No comments about Revolution on My Mind: Writing a Diary Under Stalin.

5 comments about A Man Without a Country.

1. "A Man Without A Country" is a must read for anyone who loves Mr. Vonnegut. It is a collection of short essays and writings published 2 years before his death. Written in true Vonnegut fashion, I believe he is on point with his satire and knowledge of the world more then ever. He is as sharp as knife with his commentary, and convincing as hell, using stories from history to back up his words. It may come off as the rantings of a crotchety old man, but I think that Vonnegut has earned his right and anyone who is not wearing blinders can truly see. This is a man who lived through the great depression, and fought in WWII. It is obvious that any true American can relate. One subject that truly struck me was how he talked about his generation, and how they dreamed of better tomorrow for their children and grandchildren. He then compares our generation to addicts trying to work through AA, just living day to day, with no hope of a better tomorrow. Another aspect of this book I enjoyed was a chapter in which he answered some fans who wrote him letters. It was a very easy read, too, I read it in one sitting. I kept on noticing my mind wondering when I was reading, "Man. I wish I could've had shared a smoke with this guy."



2. Imagine yourself trying to become someone important in life or contributing something back to the world that children would read about in their books. Imagine if someone said your name in passing they would say, "Yes, I heard that name before, he/she is a famous writer/actor/business owner. Imagine starting out on the streets with little or nothing to your name. Imagine struggling through confusion and loneliness, through tears and pain and even some times full of ironic laughter. Well big shots like Bob Dylan and Kurt Vonnegut had periods in their lives exactly like what I just described.
   Many people know Bob Dylan as a famous folk singer. What they may or may not realize is how he became the man he is to us today. He wasn't always a famous singer; he started at the bottom just like millions of other writers, singers or poets. In the dark cafes in New York City, he played his guitar and harmonica and told his story. He has been an influence through his music for more than forty years. He has made many albums, and that's want he wanted to do, to tell his stories through his songs.
   Kurt Vonnegut is best known for his use of humor and satire in his writing. A Man without a Country is a book of essays he wrote with different opinions on many subjects to different people. Kurt Vonnegut wrote without having to offend people like most comedians do. Blacks, Whites, Jews, Catholics, politicians, all have in someway been mentioned in his stories and opinions. Kurt Vonnegut talked about how things that he has learned over his lifetime. He is not afraid to put those beliefs on paper even if his words could be insulting to his readers. These essays would become his final book that would share his opinions and thoughts of the world he lived in. That book answers the question on what does it mean to be human.



3. I just finished re-reading this book. It is sad and funny , plump with joy and fear. Funny how all these feelings feed on one another. I think this book is a bit like the Last Lecture---final thoughts from a life: people can be nutty(he really goes after pols) but don't let this harsh truth make you fold up your tent; understand the value of humor, not the Bob Hope superficial gruel but the Mark Twain, we are all in a pickle together wisdom ; try to be kind and, failing that, try to do no harm. My favorite section---how to plot out a book, replete with charts. He was a great writer because he made it look so simple. And that's hard. At 145 pages, a night or weekend's reading.



4. Not denying that KV was a giant of late 20th century American letters. This is like reading an amusing rant from a guy who knew his best was behind him. A quick read, mildly amusing, at times thought provoking but not at all representative of his best work. If a young reader picks this up and is inspired to read his earlier stuff then this book has served it's purpose.



5. I read the book the same day I bought it. The only downside is that it is too short. However, it's an excellent read. Reading this is like sitting next an old man telling you about the fascinating life he has lived. It is witty, pointed, and brings up some excellent food for thought. Fans of Vonnegut may notice some repeated thoughts from earlier books but this one still managed to bring up some original laugh out loud funny items.
   
   When I was finished with the book, I didn't feel as if I just read something. I felt like I had just finished talking with a wise old friend.

No comments about Incognegro: A Memoir of Exile and Apartheid.

3 comments about The Story of My Life (Enriched Classics Series).

