Synopsis

 

Many people live lives riddled with outright anxiety and fear. Instead of happiness and ease being the normal state of existence, most experience happiness as only brief moments of joy, when some desire has been temporarily fulfilled. But it does not have to be this way; happiness can be recognized as our natural state of being.

According to author Kevin Krenitsky, a medical doctor and modern-day philosopher, we are in the midst of the biggest wave of awakening or self-realization this planet has ever seen. Our unconscious living has not only created stress, anxiety, wars, and famine; our choices have brought us to the edge of mass destruction. The earth has suffered greatly from our collective human unconsciousness.

In The Still Point, Krenitsky shows us a better way. He shows us how to discover and live our lives in alignment with our true self. More than just a mental concept, the Still Point is a felt experience of recognizing our own self-aware being. When the Still Point becomes obscured by giving exclusive focus to the noise of the outside world, we lose our feelings of peace and happiness.

Engaging and thought provoking, The Still Point takes readers on a journey of self-discovery, ultimately leading to the recognition that our self-aware nature is happiness and peace itself.

 

 

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Excerpt

 

THE PATHOLOGIC MOVEMENT OF MIND

 

An excerpt from The Still Point: The Simplicity of Spiritual Enlightenment by Kevin Krenitsky

 

 

It’s clear to most people that they have a limited span of attention. When concentrating our attention on a particular subject, it’s not usually long before the mind wanders off into the past or the future for something more “interesting” to ponder. Every student who has ever prepared for a school exam is likely familiar with this waning lack of ability to focus attention. What is not as obvious to humans is that our span of “inattention” is even less. Novice meditators often find this out very quickly as they first sit to meditate. Their minds simply refuse to cooperate as thoughts assail them almost continually. These thoughts arise in such rapid succession, and are often accompanied by correlating images, that it seems nearly impossible to recognize the pure field of stillness from which they arise. The reason for this is not the thoughts themselves, but the fact that we have been relentlessly conditioned to give attention to these thoughts. We believe, in essence, that we are our thinking minds and thus thoughts must be “followed” regardless of how rational or irrational they are. In fact, most people believe that their thoughts are a major part of their identity. They believe, and more importantly feel, that their thoughts are not only produced by them, but that they are essential to them. They believe if their brain became still and thought ceased, they would not be fully themselves. This could not be further from the truth. In fact, true peace can never be experienced until we recognize the vast, silent Still Point from which all thoughts arise. The Still Point is that which knows the thoughts that arise. When you say, “I know my thoughts,” you are correct because you are this vast self-aware Still Point. No thought has any ability to know itself, yet most people believe thoughts to be aware of themselves. Because of this, thoughts are closely followed while the awareness that is your true self, from which they arise and are known, is completely ignored. When thought arises from the timeless Still Point, a sense of passing time accompanies them. There can be no felt sense of time without thinking. In deep sleep, where thought is absent, time is not experienced. This is why it is completely essential to recognize the vast, peaceful field from which thought arises as being ever present and aware. This is meant to say that only the Still Point is aware. Any sensation, thought, or image you have ever experienced was known exclusively by this vast, silent presence. When you come to see this and recognize it is what you have called “I” your entire life, you recognize you are not your thoughts, and they are certainly not essential to you. You “are” before, during, and after thoughts have come and gone. This is the very seed of freedom from the false chains of the thinking mind. Thoughts do not need to be controlled or censored in any way, but simply allowed to rise and fall inside your vast aware-being.

 

Reprinted with permission from Waterside Productions Inc. 2022

 

 

About the Author

 

Kevin Krenitsky is a medical doctor and author of The Still Point. Despite leading a life deemed outwardly “successful”, he lived with a deep background of anxiety, fear, and stress that waxed and waned since early childhood. At the age of forty, in the midst of decades of suppressing tremendous inner and outer conflict, he reasoned there must be another way. This ‘willingness’ led to a decade of studying non-duality by way of A Course in Miracles. In 2015, at the height of a successful business career as Chief Commercial Officer at Foundation Medicine (FMI), Kevin turned away into relative isolation, and found the direct path to recognizing ones true nature. He wrote The Still Point to help others find their eternal nature, which is happiness itself.

 

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Synopsis

 

Plants experience stress due to environmental changes, either in biotic or abiotic form, during their life cycle. Non-heritable modifications in morphological, physiological or biochemical characteristics tend to reduce or decrease growth and productivity, and sometimes lead to death.

