Jarem Sawatsky lives with Huntington's Disease, and as someone with decades of experience in peace building, he turned his attention to how he could bJarem Sawatsky lives with Huntington's Disease, and as someone with decades of experience in peace building, he turned his attention to how he could build peace in himself and his family in the midst of a chronic condition.
His main focus is understanding and adapting the Buddhist concept of mindfulness to how he will live out the rest of his life. On the way, he spends some chapters talking up others he's learned from on the journey, including Jon Kabat-Zinn, Patch Adams, Lucy Kalanithi, John Paul Lederach, and Toni Bernhard.
To me, this book was not about dealing with any particular condition as the title suggests, but rather with life itself. A lot of terrible things have happened to people I love over the past few years, and this book reminded me that there are ways to live fully in the face of the inevitable death and suffering that we all experience.
Caveats: -Some of it was a little new-agey for me, like the whole idea of "Living Beauty Awake" and "Gardening Creation Blessed." Sounded a little hippy-dippy. Also not a big fan of the corpse prayer--if I'm going to meditate on impermanence, I'd prefer not to do it visualizing my rotting corpse. But maybe that's just me--I've always wanted to be cremated instead.
-It also bugged me that the author represented that belief in Heaven/afterlife is always dangerous and suggested that he knows this because he has a degree in theology. Although I agreed with him that many of our cultural concepts of Heaven are not actually found in Christian scriptures, I felt a little like he was saying no one should believe in Heaven and that such a belief is always bad. I disagree--I think it is bad when the idea of Heaven gives people anxiety, but to me that just means that people need to admit that it's an unknown and not something we can ultimately control. In other words, I think that belief that it definitely doesn't exist is just as much of a false attachment as believing it does, or that you know exactly what it would be like, or that you know some people will be there and some won't. All of those things are forms of arrogance.
Those things said, I got a lot out of most of the book. Living in the moment despite whatever is going on is an important thing to pursue, and I think could make anyone's life better. I especially appreciated the chapter on the uselessness of battle metaphors--"fighting" one's illness, "research will eliminate this disease." Living life with an attitude towards battling the inevitable is stressful. It puts stress on us and on our families. People need to learn the skills of letting go of what we can't control, accepting things, and processing what needs to be processed with others' help. The human condition is terminal, so we need to learn how to live with that.
Other chapters I really enjoyed and thought were important were the ones on creating a circle to support you through tough things, processing and learning from ancestral trauma, and the several chapters on deciding how you are going to think of yourself through difficulties, self-compassion for being imperfect, etc.
If you are open to concepts of Buddhism, especially from well-known monk and author Thich Nhat Hanh, whom Sawatsky admires, you will probably get something out of this book.
Merged review:
Jarem Sawatsky lives with Huntington's Disease, and as someone with decades of experience in peace building, he turned his attention to how he could build peace in himself and his family in the midst of a chronic condition.
His main focus is understanding and adapting the Buddhist concept of mindfulness to how he will live out the rest of his life. On the way, he spends some chapters talking up others he's learned from on the journey, including Jon Kabat-Zinn, Patch Adams, Lucy Kalanithi, John Paul Lederach, and Toni Bernhard.
To me, this book was not about dealing with any particular condition as the title suggests, but rather with life itself. A lot of terrible things have happened to people I love over the past few years, and this book reminded me that there are ways to live fully in the face of the inevitable death and suffering that we all experience.
Caveats: -Some of it was a little new-agey for me, like the whole idea of "Living Beauty Awake" and "Gardening Creation Blessed." Sounded a little hippy-dippy. Also not a big fan of the corpse prayer--if I'm going to meditate on impermanence, I'd prefer not to do it visualizing my rotting corpse. But maybe that's just me--I've always wanted to be cremated instead.
