Customer Comments

I have read several translations of the Bhagavad Gita and in my opinion this is the best one, though they are all different and worthy of a read. Arjuna is about to go into battle and Krishna guides him and some say, tries to convince him not to engage in war. The central message Krishna gives Arjuna is to see God-Krishna in all creatures and in all things. Hence, war is immoral. Arjuna goes to war anyway and is victorious. Is the Bhagavad Gita a metaphor for human nature? We all have good and bad inside of us. This book is one chapter of the Mahabharata, a classic Indian text. This is a good book for those interested in Indian philosophy and culture.

I just returned from Amsterdam and had the pleasure of going to their Maritime Museum. The museum has views of many of the maps in this book. Incredible prints of maps dating back to the 1600s. Joan Blaeu (23 September 1596 – 21 December 1673) was a Dutch cartographer who was the preeminent map maker of his day. The Atlas Maior is the final version of Joan Blaeu's atlas, published in Amsterdam between 1662 and 1672, in Latin, French, Dutch, German and Spanish. It contains 594 maps and around 3,000 pages of text. It was the largest and most expensive book published in the seventeenth century. This book is a must-have for map, geography and history lovers.

A side of Sam Shepard is revealed that is rarely seen- an intimate outpouring of everyday events in his life, the comings and goings told with honesty and passion. He waxes philosophically about his current state of emotional being in his letters to his best friend Johnny Dark. He expresses remorse for the pain he caused his first family, at the same time overflowing with ecstasy for his new life and love with Jessica Lange. I couldn't help but relate to the feelings expressed, as they touch on something universal- the selfishness of our life in our search for authenticity, yet the remorse, and guilt that comes with the search. These letters reflect the inner workings of a man with great depth and intelligence.

A raucous delve into the ups and downs of Sherman Alexie's relationship with his mother. Filled with intense sorrow and joy, Alexie reveals the complications and twists and turns of a deeply felt love and a heartbreaking hate for his mother. Told with prose and poems we learn about the complexity of parental love and perhaps abuse, and the lifelong emotional scars that are created. Alexie canceled his book tour because of the emotional kickback to his psyche while writing and then having to promote his book.

Winner of the 2015 Pulitzer Prize, this book tells the story of how extinction is not only happening, but inevitable, given our current human course. She describes the previous five extinctions and then proceeds to tell in scientific and historical detail how and why the sixth and current one is happening. She says 20% to 50% of all life on earth will be extinct by the end of this century. The devastating effect of humans on planet earth and the never ending greed and disregard for other species could lead to our demise in the end. A must read.

Broyard has a way of weaving metaphor with story in a way that is incredibly captivating. This book will reel you in and not let you go until the last page is read. If you ever lived in Greenwich Village or romanticize the early days of the 20th Century in NYC, then this is a good read for you. I also recommend his book: Intoxicated By My Illness. Some believe, including his daughter (though Philip Roth disputes it) the Human Stain story was modeled after Broyard's real life. His ancestry was African American, but after moving to New York he passed as white, working for the New York Times as a book reviewer.

This is a beautiful book by a compassionate and artistic woman, working to educate the public about the abuse of animals in factory farms and in other situations at the hands of humans. Awareness of what happens to these animals out of sight and mind is the first step to making choices that eliminate the abuse of these animals. I respect her passion and her vision to help the animals.