Shared Crossing-The Final Journey, by Deborah Harkin, is a reflective memoir that delves into the complex emotional landscape of coping with a loved one’s illness. Harkin, equipped with a background in psychology, navigates the challenging terrain of her mother’s declining health, finding herself at the intersection of caregiver and researcher. Her narrative weaves through the intricacies of the human experience, particularly the nuanced relationship between life, death, and spirituality.
Harkin’s exploration is marked by a deep sense of introspection and empathy as she grapples with the spiritual dimensions of her journey. The memoir thoroughly examines the concept of shared crossings, blurring the lines between the physical and spiritual realms and offering insights into the interconnectedness of life and death. Her honest and emotional narration resonates with a sense of authenticity, inviting readers to share her experiences of love, compassion, and the profound complexities of human relationships.
The book also sheds light on the often-overlooked challenges of caregiving, making it particularly relatable to those who have found themselves in similar roles. Harkin’s journey is not just a personal account but also an in-depth exploration backed by research, offering a unique perspective on spirituality’s role in coping with life’s trials. As Harkin delves into the mysteries surrounding death and the afterlife, her narrative is imbued with a sense of optimism and resilience. Her experiences, which she describes as ‘out of this world,’ offer a glimpse into the profound impact that spirituality can have in understanding and accepting life’s inevitable transitions.
Shared Crossing – The Final Journey: A Memoir is more than just a memoir; it’s a heartfelt exploration of life’s most profound questions, presented through the lens of personal experience and deep emotional connection. It stands as a testament to the power of love and spirituality in facing life’s most challenging moments.
Eric Larsen’s The Book of Reading marks the conclusion of his Pentology series, blending elements of time travel, romance, conspiracy thriller, and autobiographical nuances. This novel follows the journey of protagonist Malcolm Reiner, who grapples with involuntary time travel, a complex love story, unresolved issues with his abusive father, and the repercussions of his choices. Larsen skillfully intertwines poetry, quantum theory, and everyday experiences in a narrative that impresses with its coherence and meticulous construction.
Reiner, as a character, embodies a realistic portrayal of depression, anxiety, and trauma, offering readers an intimate glimpse into his worldview. Larsen’s detailed character construction allows for a resonant and sometimes uncomfortably relatable experience for those familiar with similar struggles. A notable aspect of Larsen’s writing is his rich, albeit challenging, vocabulary. Readers less accustomed to such linguistic complexity may find themselves frequently consulting a dictionary. Larsen’s use of an advanced vocabulary adds a layer of richness to the narrative, providing an opportunity for readers to deepen their linguistic knowledge. This sophisticated lexicon complements the intricate story, filled with complex themes and quantum theory. This is a rewarding journey for the enthusiastic reader, filled with depth and texture, creating an unforgettable reading experience. Larsen has succeeded in blurring the lines between fiction and reality, crafting a narrative that is at once lifelike and abstract.
The Book of Reading offers a rich and rewarding experience filled with thought-provoking content and a unique storytelling approach. This story stays with readers long after finishing the book and leaves them with questions they can relate to their own lives.
Busting Drug Dealers: Diaries of a DEA Special Agent is an engaging, true account of the life and career of law enforcement officer Mike Fredericks. Fredericks’s journey from a customs officer to a DEA Special Agent offers an insightful look into the illegal drug trade in the U.S. and internationally.
The book is crafted from Fredericks’s detailed notes and court documents, creating a compelling narrative. The inclusion of photographs enhances the reader’s connection to the events, bringing a vivid and immediate quality to the storytelling. Fredericks demonstrates his skill as a writer, balancing engaging storytelling with attention to detail. His meticulous recounting of events, down to clothing and vehicles, immerses the reader in the scenes, allowing them to experience the action from his perspective.
What sets this book apart is its depth. It goes beyond being a mere recounting of drug busts. Fredericks paints a comprehensive picture of himself as a law enforcement officer and a family man deeply committed to his wife and son. His wife’s portrayal as a strong, supportive partner adds a personal dimension to the narrative. The book touches on the broader impact of drugs on families and communities, adding a layer of social commentary. As the book concludes with Fredericks transitioning to a desk job, it leaves the reader curious about his future endeavors and contributions.
Busting Drug Dealers: Diaries of a DEA Special Agent is not just a chronicle of crime and enforcement; it’s a multifaceted story of dedication, family, and the complexities of battling a pervasive societal issue. It’s a compelling read for those interested in true crime and the personal stories behind law enforcement careers, offering a unique blend of professional dedication and personal narrative.
In Welcome to the Zoo, author Paul Smith, drawing on his background as a registered nurse with a fondness for dogs, skillfully crafts a collection of 30 engaging stories. These narratives transport readers on a captivating journey, introducing a rich tapestry of characters. From the majestic King Leo and the elegant Queen Vera to Gwendolyn, a sheep who bravely discovers her identity, and Quackie, a duckling learning to overcome his fear of water. The soothing songs of serenading frogs and the nighttime melodies of the Big Owl enrich the story, creating a beloved array of animal characters.
Smith’s vibrant storytelling brings the Animal Kingdom to life with exciting adventures, festive celebrations, games, egg hunts, and concerts, all brimming with laughter and warm conversations. The stories celebrate diverse festivals like Passover and Ramadan and tackle themes ranging from anti-bullying to embracing diversity, including the experiences of transgender animals.
