Other books that might interest you

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  Writing an Ethical Will

  Rabbi Steve Leder

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  Approaching and facing some essential life questions and leaving them in a written “ethical will” will benefit our loved ones after we have passed and might be more important than any material things we pass on at our death. It will also be helpful in shedding light on our own deepest beliefs and dreams.

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  Mirage of Victory

  Martin Hicks

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  It is May of 1863 and the Civil War in North America has entered its third year. Facing a range of enemy threats, southern commander General Robert E. Lee proposes an invasion of the northern states to supply his army, relieve pressure on other imperilled fronts and to seek decisive victory on enemy territory that could end the war. Irish immigrant Daniel Ryan serves with his comrades of a Georgian regiment as the campaign unfolds, with Lee's army manoeuvring northwards through Virginia and across the Potomac River into Maryland and Pennsylvania, moving towards a fateful encounter with the Union army around the market town of Gettysburg.Martin Hicks lives in Fraserburgh in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. He began writing after a career in education and "Mirage of Victory" is his sixth book, based on the experiences of Daniel Ryan in the American Civil War of 1861-65.Other novels by the same author:A Gathering of SoldiersHard Passage NorthThe Rappahannock LineA Season for KillingA Deepening Twilight

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  Pepper - A History of the...

  Marjorie Shaffer

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  “This is more than the story of a spice . . . Get ready for a sweeping ride through history.” ―David Oshinsky, Pulitzer Prize–winning authorThe perfect companion to Mark Kurlansky's Salt: A World History, Pepper illuminates the rich history of pepper for a popular audience. Vivid and entertaining, it describes the part pepper played in bringing the Europeans, and later the Americans, to Asia and details the fascinating encounters they had there. As Mark Pendergrast, author of Uncommon Grounds, said, “After reading Marjorie Shaffer's Pepper, you'll reconsider the significance of that grinder or shaker on your dining room table. The pursuit of this wizened berry with the bite changed history in ways you've never dreamed, involving extraordinary voyages, international trade, exotic locales, exploitation, brutality, disease, extinctions, and rebellions, and featuring a set of remarkable characters.”From the abundance of wildlife on the islands of the Indian Ocean, which the Europeans used as stepping stones to India and the East Indies, to colorful accounts of the sultan of Banda Aceh entertaining his European visitors with great banquets and elephant fights, this fascinating book reveals the often surprising story behind one of mankind's most common spices.“Using first-person accounts from journals and ships' logs, Shaffer crafts a textured story of exploration, danger, wealth and greed. Readers will find adventures on the high seas, pirates, ambitious Jesuits, sultans living in opulence and the plunder of what was once considered a ‘Garden of Eden’ . . . A vividly told story of a common spice’s uncommon history.” —Kirkus Reviews“A delightful history of the Indian Ocean and the South Seas.” ―Robert D. Kaplan, New York Times–bestselling author

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  Contraduction

  Dan Barker

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  In a quiet and unassuming way, Contraduction is utterly brilliant. Every page has a thought so deep and unexpected that it stops you in your tracks, as you not only realize, “That’s a different, really interesting way to think about the world, exactly the opposite of how I normally view things” but also, “And it is absolutely equally valid (and enriching) to adopt this opposite way of thinking.” I loved this book. — Robert Sapolsky, author of The Blank Slate and Determined.An ingenious word for an invaluable concept. Sharp, clear, and timely. — Steven Pinker, Johnstone Professor of Psychology, Harvard University, and the author of The Blank Slate and RationalityBoth a delightful read and a penetrating argument: Barker has invented an invaluable new concept, and puts it to work with clarity, wit, and above all conclusiveness. A must-have book! — A. C. Grayling, author of The History of Philosophy and The God ArgumentI am completely down with the concept of contraduction. It fills a need. False pattern recognitions pose a real danger to our survival. Well done! — Ann Druyan, author (with Carl Sagan) of Cosmos, Contact, and Demon Haunted WorldI love it when brilliant ideas are conveyed clearly and soundly. That’s why I love this book. Dan Barker has provided a much-needed explication of a common fallacy that needs to be understood and rebutted. It is an engaging, enlightening, and insightful book.—Phil Zuckerman, author of Society Without God and What it Means to be MoralWith Contraduction, Dan Barker gives us a new word—and a new way of looking at things. I thoroughly enjoyed this! So much to think about—and it made me laugh. What else could I ask for? — Kate Cohen, contributing columnist for the Washington Post and author of We of Little FaithI love how Dan Barker offers us a new word to help us understand how to think rationally in a fun, simple way. I will never look at my reflection in the mirror the same! — Bailey Harris, author of My Name is Stardust

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  I Hope We Choose Love - A Trans...

  Kai Cheng Thom

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  What can we hope for at the end of the world? What can we trust in when community has broken our hearts? What would it mean to pursue justice without violence? How can we love in the absence of faith? 
   
   
   
  In a heartbreaking yet hopeful collection of personal essays and prose poems, blending the confessional, political, and literary, Kai Cheng Thom dives deep into the questions that haunt social movements today. With the author's characteristic eloquence and honesty, I Hope We Choose Love proposes heartfelt solutions on the topics of violence, complicity, family, vengeance, and forgiveness. Taking its cues from contemporary thought leaders in the transformative justice movement such as adrienne maree brown and Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha, this provocative book is a call for nuance in a time of political polarization, for healing in a time of justice, and for love in an apocalypse.

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  Psychic Empath

  Jim Colajuta

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  Empathy is the ability to emotionally understand what other people are going through, see things through their eyes, and put yourself in their shoes. Essentially, it is placing yourself in another person's shoes and experiencing what they are experiencing. When you witness someone suffering, you may be able to imagine yourself in their shoes and empathize with their situation. While most people are aware of their own sentiments and emotions, getting into another person's head can be more difficult. People who can empathize can "walk a mile in another's shoes," as it were. It enables people to comprehend the feelings of others.Watching another person suffering and reacting with apathy or even hate is unfathomable for many people. However, some people who respond this way plainly show empathy is not a universal response to others' pain. Empathy is thought to have crucial neurological components, according to research. The ability to mirror and duplicate the emotional responses that others would feel if they were in comparable conditions. While empathy can sometimes falter, most people can sympathize with others in many scenarios. This ability to perceive things from someone else's point of view and empathize with their feelings is crucial in our social lives. Empathy permits us to comprehend others and, in many cases, motivates us to act to alleviate another's suffering.

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