Tag: Book Reviews

Book review: ‘No One Will Hear Your Screams’ by Thomas O’Callaghan

‘No One Will Hear Your Screams’ by Thomas O’Callaghan is the third in the John Driscoll series.

New York City native and graduate of Richmond College, internationally acclaimed author Thomas O’Callaghan is a member of both the Mystery Writers of America and the International Thriller Writers associations. His work has been translated for publication in Germany, Slovakia, Indonesia, the Czech Republic, China and Italy. “Bone Thief,” his debut novel, introduces NYPD Homicide Commander Lieutenant John W. Driscoll. “The Screaming Room,” is the second in the John Driscoll series and the third, “No One Will Hear Your Screams” was released on May 9, 2020.  In “No One Will Hear Your Screams,” Lt. John Driscoll is on the case involving a sociopathic killer who is on the loose and murdering prostitutes in New York City.

“No One Will Hear Your Screams” is set in the dark and violent streets of New York City and begins as a woman helplessly calls out for help when she realizes that she is being held captive.  Her head, wrists and ankles are bound with rope and when she lets out a “bestial scream,” there are only trees outside her grave, but they are “deaf to her howling. Indifferent to her plight.” That is where the book’s title comes into play and the serial killer, only known as Tilden, keeps killing prostitutes, embalming them alive. He claims to have been sexually abused as a child by this mother’s john, but that is only one of the reasons why he focuses on prostitutes; he is also viciously attacked by one in the present . Lieutenant Driscoll, together with Sergeant Margaret Aligante and Detective Cedric Thomlinson, who each have their own issues to deal with, team up to stop the killings and bring Tilden to justice.  They stop the killings, but justice evades them because Tilden gets away too easily. He is taken down by ‘suicide by cop’ and does not get his due punishment.  Even though they stop the killings, “The Lieutenant knew the public sighs of relief would be temporary because evil always metastases. So, closure eluded him.” He will always be haunted by his inadequacies to stop evil in general. It ends with Driscoll’s final thoughts on the matter:  “Would he ever find reconciliation? He doubted he would.”

The most interesting characters are those who are flawed but still manage to help others.  In “No One Will Hear Your Screams,” every character is damaged or flawed in some way, but the detectives are still out there, catching the bad guys. They might be temporarily distracted, but they have a goal, something to keep them grounded. In Driscoll’s case, he had a rough childhood and is still haunted by the loss of his wife and daughter on a regular basis and that is what makes him relatable. The third person point of view narrative gives the reader an insight into the characters’ minds.  This is especially true with Tilden, who just before he is shot down, ponders: “If this was the end, and it appeared it was, he’d go out in a blast.”  Aided by short chapters, the dialogue driven-action is fast paced and captivating.  The character development is excellent all around, including Tilden’s traumatic childhood experiences, particularly in Catholic school, which is what partially fuels his violent tendencies.  With descriptive language such as: “Tilden moaned as shards of metal bored through his lungs, ripped tears through his tendons, lacerated muscle, sliced thorough viscera, shattered bone,” it is easy to envision the goriest parts. Because of this, it is not for the squeamish, since some of the details are too graphic, especially his last victim, whom he intended to consume. Even though it is disappointing that the last victim was not saved in time, “No One Will Hear Your Screams” is an impressive work of crime fiction and is recommended for readers who appreciate the hauntingly darker side of storytelling.

“The relevance, Cedric, is in the motive.  The ex-soldier confronts and kills his brother’s tormentors. Remember, nothing fuels murderous tenacity like revenge.” – NYPD Homicide Commander Lieutenant John W. Driscoll

*The author received a copy of this book for an honest review. The views and opinions expressed here belong solely to her.

Book review: ‘Someone to Watch Over’ by William Schreiber

‘Someone to Watch Over’ is William Schreiber’s new novel. Photo: amazon

William Schreiber is an author and screenwriter who earned the 2019 Rising Star Award from the Women’s Fiction Writers Association for his novel “Someone to Watch Over.” The book was adapted from his original screenplay, which has won or been nominated for many competition awards, including the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ prestigious Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting, as well as numerous Best Screenplay awards at film festivals throughout the country. A life-affirming story about faith in second chances, “Someone to Watch Over” is the multi-generational story about Eleanor “Lennie” Riley’s quest to find her only child, secretly taken from her by a powerful family two decades ago; a journey that leads to a string of mysterious encounters in the Appalachian Mountains. It was inspired by the unexpected death of William’s father and his family asking him to write and deliver his eulogy.