At its heart, Welcome to the Zoo shares a touching message of love, respect, and kindness, reminiscent of Aesop’s fables but with a contemporary twist. It offers valuable moral lessons wrapped in delightful animal tales, appealing to both adults and young readers alike.
I enjoyed the simplicity and comforting rhythm of the narratives. Fans of animal tales and moral fiction will find much to appreciate in this book. This charming picture book portrays transgender animals as well, adding a unique dimension to this children’s book that I think parents should take note of.
Welcome to the Zoo is a delightful exploration of empathy, wisdom, and compassionset against the magical backdrop of the animal kingdom. It promises an enjoyable read for children and adults who appreciate heartwarming animal stories with meaningful lessons.
Communicating: The Multiple Modes of Human Communication 3rd Edition is a thorough and insightful examination of human communication, transcending the conventional focus on verbal language. Why was this an important book for you to write?
I’ve been interested in, and writing about, communication in its various senses from my early days: storytelling for example, the beautiful wit and words of Ulster communicating, linguistic anthropology, body language, music (that’s communication too). Through this I’d been becoming more and more convinced that communication did not consist only, or even predominantly, of verbal language, spoken or written, but a whole wealth of other things as well. That isn’t at all a widely accepted view among communication experts, so I felt that I HAD to write a book to show the evidence and argument for my position – almost a duty.
It turned out a bigger journey of investigation than I’d expected (and I loved it – hope you’ll come along it with me and enjoy it too: about these amazing, clever, enterprising animals, and I don’t mean just the human ones).
What changes did you make in this edition of your book from prior editions? Was there any area where your research has led you to a new or different conclusion from prior published results?
A lot. Besides some updating throughout and more and better illustrations, there’s a new introduction linking to recent perspectives in social science (much has changed in the 20 years since the first edition); reordering of the five chapters on the senses to make the argument run more smoothly; a rewritten chapter on extrasensory communication in the light of recent developments and of the revolutionary findings of “new science”; and a totally new concluding chapter.
That final chapter: I found to my consternation that what I had found During my investigations almost totally reversed the usual assumptions about communication in early human history (cave paintings are in too), INCLUDING KEY ASSUMPTIONS IN MY OWN BOOKS, earlier editions of this book among them.
It was startling. But I had to be honest and tell it as I’d found it.
And that was – ? Ah, complicated! You’ll have to read it.
Did you find anything in your research of this story that surprised you?
Yes very much so, not just in research for that final chapter, but also the fascinating range of ways humans and other animals use their differing but overlapping resources to interact (WHAT a lot is now known). I was particularly surprised and impressed by the explosion of radically new research about the gesticulation systems of the great apes: amazing and surprisingly relevant for human communicating.
What is the next book that you are writing, and when will that be published?
Am I allowed two? The thing is that now that I’m retired and have more time I find it relaxing to have several contrasting books on the go and don’t always know which is going to come out first.
Two books that I’ve been tinkering with for some time are, first, an updated version of a collection of prose, verse and images from many cultures, now to be called “The Search for Peace: Voices of Despair and Hope through the Centuries”. That’s only too heartbreakingly topical just now, isn’t it, but inspiring too – what insights there have been through the world and the ages. With luck it’ll very soon be chuntering its way onto Amazon.
And, second, a small book now nearing completion: a fun – but perhaps also a bit useful – silly little book with cartoon pics, to be called something like “Kate’s Bad Cook Guide for morons”. I’m enjoying that immensely. Maybe in time for Christmas, no promises.
After that? Back to a couple academic ones, and maybe a new Kate-Pearl novel…, let’s see.
Treatments of human communication mostly draw on cognitive and word-centred models to present it as predominantly a matter of words. This, Finnegan argues, seriously underestimates the far-reaching multi-modal qualities of human interconnecting and the senses of touch, olfaction, and, above all, audition and vision that we draw on.
In an authoritative and readable account, Ruth Finnegan brings together research from linguistic and sensory anthropology, material culture, non-verbal communication, computer-mediated communication, and, strikingly, research on animal communication, such as the remarkable gesture systems of great apes. She draws on her background in classical studies and her long anthropological experience to present illuminating examples from throughout the world, past and present.
The result is to uncover an amazing array of sounds, sights, smells, gestures, looks, movements, touches, and material objects used by humans and other animals to interconnect both nearby and across space and time
She goes on to first explore the extra-sensory modes of communication now being revealed in the extraordinary “new science” research and then, in an incendiary conclusion, to deny the long-prevailing story of human history by questioning whether orality really came before literacy; whether it was really through “the acquisition of language” that our prehistoric cave painting ancestors made a sudden leap into being “true humans”; and finally, astonishingly, to ask whether human communicating had its first roots not, after all, in verbal language but something else.
Not to be missed, this highly original book brings a fresh perspective on, among other things, that central topic of interest today – the dawn of human history – and on what being homo sapiens really means. This revised and updated edition has additional illustrations, updated chapters, and a new concluding chapter.
A provocative and controversial account that will stir worldwide debate, this book is an essential transdisciplinary overview for researchers and advanced students in language and communication, anthropology, and cultural studies.
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