Christmas is here and the New Year is nearly upon us. So I wanted to gift some great books to anyone interested..
Right is Might 💪
The link above will take you to a Chapter playlist in audio form or here's a PDF. This book is not political. Not about left vs right, but it is about wrong vs right.
The End of All Evil
An effective persuasive argument against all forms of modern governments. Trying to control people leads toward chaos rather than from it. A short read but packed with content. The PDF is here. Audiobook below.
V.A.L.I.S.
For being Sci-fi/Spirituality based, this is humorous and down to earth! Written by Philip K. Dick. You might have heard of him? One of his other stories inspired the movie Blade Runner. Valis is THE novel I’d been looking for my whole life and didn't know it! It's outstanding, unique and complete, despite being Part 1 of The Valis Trilogy. And the part about Kevin's cat had me LOL while reading.
That Hideous Strength
It's Part 3 of a space trilogy, but also stands well on its own. This story reminds me of our present day world…the corruption, lies, and political aspirations of evil people who maintain secretive and powerful positions in our society. And the Talking Heads…they aren't just a metaphor anymore!
Harry James Potter and
The Methods of Rationality
What if Harry Potter grew up with a proper family and was raised to know Science before he ever knew anything about Magic? This unofficial fan-fiction outdoes every official Potter book or movie, and it's not even close! The author has worked in Artificial Intelligence for years, way before it was as hyped as it is now. And he brings real intelligence to this long book! The story has MANY great moments throughout, including the concept of Fundamental Attribution Error. It's something most people have and causes most of the problems in relationships and society. My favorite thing about this book is that it introduced me to the Litany of Gendlin, which is about conquering self-delusion. 👍
Here's the AUDIOBOOK
Heretics by G.K. Chesterton and his later counterpart book, called Orthodoxy are both amusing and insightful. His takes on paradoxes are one of my favorite things about this author. Best of all, it's not difficult to follow. He had a lot to say and it's all worth hearing, even today, 100 years later.
Who goes home? That was the original title. But I do like the title it ended up with, which refers to William Blake's poem The Marriage of Heaven and Hell. The Great Divorce puts good and evil in true perspective and separates them as well they should be. No silly sympathy for the devil is in here, thankfully. So many good lessons are in this book! And the concept of what is “Real” is fascinating, beyond anything I ever read before or since.
And now for the daring and brave…
These two are not easy reads. But they’re rewarding to get all the way through:
The Whale 🐳 (Moby Dick)
From the beginning, it has style and attitude: "Call me Ishmael." This book has some of the best historic commentary on American society I've ever laid eyes on and some of the best dialogue of all U.S. literature. It's funny as can be, but you might have to do some quick research online to get some of the jokes because they’re from the 19th century. This long tale is about so much more than Ahab and a whale!!
The Divine Comedy trilogy
Dante Alighieri wrote a three part allegoric masterpiece with a redemption arc all in poetic prose. Other than the Bible, it's the most profound book I’ve ever read. We always hear about Dante's Inferno, but that was only Part 1 and guess what, that's the weakest story in the trilogy! Yes it's a good one, but the sequels, Purgatorio and Paradiso are far, far better. Whatever you do, don't read a translation from some pompous British professor who doesn't even believe in God because they don't have a clue!
This translation by John Ciardi is the way to go! Ciardi was Italian, Catholic, and a poet all like Dante. His talent, insight and helpful footnotes reproduce an inspiring English version of the best trilogy ever written in all of human history.
Each of these books above made me a more complete person (and possibly better) than I otherwise would be.
I'm thankful God put such terrific tomes upon the path at certain points in this life. So as a Christmas present and to celebrate the New Year, I give them to you and the Internet.
Dishonorable Mention: Propaganda
by Edward Bernays (1928)
Ed wrote the book on Propaganda, literally!
I think he even coined the word, propaganda. This book shaped World War II, American society, and the world today in huge and terrible ways. Reading this over 10 years ago helped me grasp how the world got this way!! Back then, I even studied part of this book with a total stranger online who invited people to dive into the topics with him. The book is very revealing and made me laugh ironically at how much Propaganda has shaped everyone's lives, unfortunately. Concepts from this book have been used to manipulate mass groups of people all over the world to this very day.
I hope at least one of these books enriches your life as they have for me.
Peace be within you and Happy New Year!