“Someone to Watch Over” begins as Eleanor Grace Riley, aka Lennie, is returning to Mosely, Tennessee hoping to reconcile with her aging father and learn from him the fate of the now-grown child he forced her to give up as a teenager. She had a difficult childhood right from the start; her mother dies delivering her and at seventeen she leaves town with a terrible secret about her teenage pregnancy.  Before she has a chance to make contact with her father, her brother John informs her that he has died. Crushed, but nevertheless determined, Lennie sets out to find answers on her own.  After she learns about guardakin angels in a distant corner of the Appalachian Mountains who can connect deceased parents with their children, it renews her hope of finding her child. John has planned a road trip to recreate one of their father’s vacations when they were kids as a way to remember him but Lennie only sees the trip as a way to find a guardakin angel. John comes across as aloof and distant and his and Lennie’s relationship is strained but he hesitantly agrees to let Lennie come along. The trip is anything but a smooth ride, but along the way, Lennie learns what happened to her daughter Michelle and reconnects with her while she and John finally become a family again after being separated for twenty years.

No matter how happy and put-together families look from the outside, they all carry their share of baggage. Even though Lennie and John come from the same family, they each had different experiences growing up which included the relationship they had with their father.  Because of this, they grieve in their own way without taking into consideration what the other’s memories of the father could be. This is an important point to be learned from “Someone to Watch Over,” that we should always strive to consider other people’s points of view and experiences so we can better understand them. The story is narrated in alternate points of view between Lennie and John, so the reader is always aware of their thoughts and opinions. It reads like a modern day piece of American literature, with poetic language “She set her acoustic aside and ripped up her pages of poetry, letting the shreds fall like ashes to the bed” that flows through the pages and makes the action deeper and more meaningful. This feel-good, heart warming novel is a must read and deserves a spot among literature’s best-loved works. “Someone to Watch Over,” the story of one family’s hard earned reconnection after much needed healing and forgiveness, is highly recommended for readers who appreciate reading about second chances.

“Lennie leaned out the window as the tow truck slogged up a woodsy mountain road, the night air soothing her as the moon played hide ‘n’ seek among the towering trees.”

*The author received a copy of this book for an honest review. The views and opinions expressed here belong solely to her.

Book review: ‘The Book of Ceremony’ by Sandra Ingerman

‘The Book of Ceremony’ by Sandra Ingerman. Photo: amazon

Sandra Ingerman, MA, is an award-winning author of 12 books, including “Soul Retrieval: Mending the Fragmented Self,” “Medicine for the Earth: How to Transform Personal and Environmental Toxins” and “Walking in Light: The Everyday Empowerment of a Shamanic Life.” Sandra is a world-renowned teacher of shamanism and has been teaching for close to 40 years. She has taught workshops internationally on shamanic journeying, healing and reversing environmental pollution using spiritual methods. Sandra is recognized for bridging ancient cross-cultural healing methods to our modern culture, addressing the needs of our times.  In her book “The Book of Ceremony: Shamanic Wisdom for Invoking the Sacred in Everyday Life,” Sandra Ingerman presents a rich and practical resource for creating ceremonies filled with joy, purpose and magic.

According to the author, her purpose in writing this book is to share what she has learned over the years, hoping to inspire others to lead healing and blessing ceremonies. Starting with the Introduction, Sandra Ingerman defines a ceremony: “Every shamanic journey a shaman takes, every healing method a shaman works with, is considered a ceremony.” She goes on to briefly describe the history of ceremonies and look back at the first ceremony she performed in 1982. The book is divided into for parts: Part One: The Power of Ceremony, it clarifies the basics of what constitutes a ceremony, how to prepare and perform one, Part Two: Sacred Transitions, Part Three: Ceremonies to Create Energetic Balance and Part Four: Life as a Ceremony, it includes examples of blessing and healing ceremonies for people and places, as well the community as a whole. The final part of the book includes other resources for further information on the practice of shamanic journeying.

