Martin Luther King's critique of capitalism is more relevant than ever
David Ragland
April 4, 2018
As we remember Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s life and assassination, 50 years ago today, there is much to reflect upon considering the current events, ranging from increased militarism from this administration to gun violence that includes police violence, mass shootings and the protests that have responded and pushed for deep freedom and liberation.
Since the Ferguson uprising, the question of who is violent — and who has the right to wield it — has been on the lips of many officials and police, who often tell protesters they should be more like those from the civil rights era. Yet, as we remember King’s murder, too often we tone down the radical, progressive, and at times depressed man at the heart of a movement that transformed the nation, making him into to a passive angelic figure. The memory of his life, like our own memories — unless meticulously recorded — are fragmentary.
We sacrifice him all over again by turning him over to the conservative, religious and ideological interests invested in watering down his magnificent life. King offered a moral challenge and call to transform American values that instrumentalize humans, and most often black, brown and non-white lives.
King’s dynamic complexity was rooted in his understanding of peace as a condition that necessarily includes justice. In his “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” which was addressed to the faith leaders who could not understand his forceful approach, King wrote that peace was not just the “the absence of tension” but also “the presence of justice.” The inauthentic claims of concerns with the methods of the emerging black freedom movement are reflected among the detractors of most social movements, Ferguson and Parkland included.
Most of those in power who critique the methods of change agents often do so because change is not in their economic interests. King’s message challenged the moral heart of the American system by highlighting the three-pronged evils of of racism, militarism and materialism. These are interconnected evils that he saw as constituting the very nature of this society’s ills.
It was not enough to name the United States government as “the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today,” but to challenge this country in the urgent task of social transformation that might see our society shift from its rampant materialism to a community focused on human dignity. Such a morality is as the center of an instrumental view of people as things to be used.
In his 1958 essay “Pilgrimage to Nonviolence,” King wrote about the “danger of the profit motive as the sole basis of an economic system” and said, “capitalism is always in danger of inspiring men to be more concerned about making a living than making a life. We are prone to judge success by the index of our salaries or the size of our automobiles, rather than by the quality of our service and relationship to humanity.”
In a speech to staff in 1966, King explained: “There must be a better distribution of wealth.” We get a sense of the threat he posed when we stop to realize that just two years prior to his assassination he dared to say that “America must move toward a democratic socialism.”
Scarcity underlies how Western economic systems interconnect with war and racism. What if abundance was the guiding principle of our values and policy? Since the people in communities like the one I grew up in on the northside of St. Louis — a few miles away from Ferguson — are exploited through crack-era policing and housing policies that reinforce racist worldviews, we are often viewed from a deficit perspective. This perspective understands the world as a place to be policed and fixed as opposed to one filled with people who can deal with their own conflicts if supported with resources they actually need.
King recognized that the United States’ violent approach was not limited to the wars it wages, but the violence of the colonial mentality of occupation and racism in communities of color, which includes economic injustice. We see this in the Center for Investigative Journalism’s recent report on mortgages denied to blacks and Latinos, which examined over 31 million mortgage records in 61 metro areas. It points out how banks under Obama, and now Trump, used the Fair Housing Act to drive gentrification. What should have been a federally-mandated program to help black people buy homes is now being used by most banks — including Chase, Santander and Wells Fargo — to provide loans to whites who in many cases have worse credit and very little cash to put down.
A different report by ProPublica — entitled the “Color of Debt” — describes the likelihood of bill collectors to go after black people as opposed to similarly situated whites and the focus of law enforcement on black communities, instead of white communities that have more drug traffic and crime.
With the public currently deeply engaged in addressing mass school shootings, we have to remember how the response to Columbine was the implementation of “zero tolerance” policies, which disproportionately impacted urban schools that black and Latino students were likely to attend, even though these demographics were far less likely to experience that kind of violence. Instead, those policies contribute to the “school-to-prison pipeline,” which has resulted in a higher proportion of black students being suspended and expelled, increasing those students’ chances of incarceration. Black students often face harsher discipline than their white counterparts. Much of that has to do with teacher bias toward black and Latino students.
Studies that demonstrate how little progress African Americans have made — in terms of home ownership, employment and the increase of black incarceration — do little to change the mind of many. Rather than attributing this lack of progress to racial discrimination, a disturbing percentage of white people believe blacks are less intelligent and more criminal, sadly reinforcing a sense of moral superiority that justifies awarding mortgages and employment opportunities to less qualified whites. This should make white people question the very notion of fairness and the sense that they worked hard to get where they are and what they have.
Derrick Bell, Harvard Law professor and founder of critical race theory, critiqued the civil rights movement on the grounds of interest convergence, which suggests that legislation of that era only passed because it aligned with the interests of white elite liberals who were still unwilling to change the economic order.
But the narrow view of King misses how he connected the dots between the triplets of evil, with racist ideologies allowing the lynchings of black folk while encouraging their military service for a society using similar bias to justify murder in the Global South through war or economic policy. King expanded on his evolving perspective clearly in his final book, “Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?”
“The Constitution assured the right to vote, but there is no such assurance of the right to adequate housing, or the right to an adequate income,” he wrote. “And yet in a nation which has a gross national product of $750 billion a year, it is morally right to insist that every person have a decent house, an adequate education and enough money to provide basic necessities for one’s family.”
Part of what we fought against in Ferguson was the violence of poverty, its intersection with militarism, and the plain fact that economically-challenged folks make easier targets for the police. I remember standing outside of the courts in New York City waiting on protesters to come out and having a conversation with a clerk who said that it is in the interest of police to arrest protesters and impoverished blacks and Latinos because, “from my perspective, this keeps us in business.”
When the underlying economic model is one of scarcity, there is an expectation of unemployment and poverty, which reinforces the political use of people as instruments to maintain power. The assumption of scarcity makes it easier for us to be indifferent to poverty and violence against economically-challenged people. We are beyond past due for the revolution of values that King called for, so that we cherish “people, not things.”
What if we had a model of abundance?
This movement for black lives and liberation seeks to transform the very nature of how we deal with each other and the way we see each other. We have a choice in how we see the world around us. Can we envision a society that doesn’t profit from the human misery of war and violence, or economic and environmental degradation? Can we envision a new way of relating and (re)structuring society and the way it works?
Instead of spurring economic growth by building prisons, we should build more schools and educate those who commit crimes, because most crime is economic, not racial or moral. We must be creative and grow economically without profiting or allowing human misery and causing oppression of the human family in the Global South. Even our social movements must call people in to decolonize their lives to reduce the suffering of others. A philosophy of abundance — which is how King understood nonviolence — is not only about not using violence, but also about the possibility for creative ways to transform ourselves and our society.
—
This story was made possible by our members. Become one today.
Dr. David Ragland is co-director of The Truth Telling Project of Ferguson, a national council member of the Fellowship of Reconciliation, and visiting professor at Pacifica Graduate Institute.
RELATED
Spirituality, Mind-Body, Gender, Ecology, Ageing, Peace, Scrapbook (in English and Korean)
2018/04/11
휴심정 - 거짓자아 아닌 진짜 자기 찾기
한겨레 수행·치유 전문 웹진 - 휴심정 - 거짓자아 아닌 진짜 자기 찾기
거짓자아 아닌 진짜 자기 찾기
홍성남 2018. 04. 10
조회수 282 추천수 0
사람들은 모두 자기의 인생을 살아갑니다
때론 행복해하고 때로는 불행하다고 하면서
그런데 정작 자기의 인생을 자기가 아닌 다른사람이 만들어준 것으로 살아가는 사람들이 많습니다
부모가 바라는 인생 혹은 부모가 강요한 인생 부모의 뜻을 따라 사는 인생
마치 허수아비처럼 부모의 칭찬에 목을 매면서 사는 것입니다
이것을 심리치료에서는 거짓자아의 인생이라고 합니다
MAY SARTON 은 이렇게 말합니다
“나 이제 내가 되었네 여러해 여러곳을 돌아다니느라 시간이 많이 걸렸네
나는 이리저리 흔들리고 녹아없어져 다른사람의 얼굴을 하고 있었네”
어떤 영성가는 이런말을 하기도 햇습니다
“ 사람이 본연의 자기모습으로 돌아가는데 얼마나 오랜시간이 걸리는가?
그 과정에서 자기것이 아닌 남의 얼굴을 가면처럼쓰는일이 또 얼마나 많은가
내면 깊은곳의 정체성을 발견하기 까지 우리의 에고는 얼마나 많이 녹아내리며 흔들림을 겪어야 하는가?
사람은 누구나 천부의 재능을 가지고 이 땅에 태어났다
그래놓고는 인생의 절반을 그 재능을 내버리거나 다른사람들이 말에 미혹되어 잊어버리고 산다
혹시라도 눈을 뜨고 깨달아 잃어버린것을 갖게 되면
나머지 인생은 원래 갖고있던 선물을 되찾기 위해 애쓴다 ”
참으로 어려운것이 인생입니다
돈을 많이 벌고 사회적지위를 얻고 성공한 인생을 만들은것 같은데도
마음이 허전한것은 그 삶이 자기삶이 아니라
다른사람들의 비위를 맞추기 위한 삶일때 그런것이지요
그래서 인생의 은총중에 가장 큰것은
내 인생길을 알려주는내가 누구인지를 알려주는 멘토라고 합니다
좋은 멘토를 만나기 위해 기도하고 기다리시길 바랍니다
저의 작은 이 상담카페가 길을 잃고 헤메는 외로운 영혼들에게
작은 등대가 되기를 희망하면서 글을 올립니다
저역시 길을 잃고 어두움속을 헤매다가 멘토를 만나
비로서 나이 사십중반부터 나를 찾는 작업을 하였기에
--------------------------------------
관련글
공동체의 힘
사막에 가고 싶다
10대아이가 성가시게한다는 뜻은
예수님, 한동네서 이러지 맙시다.
겸손은 자신을 그대로 드러내는것
목록
태그 : 홍성남신부, 상담, 인생, 본연, 행복, 불행, 허수아비, 거짓자아, 자기모습 찾기, 가면, 멘토
홍성남가톨릭영성심리상담소장. 저 높이 계신, 두렵고 경외스런 하느님을 우리 곁으로 끌어내린 사제다. 하느님에게 화내도 괜찮다면서 속풀이를 권장한다. <풀어야 산다>, <화나면 화내고 힘들 땐 쉬어>, <챙기고 사세요> 등이 속풀이 처방전을 발간했다.이메일 : doban87@catholic.or.kr
최신글
2018.04.10거짓자아 아닌 진짜 자기 찾기
2018.04.01종교체험 심리치료 만병통치 아니다
2018.03.18공동체의 힘
2018.02.27좌절의 근육이 주는 힘
2018.01.15사막에 가고 싶다
거짓자아 아닌 진짜 자기 찾기
홍성남 2018. 04. 10
조회수 282 추천수 0
사람들은 모두 자기의 인생을 살아갑니다
때론 행복해하고 때로는 불행하다고 하면서
그런데 정작 자기의 인생을 자기가 아닌 다른사람이 만들어준 것으로 살아가는 사람들이 많습니다
부모가 바라는 인생 혹은 부모가 강요한 인생 부모의 뜻을 따라 사는 인생
마치 허수아비처럼 부모의 칭찬에 목을 매면서 사는 것입니다
이것을 심리치료에서는 거짓자아의 인생이라고 합니다
MAY SARTON 은 이렇게 말합니다
“나 이제 내가 되었네 여러해 여러곳을 돌아다니느라 시간이 많이 걸렸네
나는 이리저리 흔들리고 녹아없어져 다른사람의 얼굴을 하고 있었네”
어떤 영성가는 이런말을 하기도 햇습니다
“ 사람이 본연의 자기모습으로 돌아가는데 얼마나 오랜시간이 걸리는가?
그 과정에서 자기것이 아닌 남의 얼굴을 가면처럼쓰는일이 또 얼마나 많은가
내면 깊은곳의 정체성을 발견하기 까지 우리의 에고는 얼마나 많이 녹아내리며 흔들림을 겪어야 하는가?