-It also bugged me that the author represented that belief in Heaven/afterlife is always dangerous and suggested that he knows this because he has a degree in theology. Although I agreed with him that many of our cultural concepts of Heaven are not actually found in Christian scriptures, I felt a little like he was saying no one should believe in Heaven and that such a belief is always bad. I disagree--I think it is bad when the idea of Heaven gives people anxiety, but to me that just means that people need to admit that it's an unknown and not something we can ultimately control. In other words, I think that belief that it definitely doesn't exist is just as much of a false attachment as believing it does, or that you know exactly what it would be like, or that you know some people will be there and some won't. All of those things are forms of arrogance.
Those things said, I got a lot out of most of the book. Living in the moment despite whatever is going on is an important thing to pursue, and I think could make anyone's life better. I especially appreciated the chapter on the uselessness of battle metaphors--"fighting" one's illness, "research will eliminate this disease." Living life with an attitude towards battling the inevitable is stressful. It puts stress on us and on our families. People need to learn the skills of letting go of what we can't control, accepting things, and processing what needs to be processed with others' help. The human condition is terminal, so we need to learn how to live with that.
Other chapters I really enjoyed and thought were important were the ones on creating a circle to support you through tough things, processing and learning from ancestral trauma, and the several chapters on deciding how you are going to think of yourself through difficulties, self-compassion for being imperfect, etc.
If you are open to concepts of Buddhism, especially from well-known monk and author Thich Nhat Hanh, whom Sawatsky admires, you will probably get something out of this book....more
Arg, I had trouble getting through this. I'd read Charles Williams' Many Dimensions before and found it had more action and was more thought-provokingArg, I had trouble getting through this. I'd read Charles Williams' Many Dimensions before and found it had more action and was more thought-provoking than this one. War in Heaven shares some of the same elements in being a tale of a supernatural artifact that some people in England are fighting over, but a lot of it was too slow and too ambiguous to catch my interest.
For one thing, I appreciate Charles Williams' vagueness sometimes when it comes to the war going on around his characters in an unseen world--it suggests things just beyond our own reality that we're ultimately unable to reach in this life. Unfortunately, there was a little too much of that going on with the Holy Grail in this book (or Holy Graal as he spelled it--I guess it is a legitimate alternate spelling, but it took 2/3 of the book for me to get over saying "Gral" in my head). I didn't really understand what the power of the Grail was or how it could be used. This made the book sort of nonsensical as I didn't really understand what the threat was to the protagonists, much less the world.
The same went for the character of Adrian Rackstraw. Gregory Persimmons spoke of him as though he was either going to enjoy turning him evil somehow, or offer him as some sort of sacrifice, although it's never clear what kind.
There were too many other characters in the story too that cluttered things up. Some of them probably could have been combined and the book would have been a lot more interesting and a lot less confusing.
Anyway, I recommend Many Dimensions to those who didn't care for this book. According to another friend, All Hallows' Eve is Williams' best work, but I haven't read that one yet. I will probably still try to read all of his other novels someday since he was an Inklings member and I want to understand them better.
EDIT: I just saw that War in Heaven was Williams' first novel (it shows) and Many Dimensions was his second. All Hallows' Eve was his last. Maybe they get better as they go along? This makes me interested to possibly read them in the order they were published and find out.
Merged review:
Arg, I had trouble getting through this. I'd read Charles Williams' Many Dimensions before and found it had more action and was more thought-provoking than this one. War in Heaven shares some of the same elements in being a tale of a supernatural artifact that some people in England are fighting over, but a lot of it was too slow and too ambiguous to catch my interest.
For one thing, I appreciate Charles Williams' vagueness sometimes when it comes to the war going on around his characters in an unseen world--it suggests things just beyond our own reality that we're ultimately unable to reach in this life. Unfortunately, there was a little too much of that going on with the Holy Grail in this book (or Holy Graal as he spelled it--I guess it is a legitimate alternate spelling, but it took 2/3 of the book for me to get over saying "Gral" in my head). I didn't really understand what the power of the Grail was or how it could be used. This made the book sort of nonsensical as I didn't really understand what the threat was to the protagonists, much less the world.
The same went for the character of Adrian Rackstraw. Gregory Persimmons spoke of him as though he was either going to enjoy turning him evil somehow, or offer him as some sort of sacrifice, although it's never clear what kind.