Shamanism has been around for tens of thousands of years and has been a serious practice with the sole purpose of helping the community thrive. Today’s ceremonies are used to improve health and the quality of life and with so much negativity going on in the world, for serious practitioners, shamanic ceremonies are now more important than ever. The author connects ancient shamanic practices with modern culture and makes them relevant to today’s issues. The book touches on all topics related to ceremonies, including how choose the space, preparing ceremonial items and the types of ceremonies: for weddings, births and new beginnings.  Some of the ceremonies are familiar ones while others include newer adaptations of known ceremonies, the most poignant being the ones to honor death: burying a pet, plant ceremony, honoring trees and honoring environmental losses. All this information is given in plain and easy to understand language without being condescending to possible newcomers. While it may not be for everyone, “The Book of Ceremony” has resourceful guidance for readers who are genuinely interested in shamanic ceremonies.

“Once we wake up and recognize that other spectacular dimensions of reality exist, we experience a new sense of awareness about how to connect with nature, the flow of life, and the web of life.”

*The author received a copy of this book for an honest review. The views and opinions expressed here belong solely to her.

Book review: ‘Family in Six Tones’ by Lan Cao and Harlan Margaret Van Cao

Photo: google

Lan Cao is the author of the novels “Monkey Bridge” and “The Lotus and the Storm” and a professor of law at the Chapman University School of Law, specializing in international business and trade, international law and development. She has taught at Brooklyn Law School, Duke Law School, Michigan Law School and William & Mary Law School. Her latest book “Family in Six Tones: A Refugee Mother, an American Daughter” is the dual first-person memoir by the acclaimed Vietnamese-American novelist and her thoroughly American teenage daughter, Harlan Margaret Van Cao, who just graduated from high school in June 2020 and will be attending UCLA.

In the Introduction, Lan Cao views motherhood and being a refugee with equal trepidation because of how uncertain she still feels about both. Even after forty years of being in the United States and seventeen years of being a parent, she still feels inadequate in both. This is the central theme throughout this memoir as she explores being a refugee and being a mother with the help of Harlan, her teenage daughter, who is half Vietnamese. In short alternating chapters, they show how different and yet how similar they really are.  Lan relates her immigrant experience including war, past traumas and tragedies and the struggles and discriminations she faced while getting an education, especially in law school, while Harlan deals with culture clashes, bullying and going through life coping with synesthesia – a condition in which people often see sounds, taste word or feel a sensation on their skin when they smell certain scents – she often relates about having a purple cat following her.

Being an immigrant is never easy and too often the Vietnamese viewpoint is left out of the conversation.  This is what makes this memoir unique; not only is it told through the perspective of a mother/daughter relationship, but it is told through the Vietnamese point of view, not a solider or a politician, even though it touches on the sensitive topic of the war. Readers get to witness Lan’s transition from naïve immigrant to law student, especially the moment she decides to study law – when she was working in a video store and the police questioned her regarding missing money. The insight into Vietnamese culture is interesting, especially the system of ranking people, i.e. calling relatives Father Two, Sister Three. Her shared immigrant experiences of discrimination makes her relatable: “We may have Americanness officially documented in birth certificates, passports, or naturalization papers. But despite the seductive panache of the American Dream, the message that we can never really be American has curiously been passed down from generation to generation.”  Harlan also has this conflict about being too American versus not being Vietnamese enough and her writing is more poetic: “This life isn’t meant to be a race. It is meant to be a long, slow dream of perfect confusion, loneliness, deep friendships, and ambition. I’m ready.” When she writes “You can be American outside, but not in the house” it speaks to what children of immigrants sometimes deal with at home. They are expected to be Americanized outside the house, but at home they are expected to speak the native language and adhere to that culture’s expectations, leading to an emotional tug of war.  Overall, “Family in Six Tones” is an impressive and poignant exploration of the mother/daughter relationship which often has the same struggles and insecurities passed on from generation to generation. It is recommended for readers who appreciate a distinctive perspective on the struggles of refugees and familial bonds.

“ I wanted to bloom wherever I was planted, in this present tense where I had found myself, like a lotus flower that grows in mud and turns to face the sunlight.”  – Lan Cao

*The author received a copy of this book for an honest review. The views and opinions expressed here belong solely to her.

