how these accounts of private terror and personal triumph offer a model of therapy through spiritual adventure. An interdisciplinary consideration of the shared terrain of religion and psychology, Making Peace with the Universe offers an innovative view of what spiritual traditions can teach us about finding meaning in the modern world.

Give War and Peace a Chance
Give War and Peace a Chance

Author: Andrew D. Kaufman

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2014-05-20

Total Pages: 304

ISBN-13: 1451644728

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“This lively appreciation of one of the most intimidating and massive novels ever written should persuade many hesitant readers to try scaling the heights of War and Peace sooner rather than later” (Publishers Weekly). Considered by many critics the greatest novel ever written, War and Peace is also one of the most feared. And at 1,500 pages, it’s no wonder why. Still, in July 2009 Newsweek put War and Peace at the top of its list of 100 great novels and a 2007 edition of the AARP Bulletin included the novel in their list of the top four books everybody should read by the age of fifty. A New York Times survey from 2009 identified War and Peace as the world classic you’re most likely to find people reading on their subway commute to work. What might all those Newsweek devotees, senior citizens, and harried commuters see in a book about the Napoleonic Wars in the early 1800s? War and Peace is many things. It is a love story, a family saga, a war novel. But at its core it’s a novel about human beings attempting to create a meaningful life for themselves in a country torn apart by war, social change, political intrigue, and spiritual confusion. It is a mirror of our times. Give War and Peace a Chance takes readers on a journey through War and Peace that reframes their very understanding of what it means to live through troubled times and survive them. Touching on a broad range of topics, from courage to romance, parenting to death, Kaufman demonstrates how Tolstoy’s wisdom can help us live fuller, more meaningful lives. The ideal companion to War and Peace, this book “makes Tolstoy’s characters lively and palpable…and may well persuade readers to finally dive into one of the world’s most acclaimed—and daunting—novels” (Kirkus Reviews).

Parallel Universes of Children
Parallel Universes of Children

Author:

Publisher:

Published: 2020-11-20

Total Pages:

ISBN-13: 9781944920166

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In honor of World Children's Day, artist Ugur Gallenkus is debuting his first book, Parallel Universes of Children. The book features selections from Gallenkus' ongoing series of collages juxtaposing the starkly different worlds today's children inhabit globally. Parallel Universes of Children, an 11x11-inch, 120-page hardcover volume, contains 52 collages representing children's rights and pairs each artwork with quotes and facts about children's lived realities. Every page of this book bears witness to the lives and plights of children around the world-acknowledging their fears, tears, and pain.

A Wonderful Life
A Wonderful Life

Author: Frank Martela

Publisher: HarperCollins

Published: 2020-04-28

Total Pages: 172

ISBN-13: 0062942794

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In a series of essays that explore the notion of what brings significance to our existences, clarifying why we have this longing beyond the present moment and an insatiable dissatisfaction with where we are, scholar Frank Martela tackles the subject of finding meaning in life. With beautiful decorative elements and an engaging design, the book approaches its subject in a readily digestible form. It grapples with some of life’s most pressing questions, like "Is happiness a worthy goal?" and "What is the foundation for meaning in a secular society?" and "Is life an existential void?" yet Martela answers these questions and more in a relaxed, conversational tone and with a wry sense of humor, placing some of life’s greatest philosophical concerns and quandaries into a modern-day context. Martela quickly and concisely gets to the heart of the matter: your place in the world and how to find meaning in life as countless thinkers and philosophers have done before, yet the emphasis here is on what we do with the life we have and how we can make it more meaningful. Part prescriptive and part armchair philosophy book, A Wonderful Life is accessible to everyone, from the well-read scholar to the apprentice as well as anyone curious about how to extract the greatest meaning and sense of purpose from their existence.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

Author: Benjamin Alire Sáenz

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2012-02-21

Total Pages: 368

ISBN-13: 1442408928

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Fifteen-year-old Ari Mendoza is an angry loner with a brother in prison, but when he meets Dante and they become friends, Ari starts to ask questions about himself, his parents, and his family that he has never asked before.

