Whole Life Times: Whole Life Reviews

September 2006 | Art & Soul

Whole Life Reviews

BOOKS

The Buddha and the Terrorist
By Satish Kumar
(Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill)

Whatever happened to good stories? You know—the ones with happy endings, characters that strive to do the right thing, and neatly packaged lessons about life and death? “There’s no time for stories like that!” our culture seems to be saying. “We’ve got problems to solve, wars to fight, a planet to save!” But that’s precisely why we need parables, claims Satish Kumar, one of Britain’s leading spiritual thinkers and the author of The Buddha and the Terrorist.

In The Buddha, Kumar retells the ancient story of Angulimala, a vicious killer who turns into a peaceful monk upon experiencing the unconditional compassion of the Buddha. Despite Angulimala’s horrific crimes—and the townspeople’s righteous cries for revenge—the Buddha treats him with kindness, and in the process, unravels a long, tangled thread of violence begetting violence. Drawing obvious parallels to the current state of global affairs, The Buddha reminds us why nonviolence is not only virtuous, it’s effective.

Don’t expect any surprise twists from this short book by the founder of Resurgence magazine and author of You Are, Therefore I Am. Rather, The Buddha delivers precisely what it promises—a simple and elegant tale laced with lessons we’d forgotten to remember. And while it isn’t as slickly spun as the stories we hear in our everyday media, in the long run, The Buddha and the Terrorist is immeasurably more relevant.
—Andi McDaniel

The Overachievers: The Secret Lives of Driven Kids
By Alexandra Robbins
(Hyperion)

Start with AP classes. Not just one or two. If your high school nickname is “AP Joe,” think 17. Heap on SATs. Mix in college counselors who “fire” you because you haven’t lived in Mongolia or been in a civil war, parents who resort to physical abuse to ensure you maintain a 4.0 GPA, and other students who get ahead by cheating, popping Ritalin and stealing your toothpick bridge project—the one you were banking on to secure a spot in the Physics Olympics. Sprinkle with cross country meets, newspaper deadlines and orchestra practice. Put everything into the pressure cooker and what do you have?

An overachiever. Well, a burned-out one.

In her book, author Alexandra Robbins spends 18 months following a handful of high school students with the same goal: acceptance at a top-tier college. According to Robbins, thousands of families believe the college admissions process begins “before a child turns one.” Robbins partially blames Bush’s No Child Left Behind Act, claiming schools are forced to teach that “there is only one answer per question” and that a student’s value derives from numbers and scores.

While this fascinating read shows that America’s youth may be hell bent on the path to book smarts, let’s hope they find a fork in the road—the one that leads to wisdom.
—Jenny Rough

MUSIC

Ok-Oyot System
Extra Golden
(Thrill Jockey)

In the summer of 1986, Paul Simon introduced us to the rumbling bliss of South African pop on his ambitious masterpiece, Graceland. The album featured Simon’s reliable singer-songwriter chops embellished by airy, tribal rhythms and the shimmering vocal harmonies of Ladysmith Black Mambazo.

Twenty years later, Extra Golden’s Ok-Oyot System will likely never see the mainstream success of Graceland, but this collaboration between two Washington DC indie rockers (Ian Eagleson and Alex Minoff of Golden) and two Kenyan luminaries (Otieno Jagwasi and Onyango Wuod Omari of the Orchestra Extra Solar Africa) is a fine introduction, via western rock, to Kenya’s frenetic Benga music.

The album’s title, Ok-Oyot System, is derived from a Kenyan saying that roughly translates to “It’s Not Easy.” While the sounds on Ok-Oyot System are anything but difficult, tracks like Llanda Gimo Onge and the title track convey a sense of everyday struggle beneath sparkling duel guitars and rough, punctuated drumming that should get even the most jaded hipster kids moving. The result is a marriage sure to please discerning fans of both indie rock and world music.
—Dennis Carey

Jala
Compiled by Shiva Rea
(Sounds True)

Conceptualized as “sound irrigation” for sonically thirsty listeners, the musical counterpart to Shiva Rea’s Fluid Power: Wave Motion Within Yoga DVD features 12 water-inspired soundscapes as hypnotic as the ocean itself. On Jala (meaning “water” in Sanskrit), the LA-based yoga teacher compiles 10 world music and electronica artists who stir together heady drumbeats, chant-like vocals and dreamy, spaced-out effects to re-create the sound and sensation of the sea. Each track offers its own form of liquid resonance: With its rainstick rhythms and croaking-frog backdrop, Tumbara’s all-percussion “Duality” thunders on like a lakeside drum circle, while Twinkle Engine’s sitar-infused “Madrugada 8” gently flows through steamy trip-hop beats and bubbling keyboard tones. And on the CD’s quietly stunning standout, “Infusion (Bombay Mix),” composer/sound designer Adham Shaikh glides on for 9-plus minutes of spare and gorgeous guitar work layered over highly danceable tribal drums. Despite a few slip-ups—Alycone’s “Warm Fuzzy,” for instance, seems drowning in techno beats—Jala emerges as an ambient gem, the perfect way to water your soul.
—Elizabeth Barker

FILM

The Secret
Created by Rhonda Bryne
Produced by Paul Harrington
Directed by Drew Hariot

The name of the movie is The Secret. The website is WhatIsTheSecret.tv. And the secret is... oh, don’t be silly. It wouldn’t be fun if I spilled the beans.

But I will tell you this: Joseph Campbell said, “Follow your bliss,” and this movie promises to set you on the path toward achieving your goals. Would you like to have a new car, say, a Ford Escape Hybrid (that’s on my list), or $3,000 in freelance writing income per month (again, me), or to live a cancer-free life (presumably you and me both)? If yes, log on and click. Watch the trailer first to ensure your computer is jiggered correctly before purchasing the film, which streams directly to your desktop ($4.95). And don’t be misled. Though it opens like a sequel to the DaVinci Code, it’s really a code to living. Within minutes “the secret” is revealed, as everyone from a quantum physicist to a Feng Shui consultant to the “Miracle Man” shares his or her personal story.

At times their testimonies skimp on the details and may be construed as a little self-serving, but this thought-provoking movie is worth the watch. And if it entails too much “motivational-speak” for your taste, simply turn the video off. In many ways, that’s exactly what the secret is about.
—Jenny Rough

My Country, My Country
By Laura Poitras

Sparked by a sense of despair about the war in Iraq and inspired by a New Yorker article, Laura Poitras set out on a dangerous, difficult and ultimately rewarding film project: to express the complexities of the Iraq conflict through the eyes of Iraqis. By herself. Without speaking Arabic.

The result is the engaging My Country, My Country, a narrative-style documentary that follows Sunni physician and political candidate Dr. Riyadh during the months leading up to Iraq’s first elections. Poitras gives viewers a first-hand look at Iraqis’ ambivalence about the occupation (thanks for getting rid of Hussein, now get out), the election (Yay for democracy! But is this democracy?) and even resistance fighters.

Because of the lack of exposition, the film can be hard to follow, and the story doesn’t really start to move until about halfway through. But these shortfalls are overshadowed by the intimate access Poitras gained to Riyadh’s home and medical clinic, to US military briefings and behind-the-scenes election processes—all of which certainly put her in danger. But Poitras knew it was important to show some expression of humanity. “I wouldn’t have gone if I felt that the news was getting it,” she said.
—Molly Freedenberg

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