Book review: ‘In Service to Love: Book 1: Love Remembered’ by Darlene Green

inservicetolove
‘In Service to Love: Book 1: Love Remembered’ is the first in a series of three books by Darlene Green. Courtesy photo, used with permission. 

A healer, teacher and empath, Darlene Green began studying vibrational healing in 1992 and has written and led programs on living consciously beginning in 1998 in Seattle, Washington. She left her practice as a massage therapist in 2012 to answer a deeper calling and at a sacred site in Southern France, she connected powerfully with her Council of Light and returned to her ancient heritage as a Scribe. On December 26, 2017, Darlene received an invitation by the Council of Light for divine collaboration in a body of work title “In Service to Love.” It began as a journal for her own spiritual journey and includes daily entries for Day 1 through Day 366 and as a whole is divided into three books: “Book 1: Love Remembered,” “Book 2: Love Elevated” and “Book 3: Love Now.” “In Service to Love Book 1: Love Remembered: A Dynamic Experience of Consciousness, Transformation and Enlightenment” ‘offers a pathway for shifting your awareness from the de-stabilizing chaos of the external world to the ever-present, potent, multi-dimensional, innovative expression of Love this is your authentic nature.’

“In Service to Love” is Darlene Green’s deeply personal guide that helped her to realize and live her divine nature.  When she deducted  that it is also an invitation for other people to live up to their potential in a way that makes a difference in how they live their lives, she started sharing the daily writings with a close group of friends and family. It is the collaboration between Darlene, the Scribe and the Council of Light. Composed of Masters, the Council of Light includes the voices of Jesus, Mary Magdalene, Archangel Michael, Archangel Gabriel, Melchizadek, Infinite Oneness, Isis, the Elohim, Buddha, Sanat Kumara, Metatron, the Hathors, Gaia, the Grandmothers, the Grandfathers, St. Germain, Legions of Light, and many more. The speaker in charge shifts, depending on the subject, and the Egyptian god Thoth, the “Patron of the Scribe” is the mediator of frequency in light.  It begins with a Welcome from the author where she explains the purpose of this project: [it] ‘provides a rich environment where your frequency will increase, your perspective will broaden and your next steps become illuminated.’ Book 1: Love Remembered includes Day 1 through Day 122 and is divided as such and is a collection of daily affirmations complete with mental exercises and meditations to help readers live an authentic and fulfilling life.

While it is easy to dismiss books written by healers or new age masters, “In Service to Love” is basically a self-help guide filled with positive affirmations, meditation guides and helpful visualizations meant to enrichen lives. Regardless of where the advice comes from, its intent is to help readers become the best self they can be. Every reader is different, so each will get something different from these daily writings. It can be read all at once and then return to specific days to reexamine important topics or it can be read a day at a time, similar to a ‘reflection of the day’ series. Standouts include Day 15: Presence and Conscious Choice where the emphasis is on being fully present in the day’s daily tasks, one at a time, giving each full attention and then moving on to the next one; and Day 6: From Past and Future to Now where it stresses the importance of not getting stuck living in the past; that if you are getting out of life what you have always gotten it is because you keep doing the same thing. Written in easy to understand language, it is filled with positive and encouraging messages that, considering how divisive and hate-filled our world can be, it does not hurt to take these messages to heart. “In Service to Love: Book 1: Love Remembered” offers readers a way to connect with their authentic self and live a more meaningful life and is recommended for anyone honestly looking to create a more positive vibe in their lives.

*The author received a copy of this book for an honest review. The views and opinions expressed here belong solely to her.

Book review: ‘Touching the Jaguar’ by John Perkins

touchingjaguar
‘Touching the Jaguar’ is the new book by author and activist John Perkins. Photo: google

John Perkins is an author and activist who has written books on global intrigue, shamanism and transformation including “Shapeshifting” “Confessions of an Economic Hit Man” and “Touching the Jaguar.” His books have been on The New York Times’ bestseller list for more than 70 weeks, have sold over 2 million copies and are published in at least 35 languages. As chief economist at a major consulting firm, John advised the World Bank, United Nations, Fortune 500 corporations, US and other governments. He regularly speaks at universities, economic forums and shamanic gatherings around the world and is a founder and board member of the Pachamama Alliance and Dream Change, nonprofit organizations that partner with indigenous people to protect environments and that offer global programs to change the destructive ways of industrial societies. In his latest book “Touching the Jaguar: Transforming Fear into Action to Change Your Life and the World” Perkins details how his experiences in the Amazon converted him from an Economic Hit Man to a crusader for transforming our failing Death Economy that destroys its own resources and nature itself into a flourishing Life Economy that renews itself.