There were too many other characters in the story too that cluttered things up. Some of them probably could have been combined and the book would have been a lot more interesting and a lot less confusing.
Anyway, I recommend Many Dimensions to those who didn't care for this book. According to another friend, All Hallows' Eve is Williams' best work, but I haven't read that one yet. I will probably still try to read all of his other novels someday since he was an Inklings member and I want to understand them better.
EDIT: I just saw that War in Heaven was Williams' first novel (it shows) and Many Dimensions was his second. All Hallows' Eve was his last. Maybe they get better as they go along? This makes me interested to possibly read them in the order they were published and find out....more
Absorbing story that reveals some of the far future of one of the characters in Stormlight Archive.
I understood what Sanderson was trying to do with tAbsorbing story that reveals some of the far future of one of the characters in Stormlight Archive.
I understood what Sanderson was trying to do with the pacing and it matched the theme of "always running" well, but a breakneck pace isn't my favorite style. He was able to fit in a good amount of character development for the way the story went, specifically with Nomad and Elegy. The main villain was a little more cookie-cutter than Sanderson's usual ones, though, and we didn't really learn as much about some of the other protagonists (i.e. Rebeke had some good character development, but we didn't learn much about her background, and we also didn't get much of a sense of personality from other minor characters like Zeal).
The tie-in to Threnody was pretty awesome--I haven't read the story from that planet yet that's in Arcanum Unbounded: The Cosmere Collection, so reading this as my first glimpse of the Threnodites was pretty cool.
I would really love to know how *ahem*Nomad*ahem* became both a Windrunner and a Skybreaker and how he walked away from his oaths. Hoping Wind and Truth may reveal some of that. I've pre-ordered it, so we'll see!...more
A nice, brief overview of neuroscience and how it applies to early childhood.
Wasn't quite what I was expecting based on the title--I was interested inA nice, brief overview of neuroscience and how it applies to early childhood.
Wasn't quite what I was expecting based on the title--I was interested in more biological and psychological details of how growing brains work, so in some ways it was not as useful to me as I was already sold on the value of play, the importance of observing and listening to children, etc.
I am a parent of a high-functioning autistic daughter, so I was hoping to get more insight into how stress works, why my daughter is the way she is, and what might help me support her better. The most interesting parts of the book for me were the information on the Reticular Activating System (RAS) and how it causes us to focus on a perceived threat until either the threat is dealt with or we complete a stress cycle through some kind of calming activity such as 20 minutes of exercise, laughter, positive social connection, or creative expression. This was useful information to me for helping my daughter as well as myself. It's helpful to take the blame off for not being able to "handle" stress and instead focus on positive coping mechanisms.
It's encouraging to understand that children are resilient to some pretty difficult environments and destructive situations if they are supported with love from adults who are able to co-regulate. My daughter and I got a rough start in that way since she was born during the pandemic and I was extremely stressed. However, this author does very well in suspending judgment on parents while giving us and other caregivers some tools to do better....more
Great novella about the Forger Shai, who is tasked with recreating the emperor's soul via a complex "soul stamp" in exchange for her freedom. The themGreat novella about the Forger Shai, who is tasked with recreating the emperor's soul via a complex "soul stamp" in exchange for her freedom. The theme of wanting to see the result of her creation despite the danger to her resonated with me--the act of creating became more important to Shai than the situation she was in.
Since I read Elantris before reading this, I wondered where on the world of Sel this takes place. I had to look up where the culture of the Rose Empire is supposed to be--it has very limited overlap with anything from Elantris, so you can easily read them separately. The two magic systems from the stories both involve writing or carving shapes either in the air or in some material. I'm interested to find out more about how Sanderson conceptualizes the commonalities between magic on Sel....more
The final volume was quite good! I didn't predict the way that this story would be resolved. The real villain turned out to be someone I didn't expectThe final volume was quite good! I didn't predict the way that this story would be resolved. The real villain turned out to be someone I didn't expect. I liked that Kenton learned some secrets about increasing his power, but also was able to turn other antagonists into friends by the end.