사람은 누구나 천부의 재능을 가지고 이 땅에 태어났다
그래놓고는 인생의 절반을 그 재능을 내버리거나 다른사람들이 말에 미혹되어 잊어버리고 산다
혹시라도 눈을 뜨고 깨달아 잃어버린것을 갖게 되면
나머지 인생은 원래 갖고있던 선물을 되찾기 위해 애쓴다 ”
참으로 어려운것이 인생입니다
돈을 많이 벌고 사회적지위를 얻고 성공한 인생을 만들은것 같은데도
마음이 허전한것은 그 삶이 자기삶이 아니라
다른사람들의 비위를 맞추기 위한 삶일때 그런것이지요
그래서 인생의 은총중에 가장 큰것은
내 인생길을 알려주는내가 누구인지를 알려주는 멘토라고 합니다
좋은 멘토를 만나기 위해 기도하고 기다리시길 바랍니다
저의 작은 이 상담카페가 길을 잃고 헤메는 외로운 영혼들에게
작은 등대가 되기를 희망하면서 글을 올립니다
저역시 길을 잃고 어두움속을 헤매다가 멘토를 만나
비로서 나이 사십중반부터 나를 찾는 작업을 하였기에
--------------------------------------
관련글
공동체의 힘
사막에 가고 싶다
10대아이가 성가시게한다는 뜻은
예수님, 한동네서 이러지 맙시다.
겸손은 자신을 그대로 드러내는것
목록
태그 : 홍성남신부, 상담, 인생, 본연, 행복, 불행, 허수아비, 거짓자아, 자기모습 찾기, 가면, 멘토
홍성남가톨릭영성심리상담소장. 저 높이 계신, 두렵고 경외스런 하느님을 우리 곁으로 끌어내린 사제다. 하느님에게 화내도 괜찮다면서 속풀이를 권장한다. <풀어야 산다>, <화나면 화내고 힘들 땐 쉬어>, <챙기고 사세요> 등이 속풀이 처방전을 발간했다.이메일 : doban87@catholic.or.kr
최신글
2018.04.10거짓자아 아닌 진짜 자기 찾기
2018.04.01종교체험 심리치료 만병통치 아니다
2018.03.18공동체의 힘
2018.02.27좌절의 근육이 주는 힘
2018.01.15사막에 가고 싶다
2018/04/10
Religion in Human Evolution eBook: Robert N. Bellah: Kindle Store
Religion in Human Evolution eBook: Robert N. Bellah: Kindle Store
Editorial Reviews
Review
This book is the opus magnum of the greatest living sociologist of religion. Nobody since Max Weber has produced such an erudite and systematic comparative world history of religion in its earlier phases. Robert Bellah opens new vistas for the interdisciplinary study of religion and for global inter-religious dialogue. (Hans Joas, The University of Chicago and the Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies, Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg)
This is an extraordinarily rich book based on wide-ranging scholarship. It contains not just a host of individual studies, but is informed with a coherent and powerful theoretical structure. There is nothing like it in existence. Of course, it will be challenged. But it will bring the debate a great step forward, even for its detractors. And it will enable other scholars to build on its insights in further studies of religion past and present.
Editorial Reviews
Review
This book is the opus magnum of the greatest living sociologist of religion. Nobody since Max Weber has produced such an erudite and systematic comparative world history of religion in its earlier phases. Robert Bellah opens new vistas for the interdisciplinary study of religion and for global inter-religious dialogue. (Hans Joas, The University of Chicago and the Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies, Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg)
This is an extraordinarily rich book based on wide-ranging scholarship. It contains not just a host of individual studies, but is informed with a coherent and powerful theoretical structure. There is nothing like it in existence. Of course, it will be challenged. But it will bring the debate a great step forward, even for its detractors. And it will enable other scholars to build on its insights in further studies of religion past and present.
(Charles Taylor, author of A Secular Age and Dilemmas and Connections)
Robert Bellah's Religion in Human Evolution is the most important systematic and historical treatment of religion since Hegel, Durkheim, and Weber. It is a page-turner of a bildungsroman of the human spirit on a truly global scale, and should be on every educated person's bookshelves. Bellah breathes new life into critical universal history by making ancient China and India indispensable parts of a grand narrative of human religious evolution. The generosity and breadth of his empathy and curiosity in humanity is on full display on every page. One will never see human history and our contemporary world the same after reading this magnificent book.
Robert Bellah's Religion in Human Evolution is the most important systematic and historical treatment of religion since Hegel, Durkheim, and Weber. It is a page-turner of a bildungsroman of the human spirit on a truly global scale, and should be on every educated person's bookshelves. Bellah breathes new life into critical universal history by making ancient China and India indispensable parts of a grand narrative of human religious evolution. The generosity and breadth of his empathy and curiosity in humanity is on full display on every page. One will never see human history and our contemporary world the same after reading this magnificent book.
(Yang Xiao, Kenyon College)
This great book is the intellectual harvest of the rich academic life of a leading social theorist who has assimilated a vast range of biological, anthropological, and historical literature in the pursuit of a breathtaking project. Robert Bellah first searches for the roots of ritual and myth in the natural evolution of our species and then follows with the social evolution of religion up to the Axial Age. In the second part of his book, he succeeds in a unique comparison of the origins of the handful of surviving world-religions, including Greek philosophy. In this field I do not know of an equally ambitious and comprehensive study.
This great book is the intellectual harvest of the rich academic life of a leading social theorist who has assimilated a vast range of biological, anthropological, and historical literature in the pursuit of a breathtaking project. Robert Bellah first searches for the roots of ritual and myth in the natural evolution of our species and then follows with the social evolution of religion up to the Axial Age. In the second part of his book, he succeeds in a unique comparison of the origins of the handful of surviving world-religions, including Greek philosophy. In this field I do not know of an equally ambitious and comprehensive study.
(Jürgen Habermas)
Religion in Human Evolution is a work of remarkable ambition and breadth. The wealth of reference which Robert Bellah calls upon in support of his argument is breath-taking, as is the daring of the argument itself. A marvellously stimulating book. (John Banville, novelist)
Bellah's reexamination of his own classic theory of religious evolution provides a treasure-chest of rich detail and sociological insight. The evolutionary story is not linear but full of twists and variations. The human capacity for religion begins in the earliest ritual gatherings involving emotion, music and dance, producing collective effervescence and shared narratives that give meaning to the utilitarian world. But ritual entwines with power and stratification, as chiefs vie with each other over the sheer length, expense, and impressiveness of ritual.
Religion in Human Evolution is a work of remarkable ambition and breadth. The wealth of reference which Robert Bellah calls upon in support of his argument is breath-taking, as is the daring of the argument itself. A marvellously stimulating book. (John Banville, novelist)
Bellah's reexamination of his own classic theory of religious evolution provides a treasure-chest of rich detail and sociological insight. The evolutionary story is not linear but full of twists and variations. The human capacity for religion begins in the earliest ritual gatherings involving emotion, music and dance, producing collective effervescence and shared narratives that give meaning to the utilitarian world. But ritual entwines with power and stratification, as chiefs vie with each other over the sheer length, expense, and impressiveness of ritual.
Archaic kingdoms take a sinister turn with terroristic rituals such as human sacrifices exalting the power of god and ruler simultaneously. As societies become more complex and rulers acquire organization that relies more on administration and taxation than on sheer impressiveness and terror, religions move towards the axial breakthrough into more abstract, universal and self-reflexive concepts, elevating the religious sphere above worldly goods and power.
Above all, the religions of the breakthrough become ethicized, turning against cruelty and inequality and creating the ideals that eventually will become those of more just and humane societies.
Bellah deftly examines the major historical texts and weighs contemporary scholarship in presenting his encompassing vision.
(Randall Collins, author of The Sociology of Philosophies: A Global Theory of Intellectual Change)
In this magisterial effort, eminent sociologist of religion Bellah attempts nothing less than to show the ways that the evolution of certain capacities among humans provided the foundation for religion...[Readers] will be rewarded with a wealth of sparkling insights into the history of religion. (Publishers Weekly 2011-08-08)
Bellah's book is an interesting departure from the traditional separation of science and religion. He maintains that the evolving worldviews sought to unify rather than to divide people. Poignantly, it is upon these principles that both Western and Eastern modern societies are now based. What strikes the reader most powerfully is how the author connects cultural development and religion in an evolutionary context. He suggests that cultural evolution can be seen in mimetic, mythical, and theoretical contexts. (Brian Renvall Library Journal 2011-08-01)
Religion in Human Evolution is not like so many other "science and religion" books, which tend to explain away belief as a smudge on a brain scan or an accident of early hominid social organization. It is, instead, a bold attempt to understand religion as part of the biggest big picture--life, the universe, and everything...One need not believe in intelligent design to look for embryonic traces of human behavior on the lower rungs of the evolutionary ladder. [Bellah's] attempt to do just that, with the help of recent research in zoology and anthropology, results in a menagerie of case studies that provide the book's real innovation. Not only the chimps and monkeys evoked by the word "evolution" in the title, but wolves and birds and iguanas all pass through these pages. Within such a sundry cast, Bellah searches for a commonality that may give some indication of where and when the uniquely human activity of religion was born. What he finds is as intriguing as it is unexpected...Bellah is less concerned with whether religion is right or wrong, good or bad, perfume or mustard gas, than with understanding what it is and where it comes from, and in following the path toward that understanding, wherever it may lead...In a perfect world, the endless curiosity on display throughout Religion in Human Evolution would set the tone for all discussions of religion in the public square. (Peter Manseau Bookforum 2011-09-01)
Ever since Darwin, the theory of evolution has been considered the deadly enemy of religious belief; the creation of Adam and Eve and the process of natural selection simply do not go together. In Religion in Human Evolution: From the Paleolithic to the Axial Age, the sociologist Robert Bellah offers a new, unexpected way of reconciling these opposites, using evolutionary psychology to argue that the invention of religious belief played a crucial role in the development of modern human beings. (Barnes and Noble Review 2011-09-14)
About the Author
Robert N. Bellah was Elliott Professor of Sociology, Emeritus, at the University of California, Berkeley.
-----------
2.0 out of 5 stars
In this magisterial effort, eminent sociologist of religion Bellah attempts nothing less than to show the ways that the evolution of certain capacities among humans provided the foundation for religion...[Readers] will be rewarded with a wealth of sparkling insights into the history of religion. (Publishers Weekly 2011-08-08)
Bellah's book is an interesting departure from the traditional separation of science and religion. He maintains that the evolving worldviews sought to unify rather than to divide people. Poignantly, it is upon these principles that both Western and Eastern modern societies are now based. What strikes the reader most powerfully is how the author connects cultural development and religion in an evolutionary context. He suggests that cultural evolution can be seen in mimetic, mythical, and theoretical contexts. (Brian Renvall Library Journal 2011-08-01)
Religion in Human Evolution is not like so many other "science and religion" books, which tend to explain away belief as a smudge on a brain scan or an accident of early hominid social organization. It is, instead, a bold attempt to understand religion as part of the biggest big picture--life, the universe, and everything...One need not believe in intelligent design to look for embryonic traces of human behavior on the lower rungs of the evolutionary ladder. [Bellah's] attempt to do just that, with the help of recent research in zoology and anthropology, results in a menagerie of case studies that provide the book's real innovation. Not only the chimps and monkeys evoked by the word "evolution" in the title, but wolves and birds and iguanas all pass through these pages. Within such a sundry cast, Bellah searches for a commonality that may give some indication of where and when the uniquely human activity of religion was born. What he finds is as intriguing as it is unexpected...Bellah is less concerned with whether religion is right or wrong, good or bad, perfume or mustard gas, than with understanding what it is and where it comes from, and in following the path toward that understanding, wherever it may lead...In a perfect world, the endless curiosity on display throughout Religion in Human Evolution would set the tone for all discussions of religion in the public square. (Peter Manseau Bookforum 2011-09-01)
Ever since Darwin, the theory of evolution has been considered the deadly enemy of religious belief; the creation of Adam and Eve and the process of natural selection simply do not go together. In Religion in Human Evolution: From the Paleolithic to the Axial Age, the sociologist Robert Bellah offers a new, unexpected way of reconciling these opposites, using evolutionary psychology to argue that the invention of religious belief played a crucial role in the development of modern human beings. (Barnes and Noble Review 2011-09-14)
About the Author
Robert N. Bellah was Elliott Professor of Sociology, Emeritus, at the University of California, Berkeley.
-----------
2.0 out of 5 stars
Wringing water from a stone...
ByBrian C.on August 17, 2016
Format: Hardcover|Verified Purchase
Robert Bellah attempts in this work to provide a “deep history” of religion, one that probes beyond the limits of recorded history, in an attempt to trace the evolutionary origins of the capacities that lie at the root of religion, and provide a synopsis of the interconnected and non-linear history of social and religious evolution up to the axial age. Since the axial age is defined as the period of history when our “cultural world and the great traditions that still in so many ways define us, all originate” (269) the book is really an attempt to trace religion from its earliest evolutionary precursors up to modern times, though the book ends before the development of Christianity and Islam. This is an ambitious project, and an exciting one, and perhaps even a necessary one, but I did not feel this book was successful in living up to its promise.