“Touching the Jaguar,” begins with an Introduction by the author that defines the phrase touching the jaguar – [it] ‘means that you can identify your fears and barriers, confront them, alter your perceptions about them, accept their energy, and take actions to change yourself and the world.’ His goal in writing this book was for it to serve as a connection between his previous books on Indigenous cultures and those on global economics. In the Prologue, he defines EHMs, or Economic Hit Men as ‘highly paid professionals who cheat countries around the globe out of trillions of dollars…Their tools include fraudulent financial reports, rigged elections, payoffs, extortion, sex, and murder.’ These terms are found throughout his story which starts in the summer of 1968 when he was a young Peace Corps volunteer and an Amazonian shaman saved  his life by teaching him to “touch the jaguar.” From there he went on to become an EHM and sincerely thought this was the best model for economic development but soon realized it was merely a new form of colonialism.  Eventually he takes his experiences in the Amazon and uses them to transform our Death Economy into a Life Economy.  In this book, he shares his strategies for transforming personal lives and defending the earth against destructive policies and systems. It is divided into eight parts that start with The Perception Trap 1968 -1970 and end with Decolonization 2017 – Present.

There is so much to learn from this incredibly eye-opening book: history, personal fulfillment and earth consciousness. It combines John Perkins’ experiences as an Economic Hit Man, expertise on indigenous cultures and shamanism and knowledge of ecology and economics. All of this is told in a down to earth tone with a narrative  that pulls the reader into the jungles of the Amazon, among other places. The chapters are short, the action flows easily from page to page and the language is easy to understand. Standout sections include ‘Chapter 2 Ayahuasca’ when he got sick while in the Amazon and the local shaman gave him ayahuasca, a plant used for healing, which resulted in his first vision of touching the jaguar; and the explanations on colonialism and how the United States has affected countries and economies worldwide. The Resources section at the end has ideas to help readers discover what they can do to change themselves and the world.  Every reader will get something out of it: in the least, become aware of the dangers of economic hit men and how truly harmful colonialism can be and at most, inspire them to get involved and become a better citizen of the world. “Touching the Jaguar” is not only a lesson in personal empowerment but a wake-up call about the true influence of American politics and economy. A definite must-read.

“It is time to end our fear of change and instead embrace the powers for change the jaguar offers, break through the mind-sets that have burdened us with failing systems, and apply the human and natural resources to create systems that will be successful for generations to come.”

*The author received a copy of this book for an honest review. The views and opinions expressed here belong solely to her.

Book review: ‘Gaijin’ by Sarah Z. Sleeper

gaijin
‘Gaijin’ is Sarah Z. Sleeper’s debut novel about a woman who moves to Okinawa looking for answers after her boyfriend disappears.  It is scheduled for release on Saturday, August 1, 2020. 

Sarah Z. Sleeper is a former journalist with an MFA in creative writing.  Previously, she was an editor at New Rivers Press and editor-in-chief of the literary journal Mason’s Road. She completed her MFA at Fairfield University in 2012. Prior to that she had a twenty-five-year career as a business writer and technology reporter and won three journalism awards and a fellowship at the National Press Foundation. Her short story, “A Few Innocuous Lines,” won an award from Writer’s Digest and her non-fiction essay, “On Getting Vivian,” was published in The Shanghai Literary Review. Her poetry was published in A Year in Ink, San Diego Poetry Annual and Painters & Poets and exhibited at the Bellarmine Museum. “Gaijin,” a coming of age novel about a budding journalist who sets off to Okinawa in search of answers when her college boyfriend mysteriously disappears, is her first novel and will be released on Saturday, August 1, 2020.