1. Keller has a remarkable story of how she overcame her obstacles, but I do not recommend this book for students under 16. It's just very dry and her writing was overly detailed when she was in her young 20s and that writing can go over the heads of younger learners.



2. This extraordinary biography is a true masterpiece. One of the greatest books of the 20th Century.
   Dr R. Chris Barden



3. Truly inspiring! Helen Keller beautifully narrates all her deepest thoughts and also projects her dark and human life so skillfully. She vehemently points out that she has got a mind of her own and the life of Helen Keller makes the reader feel that he is dim-witted. This book is a jolt to the reader in a positive sense.

5 comments about Sit, Ubu, Sit: How I went from Brooklyn to Hollywood with the Same Woman, the Same Dog, and a Lot Less Hair.

1. A TV producer thinks his oddball life story is more interesting than the TV shows he worked on in this poorly-written book. What could have been fascinating insight into the production of Family Ties or Spin City is instead a mish-mash of unconnected stories about his life that change from year to year. So the first chapters are titled: 1985, 1972, 1954, 1972, 1982, 1969, 1982, etc. They are short and skip around to unconnected events, such as his trip through Europe, his minor jobs as an actor or his producing a TV show. The hyperactive writing style may be "clever" to those within the Hollywood community but it's FRUSTRATING when trying to read a cohesive narrative. By page 60 he hasn't really said anything worthwhile and it makes it difficult to want to finish the rest of the book.
   
   The author was told by his future wife that he was "self-centered, shallow and vain." And much of that comes out in this book. He has the Hollywood-style "humility" where he says he wasn't a very good actor, is gracious enough to admit that he didn't want Michael J. Fox cast in Famiy Ties and wants us to believe that he is just a normal person. Yet in revealing his past we discover that his is totally abnormal and incredibly hippie-like.
   
   The book details quite a bit of his inappropriate behavior--immoral to some, ahead of his time to others. It makes sense when you read that his daughter went on to produce a show like Friends that doesn't have a moral center to it. The reader will see why his is highly thought of in the Hollywood community, but in middle America he is very fringe. It's hard to believe one of the greatest conservative characters on television was created by this man, but even he admits that he created Alex Keaton to come across negatively. It was the casting of Michael J. Fox (that the author had to be talked into) that changed how America perceived the character.
   
   There is an interesting section on Spin City, which makes Micheal J. Fox look like a real bad guy. There are a couple stories where Goldberg admits to violence or being nasty. There is also some quasi-spirituality--such as the opening story in the book where he consults with a psychic! He fits the stereotype of the California rich radical. By the end of the book this is not a guy you want to know.
   
   Like many other books from TV producers, this proves that most of what you see on the screen comes from the somewhat narrow life experience of those who write the shows. There are a few interesting stories here and a couple of nice Familiy Ties tidbits, but nothing out of the ordinary.
   
   He also doesn't have a good sense of television sitcom history. He claims that the sitcom format was "invented by Lucille Ball" and that Seinfeld was "the most successful TV comedy of all time." He is so far off that it isn't funny. And this book isn't particularly laughable. It's just a guy who thinks that because he created one or two successful TV shows a long time ago that people will be interested in hearing about mundane things in his life such as his Frisbee-catching dog.



2. Goldberg writes like people think -- at least people from Brooklyn, the Bronx and those other boroughs. Simple words, simply wonderful. The Goldberg's adventure through life is a map for life.
   Lopriore



3. The thing that surprised me the most in this breezy, charming bio by Goldberg, who made Michael J Fox a star when he created 'Family Ties', is how choked up I got while reading it. It reads like those light, smart sit-coms you're watching and laughing hysterically at, and then suddenly something happens that's so touching, so human, you're welling up before you know it. A large portion of the book is, like so many have previously stated, a love letter to his wife, and it's nice to see Hollywood endings can come at the end of a romantic fairy tale.