This book presents an exhaustive overview of the specific effects and modifications that could occur in this regards, and will serve to consolidate the ideas to promote standardization of plant adaptation to these changes in the environment. This book returns to the facts of both biotic and abiotic stress, detailing an essential aspect of plant life in the context of stress response.

The text is a comprehensive, current reference that effectively addresses issues and concerns related to plant stress in natural environments. Although many reference books about abiotic stress and other environmental stresses have been published, they all exist in relative isolation from one another, covering only one specific topic. This book is, rather, a comprehensive review of all aspects of the responses of plants to changes in the environment.

 

 

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About the Author

 

Rishikesh Upadhyay PhD, also known as R K Upadhyay, is a multi-award winning Indian author, Assistant Professor and research writer. He was born and grew up in a small Nepalis’ hamlet, Bhanjang Basti via Mahadev Tilla, just a few kilometres of Haflong, the district headquarters of North Cachar Hills (now Dima Hasao), India. His research and teaching works has focused largely on the environmental physiology, stress biology and biochemistry of plants. He has to his credit three years of post-graduate teaching experience at Assam University, India, and is the author of three books. He is a recipient of the Research Fellowship Award, the Pencraft Literary Excellence Award, the Albert Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award, the Literary Titan Award, and the Elsevier Science Reviewer Recognition Award. He is currently an Assistant Professor of Plant Biochemistry and Stress Biology in the Department of Botany at Haflong Government College, India.

 

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Synopsis

 

This inspiring and encouraging book from respected consultant Robert L. Dilenschneider provides 25 fascinating and diverse profiles of iconic men and women that show where they were at or near age 25—and how they built their legacies across a range of careers, including the arts, business, science, and government.

With a foreword from U.S. Ambassador Donald Blinken.

Do you think Albert Einstein had his act together by his mid-20s? Think again. Would you assume style icon and humanitarian Audrey Hepburn’s life was always as beautiful as she was? Far from it. At the other end of the spectrum is the revolutionary Steve Jobs, who was at the top of his game by age 25. But Jobs’s beginnings were marked by his adoption, displacement, bullying, and then a rocky personal life. This absorbing book examines the trajectories of 25 iconic figures—from Toni Morrison to Albert Einstein and Golda Meir to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart—to reveal where they were in their lives in their mid-twenties and the choices that enabled them to make their historic marks. For those who are coming of age now, and for those who care about them and their futures, these captivating profiles provide inspiration, instruction, and encouragement. The profiles in Path to Greatness will be real-life examples of the fact that the turning points that lead to success and happiness come at different times and as a result of different conditions. Some people create their own turning points, other people build on what happens to them.

Many people who seemed to “have their act together” at age 25, had already weathered difficult beginnings to their lives; their turning points came early. And other people who didn’t even have an act at age 25, went on to make profound contributions to the world; their turning points came with maturity.

This book will remind readers that it is never too late to make an impact.

 

 

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Excerpt

 

 

SALLY RIDE AND CHRISTA MCAULIFFE (United States)

 

Two young women sought to make history for the most positive of reasons. One lived doing so. One died.

They each claimed a “first” in the annals of space travel, in the ongoing exploration of the universe beyond the limits of the earth’s atmosphere. Astronaut Sally Ride was the first American woman to fly into space. Teacher Christa McAuliffe was the first “ordinary citizen” to fly into space.

Though their time at NASA overlapped only briefly, they are forever bound together in our imaginations, along with the space shuttle Challenger, the vessel on which they traveled, on separate missions.

Sally Ride went into space twice during her nine-year NASA career: in 1983 (when she was 32 years old and happened to be NASA’s youngest astronaut, another first) and 1984. For each voyage, she was a crew member on the Challenger. As 1986 began, she was training for her third mission, scheduled to take place after Challenger’s then-current mission, Christa McAuliffe’s mission. One of the goals of NASA’s shuttle program was to emulate the near-continuous use of commercial aircraft, which fly, arrive, are serviced, and fly again.

Another one of NASA’s goals was, frankly, good public relations. The agency wanted to increase excitement about, and support for, space flight and the science behind it. Opening up possibilities to a broader audience was a key strategy. That’s why Christa McAuliffe, a teacher, and a civilian, was on the Challenger that day that we all remember, January 28, 1986. All seven crew aboard were killed when the shuttle launched, soared into the sky, and exploded after a seventy-three-second flight. McAuliffe was 38 years old.