The book can be divided into roughly three sections. The first section is comprised of the first two chapters entitled “Religion and Reality” and “Religion and Evolution.” In the chapter on “Religion and Reality” Bellah provides a preliminary definition of religion, based on the definition offered by Clifford Geertz, and he attempts to describe the relationship between religion and everday practical reality. Using the theories of Alfred Schultz and Abraham Maslow he tries to get at the distinctiveness of religion by drawing contrasts between the world of “practical or pragmatic interest” and “non-ordinary reality”, on the one hand, and what Maslow called “D-Cognition” (short for deficiency-cognition) and “B-Cognition” (short for being-cognition) on the other.
In the chapter on “Religion and Evolution” Bellah discusses the notion of conserved core-processes (processes that have origins deep in evolutionary history and are conserved throughout later mutations, like metabolism), the evolutionary origins of empathy and play, and he introduces Merlin Donald’s three-stage theory of human cognition and cultural evolution. Merlin’s theory is one of the primary structuring principles of the book. Bellah’s history of religion begins with tribal religions, in which mimetic culture, where meanings are enacted through bodily movement and song, is primary, proceeds through the religions of archaic states where narrative and mythospeculation transform earlier mimetic culture, and terminates in the axial age where theoretic culture further transforms inherited narratives and mythologies.
The second section of the book is comprised of the middle three chapters which are devoted to religious history in mimetic and mythological cultures. The history proceeds from the largely mimetic, and roughly egalitarian, societies of the Kalapalo Indians up to the mythological and hierarchical socieities of ancient Egypt and Shang and Western Zhou China. Bellah peppers his narrative with case histories of the Kalapalo Indians, the Navaho, the Tikopia of Polynesia and the Hawaiians among others. In each case history Bellah attempts to analyze the forces operative in the creation, maintenance and transformations of social institutions and he attempts to tie those to developments in religious thought and practice.
The third section of the book is comprised of the last four chapters of the book and it consists in a fairly detailed analysis of the four axial civilizations: Ancient Israel, Ancient Greece, Ancient China, and Ancient India. In these chapters, Bellah attempts to define in each case what the “axial breakthrough” actually consisted of and he attempts to tie those breakthroughs to the social conditions that prevailed at the time. This last section is over half of the book and seems to be the primary subject of Bellah’s book. The primary question Bellah seems to be addressing is: What accounts for the breakthrough to theoretic or critical thought and to an ideal standpoint in religion from which a criticism of existing social structures becomes possible?
While Bellah offers plenty of interesting insights along the way the book suffered from many flaws. The first section of the book, where Bellah seems to lay the groundwork for a “theory of religion” in the true sense, plays very little role in the more historical sections of the book, with the exception of Merlin Donald’s theories. The notions of non-ordinary reality, B versus D cognition, core conserved processes and empathy do not really appear after the first two chapters (the last mention of “conserved core processes” is page 87, for example). Even the notion of play, which reappears in the conclusion, plays virtually no role in the historical sections, and it is never entirely clear how all of these concepts relate to religion in the proper sense. Readers who are looking for a new “theory of religion” that explains the evolutionary origins of religion, its adaptive or non-adaptive functions, and the causal relations between religion and other forms of social life are going to be disappointed.
The book seems to lack a theoretical core. Bellah points to many fascinating correlations. For example, the historical and social context for the rise of the prophets in ancient Israel. However, it is never clear whether the causal arrow is supposed to run from material social relations to religious ideology or the other way around. I saw a panel on Bellah’s book online, at which Bellah was present, and he seemed to admit that he ignored the issue of causality because it was just too difficult to determine which way the causal arrow runs but, in my opinion, science is inseparable from the search for causal mechanisms and it is worth putting forward a causal story even if the story turns out to be wrong. The causal stories that Marx or Durkheim tell about religion are probably wrong, at least in some respects, but they both had a theoretical core - that took a stance on causality - and made it possible to criticize their theories and develop alternative theories. Bellah’s analysis seems to me to lack such a core and I think it suffers for that. I think being wrong would have been more interesting than not taking a stance on the issue at all.
I was disappointed in the lack of theory but even the descriptive historical sections of the book fell short of what I was expecting. Much of the book is simply Bellah summarizing the work of other scholars. It is possible to learn something from these summaries but I constantly felt like my time would have been used more effectively by simply reading Bellah’s sources (which I intend to do). Bellah spends a fair amount of his time getting into esoteric scholary debates. For example, in the chapter on China, Bellah gets into the debate about whether ren or li was more important in Confucian philosophy. It was not at all clear to me that reaching a decision on that question was all that important for Bellah’s overall argument. It felt like Bellah was getting sidetracked and I think the narrative would have been better served if Bellah had spent more time going into the essentials of Confucian philosophy and the relationship between its tenets and social institutions at the time. This would have made the chapter a more satisfactory introduction to the subject for people like me who are not already well versed in ancient Chinese history and philosophy.
Finally, I have to make a final comment about something that I just found bizarre. In the conclusion of the book Bellah raises what I think is an interesting question: What place does a metanarrative have in his analysis? Bellah is rightfully somewhat suspicious of metanarratives and one virtue of his book is that his history of religion is not a linear history of “progress”. However, Bellah argues that metanarratives are essential for our pragmatic engagements in trying to bring about a better world (599). I agree with all of this, but then Bellah goes on to say that the “primary practical intent” of his work is that humans need to “wake up” to the ecological crisis we are currently facing in the form of a sixth great extinction event. While I am in full sympathy with this “practical intent” it seems to me to come totally out of left field.
Bellah’s book is about the history of religion, and the first time this ecological crisis is even mentioned is on page 602 (the book itself is 606 pages long), so it is not at all clear to me how anyone reading this book could ever have gotten the idea that the primary practical import of the whole thing had to do with our need to address our current ecological crisis or how this concern could possibly serve as a coherent metanarrative tying everything in the book together. This is perhaps a minor point but I think the bigger issue is: this book seemed to me to be a giant hodge podge. Bellah just threw everything he had in without worrying about whether it was coherent. The fact that he claims, at the very end of his story, that the major practical import of a book on the sociology of religion is inspiring us to take action regarding our current ecological crisis seemed to me to illustrate this bigger issue.
I realize some very intelligent people reviewed this work very positively so any reader of this review will have to put my opinion into the scales with much weightier opinions. I am thinking of Charles Taylor and Jurgen Habermas in particular. I have a great deal of respect for both of them and partially out of deference to them I made every effort to wring whatever I could out of this book. I began re-reading sections early on because I was not getting as much out of the book as I expected based on the glowing reviews and I felt like I must be missing something, but eventually it began to feel like I was trying to wring water out of a stone. Ultimately, what this book gave me is a series of topics I would like to study in more depth, and a list of books to get me started, which is not nothing, but is a lot less than I expected.
Comment| 17 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?
---
3.0 out of 5 stars
ByBrian C.on August 17, 2016
Format: Hardcover|Verified Purchase
Robert Bellah attempts in this work to provide a “deep history” of religion, one that probes beyond the limits of recorded history, in an attempt to trace the evolutionary origins of the capacities that lie at the root of religion, and provide a synopsis of the interconnected and non-linear history of social and religious evolution up to the axial age. Since the axial age is defined as the period of history when our “cultural world and the great traditions that still in so many ways define us, all originate” (269) the book is really an attempt to trace religion from its earliest evolutionary precursors up to modern times, though the book ends before the development of Christianity and Islam. This is an ambitious project, and an exciting one, and perhaps even a necessary one, but I did not feel this book was successful in living up to its promise.
The book can be divided into roughly three sections. The first section is comprised of the first two chapters entitled “Religion and Reality” and “Religion and Evolution.” In the chapter on “Religion and Reality” Bellah provides a preliminary definition of religion, based on the definition offered by Clifford Geertz, and he attempts to describe the relationship between religion and everday practical reality. Using the theories of Alfred Schultz and Abraham Maslow he tries to get at the distinctiveness of religion by drawing contrasts between the world of “practical or pragmatic interest” and “non-ordinary reality”, on the one hand, and what Maslow called “D-Cognition” (short for deficiency-cognition) and “B-Cognition” (short for being-cognition) on the other.
In the chapter on “Religion and Evolution” Bellah discusses the notion of conserved core-processes (processes that have origins deep in evolutionary history and are conserved throughout later mutations, like metabolism), the evolutionary origins of empathy and play, and he introduces Merlin Donald’s three-stage theory of human cognition and cultural evolution. Merlin’s theory is one of the primary structuring principles of the book. Bellah’s history of religion begins with tribal religions, in which mimetic culture, where meanings are enacted through bodily movement and song, is primary, proceeds through the religions of archaic states where narrative and mythospeculation transform earlier mimetic culture, and terminates in the axial age where theoretic culture further transforms inherited narratives and mythologies.
The second section of the book is comprised of the middle three chapters which are devoted to religious history in mimetic and mythological cultures. The history proceeds from the largely mimetic, and roughly egalitarian, societies of the Kalapalo Indians up to the mythological and hierarchical socieities of ancient Egypt and Shang and Western Zhou China. Bellah peppers his narrative with case histories of the Kalapalo Indians, the Navaho, the Tikopia of Polynesia and the Hawaiians among others. In each case history Bellah attempts to analyze the forces operative in the creation, maintenance and transformations of social institutions and he attempts to tie those to developments in religious thought and practice.
The third section of the book is comprised of the last four chapters of the book and it consists in a fairly detailed analysis of the four axial civilizations: Ancient Israel, Ancient Greece, Ancient China, and Ancient India. In these chapters, Bellah attempts to define in each case what the “axial breakthrough” actually consisted of and he attempts to tie those breakthroughs to the social conditions that prevailed at the time. This last section is over half of the book and seems to be the primary subject of Bellah’s book. The primary question Bellah seems to be addressing is: What accounts for the breakthrough to theoretic or critical thought and to an ideal standpoint in religion from which a criticism of existing social structures becomes possible?
While Bellah offers plenty of interesting insights along the way the book suffered from many flaws. The first section of the book, where Bellah seems to lay the groundwork for a “theory of religion” in the true sense, plays very little role in the more historical sections of the book, with the exception of Merlin Donald’s theories. The notions of non-ordinary reality, B versus D cognition, core conserved processes and empathy do not really appear after the first two chapters (the last mention of “conserved core processes” is page 87, for example). Even the notion of play, which reappears in the conclusion, plays virtually no role in the historical sections, and it is never entirely clear how all of these concepts relate to religion in the proper sense. Readers who are looking for a new “theory of religion” that explains the evolutionary origins of religion, its adaptive or non-adaptive functions, and the causal relations between religion and other forms of social life are going to be disappointed.
The book seems to lack a theoretical core. Bellah points to many fascinating correlations. For example, the historical and social context for the rise of the prophets in ancient Israel. However, it is never clear whether the causal arrow is supposed to run from material social relations to religious ideology or the other way around. I saw a panel on Bellah’s book online, at which Bellah was present, and he seemed to admit that he ignored the issue of causality because it was just too difficult to determine which way the causal arrow runs but, in my opinion, science is inseparable from the search for causal mechanisms and it is worth putting forward a causal story even if the story turns out to be wrong. The causal stories that Marx or Durkheim tell about religion are probably wrong, at least in some respects, but they both had a theoretical core - that took a stance on causality - and made it possible to criticize their theories and develop alternative theories. Bellah’s analysis seems to me to lack such a core and I think it suffers for that. I think being wrong would have been more interesting than not taking a stance on the issue at all.
I was disappointed in the lack of theory but even the descriptive historical sections of the book fell short of what I was expecting. Much of the book is simply Bellah summarizing the work of other scholars. It is possible to learn something from these summaries but I constantly felt like my time would have been used more effectively by simply reading Bellah’s sources (which I intend to do). Bellah spends a fair amount of his time getting into esoteric scholary debates. For example, in the chapter on China, Bellah gets into the debate about whether ren or li was more important in Confucian philosophy. It was not at all clear to me that reaching a decision on that question was all that important for Bellah’s overall argument. It felt like Bellah was getting sidetracked and I think the narrative would have been better served if Bellah had spent more time going into the essentials of Confucian philosophy and the relationship between its tenets and social institutions at the time. This would have made the chapter a more satisfactory introduction to the subject for people like me who are not already well versed in ancient Chinese history and philosophy.