4. What a refreshingly funny, sincere, and insightful read. I laughed out loud so many times I lost count. I loved the way he included just the right amounts of different aspects of his life, none dominating the story - his work in television, his adorable chocolate Lab Ubu, his friendships, and his heartwarming relationship with his wife Diana. It was simply delightful cover to cover. I read few books more than once; this will be one of them.



5. I've read sooooooo many books in my day, but this one has the charm, warmth and insight into Gary's humanity, that I couldn't put it down. Now what do I read????!!!! Please, Gary, write another one!!!

5 comments about Married to a Bedouin.

1. I've only heard rave reviews of this book and was strongly encouraged to read it since I would be spending an extended period in Jordan. I think my expectations were too great. I had hoped to learn more about Bedouin traditions and culture and how a Westerner became a part of the society. I'm not a scholar of the Middle East, Arab, or Bedouin historty/tradition, but there was little information that was new for me. I found the book to be poorly organized, lacking of structure, and repetitive. Except for a few "chapters" when the author truly opened up to the reader, I felt as if I were reading a list of items from a day planner. From the anecdotes, it's clear Ms. Van Geldermalsen (Umm Salwa wa Umm Raami) led a rich life and experienced much that most of us will never know. I simply wish she had a better editor.



2. Having been to Jordan several times and hoping to go back (I am totally in love with the country) I picked up this book at the airport for an in-flight reading.
   
   I thought it would be just another account of a western person whining about the ''wrongs'' of Muslim life but I was so pleasantly surprised that I couldn't put this book down.
   
   Margaruite's story is a matter of fact account and no preaching. She writes it as she experienced it and offers us facts which we can then make into whatever we want. She offers no criticism of the lifestyle nor does she compare it to the western lifestyle as many of the similar accounts are written nowadays. She also isn't a ''hippie gone native'' as she says many people used to see her as.:)) She simply fell in love with a man and adapted to live her life in his culture. You will enjoy the funny details, and I especially liked her account of the trip back to New Zealand with her Bedouin Husband.
   
   I admire her story, not just for the story itself but for the way it was written.
   Although I have been to Petra several times, after having read this book I went again to experience it in a totally different way, not stopping to admire the ancient Nabataean city but the people who live there and around at the moment. And the experience was unforgettable. We do tend to forget observing the people when doing the ''touristy'' thing at the historical sites. And ashamed, I must admit that the first couple of times around I was annoyed by the ''Bedouins'' trying to get me to buy the ''ancient'' items - but this time around I had a wonderful experience enjoying their spirit.
   
   I don't want to give away too much.
   Read the book. You will not regret it!
   
   Hope it will get you to plan your next holiday to Jordan!



3. If you want to understand Arab culture no better place than to start here. You get a two for one. Petra is one of the great places on the globe and the people there are very special. Marguerite writes a cogent and charming account of her life from New Zealand to Jordan and her family in Petra.



4. Read this book right after touring Petra. It enhanced my feelings and memories if the place immensely. Well written. It gives a very good sense of what life was like in a Petra cave and being married to a very creative Bedouin man and his very large extended clan. Recommended highly, although I'm not sure how much I would have comprehended without having been there myself.



5. This New Zealand-born woman with her Dutch ancestry talks about how she wasn't brave or didn't do anything extraordinary: she merely fell in love with a wonderful, decent, funny, charming and intelligent guy -- who happened to be Bedouin and live in a cave in Petra. I met them in the teahouse across from the amphitheater in the spring of 1989 when Salwa was a little girl and the boys were toddlers. Marg and Mo became our lifeline there and secured one of the new government houses in Umm Sehun for us to rent -- with a hot shower and all. We returned in the fall for three more months, learning so much from Marguerite: how to weave a tent from goat hair, to make margluba in one pot and attend a wedding. Each year for the next 10 years (until 2000), we remet and rekindled our friendship, having incredible fun with my own bint (daughter). Now, reading her book, I cherish each page, understanding even more about their special lives and what it means to be part of a Beduoin family.
   It is a book that is so pertinent today in understanding another culture and how our American government is clueless about that part of the world and the vastly different outlook, superstitions, meanings, approach to everyday living that the local people have. Bravo Marguerite.