The shuttle program was immediately suspended, resuming after two years. Dr. Ride was chosen to serve on the board that investigated the Challenger disaster. (Almost twenty years later, when the shuttle Columbia disintegrated upon re-entry into earth’s atmosphere, again killing an entire crew of seven, she was part of that investigation as well.)

Sally Ride the scientist. Christa McAuliffe the teacher. Both these two young thirty-something women had prepared themselves well for their careers—neither of which was to include traveling to what used to be called, quaintly, “outer space.” What brought them to NASA and to the “firsts” that were turning points in their lives?

I can find no evidence that Sally and Christa ever met, even though their time at NASA overlapped. If they did not know each other, though, they must have known of each other. If they ever talked, do you think they focused on the identity of being “first,” which is often more important to onlookers than to the people involved, or to the joy they found in space exploration. Or other, more mundane topics?

Sally Ride was 26 years old in 1977, about to receive her PhD in astrophysics from Stanford University; only her thesis remained to be written. With three other degrees from Stanford (BA in English with a concentration in Shakespeare, BS in physics, MS in physics), she clearly was oriented toward a life in academia. Soon she would be applying for teaching positions.

One morning, drinking coffee and getting ready for the day, she read an article in the daily student newspaper with the headline “NASA to Recruit Women”—and not just women for any old NASA job, but for the first time as pilots and mission specialists—as astronauts. And it was not just women who were being newly recruited, there was a focus on minorities as well. And on scientists. The NASA era of astronauts being exclusively White-men-with-military-flying-experience was ending.

Ride decided—almost instantaneously—to apply. As Lynn Sherr, journalist and friend, subsequently reported: “‘I just had this Wow! feeling,’ Sally later said. ‘I read through the list of requirements for mission specialist and said to myself, I could do that.’”

Dr. Ride would be part of the new NASA era. Out of eight thousand applicants, she was one of thirty-five people to be chosen for the first new class, which included six White women, three Black men, and one Asian-American man. In early 1978, she entered NASA training as a mission specialist. (Sadly, one sister-member of her class of astronauts, Dr. Judith Resnik, was a crewmate on the Challenger with Christa McAuliffe.)

The “space race” was one of the defining elements of the post-WWII Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union. With the successful launch of the (unmanned) satellite Sputnik 1 in 1957, the Soviets were ahead in the race, and it was imperative that the United States not only catch up but exceed. Citizens were nervous about Soviets “flying around up there.” National security was at stake. What’s called the “Pearl Harbor effect” came urgently into play, with new funding, new agencies, new coordination among existing agencies, new R&D efforts.

Early in 1958 the United States launched its first satellite, the Explorer, and, later in the year, the NASA organization was formalized. Its official goal was “to provide for research into the problems of flight within and outside Earth’s atmosphere, and for other purposes.” “Other purposes” indeed; defense of the country was never far from anyone’s mind.

Within three years, the space race was neck and neck. The Soviets sent the first man into space in April 1961, the Americans in May 1961. The missions met their objectives; cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin and astronaut Alan Shepard returned safely to Earth.

In July 1970, the space race ended when American astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first person to step onto the moon; in July 1975, joint American–Soviet/Russian space missions commenced and continue to this day. (The Cold War officially ended in 1991 when the Soviet Union was dissolved.)

American-manned space travel was centered around the Mercury program (1961–63), Project Gemini (1965–66), and Project Apollo (1968–72), augmented by unmanned satellite exploration. Each successive program built on the previous one in all ways, but a characteristic of each spacecraft was that it was single use, burning up (with the obvious exception of the astronaut’s “pod”) in Earth’s atmosphere as it returned from space. And each astronaut—a man with military experience—reflected NASA’s role in American national security apparatus.

The goal of diversifying the NASA astronaut cadre had been bandied about since the early 1960s, but it was impetus from President Nixon in 1972 that had formalized the effort. PostApollo, the next generation of spacecraft was emerging. The new Space Transport System—a “shuttle fleet for low Earth orbit”—would be made up of reusable vessels capable of frequent and long-lasting flights, whose crews did lots of experiments.

 

From NAILING IT by Robert L. Dilenschneider, excerpted with permission from Kensington Books. Copyright 2022.