In Japanese, the word gaijin means ‘unwelcome foreigner’ and it is often used as a slur directed at non-Japanese people in Japan.  “Gaijin” centers around Lucy, a college student at Northwestern University who is obsessed with an exotic new student, Owen Ota, who becomes her lover and sensei.  When he disappears without explanation, she moves to Okinawa in hopes of tracking him down.  The story is told in the first person point of view and begins with a Prologue where Lucy recounts how she ends up in Japan and how her experience with Owen motivates her to seek answers in a foreign land. It all goes back to Japan in 2016 and begins as Lucy arrives at Okinawa’s Naha International Airport.  For the next three months, instead of the glamorous culture that Owen described, she is confronted with, among other surprises, anti-American protests fueled by the rape case involving an American military man and a young Japanese girl.  She also meets Hisashi, Owen’s  brother, who helps her come to terms with Owen’s tumultuous private life that culminates at the base of Mount Fuji and the infamous Suicide Forest. With the biggest mystery solved, Lucy is now content to stay in Japan and enjoy the country and culture she admired for so long.

Sometimes it is easy for foreigners to get wrapped up in the fantasy of an unfamiliar culture and once it hits home, reality can be disappointing. Such is the case with Lucy in “Gaijin,” Sarah Z Sleeper’s superb debut novel.  The author has penned a poetic and charming story filled similes and metaphors “His energy was warm, like a favorite oversize blanket” and peppered with poems and haikus. Despite being a small, easy to read book, the reader is immersed in Japanese culture, terms and traditions like tea ceremonies, all of which make the narrative come alive throughout the pages. Impressive character development and descriptions makes them relatable, “As the snow drifts piled shoulder-high on the edges of Northwestern’s campus, I dug myself into a cave of loneliness, busying myself while keeping social interactions at bay.” Of special interest is the background on Aokigahara, a forest on the northwestern flank of Japan’s Mount Fiji.  It has a historical reputation as a home to yūrei: ghosts of the dead in Japanese mythology. Also known as “the Suicide Forest”, one of the world’s most-used suicide sites; signs at the head of some trails urge suicidal visitors to think of their families and contact a suicide prevention association. History fans will appreciate the section on the conflict between Okinawa and Japan. “Gaijin” is the chronicle of one woman’s journey from idealistic college student in love with an image to an adult who learns to accept life’s disappointments and build a life on her own terms.

“A culture so beautiful that taking tea was a memorable occasion and yet so dark it contained a forest devoted to suicide.”

*The author received a copy of this book for an honest review. The views and opinions expressed here belong solely to her.

Book review: ‘The Last Sword Maker’ by Brian Nelson

lastswordmaker
‘The Last Sword Maker’ is Brian Nelson’s exciting novel about the future of warfare. Photo: google

Brian Nelson is a former Fulbright Scholar who holds degrees in international relations, economics and creative writing (fiction).  His first book “The Silence and the Scorpion: The Coup against Chávez and the Making of Modern Venezuela” was named one of the Best Books of 2009 by the Economist.  His work has appeared in the Virginia Quarterly Review, Christian Science Monitor and the Southern Humanities Review, among others. “The Last Sword Maker” is his second book and an action packed thriller about a high-tech arms race between the United States and China as they both strive to create the next-generation of weapons using a mixture of artificial intelligence, genetic engineering and nanotechnology.

“The Last Sword Maker” takes place in the not-too-distant future, between January 2025 and May 2026 as each chapter is given a time and place. The action begins with a prologue titled The Letter which informs of a letter written by Nobel laureate and biochemist Bill Eastman after he hosts a conference at the Millennium Institute in San Francisco in August 2018 for some of the greatest minds in science.  The letter is modeled after Albert Einstein’s 1939 letter warning President Roosevelt about the possibility of an atomic bomb, but this one warns the current president of the possible dangers from emerging technology and is signed by Eastman and twenty-seven other leading scientists. The novel is divided into three parts: Part One: The Ends of Peace, Part Two: The Race and Part Three: Red Dragon Rising. Part One begins seven years after that infamous letter and has Admiral James Curtiss being called to the Pentagon for an emergency meeting about a massive genocide taking place in the high mountains of Tibet.  This is not a disease, but a weapons test.  Chinese scientists have developed a way to kill based on a person’s genetic traits. The real danger will come if they achieve “Replication” – the breakthrough that will tip the global balance of power. To try and beat the Chinese, Admiral James Curtiss assembles the nation’s top scientists, which include a promising young graduate student named Eric Hill, who could provide the missing piece to the replication puzzle.  Sensing that the Americans have a leg up, the Chinese will stop at nothing, including kidnapping Eric, to force him to help them win this arms race.