At first I didn't like the second artist's style as much, but it grew on me. It didn't feel as raw as the first artist's style--it was a simple, slightly more cartoonish style that still carried the story well....more
It got better as it went along. We learn more about Khriss' motivations in this volume. Plus, I'm usually not into the political intrigue as much in SIt got better as it went along. We learn more about Khriss' motivations in this volume. Plus, I'm usually not into the political intrigue as much in Sanderson's novels, but I felt like with White Sand we feel what's at stake--the continued existence and freedom of sand mastery. I wouldn't have thought that politicking would be all that interesting in a graphic novel medium, but it worked somehow with this one....more
The characters in the first volume of White Sand didn't draw me in as much as Brandon Sanderson's characters usually do. Maybe this is because it's, wThe characters in the first volume of White Sand didn't draw me in as much as Brandon Sanderson's characters usually do. Maybe this is because it's, well, volume one, but I just didn't get much of a feel for what was going on or people's motivations. We don't know a lot about Khriss yet. I liked Kenton, though, and I liked the setting and the art style....more
Elantris kept me turning pages. I thought it read very well for Sanderson's first published novel, although I think I read it was the third novel he wElantris kept me turning pages. I thought it read very well for Sanderson's first published novel, although I think I read it was the third novel he wrote(?) Anyway, it did not seem rough to me at all as far as pacing and it had well-drawn characters.
AonDor was a cool magic system and the mystery of why it wasn't working kept me interested in the story.
Some of the non-white cultures that Sanderson included were a little cringe-worthy. He's generally good at not stereotyping in his later books. I felt like in this book, though, Galladon was a little trope-y, although not so much as Shuden, whose culture seemed like a weird, over-the-top, mish-mash of East Asian stereotypes.
The miscommunications between Raoden and Sarene were also a little trope-y and I wanted a little more of that romance in the story. Oh well. Sanderson seemed hesitant to barely even touch on romance in his early books--later on he strikes a better balance.
Overall, an original fantasy well worth reading....more
Let me start by saying the amount I disliked this book is no reflection on the author. I think his intentions were good and I absolutely LOVE his bookLet me start by saying the amount I disliked this book is no reflection on the author. I think his intentions were good and I absolutely LOVE his book Go the F@ck to Sleep.
In a similar vein to the author's other books, this book works as adult satire intending to poke fun at the ridiculous lengths adults will go to in order to control their kids' eating habits. However, it seems like it is marketed to children instead, and it is not a good book for them.
On the surface, this is a lighthearted story about kids turning the tables on their parents by trying to make them eat healthier food. It pokes fun at parental hypocrisy as the parents only want ice cream, fast food, etc. and retch with contorted faces at vegetables.
Unfortunately, I don't think the book succeeds at making its point, if it was actually written for kids. It ends up only serving to emphasize several disturbing, yet pervasive ideas about food in American culture:
a. Vegetables are disgusting and don't taste good. b. People always hate vegetables. c. We should use bargaining and pressure to force people to eat things they don't want to try. d. We should eat all of our food whether we are full or not. e. There are "good" foods and "bad" foods.
I hate to break the American culinary mind, but children hate what we teach them to hate. They will try things if we offer them over and over again. Some reviewers mentioned poverty and food deserts, so I don't mean that as an indictment of people in poverty--just as a criticism of our general cultural attitudes about vegetables.
If your child is American and has somehow escaped hating vegetables, sentences like these in the book, although taken out of context, can still put those ideas into their heads:
"And I know that you hate the way broccoli tastes." "You can't say kale's gross if you won't even try it." "I know you think cauliflower's weird and bizarre."
At the end of the story, the family eats all of their "healthy" food regardless of whether they were full or not, and rewards themselves with a few donut holes.
My 3-year-old daughter asked me, "Why?"
I told her, "Well, dessert tastes good and so sometimes we have a little bit of it."
Loading...