 

 

About the Author

 

Robert L. Dilenschneider is the author of Nailing It: How History’s Awesome Twentysomethings Got It Together.

He is the founder of The Dilenschneider Group. Headquartered in New York and Chicago, the firm provides strategic advice and counsel to Fortune 500 companies and leading families and individuals around the world, with experience in fields ranging from mergers and acquisitions and crisis communications to marketing, government affairs, and international media.

Mr. Dilenschneider has been called the “Dean of American Public Relations Executives” and is widely published, having authored 14 books, including Decisions: Practical Advice from 23 Men and Women Who Shaped the World; A Briefing for Leaders; On Power, The Critical 14 Years of Your Professional Life; 50 Plus!—Critical Career Decisions for the Rest of Your Life, and Power and Influence: The Rules Have Changed.

 

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Book Title: Finding My Sunshine (A Memoir)

Author: Shannon Leith McGuire.

​Category: Adult Non-Fiction (18+), 198 pages

Genre: Memoir

Publisher: Sunshine Street Press

 

Synopsis

 

“What if that someone was you?” Shannon had been so quick to blame others for her anger. She knew she was drowning in darkness and pain; being born with a learning disability made her feel defeated by life. She tried drinking heavily in order to quiet the demons. After being kicked out of college, Shannon took a leap of faith and started working in a nursing home. That’s when her angels appeared and the miracle began. The insight and wisdom she gained from those elderly new friends led her on an inspiring journey of discovery and self-acceptance. Each of us has our own path. Some of us just need angels to help us find it. This is her story.

 

 

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Interview with Shannon

 

Who was your favorite teacher?

 

I have had a lot of favorite teachers.

Most of them I would say were my Special Education teachers. The ones I had in middle/high school.  Ms. Gillen, Ms. Jones, Mr. Stedman. But the one who really helped me was an older retired teacher who lived across the street from us when I was growing up. Her name was Mrs. Ortner. She is the one who suspected I had a learning disability and encouraged my parents to have me tested. She was right. She helped me every day after school, going over the day’s lessons.

I would cry often in class during school, it was a safe place for me to let out my frustrations and no one would judge me, because they knew I was trying. Even if my grades were still straight D’s.

 

What have you done that you never thought you would do?

 

I never thought in a million years I would be a nurse.  I just wanted to be a mom when I was younger. But God had other plans for me.  I never saw myself as smart enough to become one, because I hated everything that dealt with school/studying.  I always had to have tutors, have my tests read out loud, have my books on tape when the chapters assigned were long.  I always had a hard time keeping up with the rest of the class because I was a slow learner.  Then I had a dream, three nights in a row, that I was to become a nurse.

 

Who do you wish you could see again?

 

I wish I could see my residents again, the ones who have passed on.  I wish I could hug them. Thank them for all they have done for me.  I believe the funny thing about death is it is an “invite-only homecoming party to heaven.” I believe friends/family members from long past will be in Heaven welcoming them, I picture them dancing and laughing with God. I just must believe they arrived safely to their next adventure. I hope they are laughing and dancing.

 

What was your first job?

 

My very first job was a lifeguard at the community swimming pool during the summers; I liked doing it. I remember when we took the written exam, I did not have a reader (someone to read the test for me) because I did not want anyone to know I had a learning disability. I failed the written test but passed on the other parts. They had a group meeting and determined I was still safe to lifeguard. I did that every summer until college.  I even saved a little girl from drowning. It was just like what they taught us when we did possible scenarios.  I knew exactly what to do; and everyone came together.

 

What did you want to be when you grew up?

 

I wanted to be a news journalist, just like Dan Rather.  I wanted to know everything about people and tell their stories. Also, because they get to have their hair and makeup done by professionals. I was never good at applying makeup or doing my hair.  But my reading was terribly slow; and because of that, I was told I would never be able to become a news journalist.

 

 

About the Author

 

Shannon was raised in a small town in Eastern Montana, where you leave your car keys in the ignition and your front door unlocked all the time. The kind of place where sunsets and sunrises can be seen for miles on the horizon. Where the spring crickets and frogs resting in the irrigation ditches helped transition the days into a calm resting night. Where the winters can get so cold, air can freeze.

It was only after she was academically suspended by the college she was attending, that she became a Certified Nurses Aide (CNA). She did her training in Billings, Montana and it was there she learned how to take care of others and bonded with the geriatric population.