Part techno-thriller, part political suspense novel, “The Last Sword Maker” is a thrill ride of a story. It starts off slow, but thankfully the action in the second half takes off and rewards readers for their persistence.  The history of the conflict between the Chinese and Tibetan people is eye-opening and serves as back story for Sonam Paljor, a member of the Tibetan resistance who is kidnapped, fed propaganda and converted into an elite solider for the Chinese. The language is descriptive “From here, they could see the top floors of other tech giants—silver-and-glass towers jutting above the trees like Mayan temples above the rain forest” and the deep character building is impressive which makes them relatable. Sometimes the torture scenes can get too graphic and violent but luckily there are not too many of them. Standout moments include ‘Chapter 17: Replication’ during the artificial intelligence final test and replication testing: “They worked silently, like peasant farmers tending to row after row of computer code” and when Eric, Bryan Ying and Mei finally escape the Chinese facility. The programming drama should appeal to programmers who understand the satisfaction of successful programming.  Hopefully, since it is advertised as the Course of Empire Series, Book 1, the Inventor, a cryptic ‘observer’ who seems to be a powerful and immortal being, comes back in subsequent books. There is something for everyone, from science, to politics, history and romance and that makes “The Last Sword Maker” a must-read page turner to rival the best from Tom Clancy and David Baldacci.

“You can’t know what it’s like until you’ve felt it. That was what he’d tell them. Bill, Jane, the admiral. When it was all over, he’d make them understand why he did it.  Why he had helped the enemy.”

*The author received a copy of this book for an honest review. The views and opinions expressed here belong solely to her.

Book review: ‘Scars in Time’ by Ryan Gutierrez

scarsintime
‘Scars in Time’ is Ryan Gutierrez’ exciting debut novel. Photo: google

Ryan Gutierrez is an American author born and raised in Texas and currently resides in the small South Texas town of Los Fresnos. He graduated from The University of Texas – Brownsville with a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice and worked as a Child Abuse Investigator with the state of Texas for five years. His debut novel, “Scars in Time: A Novel (The Nowhen Stories)” is about Brennan Ramirez, a man determined to change his wife’s traumatic past by going back in time.  As Brennan test drives The Machine, he begins to experience true power, true control, or so he thinks. With every trip, every choice, Brennan realizes that his newfound control may be an illusion.

“Scars in Time” begins with a Twilight Zone-like introduction of the main character Brennan “Like all people, we could describe Brennan Ramirez in many ways. …Any time he wasn’t expressing some positive emotion, he looked furious with the world. He had a few decent reasons to be, but we’ll get to that later.” The first part introduces readers to his wife Deidre and her traumatic childhood in the hands of her mother’s boyfriend and an emotionally distant mother. He test drives The Machine a couple of times before he realizes that he can use it to change the past. After quitting his job as a Child Abuse Investigator due to his debilitating anxiety and panic disorder, he feels useless.  He is constantly haunted by one of his past cases: Kaylee, a young girl who ends up dead because he failed to help her. The first time he travels to the past is to fix Kaylee’s life but what he wants more than anything is to go back and prevent Deidre’s traumatic abuse. At first it seems to work and he thinks he is in control, but it turns out to be just an illusion and he is reminded that life is unpredictable and not subject to manipulation. It is divided into four parts: Part I – The Present, Part II – 1994 (when he goes back to help Deidre) Part III – The New Present (includes the consequences of his time meddling) and Part IV – Nowhen (the new normal).