Finally, I have to make a final comment about something that I just found bizarre. In the conclusion of the book Bellah raises what I think is an interesting question: What place does a metanarrative have in his analysis? Bellah is rightfully somewhat suspicious of metanarratives and one virtue of his book is that his history of religion is not a linear history of “progress”. However, Bellah argues that metanarratives are essential for our pragmatic engagements in trying to bring about a better world (599). I agree with all of this, but then Bellah goes on to say that the “primary practical intent” of his work is that humans need to “wake up” to the ecological crisis we are currently facing in the form of a sixth great extinction event. While I am in full sympathy with this “practical intent” it seems to me to come totally out of left field.
Bellah’s book is about the history of religion, and the first time this ecological crisis is even mentioned is on page 602 (the book itself is 606 pages long), so it is not at all clear to me how anyone reading this book could ever have gotten the idea that the primary practical import of the whole thing had to do with our need to address our current ecological crisis or how this concern could possibly serve as a coherent metanarrative tying everything in the book together. This is perhaps a minor point but I think the bigger issue is: this book seemed to me to be a giant hodge podge. Bellah just threw everything he had in without worrying about whether it was coherent. The fact that he claims, at the very end of his story, that the major practical import of a book on the sociology of religion is inspiring us to take action regarding our current ecological crisis seemed to me to illustrate this bigger issue.
I realize some very intelligent people reviewed this work very positively so any reader of this review will have to put my opinion into the scales with much weightier opinions. I am thinking of Charles Taylor and Jurgen Habermas in particular. I have a great deal of respect for both of them and partially out of deference to them I made every effort to wring whatever I could out of this book. I began re-reading sections early on because I was not getting as much out of the book as I expected based on the glowing reviews and I felt like I must be missing something, but eventually it began to feel like I was trying to wring water out of a stone. Ultimately, what this book gave me is a series of topics I would like to study in more depth, and a list of books to get me started, which is not nothing, but is a lot less than I expected.
Comment| 17 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?
---
3.0 out of 5 stars
This book was a wonderfully ambitious undertaking
ByJohn K. Skousenon July 27, 2014
Format: Hardcover|Verified Purchase
This book was a wonderfully ambitious undertaking, but it lacks a certain conceptual tightness I was hoping for. I appreciated the honesty of attributing many of his thoughts to the work of others, and to that degree, I can see this man does not have a large ego to feed and is willing to invite others to his dialog. And that he certainly did .... With the complexity and dense nature of the material, I may have missed it along the way, but I would have enjoyed more of his personal analysis and conclusions. I loved his discussion of play and the world of work, and how these two worlds can be woven together into the tapestry of life. His suggestion was that religion is merely an elaboration, at least in part, of the propensity of all creatures to engage in play. Although this may seem offensive to some, I got his point without agreeing totally with his (or his sources') analysis. Although I found myself wondering whether the content was consistently true to the theme of book, and I was tempted many times to simply give it up, I endured to the end and found some helpful focusing in the final conclusion. But even the conclusion was not what I hoped it would be. The author is undoubtedly a lot smarter than I am, and being put at a disadvantage if I analyze this, I give it 3 stars.
Comment| 3 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?
---
4.0 out of 5 stars
ByJohn K. Skousenon July 27, 2014
Format: Hardcover|Verified Purchase
This book was a wonderfully ambitious undertaking, but it lacks a certain conceptual tightness I was hoping for. I appreciated the honesty of attributing many of his thoughts to the work of others, and to that degree, I can see this man does not have a large ego to feed and is willing to invite others to his dialog. And that he certainly did .... With the complexity and dense nature of the material, I may have missed it along the way, but I would have enjoyed more of his personal analysis and conclusions. I loved his discussion of play and the world of work, and how these two worlds can be woven together into the tapestry of life. His suggestion was that religion is merely an elaboration, at least in part, of the propensity of all creatures to engage in play. Although this may seem offensive to some, I got his point without agreeing totally with his (or his sources') analysis. Although I found myself wondering whether the content was consistently true to the theme of book, and I was tempted many times to simply give it up, I endured to the end and found some helpful focusing in the final conclusion. But even the conclusion was not what I hoped it would be. The author is undoubtedly a lot smarter than I am, and being put at a disadvantage if I analyze this, I give it 3 stars.
Comment| 3 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?
---
4.0 out of 5 stars
meticulously constructed work by a true subject matter expert
ByGreg Smith (aka sowhatfaith)on February 28, 2012
Format: Hardcover|Verified Purchase
Religion in Human Evolution is a meticulously constructed academic tome (700+ pages) that effectively explores Bellah's understanding of how religion developed within the larger framework of human evolution from the paleolithic to the axial age. The account of religious beginnings and formation is interdisciplinary and comparative, displaying the author's incredible knowledge of the subject matter. Finally, the extended treatment of four axial cases (Israel, Greece, China, and India) provides a solid summary of recent scholarship while also displaying the author's humility (e.g., his appraisal of his own limited knowledge about ancient India prior to his research for this book - p. 481).
Comment| 7 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?
---
5.0 out of 5 stars
ByGreg Smith (aka sowhatfaith)on February 28, 2012
Format: Hardcover|Verified Purchase
Religion in Human Evolution is a meticulously constructed academic tome (700+ pages) that effectively explores Bellah's understanding of how religion developed within the larger framework of human evolution from the paleolithic to the axial age. The account of religious beginnings and formation is interdisciplinary and comparative, displaying the author's incredible knowledge of the subject matter. Finally, the extended treatment of four axial cases (Israel, Greece, China, and India) provides a solid summary of recent scholarship while also displaying the author's humility (e.g., his appraisal of his own limited knowledge about ancient India prior to his research for this book - p. 481).
Comment| 7 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?
---
5.0 out of 5 stars
Splendid from cover to cover
ByLaurence Chalemon February 18, 2012
Format: Hardcover|Verified Purchase
Few books are written that explain a subject so carefully and masterfully as RELIGION IN HUMAN EVOLUTION by Professor Robert N. Bellah. What I appreciated most is that I could tell it was written by someone that has spent years researching the subject, probably his whole life, at least from his own "Axial Age." This book explains human life on Earth from a wide swath of time, from about 1300 BCE up until the Axial Age, which was; well, he takes great pains to explain when that was. There's something interesting to read on each page, and it was like reading something from someone that cares about the subject enough to gently explain it. RELIGION IN HUMAN EVOLUTION is certainly not half about evolution and half about religion. In fact, it's mostly about religion, though his evolutionary discussion is a fair and balanced account, albeit brief. Here is a book written to give a general reader an overview--a carefully cited and concise overview--about the two subjects juxtaposed that leaves a lasting impression. Prof. Bellah has provided great insight and I highly recommend this book, all the more because of the two or three other books that I read--and the twenty others that are on my list to be read--as a result of his recommendations. Cheers... - lc
Comment| 16 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?
---
4.0 out of 5 stars
ByLaurence Chalemon February 18, 2012
Format: Hardcover|Verified Purchase
Few books are written that explain a subject so carefully and masterfully as RELIGION IN HUMAN EVOLUTION by Professor Robert N. Bellah. What I appreciated most is that I could tell it was written by someone that has spent years researching the subject, probably his whole life, at least from his own "Axial Age." This book explains human life on Earth from a wide swath of time, from about 1300 BCE up until the Axial Age, which was; well, he takes great pains to explain when that was. There's something interesting to read on each page, and it was like reading something from someone that cares about the subject enough to gently explain it. RELIGION IN HUMAN EVOLUTION is certainly not half about evolution and half about religion. In fact, it's mostly about religion, though his evolutionary discussion is a fair and balanced account, albeit brief. Here is a book written to give a general reader an overview--a carefully cited and concise overview--about the two subjects juxtaposed that leaves a lasting impression. Prof. Bellah has provided great insight and I highly recommend this book, all the more because of the two or three other books that I read--and the twenty others that are on my list to be read--as a result of his recommendations. Cheers... - lc
Comment| 16 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?
---
4.0 out of 5 stars
Heavy Reading...
ByBernard Con May 28, 2013
Format: Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase
This is a slow read, for me and I would presume a slow read for most. Religion and philosophy - This is basically a book on how and why the human race created them. The subject of God will most likely come up and our relationship with God. Possibly how we have come to create so many different gods and how they have changed into the variety we have today. After all, the human race has done a wonderful job creating God in its own image through out the millenniums. But for me, these three - God, Religion, Philosophy - and their interaction with each other and the human race, has always fascinated me. Knowing my interest, my medical doctor suggested this book and he too said it was, 'Heavy Reading.' So far, I have read the introduction, which was long, and Chapter One. It's like reading a text book, I read a few pages and then think about it till next time I read. It isn't a novel!!
Comment| 2 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?
---
5.0 out of 5 stars
ByBernard Con May 28, 2013
Format: Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase
This is a slow read, for me and I would presume a slow read for most. Religion and philosophy - This is basically a book on how and why the human race created them. The subject of God will most likely come up and our relationship with God. Possibly how we have come to create so many different gods and how they have changed into the variety we have today. After all, the human race has done a wonderful job creating God in its own image through out the millenniums. But for me, these three - God, Religion, Philosophy - and their interaction with each other and the human race, has always fascinated me. Knowing my interest, my medical doctor suggested this book and he too said it was, 'Heavy Reading.' So far, I have read the introduction, which was long, and Chapter One. It's like reading a text book, I read a few pages and then think about it till next time I read. It isn't a novel!!
Comment| 2 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?
---
5.0 out of 5 stars
An EPIC, rigorous scientific and humanistic REVIEW of HUMANITy's voyage and mental maturation
ByA. D.on January 25, 2015
Format: Hardcover|Verified Purchase
Incredible voyage. Buckminster Fuller said UNIVERSE is everything experienced so far by all of humanity... this book is a glimpse of the UNIVERSE touching a little bit from everything that is relevant in the HUMANITY'S VOYAGE of growth and of becoming...HUMAN. Rigorous, wide, scientific, humanistic and with a touch of EPIC
---
4.0 out of 5 stars
ByA. D.on January 25, 2015
Format: Hardcover|Verified Purchase
Incredible voyage. Buckminster Fuller said UNIVERSE is everything experienced so far by all of humanity... this book is a glimpse of the UNIVERSE touching a little bit from everything that is relevant in the HUMANITY'S VOYAGE of growth and of becoming...HUMAN. Rigorous, wide, scientific, humanistic and with a touch of EPIC
---
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good for Understanding the Origins and Motivations for Religion
ByAkhilesh Pillalamarrion October 29, 2012
Format: Hardcover|Verified Purchase
How many other such books are out there? For this very reason, this book is a must read. Whether or not one agrees or disagrees with religion, it is obviously one of the most, if not the most, important and influential aspect of human civilization. There has been little separation between the concept of the divine and the concept of the human order throughout most of history. Religion is a very complex phenomenon whose origins and motivations are well discussed in this book (it is not, as some religion haters suggest a conspiracy to control people, that was not its intention or its origin). For its uniqueness, this book is a must read, and is a stepping stone for further research on religion.
Comment| 2 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?
---
5.0 out of 5 stars
ByAkhilesh Pillalamarrion October 29, 2012
Format: Hardcover|Verified Purchase
How many other such books are out there? For this very reason, this book is a must read. Whether or not one agrees or disagrees with religion, it is obviously one of the most, if not the most, important and influential aspect of human civilization. There has been little separation between the concept of the divine and the concept of the human order throughout most of history. Religion is a very complex phenomenon whose origins and motivations are well discussed in this book (it is not, as some religion haters suggest a conspiracy to control people, that was not its intention or its origin). For its uniqueness, this book is a must read, and is a stepping stone for further research on religion.
Comment| 2 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?
---
5.0 out of 5 stars
Five Stars
ByAmazon Customeron September 11, 2016
Format: Hardcover|Verified Purchase
Book was in perfect condition!
---
5.0 out of 5 stars
ByAmazon Customeron September 11, 2016
Format: Hardcover|Verified Purchase
Book was in perfect condition!
---
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderfully Readable
ByJoan C Wrennon February 17, 2013
Format: Hardcover|Verified Purchase
I bought this hefty book fully expecting it to be rough going, but as a student of the anthropology of religion as well as of evolution, wanting to see what Bellah had to say.
I was SO not disappointed! Sociologist Bellah, in what he calls his master work, brings in many fully attributed scholarly understandings as he builds a coherent argument for the development of religious practice and thought from the very beginning of humanity, through tribal (mimetic ritual), then archaic (mythic ritual), then axial phases of development, with detailed discussions of exemplar societies. Bellah's genius, for me, is his ability to pull all this seemingly disparate information into a unified whole, a vision of how humanity came to this point.
Basically, once I started this, I have not been able to put it down, fascinated by his theory and his examples, as well as by the resultant evolutionary process. I'm up to the Greeks' axial advancements, greatly anticipating his discussions of India and China to round it all out, and wanted to let other readers know that it's a marvelous read.