5 comments about Carnet De Voyage (Travel Journal).

1. With "Blankets", Craig Thompson established what I think will remain as a landmark in the book/comics/cartoon world. With this one, I expected basically just a sketchbook filled with random drawings and what not.
   
   The truth is that the book was a lot more continuous than I expected, and it does read like a story. The best of this is that originally this notebook wasn't supposed to ever see print, it was Craig's private sketchbook, but as it grew, people expressed interest and suggested that he publish it. And thank God that he did!
   
   "Carnet de Voyage" is a fascinating book. It's more raw than "Good-bye, Chunky Rice" and different from "Blankets", but in its very own genre, it definitely achieves something memorable. And the intensity of the emotion is as strong as ever. I found myself laughing here, and being very concerned about Craig there. Indeed, I don't think I was ever made to care so much about someone I never met before Craig Thompson. The man is simply saintly in that sense. He is a mix of gracious humility and honesty, and his truth-like art is just mind-blowing.
   
   So what will you find in there? The telling of his travels through France, Morocco, Spain, Switzerland, and the Alps. Thompson's artistic vision shows through that book and one can sort of get an idea of how he functions. And one certainly gets to see how tortured poor Craig really is. That unpretentious notebook will make you feel closer to him, because he is so genuine in his art, doesn't hide his life from his work, and as a result, you get a window to his soul.



2. and it doesn't pretend to be, but I found it very worthwhile. I like CHUNKY RICE and I think BLANKETS is one of the great American novels, graphic or otherwise. I felt I needed a Thompson fix, and hoped this would help while I wait for the Next Book. Thinking it would be bedside reading, a few pages at a time, I read it in one sitting. His voice is as true as ever and his art is wonderful. You will meet many interesting people and suffer through his mishaps with him. It was just what I had hoped it would be, a good solid Craig Thompson fix.



3. Craig Thompson is fantastic. If you like his work, you'll love this collection of musings, sketches, and stories of life on the road in Europe and Morocco. This book provides insight into Thompson's inner life, what drives him, and what he yearns for. Side by side this there are sketches that are so accurate and evocative that I felt like I was back in Morocco myself. Thompson experiences all the highs and lows of travel on his trip and very openly shares them all. For anyone who's traveled alone, but wished for company this book will ring true. But, Thompson also shares with the reader the exhilaration of new places and new people that can be found out in the world. A fantastic quick read and visual journey.



4. Craig Thompson's epic 600 page graphic novel, BLANKETS is one of the most beautiful comics I've ever read. I was astounded at the breadth and depth of the book and wondered how someone in his mid twenties could have crafted such a massive achievement so early in his career.
   
   With the publication of CARNET DE VOYAGE, I now understand a little bit more about Thompson's work habits... he is a nonstop drawing machine. But no... machine is wrong... there's nothing mechanical about his work. Art flows out of Thompson's brush pens with the organic fluidity of a true master. He may well be the greatest natural cartoonist of his generation... hell, even a handful of others.
   
   CARNET DE VOYAGE wasn't even supposed to be a book. While traveling through France, Barcelona, the Alps and Morocco last Spring to promote BLANKETS, Thompson's omnipresent sketchbook suddenly became his next project. In his introduction, the typically self-effacing artist dismisses it as "a rather self-indulgent side project."
   
   Yes, there's lots of self-indulgence, but no more than any other writer or artist's work is self indulgent. Smarting from a recent breakup, suffering from crippling rheumatoid arthritis exacerbated by nonstop signings, sketches and portraits of locals (many of whom demand money for the privilege of being models), Thompson's travelogue is filled with the kind of subjective experience that's only interesting to others if it's told well.
   