With his impressive debut novel, Ryan Gutierrez does an excellent job of introducing readers to Brennan, a complex and flawed character who ultimately just wants to do the right thing. Due to his anxiety and panic disorder, he feels out of control and the only way to regain some of that control is to go back in time to fix other people’s lives. Through it all, he undergoes a transformation because with each person he kills, it bothers him less and less and justifies it by telling himself that they deserved it. The focus is not so much the science of time traveling, but rather in using it to fix life’s “mistakes” and its consequences. He is constantly popping anti-anxiety pills and the vivid descriptions of his panic and anxiety attacks, especially when driving, are hauntingly realistic. The story flows naturally from page to page and the language is easy to understand, even though there is some sporadic Spanish. It has deep character development and is an emotional roller coaster ride, especially when he realizes how his time travelling is changing the “present” and it turns out that he created two timelines by initially jumping back to 1994. The author’s background in Criminal Justice gives the story an authentic voice as Brennan deals with the fall out of being a Child Abuse Investigator and when he is a Detective in the new present. Despite some Christian themes and scripture quotes, it does not come across as preachy. Hopefully, this is just the beginning of Brennan’s adventures. “Scars in Time” is a must-read page turner filled with action, drama and romance centered around a deeply troubled main character.  It is recommended for science fiction fans who appreciate time travel stories, Hispanic characters and culture and an abundance of pop-culture references.

“Though the memories of all the changes he’d made, all the rips and stitches in time, were crystalline in his mind, all other memories were as they usually were. Blurrier, murkier, and more likely to be inventions of a mind trying to fill gaps the farther back you go.”

*The author received a copy of this book for an honest review. The views and opinions expressed here belong solely to her.

 

Book review: ‘Moving Beyond Trauma’ by Ilene Smith

movingbeyondtrauma
‘Moving Beyond Trauma’ by Ilene Smith. Photo: google

Ilene Smith is a certified professional coach and Somatic Experiencing practitioner with master’s degrees in exercise physiology and mental health counseling.  Her research into Somatic Experiencing and eating disorders has contributed to the importance of Somatic Experiencing and body-based therapies in recovery.  With master’s degrees in exercise physiology and mental health counseling, Ilene blends talking, touch work and movement to create synergy between a client’s body and mind.  In her first book “Moving Beyond Trauma: The Roadmap to Healing from Your Past and Living with Ease and Vitality,” Ilene Smith introduces readers to Somatic Experiencing, a body-based therapy capable of healing the damage done to the nervous system by trauma.  She breaks down the way in which trauma impacts the nervous system and presents a program designed to process trauma in a non-threatening way.

It is important to note that, as the disclaimer at the beginning states, “This book is not intended as a substitute for medical or psychological advice from professionals.”  “Moving Beyond Trauma” is divided into two parts: Part One: Understanding the Mind-Body Connection which consists of chapters like ‘My Journey to Healing’ and ‘What Healing Looks Like’ and Part Two: Creating Change where in Chapter 5 the reader can assess his or her problem behaviors by taking a series of quizzes and in subsequent chapters, apply healing exercises and get tips for living a healthy lifestyle. In the Introduction, the author emphasizes that because the body and mind are connected, “psychological stress is held and manifests in our physical body.”  Even though she believes in talk therapy up to a point because it does have its benefits, most of the time it dredges up past experiences, which are often traumatic. Due to this, some people end up re-traumatizing themselves instead of healing. What she offers in Somatic Experiencing is a way to track and notice body sensations and experiences so that the body can begin to heal.

Since not all human beings are the same, not everyone experiences healing the same way so it is natural that not all methods of therapy work for everyone.  While some do benefit from talk therapy, for some, retelling their story can reactive the trauma and therefore they can not move past it. This is where “Moving Beyond Trauma” can help by defining the different types of trauma: developmental, collective and generational and providing healthy ways of coping. Through case stories about her past clients that dealt with anxiety, trauma, depression and eating disorders the author successfully presents her case that by confronting the body’s pain reactions, particularly to the nervous system, people can push past and begin the healing process. The language is not overly clinical so it is easy to comprehend the material. Readers will be able to understand their own trauma and, by doing the self-assessments, hopefully learn more about themselves and what triggers their anxiety and stress. It is an easy read and recommended for anyone looking for self-enrichment or for healthy living tips.

“I believe that it is when we are placed right in the middle of the most adverse experiences life has to present us with that we have the opportunity to build the most resilience for ourselves.”

*The author received a copy of this book for an honest review. The views and opinions expressed here belong solely to her.