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One small voice in the proud tradition of FreeBlogging* Thursday, October 21, 2004 posted by gbarto at 11:30 PM:Book Reviews - It's Chopra time!The Book of Secrets This has been hailed as Chopra's most insightful book to date. You can either pause, curious, or insert your punchline here. Whatever your choice, though, this book makes for an interesting read. At some point, Chopra took up the "a little knowledge is a dangerous thing" challenge with regard to quantum physics, and what he's come up with is a marvel to behold, showing connections between the metaphors of the major religions and what science is actually discovering and asking the question, so what pieces are missing? And what can be done with them? You may or may not buy Chopra's theories about spirit, but his observations about matter, energy and the ridiculously incredible potentialities of the universe are striking more for the angle of observation than what is in the end shown. The question, of course, is how to tap into the potential of the universe, and whether it can in fact be tapped into. Chopra says yes, and while I'm not fully convinced, he does look to be in pretty good shape on his book covers, of which you can see plenty in most major bookstores. This guy has tapped into something, without question, and it's worth a peek to see just what. Creating Affluence This is an interesting volume that includes the sort of instructions we're all looking for in financial advice books - you don't have to believe or understand, just keep reading and unconsciously your attitudes will shift until you feel affluence and make a space for it in your life into which all the money you need for happiness will flow. After only two weeks, I found the money for a second Deepak Chopra book, so you know it must work. Seriously, though, if you're looking for a hatchet job, you can check out Chris Buckley and John Tierney's hilarious send-up of Chopra and company, God Is My Broker. If you're looking for a sincere effort to help you rethink how you deal with money, life and your attitudes about success, though, this is a great book, full of little insights into how the world, our place in it, and the abstract representation of value known as money are connected and how to balance them for a fulfilled life. And as I noted above, Deepak at least seems fulfilled by all this. He might just be on to something. The Deeper Wound In my own opinion, this may be Deepak's most insightful book. Written very shortly after 9/11, it looks at what to do with pain and suffering - both one's own and their existence in the world. Chopra and two family members were all in the air when the WTC was hit and spent not a little time getting reconnected in the mad rush of events on that day. Confronting the loss of his father (to natural causes, a little before) and the fear of losing his own family, Chopra tried to map his own path to spiritual solace so that others might follow. What he has created is a sweet little book that tries to help us shed dhuka (sp?), the suffering created by attachment, not by detaching us from the world but by enriching our sense of the number of levels on which life can be lived and meaning found. For those wondering why God allows suffering and all those other big questions, this is a beautiful book with practical tips on dealing with the fear, anxiety and finally depression that can arise when grief and fear of the sort produced on 9/11 come to dominate one's worldview. God Is My Broker If all the above is too much for you, and you're looking for a little comic relief, this little book by Chris Buckley and John Tierney is a quick and amusing read, satirizing the books in the self-improvement section but with a spirit of good fun that makes one laugh with delight, not malice. And, in their efforts at mocking, these two gents (ghosting for a troubled monk, Brother Ty) accidentally offer a little bit of wisdom of their own. 
French Elections, 1st round
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Day by Day is on hiatus due to family issues for Chris Muir. We wish him well and hope he's back soon.
* Freeblogging is a term coined by Joanne Jacobs.