   And in CARNET DE VOYAGE, it's told beautifully. Mixing his two styles, the cartoony whimsy of GOODBYE, CHUNKY RICE with the more naturalistic impressionism of BLANKETS, Thompson allows us to experience everything he does: The homesickness, the culture shock, the thrill of the new and the comfort of other people. His passion for beauty, be it architectural, arboreal, feline, culinary or (often) feminine is all delineated with an artistic embellishment that's more effective than any photograph could be.
   
   That's the power of comics; They can be (in the right hands) surreal and realistic at the same time. Thompson is as much a master of capturing the empirical world as he is conveying his inner demons (and he's got a lot of `em... this boy is one tortured, sensitive artiste). He may dismiss CARNET DE VOYAGE as "not (his) next book," but it's the richest, most rewarding graphic novel I've read since... well, since BLANKETS.



5. This was actually quite good, but it ends way too abruptly, with Thompson informing his audience afew pages before the end that he was only given 231 pages and then stopping right in the middle of his tour. I hope this might mean that there's a second volume, possibly? I was especially affected because I am an Oregonian as well ( though I was born here, as opposed to having moved here like Thompson) and because I lived a year of my life in Montpelier, where he stopped on his tour. It was cool seeing stuff I recognized. I also enjoyed Thompson's whiny, self-pitying and -criticizing tone which reminded me of Crumb or Pekar. It was just good.

4 comments about Ravens in the Storm: A Personal History of the 1960s Anti-War Movement.

1. What a long strange trip it was for Carl Oglesby! In 1965 Oglesby was busy working for the defense contractor BDS. He was happily living the middle class lifestyle in suburbia with his wife Beth and their 3 children. But independent from his duties at BDS Oglesby had quietly come to the conclusion that United States involvement in Vietnam was a huge mistake. His views on the war crystallized when he was asked to put together a campaign brochure for Democratic congressional candidate Wes Vivian. Well, one thing led to another and before long Carl Oglesby would resign from BDS and renounce his comfortable lifestyle to become President of the fledgling organization known as SDS. "Ravens In The Storm: A Personal History of the 1960's Anti-War Movement" is Carl Oglesby's memoir of those turbulant days in the mid to late 1960's when it seemed that the whole world was turned upside down. This is compelling reading folks!
   What is so fascinating about "Ravens In The Storm" is the fact that this book probably could not have been written without the thousands of pages of documents from the files of the FBI and CIA that Carl Oglesby was able to obtain in recent years through the Freedom of Information Act. He no longer had to rely strictly on memory to document so many of the events that he recalls in his book. Because of the fact that the SDS had been infiltrated by government agents and his home phone had been tapped by the Feds, Oglebsy now had access to actual transcripts of many key organization meetings and phone conversations from this period.
   To me what is most striking about "Ravens In The Storm" is how radicals like Bernadine Dohrn, Mike Rudd and David Gilbert were able to co-opt the agenda of SDS and steer the group in a direction totally contrary to the vision that Carl Oglesby had for the organization. Seems like the 1968 assasinations of Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy was the last straw for most of these folks. Whereas Oglesby had sought to foster dialogue and education to help bring an end to the Vietman War the group that would come to be known as the Weathermen favored armed conflict and ultimately revolution. It seems to me that had Carl Oglesby's even-handed approach won the day that the war in Vietnam would have come to a conclusion much sooner. It was also extremely unsettling to read about Carl's 1965 meeting with a group of eight South Vietnamese business leaders who outlined a plan to bring the conflict to a rapid and just conclusion. And as Oglesby recalls on page 75 "The ghastly fact to contemplate decades later is that, in its salient points, this is almost exactly the peace plan that was adopted in 1975, ten years after that meeting and as many as three million lives later."
   For me, "Ravens In The Storm" was a real eye-opener. Contrary to my recollections of the period it is comforting to know that there were some thoughtful and reasonable people like Oglesby with very honorable intentions involved in the anti-war movement. Carl Oglesby is a superb writer who tells his story with verve and makes his argument most eloquently. "Ravens In The Storm: A Personal History of the 1960's Anti-War Movement" should prove to be an important addition to the history of this period. Highly recommended!