1 comment| 3 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?
---
5.0 out of 5 stars
ByJoan C Wrennon February 17, 2013
Format: Hardcover|Verified Purchase
I bought this hefty book fully expecting it to be rough going, but as a student of the anthropology of religion as well as of evolution, wanting to see what Bellah had to say.
I was SO not disappointed! Sociologist Bellah, in what he calls his master work, brings in many fully attributed scholarly understandings as he builds a coherent argument for the development of religious practice and thought from the very beginning of humanity, through tribal (mimetic ritual), then archaic (mythic ritual), then axial phases of development, with detailed discussions of exemplar societies. Bellah's genius, for me, is his ability to pull all this seemingly disparate information into a unified whole, a vision of how humanity came to this point.
Basically, once I started this, I have not been able to put it down, fascinated by his theory and his examples, as well as by the resultant evolutionary process. I'm up to the Greeks' axial advancements, greatly anticipating his discussions of India and China to round it all out, and wanted to let other readers know that it's a marvelous read.
1 comment| 3 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?
---
5.0 out of 5 stars
Extra anthropology of religion
ByAndrzej Wojtowiczon June 16, 2014
Format: Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase
Absolutely refreshing studies, something classic and equal something revolutionary , emboldens extra anthropological study of religion in modern social studies
ByAndrzej Wojtowiczon June 16, 2014
Format: Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase
Absolutely refreshing studies, something classic and equal something revolutionary , emboldens extra anthropological study of religion in modern social studies
Hear Your Body Whisper: How to Unlock Your Self-Healing Mechanism
Amazon.com: Customer reviews:
Hear Your Body Whisper: How to Unlock Your Self-Healing Mechanism
Hear Your Body Whisper: How to Unlock Your Self-Healing Mechanism
byOtakara Klettke
Format: Kindle Edition|Change
Price:$2.99
----
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hear Your Body Whisper: How to Unlock Your Self-Healing Mechanism
byOtakara Klettke
Format: Kindle Edition|Change
Price:$2.99
----
5.0 out of 5 stars
Unique perspective on the body
ByDr. Giaon August 15, 2016
Format: Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase
This is a fascinating book! I've read a lot about diet and exercise and healing, and Otakara has a perspective I've never heard before. She sees the body is a separate entity from the being. She also acknowledges that every body is different and has different needs and desires.
Otakara tells stories to understand bodies, such as having walking sticks (bugs) when growing up and developing a relationship with them, where she understood them deeply, and correlating this to having a relationship with our bodies, which are comprised in large part by microorganisms. Another interesting analogy is how bees kill and cover invaders in their hive, such as a mouse, with substance in much the same way as the body covers toxins with fat, to isolate it from infecting the rest of the body.
I learned several new facts, such as up to 20% of our energy is consumed by the brain -- it's not just calories in/calories out the way we're usually taught (food minus exercise equals whether we gain or lose weight). I also learned that the body responds best to repetitive foods, rather than variety. However, those foods are different from person to person.
A great way to learn about and communicate with our bodies is through meditation, and Otakara walks us through that process.
If you want to learn more about your body and how to listen to it and communicate with it, this book is for you!
Comment| 96 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?
---
5.0 out of 5 stars
ByDr. Giaon August 15, 2016
Format: Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase
This is a fascinating book! I've read a lot about diet and exercise and healing, and Otakara has a perspective I've never heard before. She sees the body is a separate entity from the being. She also acknowledges that every body is different and has different needs and desires.
Otakara tells stories to understand bodies, such as having walking sticks (bugs) when growing up and developing a relationship with them, where she understood them deeply, and correlating this to having a relationship with our bodies, which are comprised in large part by microorganisms. Another interesting analogy is how bees kill and cover invaders in their hive, such as a mouse, with substance in much the same way as the body covers toxins with fat, to isolate it from infecting the rest of the body.
I learned several new facts, such as up to 20% of our energy is consumed by the brain -- it's not just calories in/calories out the way we're usually taught (food minus exercise equals whether we gain or lose weight). I also learned that the body responds best to repetitive foods, rather than variety. However, those foods are different from person to person.
A great way to learn about and communicate with our bodies is through meditation, and Otakara walks us through that process.
If you want to learn more about your body and how to listen to it and communicate with it, this book is for you!
Comment| 96 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?
---
5.0 out of 5 stars
Transformative, inspiring, and empowering!
ByRebecca C.on August 27, 2016
Format: Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase
I usually read very fast, but I had to sip this book slowly like a cup of tea, inhale it like flower essences, rub my fingers through it like earth.
This is not just a book: it’s a sensory experience.
It’s an experience of being gently urged and encouraged by a wise teacher, to get in touch with our bodies in ways that have been off limits to those of us who grew up in a culture that sees the body as a battleground.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve been fighting with my body since before I was born. My mother was fighting with HER body, and my grandmother with hers.
This book is telling me, gently and kindly, to stop it. And it is teaching me, with wisdom and insight, HOW.
ByRebecca C.on August 27, 2016
Format: Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase
I usually read very fast, but I had to sip this book slowly like a cup of tea, inhale it like flower essences, rub my fingers through it like earth.
This is not just a book: it’s a sensory experience.
It’s an experience of being gently urged and encouraged by a wise teacher, to get in touch with our bodies in ways that have been off limits to those of us who grew up in a culture that sees the body as a battleground.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve been fighting with my body since before I was born. My mother was fighting with HER body, and my grandmother with hers.
This book is telling me, gently and kindly, to stop it. And it is teaching me, with wisdom and insight, HOW.
Otakara Klettke used the techniques she so generously shares in this book to heal herself of a very serious illness she’d had since childhood. Her perspective is different from any I’ve encountered in the many other health-related self-help books I’ve read.
The book’s main message is very simple: love your body. And listen to it, because it knows what it needs to be healthy, and it knows what’s good for you.
The author goes into detail about how listen to your body, using meditations, affirmations, exercise, and a loving and simple approach to diet and supplements.
Reading this book is not like reading other books. It is not about absorbing information (although there is plenty of good and useful information in it).
Reading this book feels like being gently lifted and transformed, taken to a place where the war that western society imposes on our bodies, is over, where it’s not only OK to be friends with your body: it’s the right thing to do.
Reading this book makes you think. If you read it like I did, slowly, deeply, inhaling its wisdom into your pores, you will be a different person by the time you finish reading it.
You will be a person who feels good about their body, who loves every cell and organ and microorganism that is part of you.
This book will make you think differently. Instead of fighting with myself for being “too fat”, I now have a scientific understanding of how fat works as a protective mechanism to fight inflammation.
Instead of urging me listen to an authority figure speaking from on high about what I need to do for my body, this book takes a totally different approach. This book teaches me to understand that the ultimate authority on what is good for my body is my body itself... and teaches me how to listen to the wisdom my body wants to share with me.
The chapter on diet inspired me to put together my own list of simple, healthy foods that work for me. I don’t need to consult a book to know what those are (not even this book). In fact, this book doesn’t give you a standard list of foods you “should” eat at all... because the book’s whole point is that YOUR BODY will tell you what it needs to eat. And indeed, I know very well what my body does and doesn’t need to eat, but I hadn’t been listening because what I knew didn’t match with what “experts” were saying I SHOULD eat.
Instead of feeling guilty or “wrong” because my food list does not agree with what an expert or theory says I ‘SHOULD” eat, I now feel happy and confident because I have been supported in my inner knowing about what my body wants and needs.
This book will take you on a journey in which you will learn that your body is not the enemy, a foe to be subdued. You will feel different after reading it, than you did before. You will have a different relationship with your own body.
I don’t want to give too much away... read it for yourself. Reading it will be a different experience for each person, because this book is not about how to make one size fit all. It’s about how to make YOU fit YOU.
Your experience of reading it will be unique, and different from mine, because you are different from me.
But trust me on one thing:
This is not just a book. It’s a revolution.
Comment| 96 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?
---
5.0 out of 5 starsShe began to listen to her body and is now in good health, having seen a doctor only two times ...
ByWendy Higdonon August 21, 2016
Format: Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase
Otakara Klettke opens her book with her heartfelt story of being so sick as a teen that she wanted a way out of all the pain. She began to listen to her body and is now in good health, having seen a doctor only two times in 15 years other than for pregnancy visits.
With a wealth of information, she builds the case for listening to your body and covers the gamut, including such topics as your brain, drugs, GMO vs. organic foods, detoxification, meditation, use of affirmations, exercise, drinking pure water, being in the outdoors, and getting healthy. It is an approach to listen to and honor your body to be healthy. I love the quote she used by Dean Ornish, "Healthy is not something that you need to get; it's something you have already if you don't disturb it."
Hear Your Body Whisper is well worth the read!
Comment| 38 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?
----
I absolutely loved the part about self observation
ByEmma G.on February 12, 2017
Format: Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase
Shows the futility of healing your body by waging war with it.
I must say, this book was very refreshing because it parallels mine own similar experiences in overcoming physical afflictions via natural means as much as possible. And the way to do this is often at odds with what mainstream medicine espouses.
First off, I absolutely loved the part about self observation, even if it's just for a few days followed by what she covers on meditation. Personally, I found this to be very effective both with things like diet and exercise, along with the way we process information, manage emotions, handle problems and even deal with stressful personalities around us.
Second, I loved how she educates the reader on some of the latest discoveries in the medical sciences along with that timeless wise parallel of eastern practices. The result is that the reader has a much richer tapestry of perspectives to draw from.
Finally, I was absolutely shocked when she talked about the changes in peoples diets over the past hundred years, especially how much sugar people consume today versus the past. Very eye-opening, and explains many of the conundrums people are struggling with physiologically.
(Pay special attention to what she has to say about artificial sweeteners, too!)
There's much more I can say about this book; suffice it to say that it's obviously a labor of love for the author and will surely go a long way in improving the lives of those who read it....
Comment| 21 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?
---
5.0 out of 5 stars
ByEmma G.on February 12, 2017
Format: Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase
Shows the futility of healing your body by waging war with it.
I must say, this book was very refreshing because it parallels mine own similar experiences in overcoming physical afflictions via natural means as much as possible. And the way to do this is often at odds with what mainstream medicine espouses.
First off, I absolutely loved the part about self observation, even if it's just for a few days followed by what she covers on meditation. Personally, I found this to be very effective both with things like diet and exercise, along with the way we process information, manage emotions, handle problems and even deal with stressful personalities around us.
Second, I loved how she educates the reader on some of the latest discoveries in the medical sciences along with that timeless wise parallel of eastern practices. The result is that the reader has a much richer tapestry of perspectives to draw from.
Finally, I was absolutely shocked when she talked about the changes in peoples diets over the past hundred years, especially how much sugar people consume today versus the past. Very eye-opening, and explains many of the conundrums people are struggling with physiologically.
(Pay special attention to what she has to say about artificial sweeteners, too!)
There's much more I can say about this book; suffice it to say that it's obviously a labor of love for the author and will surely go a long way in improving the lives of those who read it....
Comment| 21 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?
---
5.0 out of 5 stars
I absolutely loved this book
ByAngelaon November 12, 2016
Format: Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase
I absolutely loved this book. Having had digestion problems for the past 5 or so years, I have been really struggling to find the right "diet" without actually going on a diet. So frustrating. What to eat? How much to eat? When to eat? Why to eat? So many questions that have to be answered at least 3 times a day. :-O Otakara has really given me food for thought ... pun intended.... her approach makes so much sense, the part that particularly resonated with me was to make it easy and automate your meals. I started to do that as soon as I put the book down and I can honestly say my digestion problems have all but been resolved. I know it's sounds too good to be true, but it's more of a mindset than anything else, I automate my breakfast and lunch and get creative with my children for our evening meal. The stress of eating has gone. THANK YOU Otakara. <3
Comment| 14 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?
