The Great Oom: The Improbable Birth of Yoga in America
Robert Love
The Beatles brought many things to the United States, but yoga wasn’t one of them. It had come much earlier with someone named Pierre Bernard, who established yoga centers on both coasts. There were moonlight “Tantrik” rituals in San Francisco before the turn of the last century, and a jazz era ashram (the first in our country) on New York’s Hudson River. The title refers to the name the press gave him, scornful as ever in the realm of the metaphysical. This promises to be a compelling read replete with police raids and condemnation of the clergy. Despite such travails, Bernard and his followers managed to teach the ancient asanas we know and value today. (Viking)
The Self-Sufficient Home
Christopher Nyerges
In the event of a worst-scenario calamity, such as that envisioned by Cormac McCarthy in The Road, the person I’d most want to be with is, surprisingly, not Johnny Depp, but Christopher Nyerges. Nyerges has taught thousands of intrepid Angelenos how to survive in the outdoors, and knows more than just about anybody about urban self-reliance. In The Self-Sufficient Home: Going Green and Saving Money, Nyerges offers a raft of simple strategies even computer slaves can follow, as well as a step-by-step guide to more complex tasks, such as creating an alternative electric grid. (Stackpole Books)
What If We’re Him?
Gene Pascucci
Despite grammatical faux pas in the title, a somewhat cheesy dual-image cover and a double subtitle, there is power in What If We’re Him? There’s Something Going on Here . . . The Transformation of Spirituality Author Gene Pascucci is a dentist and “transformed” Catholic who wants to spread the gospel of awakening to one’s own consciousness and oneness with God. His own path, which he shares abundantly, is littered with learning lessons, and you’d think these everyday dramas would get boring. However, even in a quick scan, the text repeatedly draws in the reader. The author wanted to write in a way that would create a sense of feeling for the reader, rather than of thinking. He succeeded. (Gene Pascucci Publications)
Venus on Fire, Mars on Ice
John Gray
Some of us never weary of books that will help us understand the differences between the sexes. Eager travelers on the relationship path, we read every new book like a map that will finally reveal the exact location of the bliss we envision with another person. Alas, they all provide only clues, but John Gray has given us some good ones in the past. So whether the architect of planetary insight gave us his best shot with his Mars /Venus explanation, we’ll definitely read Venus on Fire, Mars on Ice, because this one says the key is in another area dear to our hearts, one we feel more in control of: unbalanced hormones and blood sugar, and foods that help us deal with stress. (Mind Publishing)
Hanuman: The Devotion and Power of the Monkey God
Vanamali
Perhaps less well known in this country than Ganesh (the ubiquitous elephant god), Hanuman, the playful monkey god, is one of the most beloved in the Hindu pantheon. Indeed, he is perhaps more fitting for our culture since he symbolizes the ever-restless human mind. This volume shares 36 legendary stories about Hanuman and in doing so, reveal spiritual lessons, yogic practices and gems of Vedic astrology. Think of them as stories, myths or parables, meant to both entertain and illuminate. A big plus for the restless reader is that each story is self-contained. Surely if a monkey can embody our highest human potential, there is hope for all of us. (Inner Traditions)
The Giving of Pears
Abayomi Animashaun
When was the last time you read a poem? For many of us we might have been students completing an assignment for English class, and we forget how satisfying it is to ponder a few well-crafted words that can be savored almost like mini-mantras. Abayomi Animashaun, a Nigerian émigré, left mathematics and science to follow his poetic passion. Here he includes the full range of both spiritual and physical entities—living humans, gods and prophets, and inhabitants of a lost ancestral village. All roam freely through his lyrical writings that read like parables for the extremes in life, from magic and myth to violence and death. Weaving through the book like a warp thread is a poignant sense of loss. This, too, is part of life. (Black Lawrence Press)
Brainstorm: Harnessing the Power of Productive Obsessions
Erin Maisel, Ph.D. and Ann Maisel
Over and over we mentally replay what we should have said, how we could have handled things better, or what we’ll do when we have a chance. This mental chatter can be coaxed into submission (sometimes) through meditation or physical exertion, but there is another approach. Authors Maisel explore how our brain neurons work together in response to creative thought and conclude that getting really obsessed about our productive obsessions allows us to choose them, instead of allowing them to choose us. By creating worthy obsessions, we stop being victims of our own tapes and put that seemingly boundless energy to work in productive and satisfying ways. (New World Library)
Hemp: What the World Needs Now
John McCabe
Even though many U.S. states have legalized industrial hemp farming, the federal government still considers it a drug plant, too close to the dreaded marijuana to approve. This would be like making rye or corn crops contraband, since they are used in making alcoholic drinks. Oh wait, alcohol is legal, despite the fact that nearly 12,000 people a year die in alcohol-related car crashes (zero from marijuana). But we digress. Considering the many beneficial uses of hemp for clothing, sustainable fuel, paper and even a strong, flexible product called hempcrete, isn’t this what the world needs now? While farmers can’t get a buzz off it, the economy definitely can. (Carmania Books)