2. Very well written memoir of SDS as it transitioned from its early years to its demise under the frustrations and pressures of the era. A few minor mis-edits do not detract from this exciting and calmly passionate account of a unique personality in SDS. As an activist in an SDS chapter during the times, I found this book's insights both clarifying and satisfying. A must-read.



3. "Ravens in the Storm" is at once an elegiac memoir, a chronicle of the inside workings of the antiwar movement and an apologia. There is a wistfulness about it, a sense of opportunities squandered and chances missed, but also a triumphant air that Carl Oglesby and his cohorts in the Students for a Democratic Society, or SDS movement, had actually, in the final analysis, accomplished something not achieved before or since. They made a difference at a critical time in our nation's history that has eerily familiar parallels to today, as we live through another illegal, ill-advised and unwinnable war.
   
   The similarities to the 1960s Vietnam War era and the current fiasco in Iraq are an undercurrent in "Ravens." Oglesby never mentions our current conflict, leaving it to the reader to draw the unmistakable conclusions: a nation of sleepwalkers trusting in a corrupt government, a president with an unclear mission and a blank check, and a compliant Congress that failed to fulfill its constitutional responsibility to reign in an out-of-control administration.
   
   Oglesby's 1960s featured a government that lied to and spied on its citizens, a corrupt, profit-driven military-industrial complex; a country bent on nation-building in a faraway place of which we had and have little cultural or historical understanding, and little sympathy for the millions of lives destroyed in a horrific and pointless war. Sound familiar?
   
   The difference is for Vietnam they had Carl Oglesby and the SDS, and the best we could manage for Iraq was Cindy Sheehan.
   
   The book traces Oglesby's unlikely and meteoric rise from middle-class homeowner with a wife and two kids living in the suburbs working within the military-industrial complex at Bendix Corp. -- with top-secret security clearance -- to the world stage as president of the radical student group SDS. Like Woody Allen's Zelig, Oglesby seems to have been at every major event of his time and met most of the movers and shakers of his day.
   
   "Ravens" is well-written, mainly because Oglesby was a trained writer and editor at Bendix who also is a playwright, poet, songwriter and pretty good raconteur. He's got five other books to his credit, including two on the JFK assassination.
   
   Here's a sample from the book, and you tell me whether it sounds like a description of where we are today:
   
   Our national debt was up, our taxes were up, our inner cities were up in flames, our war strategists were up a tree, our kids were up to their necks in killing and getting killed in a lost cause, our North Atlantic allies were almost up in arms against us. The war had to come to an end. Johnson had to go.
   
   Replace "Johnson" with "Bush" and you're here now, in 2008, in Iraq, not in 1968, in Vietnam.
   
   It is the parallels with today that give "Ravens" its immediacy, its importance as a book that should be read by anyone who wants to understand how America could get itself into the kind of intractable predicament we currently are in.
   
   But it is Oglesby's unique place in modern history that lends the book a certain gravitas. As president of SDS Oglesby turned the organization -- which at its height counted 317 chapters and 100,000 members -- toward protesting the Vietnam War and away from its grass-roots community organizing mission.
   
   He participated in a tribunal organized by philosopher Bertrand Russell and existentialist Jean-Paul Sartre, he was at the 1968 riots at the Democratic Convention in Chicago, he was asked by Black Panther Eldridge Cleaver to be Cleaver's vice-presidential running mate in the 1968 elections, he went to Cuba and organized a program wherein Americans went to the island nation -- illegally -- to help with the sugar harvest.
   
   But his turning of SDS into a radical antiwar organization also led to the government's illegal and violent crackdown on the entire antiwar movement, to the formation of the radical Weatherman movement and, ultimately, to the downfall of SDS at the hands of the government and its own internal entropy.
   