5.0 out of 5 stars
ByAngelaon November 12, 2016
Format: Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase
I absolutely loved this book. Having had digestion problems for the past 5 or so years, I have been really struggling to find the right "diet" without actually going on a diet. So frustrating. What to eat? How much to eat? When to eat? Why to eat? So many questions that have to be answered at least 3 times a day. :-O Otakara has really given me food for thought ... pun intended.... her approach makes so much sense, the part that particularly resonated with me was to make it easy and automate your meals. I started to do that as soon as I put the book down and I can honestly say my digestion problems have all but been resolved. I know it's sounds too good to be true, but it's more of a mindset than anything else, I automate my breakfast and lunch and get creative with my children for our evening meal. The stress of eating has gone. THANK YOU Otakara. <3
Comment| 14 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Amazing Book that everyone should read
ByPeggy Limon August 23, 2016
Format: Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase
Otakara Klettku shares her experiences which will help all of us who want a healthy body without summarily resorting to medication and too many dietary supplements. To be healthy, we should first “honor, respect and love” our bodies. There are lots of micro-organisms living within our gut that help us to function optimally and we can complement their roles by eating a simple diet consisting of high quality food, preferably organic. She stresses the need to be consistent in a diet that is free from artificial additives but of high nutritional value, which should include fiber, protein, healthy fats, vitamins and micro-nutrients. She teaches how to cleanse and detox, how to meditate and how to talk to our bodies so that they will let us know what is needed to be healthy and to stay healthy. Our bodies are self-healing if we know how to activate the process and Ms. Otakara shows us how.
Comment| 29 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?
---
5.0 out of 5 starsRefocusing My Hearing
ByAmazon Customeron August 21, 2016
Format: Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase
I'm just half way through and, without a doubt, this is one book I will finish. The writing style is engaging. Every page I read makes me want to read more. With a lifetime of experience in dieting, I've never before learned that listening to my own body could make the difference. What the author had to go through as a child to put her in a place to seek out the knowledge in this book just proves that bad things can be the driving force for good things. These words are destined to help many.
Comment| 12 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?
---
5.0 out of 5 stars
ByPeggy Limon August 23, 2016
Format: Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase
Otakara Klettku shares her experiences which will help all of us who want a healthy body without summarily resorting to medication and too many dietary supplements. To be healthy, we should first “honor, respect and love” our bodies. There are lots of micro-organisms living within our gut that help us to function optimally and we can complement their roles by eating a simple diet consisting of high quality food, preferably organic. She stresses the need to be consistent in a diet that is free from artificial additives but of high nutritional value, which should include fiber, protein, healthy fats, vitamins and micro-nutrients. She teaches how to cleanse and detox, how to meditate and how to talk to our bodies so that they will let us know what is needed to be healthy and to stay healthy. Our bodies are self-healing if we know how to activate the process and Ms. Otakara shows us how.
Comment| 29 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?
---
5.0 out of 5 starsRefocusing My Hearing
ByAmazon Customeron August 21, 2016
Format: Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase
I'm just half way through and, without a doubt, this is one book I will finish. The writing style is engaging. Every page I read makes me want to read more. With a lifetime of experience in dieting, I've never before learned that listening to my own body could make the difference. What the author had to go through as a child to put her in a place to seek out the knowledge in this book just proves that bad things can be the driving force for good things. These words are destined to help many.
Comment| 12 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?
---
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing concept
ByTaya Mon October 3, 2016
Format: Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase
Great book and truly amazing concept. The author draws on her life experience overcoming major health problems as a child by listening to her body. The author covers a lot of knowledge of her ideas on nutrition as well, which is very insightful. She talks of the deep importance of listening to the body's needs over the mind's cravings and how your life, health and well-being can change when you begin to do this - and backs it up with credible research into the advantages. I found myself highlighting many valuable lines and takeaways. In fact more than I've done in a long time. I just sooo wanted her to cover more deeply HOW to differentiate between a mind craving and a body's need, basically how to actually go within and do that amazing work she talks about the importance of. Maybe in a second edition??
Comment| 10 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?
---
5.0 out of 5 stars
ByTaya Mon October 3, 2016
Format: Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase
Great book and truly amazing concept. The author draws on her life experience overcoming major health problems as a child by listening to her body. The author covers a lot of knowledge of her ideas on nutrition as well, which is very insightful. She talks of the deep importance of listening to the body's needs over the mind's cravings and how your life, health and well-being can change when you begin to do this - and backs it up with credible research into the advantages. I found myself highlighting many valuable lines and takeaways. In fact more than I've done in a long time. I just sooo wanted her to cover more deeply HOW to differentiate between a mind craving and a body's need, basically how to actually go within and do that amazing work she talks about the importance of. Maybe in a second edition??
Comment| 10 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?
---
5.0 out of 5 stars
Satisfying, moved quickly, right to the points
ByElizabethon November 18, 2016
Format: Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase
I liked that it had a focus on the microbiomes in our body, and I learned that they are more efficient the more you eat something repeatedly, especially if it's something natural(and not a mess, like GMO so it has confusing dna).
Pretty simple in its presentation, covered a lot of ground. I was skeptical because the author wasn't some know it all expert, but I was drawn in by the "if this person figured out how to..." sense of curiosity.
I'd say give the book a preview, check out the chapter titles. It's probably too woo if you are a materialist thinker, but for anyone else it's a read that makes sense. $3 well spent!
Comment| 10 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?
----
5.0 out of 5 stars
ByElizabethon November 18, 2016
Format: Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase
I liked that it had a focus on the microbiomes in our body, and I learned that they are more efficient the more you eat something repeatedly, especially if it's something natural(and not a mess, like GMO so it has confusing dna).
Pretty simple in its presentation, covered a lot of ground. I was skeptical because the author wasn't some know it all expert, but I was drawn in by the "if this person figured out how to..." sense of curiosity.
I'd say give the book a preview, check out the chapter titles. It's probably too woo if you are a materialist thinker, but for anyone else it's a read that makes sense. $3 well spent!
Comment| 10 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?
----
5.0 out of 5 stars
Down-to-Earth Practical Advice
ByKim A.on August 29, 2016
Format: Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase
I love this book! The author presents a plan to help each of us achieve a higher level of health through well-reasoned, clearly explained steps that are possible for each of us to implement as soon as we decide to do so. Most self-help books are like that, I suppose. What sets this one aside is the rationale for each suggested step. Understanding why something is a good step and exactly how it will help is so beneficial. The author's tone is supportive throughout which I found very re-assuring. I was also impressed with the number of factors addressed. Obviously food and exercise are included, but you will also read about different ways to meditate (and how to do it!), grounding, navigating supplements (and even some things to do instead), and more. I learned so much reading this! Thank you so much for sharing this with us, Otakara Klettke!
Comment| 9 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?
ByKim A.on August 29, 2016
Format: Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase
I love this book! The author presents a plan to help each of us achieve a higher level of health through well-reasoned, clearly explained steps that are possible for each of us to implement as soon as we decide to do so. Most self-help books are like that, I suppose. What sets this one aside is the rationale for each suggested step. Understanding why something is a good step and exactly how it will help is so beneficial. The author's tone is supportive throughout which I found very re-assuring. I was also impressed with the number of factors addressed. Obviously food and exercise are included, but you will also read about different ways to meditate (and how to do it!), grounding, navigating supplements (and even some things to do instead), and more. I learned so much reading this! Thank you so much for sharing this with us, Otakara Klettke!
Comment| 9 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?
2018/04/07
Amazon.com: Dear Tolstoy, Yours Gandhi: Jonathan Kis-Lev
Amazon.com: Dear Tolstoy, Yours Gandhi: A Novel Based on the True Historic Correspondence and Mentorship Between Leo Tolstoy and Mahatma Gandhi eBook: Jonathan Kis-Lev: Kindle Store
Dear Tolstoy, Yours Gandhi: A Novel Based on the True Historic Correspondence and Mentorship Between Leo Tolstoy and Mahatma Gandhi
Jonathan Kis-Lev is an Israeli award-winning author, artist and peace activist. He is the author of five novels and 10 nonfiction books and is the winner of the Bamahane Prize for Literature.
Born in Israel in 1985, Jonathan was involved in the Jewish-Arab peace movement beginning at age 11. In his memoir, My Quest for Peace, he writes of his first encounter with Palestinian children and how he was bewildered to find that they “didn’t hate” him. This experience led him to spend his teen years participating in numerous coexistence programs. At the age of 16 he was sent for two years to a UN model college, United World College, in Vancouver, Canada. Upon returning to Israel Kis-Lev co-founded several peace programs between Christians, Muslims and Jews. At age 26 he was taken under the wing of Israel’s late President, Shimon Peres, who encouraged him to share his view of Middle Eastern peace in a book, which became his first book. Kis-Lev became an advisor to Peres and was a regular member of Peres’ Young Leaders Forum.
Kis-Lev lives in Israel’s Galilee with his wife, Hallel, and their daughter, Sarah.
Publication Date: October 28, 2017
Dear Tolstoy, Yours Gandhi: A Novel Based on the True Historic Correspondence and Mentorship Between Leo Tolstoy and Mahatma Gandhi
Kindle Edition
by Jonathan Kis-Lev (Author)
4.3 out of 5 stars 558 customer reviews
Kindle
$9.22
— —
Product details
File Size: 4592 KB
Print Length: 526 pages
==========
Editorial Reviews
Review
"Dear Tolstoy Yours Gandhi brings a turbulent era to vivid life. All the conflicts and complexities of British India and Czarist Russia are mirrored in Kis-Lev's story. It's breathlessly exciting and heartbreaking by turns--an emotional and historical page-turner." --Laila Hoja, The Book Reviewer
"Painstakingly researched, beautifully hewn, compulsively readable--this enlightening literary journey takes us from Russia to India via South Africa and Great Britain, revealing remarkable historical details, dark family secrets, and bringing to life two of the men who shaped our world as we know it. A must read." --Maria von Klaus, Der Tag
"A triumphant, controversial, and fascinating plunge into the complexities of a mentor-mentee relationship at the turn of the 19th century. You'll never look at Gandhi or at Tolstoy the same way again." --Jo Levi, The Reviewer
"Author Jonathan Kis-Lev had performed tireless research. Whether it is detailing Tolstoy's life as a reluctant count with many serfs, or recounting the world of Gandhi as a young inexperienced lawyer in the racist South Africa and India, Kis-Lev clearly has done his homework. The result is breathtaking." --Nadia Joels, The Bookreview Club
"This is a stunning historical novel that will keep you up late, hoping the engaging story never ends. Highly, highly recommended!" --Dennis Clark, This Week
"A compelling, page-turning narrative. 'Dear Tolstoy Yours Gandhi' falls squarely into the groundbreaking category of fiction that re-examines history from a fresh, psychological point of view. It's smart, thoughtful and also just an old-fashioned good read." --Michael Sender, The Sender Report
"A powerful story for readers everywhere. Kis-Lev has brought readers a firsthand glimpse into one of history's most fascinating eras. A novel that brings to life what these two great men have endured in order to bring their light to the world. I was moved to tears." -- Joanna Berlinger, author, The Night's Sorrow
"Extremely moving and memorable. . . Dear Tolstoy Yours Gandhi should appeal strongly to historical fiction readers and to book clubs that adored Anthony Doerr's All the Light We Cannot See and Kristin Hannah's The Nightingale." -- Hue Knight, author, The Corner of My Heart
"Inspired by the actual correspondence between the two giants, Kis-Lev has woven together the stories of Gandhi, Tolstoy, as well as of Tolstoy's daughter Tatiana, into a riveting story that reveals the bravery, cruelty and hope at the beginning of the 20th century. This is a part of history that should never be forgotten." --Drake Eakin, Eakin-Bloomberg
"This is the kind of book I wish I had the courage to write--a profound, unsettling, and thoroughly captivating look at mentorship and love through the dark lens of racial oppression." --Mira Hudson, The Life of Mira
"Rich with historical detail and riveting to the end, Dear Tolstoy Yours Gandhi weaves the lives of two astonishing figures into a story of extraordinary moral power set against the harrowing backdrop of imperialism and oppression." --Aven K. Lint, author and speaker
"Riveting. . . Kis-Lev moves effortlessly across physical and ethical battlegrounds, and across the territory of the heart and soul. I find it hard to recall the last time I read a novel that moved me so deeply." --Abraham Miseler, author, Thinking Differently
"Fascinating read... A student-teacher story that will make your heart sing. Tolstoy and Gandhi come to life authentically, directed by Kis-Lev's detailed research and glittering prose." --Daily Preacher
From the Author
EXCERPT © All rights reserved, Goldsmith Press. Reprinted by permission:
ROME,
DECEMBER 1931
Tatiana Tolstoy-Sukhotin stood near the window, waiting.
The 67-year-old countess stared at the street below thinking, 'When will he arrive? The telegram said he'd arrive at three...'
She sat down on the couch in her little apartment. A moment later she got up and walked back to the window, thinking wistfully of the snow she loved in her childhood. She missed the snow.
The newspaper on her coffee table showed his photograph on the front page: those odd round spectacles, the brown skin, the smile with several teeth missing.
She wanted to be upset with this man for not arriving on time, but she found herself instead smiling back at the face covering the newspaper's front page.
