Philosophy & Religion
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by Mario Beauregard (Find the Book)
In this exploration of the nature of the mind, neuroscientist Beauregard (psychology & radiology, Univ. of Montreal; coauthor, The Spiritual Brain: A Neuroscientist's Case for the Existence of the Soul) covers a wide range of topics including placebos (and nocebos), neurofeedback, neuroplasticity, psychoneuroimmunology, hypnosis, psi (e.g., extrasensory perception and psychokinesis), near death and mystical experiences, and quantum physics. The 1990s were "the decade of the brain," he writes, and neuroscience remains one of the few largely unexplored scientific frontiers. Discussing imaging technologies, such as functional MRIs, that can noninvasively measure brain activity in new and exciting ways, Beauregard suggests that today's science fiction may become tomorrow's science, particularly in the field of biology. His book makes clear that, in the profound relationship between mind and body, there is a great deal about both that nobody yet knows. VERDICT Provocative and accessible, this book is ultimately less about hard science and more about the mind-body problem and philosophy of materialistic science. It will be of interest to readers of Andrew Newberg's How God Changes Your Brain. --Library Journal
by Matti Friedman. (Find the Book)Written in the tenth century, the Aleppo Codex is the most accurate copy of the Hebrew Bible. Named for the Syrian city in which it was kept, the codex is also known as the Crown of Aleppo and was said to protect those who cared for it and curse those who defiled it. Friedman, a Jerusalem journalist, came across part of the Crown in a museum and decided he wanted to write about it in doing so, he opened a treasure box of history, mystery, conspiracy, and convolutions that would do any biblical thriller proud. There are several intriguing strands in play here. First, there is the history of a vibrant Syrian community, under siege when Israel became a state. Add a cast of academics, spys, merchants, refugees, and bureaucrats, high and low, whose roles in getting the Crown out of Syria and into Israel loop and reloop throughout the narrative. Then there is the ever-evolving topic of the underground market for antiquities, fascinating in itself, but Friedman shows us, in addition, just how much is lost when the very rich purchase rarities and remove them from the public eye. The time line sometimes gets confusing, and so do the players (though an introductory cast list helps), but Friedman has done a remarkable job finding sources and digging through archives of getting the Crown's fascinating story out of the shadows and into the light. In the process, he's become the latest in the long line of the Crown's protectors. --Booklist
by Henri J.M. Nouwen. Since it was first published more than twenty years ago, The Way of the Heart has helped millions of men and women cast off the anger and greed that trouble the world-and find love, compassion, and peace in the heart of God. Inspired by the ancient teachings of St. Anthony and the Desert Fathers, The Way of the Heart clears before us a spiritual path consisting of three stepping-stones: Solitude (learning not to be alone but to be alone with God); Silence (the discipline by which the inner fire of God is tended and kept alive); and Prayer (standing in the presence of God with the mind in the heart). Distinguished theologian Henri Nouwen brilliantly illuminates each of these disciplines. In reflections that are beautifully clear and practical, as uplifting on the fourth reading as on the first, he helps us separate the wheat from the chaff in our spiritual lives-and reconnects us with what truly matters. Within this one small book lies the most relevant and inspiring challenge that we shall ever face: to surrender the compulsive noise of the world for the way of the heart that leads us to God. --Summary (Check Catalog)
by Mark Kram, Jr. During a football game in 1973, Buddy Miley, a promising high-school athlete, was paralyzed from the neck down. In 1997, after a quarter-century of imprisonment within his own body, and with his brother's help, he ended his life. Kram, a sports reporter for the Philadelphia Daily News who has written about Buddy over the years, focuses here not on the morbidities of Buddy's life, but on his close relationship with his brother, Jimmy, who spent years helping Buddy look for a cure and was instrumental in his assisted suicide (even as he harbored some deep misgivings). With a reporter's eye for detail and character, Kram takes what could have been a relentlessly depressing story and turns it into one that is equal parts hope and triumph. A potentially controversial book assisted suicide being a perennially hot-button issue it is genuinely inspiring. --Booklist (Check Catalog)