   Oglesby sacrificed much for his involvement with the cause: he lost his family, was star-chambered by SDS and forced to resign from numerous jobs because of his association with the antiwar movement and his principles.
   
   But he always (at least as he tells it) cleaved to those principles, even when it cost him dearly. He consistently promulgated a moderate liberal agenda that counseled inclusion and a willingness to promote dialog over diatribe, understanding over insurrection and engagement over violence.
   
   The book would have been stronger with a section of photographs from the era, which would have put faces to names and places. It would have benefited by a more talented proofreader, but these are small criticisms that only in minor ways detract from its power and impact.
   
   It is a thoughtful, reflective and insightful book. "Ravens in the Storm" should be required reading for anyone who wants to try to understand some of the most turbulent and, finally, most interesting times of the 20th century.



4. This is the best memoir I have read on the protest movement, SDS, and the 60s student movement.
   I read it in one sitting and was taken back to the sweaty, urgent, angry, and idealistic moments of the vietnam era. Contrary to conventional wisdom the student movement had many factions and different ideas about how to end the war, and change society in general. This book goes into detail of the infighting within the student movement and how SDS was originally a democratic organization that was taken over by more radical fringe elements who wanted revolution instead of change by working within the system. The author was the first president of the group and travelled to South Vietnam in the mid sixties. He felt that those who met with the North Vietnamese gave the student movement a bad name and played into the hands of their detractors. After reading the book I wondered why we don't have a more strongly defined anti-war movement now.

5 comments about Spiritwalker: Messages from the Future.

1. This is such an amazing book! I was luck enough to be living in Hawaii while reading it (much of it takes place there). This is really engaging and inspiring to wonder whether it really happened (supposedly it did!).



2. I am skeptical (and for good reason), whenever I see books about Indigenous Life ways, written by white people.
   As such, I have overlooked this book for many years, when at the library or bookstore, and looking for books about the ways of the Ancestors, and Indigenous Wisdom.
   However, after happening across Mr. Wesselman's video interview on the Conscious Media Network website, [...], I was convinced enough to read this book for myself.
   I found him (in the interview) to be genuine enough, and I was also intrigued when he mentioned the story of how a very well known Hawaiian Spiritual Elder & Kahuna, Hale Makua, came to one of his lectures, and said that he (Makua) had spoken with the Ancestors about Hank Wessleman and his book, and that THEY (The Ancestors) said that everything in this book is true, and gave THEIR blessing to Mr. Wessleman and the writing he is doing, and to continue the work.
   If not for hearing this, I would not have believed this story either, for who can prove or disprove this very subjective experience that Dr. Wessleman has had?
   Also, in regard to one other reviewers objections: Hank mentions himself that he was translating this direct experience into his own words, and way of speaking (the syntax and word choices etc.) are all his, but that the essence of what was said, was all theirs.
   
   In regards to the buildings and ruins: The oceans rised, perhps 300 feet, so wouldnt most coastal cities be submerged, and then what was left above water rusted away after 5,000 years?
   
   Even if its all a novel, the message of our civilizations imminent and RAPID decline, is no joke, and it would be good for people to take head of this, and focus on what matters:
   On learning how to live as a natural human being, without need of "the system", and also to heal ourselves, and our families, and communities.
   
   Thats what really matters, not all this media hype about the latest brittney spears gossip, etc.
   Here's some related food for thought from a Hopi Elder that was given to the world several years back, which is even MORE pertinent today than it was in the 90's:
   
   "You have been telling the people that this is the Eleventh Hour, now you must go back and tell the people that this is the Hour. And there are things to be considered . . .
   
   Where are you living?
   What are you doing?
   What are your relationships?
   Are you in right relation?
   Where is your water?
   Know your garden.
   It is time to speak your Truth.
   Create your community.
   Be good to each other.
   And do not look outside yourself for the leader."
   
   Then he clasped his hands together, smiled, and said, "This could be a good time!"
   