She leaned forward and looked at the article again: "Gandhi Arrivando questa mattina a Roma."
She read the title again. Though she had only lived in Italy for a few years, she could understand Italian fairly well. It was very similar to Latin, of which she had an adequate knowledge. Her father had taught her well.
"Gandhi Arriving in Rome This Morning," she translated to herself, "The Indian leader to visit Prime Minister Benito Mussolini in the evening. In the morning he will be greeted by the naval cadets, and then taken to meet with government officials, including the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Dino Grandi. In the afternoon, prior to visiting Il Duce, Gandhi will be visiting the Tolstoy Museum in Rome."
She was glad the address was not mentioned. The last thing she wanted was a throng of people and the hideous reporters with their cameras. She had suffered because of them throughout her life, always chasing her father. At that moment she remembered with perfect clarity when her father was dying at the stationmaster's home in that forsaken place. She shivered remembering how the press nearly broke into his room there. What a terrifying experience.
She shuddered slightly--the memory of her father brought her pain. She looked at the drawing on the wall that she drew many years ago--22 years ago, to be exact. A portrait of her father in the year before his passing. Her father looking lost in his thoughts, almost daydreaming, his large white beard dissolving into the dark background.
She looked at the clock nervously. If he doesn't come soon, she thought, there will be no visit to the "Tolstoy Museum."
For the past two days she had been cleaning the downstairs room feverishly. The "museum" was one room, a small room she rented from the building's owner, which she dedicated to her father's legacy. It was all she could afford. But it was better than nothing.
Her father, with his socialistic ideals, left his works in the public domain. And even though her late mother was eventually able to win the rights back, as soon as the Communists took over, all the money was gone.
As she peeked out the window, she was surprised to realize how excited she was. This was only natural. She had followed Gandhi's career for over twenty years. It would be exciting for anyone to meet such a revered and celebrated leader.
But that was not it, she knew. She had met many leaders throughout her life. The fame did not move her.
It was her excitement to meet this one man. The one person about whom her father spoke with such admiration. To whom her father wrote his longest letter in his last months, when he would write no more than a paragraph to others. To the young Gandhi he wrote three full pages.
What was it about Gandhi that her father had recognized long before the Indian leader was famous? And how had her father come to admire the young Indian lawyer living in South Africa?
It was rare for her father to speak with so much admiration of anyone really. Her father criticized the Czar, scolded the Patriarch of Moscow, rebuked the army's generals. He laughed at other authors, he criticized almost every artist, including Chekov and even Shakespeare. He mocked his own children, and she was not spared from that.
And yet, this one Hindu, this one little man, somehow elicited only compliments from her father. How she had longed for that kind of approval from him.
But her father's approval was not to be.
She found herself fidgeting with her fingers like a schoolgirl, and tried to calm herself, but her thoughts kept drifting to her father.
===============
More about the author
› Visit Amazon's Jonathan Kis-Lev Page
Follow
Biography
From WIKIPEDIA:
by Jonathan Kis-Lev (Author)
4.3 out of 5 stars 558 customer reviews
Kindle
$9.22
— —
Product details
File Size: 4592 KB
Print Length: 526 pages
==========
Editorial Reviews
Review
"Dear Tolstoy Yours Gandhi brings a turbulent era to vivid life. All the conflicts and complexities of British India and Czarist Russia are mirrored in Kis-Lev's story. It's breathlessly exciting and heartbreaking by turns--an emotional and historical page-turner." --Laila Hoja, The Book Reviewer
"Painstakingly researched, beautifully hewn, compulsively readable--this enlightening literary journey takes us from Russia to India via South Africa and Great Britain, revealing remarkable historical details, dark family secrets, and bringing to life two of the men who shaped our world as we know it. A must read." --Maria von Klaus, Der Tag
"A triumphant, controversial, and fascinating plunge into the complexities of a mentor-mentee relationship at the turn of the 19th century. You'll never look at Gandhi or at Tolstoy the same way again." --Jo Levi, The Reviewer
"Author Jonathan Kis-Lev had performed tireless research. Whether it is detailing Tolstoy's life as a reluctant count with many serfs, or recounting the world of Gandhi as a young inexperienced lawyer in the racist South Africa and India, Kis-Lev clearly has done his homework. The result is breathtaking." --Nadia Joels, The Bookreview Club
"This is a stunning historical novel that will keep you up late, hoping the engaging story never ends. Highly, highly recommended!" --Dennis Clark, This Week
"A compelling, page-turning narrative. 'Dear Tolstoy Yours Gandhi' falls squarely into the groundbreaking category of fiction that re-examines history from a fresh, psychological point of view. It's smart, thoughtful and also just an old-fashioned good read." --Michael Sender, The Sender Report
"A powerful story for readers everywhere. Kis-Lev has brought readers a firsthand glimpse into one of history's most fascinating eras. A novel that brings to life what these two great men have endured in order to bring their light to the world. I was moved to tears." -- Joanna Berlinger, author, The Night's Sorrow
"Extremely moving and memorable. . . Dear Tolstoy Yours Gandhi should appeal strongly to historical fiction readers and to book clubs that adored Anthony Doerr's All the Light We Cannot See and Kristin Hannah's The Nightingale." -- Hue Knight, author, The Corner of My Heart
"Inspired by the actual correspondence between the two giants, Kis-Lev has woven together the stories of Gandhi, Tolstoy, as well as of Tolstoy's daughter Tatiana, into a riveting story that reveals the bravery, cruelty and hope at the beginning of the 20th century. This is a part of history that should never be forgotten." --Drake Eakin, Eakin-Bloomberg
"This is the kind of book I wish I had the courage to write--a profound, unsettling, and thoroughly captivating look at mentorship and love through the dark lens of racial oppression." --Mira Hudson, The Life of Mira
"Rich with historical detail and riveting to the end, Dear Tolstoy Yours Gandhi weaves the lives of two astonishing figures into a story of extraordinary moral power set against the harrowing backdrop of imperialism and oppression." --Aven K. Lint, author and speaker
"Riveting. . . Kis-Lev moves effortlessly across physical and ethical battlegrounds, and across the territory of the heart and soul. I find it hard to recall the last time I read a novel that moved me so deeply." --Abraham Miseler, author, Thinking Differently
"Fascinating read... A student-teacher story that will make your heart sing. Tolstoy and Gandhi come to life authentically, directed by Kis-Lev's detailed research and glittering prose." --Daily Preacher
From the Author
EXCERPT © All rights reserved, Goldsmith Press. Reprinted by permission:
ROME,
DECEMBER 1931
Tatiana Tolstoy-Sukhotin stood near the window, waiting.
The 67-year-old countess stared at the street below thinking, 'When will he arrive? The telegram said he'd arrive at three...'
She sat down on the couch in her little apartment. A moment later she got up and walked back to the window, thinking wistfully of the snow she loved in her childhood. She missed the snow.
The newspaper on her coffee table showed his photograph on the front page: those odd round spectacles, the brown skin, the smile with several teeth missing.
She wanted to be upset with this man for not arriving on time, but she found herself instead smiling back at the face covering the newspaper's front page.
She leaned forward and looked at the article again: "Gandhi Arrivando questa mattina a Roma."
She read the title again. Though she had only lived in Italy for a few years, she could understand Italian fairly well. It was very similar to Latin, of which she had an adequate knowledge. Her father had taught her well.
"Gandhi Arriving in Rome This Morning," she translated to herself, "The Indian leader to visit Prime Minister Benito Mussolini in the evening. In the morning he will be greeted by the naval cadets, and then taken to meet with government officials, including the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Dino Grandi. In the afternoon, prior to visiting Il Duce, Gandhi will be visiting the Tolstoy Museum in Rome."
She was glad the address was not mentioned. The last thing she wanted was a throng of people and the hideous reporters with their cameras. She had suffered because of them throughout her life, always chasing her father. At that moment she remembered with perfect clarity when her father was dying at the stationmaster's home in that forsaken place. She shivered remembering how the press nearly broke into his room there. What a terrifying experience.
She shuddered slightly--the memory of her father brought her pain. She looked at the drawing on the wall that she drew many years ago--22 years ago, to be exact. A portrait of her father in the year before his passing. Her father looking lost in his thoughts, almost daydreaming, his large white beard dissolving into the dark background.
She looked at the clock nervously. If he doesn't come soon, she thought, there will be no visit to the "Tolstoy Museum."
For the past two days she had been cleaning the downstairs room feverishly. The "museum" was one room, a small room she rented from the building's owner, which she dedicated to her father's legacy. It was all she could afford. But it was better than nothing.
Her father, with his socialistic ideals, left his works in the public domain. And even though her late mother was eventually able to win the rights back, as soon as the Communists took over, all the money was gone.
As she peeked out the window, she was surprised to realize how excited she was. This was only natural. She had followed Gandhi's career for over twenty years. It would be exciting for anyone to meet such a revered and celebrated leader.
But that was not it, she knew. She had met many leaders throughout her life. The fame did not move her.
It was her excitement to meet this one man. The one person about whom her father spoke with such admiration. To whom her father wrote his longest letter in his last months, when he would write no more than a paragraph to others. To the young Gandhi he wrote three full pages.
What was it about Gandhi that her father had recognized long before the Indian leader was famous? And how had her father come to admire the young Indian lawyer living in South Africa?
It was rare for her father to speak with so much admiration of anyone really. Her father criticized the Czar, scolded the Patriarch of Moscow, rebuked the army's generals. He laughed at other authors, he criticized almost every artist, including Chekov and even Shakespeare. He mocked his own children, and she was not spared from that.
And yet, this one Hindu, this one little man, somehow elicited only compliments from her father. How she had longed for that kind of approval from him.
But her father's approval was not to be.
She found herself fidgeting with her fingers like a schoolgirl, and tried to calm herself, but her thoughts kept drifting to her father.
===============
More about the author
› Visit Amazon's Jonathan Kis-Lev Page
Follow
Biography
From WIKIPEDIA:
Jonathan Kis-Lev is an Israeli award-winning author, artist and peace activist. He is the author of five novels and 10 nonfiction books and is the winner of the Bamahane Prize for Literature.
Born in Israel in 1985, Jonathan was involved in the Jewish-Arab peace movement beginning at age 11. In his memoir, My Quest for Peace, he writes of his first encounter with Palestinian children and how he was bewildered to find that they “didn’t hate” him. This experience led him to spend his teen years participating in numerous coexistence programs. At the age of 16 he was sent for two years to a UN model college, United World College, in Vancouver, Canada. Upon returning to Israel Kis-Lev co-founded several peace programs between Christians, Muslims and Jews. At age 26 he was taken under the wing of Israel’s late President, Shimon Peres, who encouraged him to share his view of Middle Eastern peace in a book, which became his first book. Kis-Lev became an advisor to Peres and was a regular member of Peres’ Young Leaders Forum.
Kis-Lev lives in Israel’s Galilee with his wife, Hallel, and their daughter, Sarah.
Publication Date: October 28, 2017
--------------
English Lit major
4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting and informative story about two historically important people.
Reviewed in the United States on June 25, 2018
An easy read. I really learned a lot about the humanity of Tolstoy. The characterization of Tatiana and of Gandhi gave me pause - it was hard to believe the instant intimacy they established upon their first and only meeting. The obvious word choice mistakes and spelling errors throughout the novel were perplexing for such a highly touted novel. I would recommend the book.
---
Jennifer McCarthy
3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting but not a page-turner
Reviewed in the United States on August 11, 2018
Verified Purchase
The info I learned about Tolstoy and Gandhi was interesting and revealing. The format was a unique vehicle for compressing the compiled info about the two, but overall it was a bit slow.
----
vijaya sambandam
5.0 out of 5 stars My interpretation of this remarkable friendship and truly an educative relationship.
Reviewed in the United States on September 15, 2018
Verified Purchase
Life journey is preprogrammed and yet executed either splendidly or sad spoil!
This story tells a real happening that ended splendidly for human race!
Thanks to the author for writing.
---
Robert J. Teeter
2.0 out of 5 stars Interesting idea marred by sloppy editing
Reviewed in the United States on September 20, 2018
Note: This is a review of "Dear Tolstoy, Yours Gandhi" by Jonathan Kis-Lev. Many of the other reviews on this page are for a different book, "The Death of Ivan Ilyich" by Leo Tolstoy.
I am interested in both Tolstoy and Gandhi and wanted to know more about their connection and correspondence. This book adds a fictional framework that, for me, didn't add much to my understanding. It could have been a 100-page essay with footnotes and bibliography. Instead, it's five times as long with few indications of sources of the "thousands of pages" its author claims to have reviewed.