Thoughts on Peace in an Air Raid
Thoughts on Peace in an Air Raid

Author: Virginia Woolf

Publisher: Penguin UK

Published: 2009-08-27

Total Pages: 83

ISBN-13: 0141957050

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'The Germans were over this house last night and the night before that. Here they are again. It is a queer experience, lying in the dark and listening to the zoom of a hornet, which may at any moment sting you to death. It is a sound that interrupts cool and consecutive thinking about peace. Yet it is a sound - far more than prayers and anthems - that should compel one to think about peace. Unless we can think peace into existence we - not this one body in this one bed but millions of bodies yet to be born - will lie in the same darkness and hear the same death rattle overhead.' Throughout history, some books have changed the world. They have transformed the way we see ourselves - and each other. They have inspired debate, dissent, war and revolution. They have enlightened, outraged, provoked and comforted. They have enriched lives - and destroyed them. Now Penguin brings you the works of the great thinkers, pioneers, radicals and visionaries whose ideas shook civilization and helped make us who we are.

Nineteen eighty-four
Nineteen eighty-four

Author: George Orwell

Publisher: DigiCat

Published: 2022-11-22

Total Pages: 265

ISBN-13:

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This is a dystopian social science fiction novel and morality tale. The novel is set in the year 1984, a fictional future in which most of the world has been destroyed by unending war, constant government monitoring, historical revisionism, and propaganda. The totalitarian superstate Oceania, ruled by the Party and known as Airstrip One, now includes Great Britain as a province. The Party uses the Thought Police to repress individuality and critical thought. Big Brother, the tyrannical ruler of Oceania, enjoys a strong personality cult that was created by the party's overzealous brainwashing methods. Winston Smith, the main character, is a hard-working and skilled member of the Ministry of Truth's Outer Party who secretly despises the Party and harbors rebellious fantasies.

Forever Peace
Forever Peace

Author: Joe Haldeman

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 1998-10-01

Total Pages: 367

ISBN-13: 1101666196

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2043 A.D.: The Ngumi War rages. A burned-out soldier and his scientist lover discover a secret that could put the universe back to square one. And it is not terrifying. It is tempting...

The New Wife: A Totally Gripping Psychological Thriller with a Twist You Won't See Coming
The New Wife: A Totally Gripping Psychological Thriller with a Twist You Won't See Coming

Author: Sue Watson

Publisher: Bookouture

Published: 2021-11-19

Total Pages: 298

ISBN-13: 9781800192829

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You can never truly know what goes on behind closed doors... My darling son, Sam, is marrying his childhood sweetheart and I couldn't be prouder of the man he's grown into. Walking out on his abusive father all those years ago was the best thing I ever did. And today he stands, tall and handsome, saying 'I do' to my dream daughter-in-law. If I hadn't pushed them together all those years ago, he might never have found a girl as perfect as Lauren. It's true what they say, mother always knows best. But weeks later, Lauren is dead and police cars fill the driveway of their idyllic countryside home. As they question Sam, I sense he's hiding something. Why won't he look me in the eye? And who does he rush off to meet as soon as the police are gone? Desperate, I do what every good mother would do: I let myself into Sam and Lauren's bedroom. What I see, I will never be able to forget. My son's beautiful new wife was hiding a dangerous secret. Can I clear my son's name? And could my life be in danger now too? A completely gripping, utterly twisted thriller that will leave your jaw on the floor. Perfect for fans of Gone Girl, The Wife Between Us and The Woman in the Window. What readers are saying about The New Wife: 'I LOVED it!... Had my mind going in a million directions trying to figure out what was going on. The twists and turns almost gave me whiplash!!!' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Woooweeeee... My head was spinning... And that ending!!!!... Fantastic.' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Wow! What a rollercoaster ride this book was... Totally gripped from the beginning.' NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Another WINNER!!' NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'An awesomely brilliant story... Had me on the edge until the very last page... Begs to be read in one sitting... Literally left me open mouthed!!!' @RK_reads,⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Unputdownable.' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Awesome. I did not want to this down!!' NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

War and Peace
War and Peace

Author: Count Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy

Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform

Published: 2015-11-20

Total Pages: 394

ISBN-13: 9781519417596

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Epic historical novel by Leo Tolstoy, originally published as Voyna i mir in 1865-69. This panoramic study of early 19th-century Russian society, noted for its mastery of realistic detail and variety of psychological analysis, is generally regarded as one of the world's greatest novels. War and Peace is primarily concerned with the histories of five aristocratic families--particularly the Bezukhovs, the Bolkonskys, and the Rostovs--the members of which are portrayed against a vivid background of Russian social life during the war against Napoleon (1805-14). The theme of war, however, is subordinate to the story of family existence, which involves Tolstoy's optimistic belief in the life-asserting pattern of human existence. The novel also sets forth a theory of history, concluding that there is a minimum of free choice; all is ruled by an inexorable historical determinism. Includes unique illustrations.