   "There is a river flowing now very fast. It is so great and swift that there are those who will be afraid. They will try to hold on to the shore. They will feel they are being torn apart, and will suffer greatly.
   
   "Know the river has its destination. The elders say we must let go of the shore, push off into the middle of the river, keep our eyes open, and our heads above water. And I say, see who is in there with you and celebrate. At this time in history, we are to take nothing personally, Least of all ourselves. For the moment that we do, our spiritual growth and journey comes to a halt.
   
   "The time for the lone wolf is over. Gather yourselves! Banish the word struggle from you attitude and your vocabulary. All that we do now must be done in a sacred manner and in celebration.
   
   "We are the ones we've been waiting for."
   
   -- attributed to an unnamed Hopi elder
   
   Hopi Nation
   
   Oraibi, Arizona



3. I don't believe the author is telling a true story. It sounds like he's intelligent enough and did some decent research before trying to publish this to a naive audience. Even as a fictional account, this book falls flat for me. The writing is tedious at times and repetitive.
   
   There are things that don't add up. For example, it's 5000 years into the future, and there are accounts of Iesu (Jesus) and Kotama (Gautama Buddha) still being recounted by 7 foot tall, burnt sienna skinned, blue eyed Hawaiians who live on the Western Coast of the United States. Only, it's no longer the United States, and modern civilization has all but disappeared, or at where he's located. And the Hawaiians don't seem to remember anyone other than 'the navigator Cook'. He uses italicized words like 'enjins' and 'siti' to describe engines and cities. I think he's pulling the reader's leg and trying to infuse a certain je ne sais quoi by using seemingly foreign words in italics.
   
   He also loves the manipulative, suggestive open-ended question formula to evade rational explanation but nevertheless leave the reader assuming a conclusion that is never proved (e.g., Could it be that I had passed some test during that first altered-state experience back in Berkeley and was now granted access?) Could you ask more leading questions that beg the answer without later answering them in any meaningful way...?
   
   Finally, he likes to stress his scientific, intellectual, rational, disbelieving nature and training. He doth protest too much.



4. Spiritwalker is the first book of a trilogy. The next two books are "Medicinmaker," then "Visionseeker."
   
   In Spiritwalker, Hank Wesselman beautifully illustrates his initial, extraordinary visionary experiences with using a writing style which is easy to follow and often peppered with humor. The concepts presented in the book -- such as out-of-body consciousness and shamanism's healing methods, etc. -- are thoroughly investigated and explained to the best of the author's ability, with the Western, scientifically-oriented perspective in mind. Hank's "inner scientist," stemming from his previous education in the Anthropological field, compels him to come up with rational and logical reasons as to how and why these extraordinary experiences are taking place. Using scientific reasoning and traditional Hawai'ian beliefs, he is able to explain (was able to explain to me, at least) what would normally be unexplainable.
   
   The content of the entire trilogy generally includes: 1) his first encounters and reactions to his initial out-of-the-ordinary experiences, 2) his understanding and explanation of these experiences through a scientific and traditional Hawai'ian Kahuna's perspective, 3) an extraordinary account of his repeated "journeys" to a possible future Earth, seeing it through another man's eyes, and 4) several undeniably relevant and important proposals which connect his experiences to our present time and global situation.
   
   I appreciated Hank's openmindedness and sincerity when he approached his difficult-to-explain/understand experiences. Both his experiences and perspective inspired me to look at my life and future in a new way. The Spiritwalker trilogy has made a significant difference in my life. I highly recommend all three books.



5. Given that the original hardcover came out in the early 90s, it's amazing how prophetic this book has become. I noticed today a science article on MSNBC about the Greenland ice cap. It may completely melt in 200-300 years and raise the world's ocean levels by at least 23 feet! That doesn't even take into account melting of Antarctic ice. Is this book a true story? I don't know. I do know that the future 5000 years from now may very well be as described in Spiritwalker.

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