In addition to editing for length, this book could have used a good editor to correct spelling and punctuation errors and non-idiomatic English. In an interview at the back of the book, the author says he self-published this book because he cares about his readers. This reader was pained by the many errors that would have been corrected by a good editor at a publishing firm.
If you want to read the letters between Tolstoy and Gandhi, with a few other pieces (Tolstoy's "Letter to a Hindu," Gandhi's notes on his Tolstoy Farm), I recommend "Mahatma Gandhi and Leo Tolstoy Letters, " edited with an introduction by B. Srinivasa Murthy (Long Beach Publications, 1987).
---
Many of the other reviews on this page are for a different book, "The Death of Ivan Ilyich" by Leo Tolstoy.
-------
English Lit major
4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting and informative story about two historically important people.
Reviewed in the United States on June 25, 2018
An easy read. I really learned a lot about the humanity of Tolstoy. The characterization of Tatiana and of Gandhi gave me pause - it was hard to believe the instant intimacy they established upon their first and only meeting. The obvious word choice mistakes and spelling errors throughout the novel were perplexing for such a highly touted novel. I would recommend the book.
---
Jennifer McCarthy
3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting but not a page-turner
Reviewed in the United States on August 11, 2018
Verified Purchase
The info I learned about Tolstoy and Gandhi was interesting and revealing. The format was a unique vehicle for compressing the compiled info about the two, but overall it was a bit slow.
----
vijaya sambandam
5.0 out of 5 stars My interpretation of this remarkable friendship and truly an educative relationship.
Reviewed in the United States on September 15, 2018
Verified Purchase
Life journey is preprogrammed and yet executed either splendidly or sad spoil!
This story tells a real happening that ended splendidly for human race!
Thanks to the author for writing.
---
Robert J. Teeter
2.0 out of 5 stars Interesting idea marred by sloppy editing
Reviewed in the United States on September 20, 2018
Note: This is a review of "Dear Tolstoy, Yours Gandhi" by Jonathan Kis-Lev. Many of the other reviews on this page are for a different book, "The Death of Ivan Ilyich" by Leo Tolstoy.
I am interested in both Tolstoy and Gandhi and wanted to know more about their connection and correspondence. This book adds a fictional framework that, for me, didn't add much to my understanding. It could have been a 100-page essay with footnotes and bibliography. Instead, it's five times as long with few indications of sources of the "thousands of pages" its author claims to have reviewed.
In addition to editing for length, this book could have used a good editor to correct spelling and punctuation errors and non-idiomatic English. In an interview at the back of the book, the author says he self-published this book because he cares about his readers. This reader was pained by the many errors that would have been corrected by a good editor at a publishing firm.
If you want to read the letters between Tolstoy and Gandhi, with a few other pieces (Tolstoy's "Letter to a Hindu," Gandhi's notes on his Tolstoy Farm), I recommend "Mahatma Gandhi and Leo Tolstoy Letters, " edited with an introduction by B. Srinivasa Murthy (Long Beach Publications, 1987).
---
Many of the other reviews on this page are for a different book, "The Death of Ivan Ilyich" by Leo Tolstoy.
-------
Louis Fischer. The Essential Gandhi: An Anthology of His Writings on His Life, Work, and Ideas
Amazon.com: Customer reviews: The Essential Gandhi: An Anthology of His Writings on His Life, Work, and Ideas
by Mahatma Gandhi (Author), Louis Fischer (Author),
aperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Vintage; 2nd ed. edition (November 12, 2002)
f 5 stars
An Essential Read
ByD.Beyeron February 18, 2017
Format: Paperback|Verified Purchase
I reached for Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr., men of integrity, courage and selfless service, when I found myself despairing the torrent of news headlining combustible current national and world events. The truth and beauty of Gandhi's words, made digestible by editor Louis Fischer and Vintage Spiritual Classics, allowed me to believe again in our common humanity and dignity. If reading a book such as this is perceived as an "act of prayer," than for me, Gandhi embodied the spirit and love for mankind I imagine God to possess.
Comment| 4 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?
-
4.0 out of 5 starsGandhi for the Common Man
ByMichael GriswoldVINE VOICEon January 14, 2013
Format: Paperback|Verified Purchase
The Essential Gandhi edited by Louis Fischer provides the reader with a solid introduction into Gandhi's' life, work, and ideas in his own words. It's not a biography in the conventional understanding of the word, but rather a hybrid mix of biographical note and philosophical articulation of the principles that have made Gandhi one of the most beloved historical figures of the last century. Gandhi was not a perfect man as illustrated by the sections on meat eating and his early religious struggles in the first part of the book. That's really important because noted historical figures sometimes take on a pre-godly reverence that blinds us to their flaws. Highly recommended book on Gandhi that just may cause one to step back and consider their own life.
5.0 out of 5 starsIt is Essential!
ByWill Jeromon July 6, 2008
Format: Paperback|Verified Purchase
I have been researching Gandhi for a number of years, so I can claim some expertise in evaluating this book. Simply put, I am not sure why I didn't get to it earlier, as it is a superior collection of Gandhi's writings, blended in skillfully with some of Fischer's own writings about Gandhi.
This anthology goes beyond mere collection in that it also is organized with attention to telling the story of Gandhi's life chronologically. If you know the story of Gandhi well, this book will capture some of the rare gems of Gandhi's thought, as well as his controversial ideas.
If you don't know Gandhi's life story yet, start with Fischer's Gandhi: His Life and Message to the World, a short, concise summary. The Essential Gandhi succeeds in being just that: a treasury of thought of one of the most important men of the past century.
5.0 out of 5 starsA Message for Today
ByTony Theilon September 2, 2003
Format: Paperback|Verified Purchase
Gandhi's words have never been so pertinent as they are today. This is an anthology of his writings, edited by topic in chronological order. It's an autobiography revealing Gandhi's evolution from a fearful young man, afraid of the dark, to a fearless leader who feared no rebuke by an empire. More than an aesthete in a modern world, Gandhi's complexity is revealed in each passage as he penitently reveals his transformation into selfless service and living simply. His words and actions inspired others to follow without fear of retaliation and could guide today's leaders to a peaceful resolve. The book reads like a primer on non-violence.
Eknath Easwaran's 18 page Preface is worth the price of the 339 page paperbound book.
Comment| 37 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?
5.0 out of 5 starsHighlighted most of the Book; Great primer on non violent action
ByAmazon Customeron February 9, 2017
Format: Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase
Reading this, humans are not much different in their struggles for equity than 100 years ago. We face the same biases by the dominant classes, the same challenges in trying to create change, and can use many of the same spiritual and political techniques to work for justice as Gandhi taught. Probably highlighted 1/3 of the book. Yes, read it.
5.0 out of 5 starsGandhi can change a life
ByBen L.on June 4, 2016
Format: Paperback|Verified Purchase
This book is amazing. It's Gandhi's own words from collections of his writings with brief explanatory notes on the historical context as well. The book is an overview of Gandhi's life and philosophy. I don't think it's hyperbole to say that this book, and the words and actions of Gandhi, have the power to inspire anyone. I had no idea Gandhi was fond of Tolstoy and communicated with him.
Comment| One person found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?
5.0 out of 5 starsWell organized, inspiring
ByPBCon June 8, 2008
Format: Paperback|Verified Purchase
I've read a total of 3 books about Mahatma Gandhi, all of them stemming from his own writings. This is the best out of those three books.
It is well organized and takes the most crucial parts of his writings and puts them in an order that is coherent and easy to read. The notes by the editor also make it easy for someone who does not know the whole history surrounding Gandhi's plight. She sets the setting and environment with each chapter making sure the reader knows what is going on regardless of their previous knowledge of the situation.
This is why I always suggest this book to anyone who wants to start learning about this amazing man. It is very inspirational, and I have highlighted and reflected on quite a few passages. This is one of my most lent books since everyone hears about and references this man, but very few actually know anything about him.
This is the best book to allow people to be introduced to his ideas and beliefs.
Comment| 9 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?
The Essential Gandhi: An Anthology of His Writings on His Life, Work, and IdeasPaperback – November 12, 2002
aperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Vintage; 2nd ed. edition (November 12, 2002)
f 5 stars
An Essential Read
ByD.Beyeron February 18, 2017
Format: Paperback|Verified Purchase
I reached for Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr., men of integrity, courage and selfless service, when I found myself despairing the torrent of news headlining combustible current national and world events. The truth and beauty of Gandhi's words, made digestible by editor Louis Fischer and Vintage Spiritual Classics, allowed me to believe again in our common humanity and dignity. If reading a book such as this is perceived as an "act of prayer," than for me, Gandhi embodied the spirit and love for mankind I imagine God to possess.
Comment| 4 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?
-
4.0 out of 5 starsGandhi for the Common Man
ByMichael GriswoldVINE VOICEon January 14, 2013
Format: Paperback|Verified Purchase
The Essential Gandhi edited by Louis Fischer provides the reader with a solid introduction into Gandhi's' life, work, and ideas in his own words. It's not a biography in the conventional understanding of the word, but rather a hybrid mix of biographical note and philosophical articulation of the principles that have made Gandhi one of the most beloved historical figures of the last century. Gandhi was not a perfect man as illustrated by the sections on meat eating and his early religious struggles in the first part of the book. That's really important because noted historical figures sometimes take on a pre-godly reverence that blinds us to their flaws. Highly recommended book on Gandhi that just may cause one to step back and consider their own life.
5.0 out of 5 starsIt is Essential!
ByWill Jeromon July 6, 2008
Format: Paperback|Verified Purchase
I have been researching Gandhi for a number of years, so I can claim some expertise in evaluating this book. Simply put, I am not sure why I didn't get to it earlier, as it is a superior collection of Gandhi's writings, blended in skillfully with some of Fischer's own writings about Gandhi.
This anthology goes beyond mere collection in that it also is organized with attention to telling the story of Gandhi's life chronologically. If you know the story of Gandhi well, this book will capture some of the rare gems of Gandhi's thought, as well as his controversial ideas.
If you don't know Gandhi's life story yet, start with Fischer's Gandhi: His Life and Message to the World, a short, concise summary. The Essential Gandhi succeeds in being just that: a treasury of thought of one of the most important men of the past century.
5.0 out of 5 starsA Message for Today
ByTony Theilon September 2, 2003
Format: Paperback|Verified Purchase
Gandhi's words have never been so pertinent as they are today. This is an anthology of his writings, edited by topic in chronological order. It's an autobiography revealing Gandhi's evolution from a fearful young man, afraid of the dark, to a fearless leader who feared no rebuke by an empire. More than an aesthete in a modern world, Gandhi's complexity is revealed in each passage as he penitently reveals his transformation into selfless service and living simply. His words and actions inspired others to follow without fear of retaliation and could guide today's leaders to a peaceful resolve. The book reads like a primer on non-violence.
Eknath Easwaran's 18 page Preface is worth the price of the 339 page paperbound book.
Comment| 37 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?
5.0 out of 5 starsHighlighted most of the Book; Great primer on non violent action
ByAmazon Customeron February 9, 2017
Format: Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase
Reading this, humans are not much different in their struggles for equity than 100 years ago. We face the same biases by the dominant classes, the same challenges in trying to create change, and can use many of the same spiritual and political techniques to work for justice as Gandhi taught. Probably highlighted 1/3 of the book. Yes, read it.
5.0 out of 5 starsGandhi can change a life
ByBen L.on June 4, 2016
Format: Paperback|Verified Purchase
This book is amazing. It's Gandhi's own words from collections of his writings with brief explanatory notes on the historical context as well. The book is an overview of Gandhi's life and philosophy. I don't think it's hyperbole to say that this book, and the words and actions of Gandhi, have the power to inspire anyone. I had no idea Gandhi was fond of Tolstoy and communicated with him.
Comment| One person found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?
5.0 out of 5 starsWell organized, inspiring
ByPBCon June 8, 2008
Format: Paperback|Verified Purchase
I've read a total of 3 books about Mahatma Gandhi, all of them stemming from his own writings. This is the best out of those three books.
It is well organized and takes the most crucial parts of his writings and puts them in an order that is coherent and easy to read. The notes by the editor also make it easy for someone who does not know the whole history surrounding Gandhi's plight. She sets the setting and environment with each chapter making sure the reader knows what is going on regardless of their previous knowledge of the situation.
This is why I always suggest this book to anyone who wants to start learning about this amazing man. It is very inspirational, and I have highlighted and reflected on quite a few passages. This is one of my most lent books since everyone hears about and references this man, but very few actually know anything about him.
This is the best book to allow people to be introduced to his ideas and beliefs.
Comment| 9 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)