If you have never read a work of philosophical fiction, be prepared—it’s not fluff.
Dr. Alan J. Steinberg’s latest work in some ways echoes other works with similar themes, e.g., Nietzsche’s Thus Spoke Zarathustra, or Siddhartha by Herman Hesse. But To Be Enlightened provides a distinctive, twenty-first-century take on setting and characters, giving it a uniquely California flavor.
In a tale of ambivalence and obsession that would captivate a Freudian psychologist, Steinberg uses the main character, Abe Levy, a conflicted philosophy professor at a Southern California college, as a vehicle to recount the philosophical underpinnings of Transcendental Meditation, relating the tenets of Indian Vedic philosophical beliefs to those of Western and Middle Eastern civilizations over the ages.
Abe’s conflict is both spiritual and mundane, affecting every aspect of his life.
When he was fifteen, Abe experienced an inexplicable, life-altering event. At that time, two strangers transported him to another plane of existence—heaven, if you will—on another planet. There he lived a joyful, perfect life without the complications of sex, avarice, or any of the seven deadly sins, with a soul mate whom he had known forever. One day, when he was very old, the same two strangers returned him to his previous adolescent existence on earth.
From that time, Abe’s obsession has been to return.
Stuck in 21st century California, he is ambivalent toward his wife, Sarah, whose anxiety and panic attacks, along with her healthy libido, both distract from and interfere with the meditations that will transport him back. Abe is happiest when teaching The Insider’s Guide to Our Self, which allows him to escape his worldly concerns and responsibilities and focus on enlightenment. When Sarah masters the technique and joins him in advanced night meditations, Abe is delighted. However, he doesn’t anticipate what comes next.
A well-crafted book, To Be Enlightened is weighted with philosophical thought from multiple sources, documented with citations and footnotes worthy of a doctoral dissertation. Most of this, presented in classroom scenes, slows the pace—only the repartee between/among the students and professor save it from a complete stall. However, quirky characters and unexpected events, while stretching credulity, keep it alive.
Worthy of finishing—the reader should be prepared to set aside the time and patience it demands. To Be Enlightened is sure to illuminate the unenlightened readers, expanding their understanding of eastern philosophy and religion.
Jameson O’Halloran never asked for her life to be so complicated and unpredictable. She never asked for a cheating husband, never asked to be in charge of her father-in-law’s life, and indeed never asked for her brother-in-law to show up looking so irresistible. Since her recent divorce, Jameson has focused on rebuilding her life without the dream family she always wanted. Her toddler, Jackson, takes up most of her time, and when she isn’t caring for him, she is helping her sisters run the family pub in Mayhem, Minnesota, after the death of their father. Jameson is NOT looking for love, not now, maybe not ever again. Still, when her ex-father-in-law suffers a stroke, she is forced into the very delicate position of health proxy for the seriously ill man she still considers family. However, she isn’t alone. Big Win Clarke named a co-proxy, his estranged second son, Scott. Scott, a Project Peace employee, has spent the last ten years abroad, running from his father and from himself, but when he is called to his unconscious father’s bedside, he knows those years spent abroad were a mistake, one he may never get to correct if his father doesn’t recover. When he lays eyes on his beautiful ex-sister-in-law, he can’t deny the attraction drawing him to her. Together they must uncover the truth behind the mystery that sent him running years earlier and hopefully find themselves along the way.
“Return now to those thrilling days of yesteryear,” may sound familiar. It’s the opening for the radio version of The Lone Ranger.
During these uncertain times, recent news reports have indicated that children as young as three years old can experience symptoms of anxiety and depression. Clearly, emotional upheaval is at an all-time high. Luckily, child psychologist, Lauren Mosback is here with her new book, My Sister’s Super Skills. A tale that provides a fun and entertaining kid-friendly book that offers up healthy coping tools to help manage stress and promote positive emotional development for even the youngest of sufferers.
It is said that all is fair in love and war. In this wartime historical romance, young love is put to the ultimate test, and the love of family is strained to the breaking point. During World War II, the occupants of a ravaged England understand that all can be lost in a moment’s hesitation or in a hasty decision. Here, love is under attack by enemies seen and unseen. It’s the uncommon courage of many and the Heart of the Few that can hope to turn the fate of England during these dark days.
Since his father’s death, seventeen-year-old Antonius Sardi has become the man of the house, keeping up the spirits and providing for his mother, younger sister, and younger brother. When he takes a job in the household of Conte Leonardo Valperga, he works hard to prove useful in hopes of raising his status above that of a lowly servant. Occasionally, Antonius glimpses Savinus di Benevento, a seer of great renown in the medieval town of Pesaro, and a member of the Conte’s household as well. When Savinus advertises for a new apprentice, Antonius knows this is the opportunity for which he has been waiting, a chance to show his abilities to a man who can appreciate rather than fear them.