​For over five years, Shannon worked in the same nursing home where she received her training. The work was hard, but it grounded her and helped her find balance in what had become a deeply unbalanced life. It was not until she was a CNA, at one of the hospitals that she had a dream three nights in a row that she was going to become a nurse.

She currently resides in Tampa, Florida, where you may hear her laughing with her husband of over 10 years, scuba diving in the ocean, taking walks with their rescued pit-bull dog- Darby, or dancing together to life’s music.

 

Website

 

 

Giveaway

 

Signed copy of FINDING MY SUNSHINE (a memoir) by Shannon Leith McGuire (one winner) (USA only) (ends Dec 10)

 

FINDING MY SUNSHINE Book Tour Giveaway

 

 

 

 

 

Synopsis

 

Director Steven Spielberg is more of an auteur than given recognition for. “The Films of Steven Spielberg” examines the maturation of a filmmaker through movies that reflect the director’s own life, fascinations, and obsessions. Spielberg’s upbringing and foray into the 1970s Hollywood business structure show us the origin of themes that are constantly present in Spielberg’s films such as fatherhood, World War II, and his collaboration with composer John Williams. Although mainstream cinema has become dominated by franchises – Spielberg has proven to be routinely ahead of his time in the post-9/11 era.

 

 

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Review

 

This book may be small but it is filled with information you never knew (or maybe you did) about Steven Spielberg. I will admit that I don’t know much about the man other than he directed many films that I have enjoyed and some that I have not seen but you have heard of like Jaws.

I was impressed with the depth of the research into this man, his life, and the films he produced. It is an entertaining story and I’m sure a lot more could have been written about this legend in the film world.

There are footnotes, but since I read the eBook, I wasn’t able to reference the footnote while reading along. I didn’t mind but sometimes it is interesting to find out the sources of information at that moment.

This is a book I might never have picked up if someone hadn’t shared it with me. I’m glad that they did as I enjoyed learning more about Spielberg and how he ended up with a fascinating career.

We give this book 4 paws up.

 

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Michael Jolls is the author of the books, “The Films of Steven Spielberg” (2018), “Rev. William Netstraeter: A Life in Three Parts” (2019) and “Make Hollywood Great Again” (2020). He also worked as assistant editor on “David Fincher: Interviews” (2014) for the University Press of Mississippi.

Jolls is a producer to over a hundred various films, videos, shorts including “6 Rules” (2011), “Cathedral of the North Shore” (2013), “The Great Chicago Filmmaker” (2015), “#SelfieGuy: A Very Merry Christmas Special” (2015) and “Sell Me This Pen” (2018) and “A Sad State of Affairs” (2020).

 

 

From lauded cheesemonger and creator of the popular blog Cheese Sex Death, a bible for everything you need to know about cheese

For many people, the world of artisan cheese is an intriguing but intimidating place. There are so many strange smells, unusual textures, exotic names, and rules for serving. Where should a neophyte begin?

From evangelist cheesemonger Erika Kubick, this comprehensive book guides readers to become confident connoisseurs and worshippers of Cheesus. A preacher of the curd word, Kubick provides the Ten Commandments of Cheese, which breaks down this complex world into simplified bites. A welcoming sanctuary devoted to making cheese a daily part of life and gatherings, this book explores the many different styles of cheese by type, profiling commonly found and affordable wedges as well as the more rare and refined of rinds. Kubick offers divine recipes that cover everything from everyday crowd pleasers (think mac and cheese and baked brie) to festive feasts fit for holidays and gatherings. This cheese devotee outlines the perfect cheese plate formula and offers inventive yet easy-to-execute beverage pairings, including wine, beer, spirits, and non-alcoholic drinks. These heavenly spreads and recipes wring maximum indulgence out of minimal effort and expense. Filled with seductive photography and audacious prose, Cheese Sex Death is a delightfully approachable guide to artisan cheese that will make just about anyone worship at the altar of Cheesus.

 

 

 

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Review

 

The great thing about being a part of Abrams Books Dinner Party Club is being able to see all the new releases. For a foodie, this is heaven! I don’t claim to be a foodie like some, but I do enjoy cookbooks and other books related to food. You can learn so much and this book is the perfect example. I love cheese and I think many do too unless they have a cheese allergy or something like that.  Consider it your Cheese bible for all things cheesy. There is so much going on in this book! An explanation of cheese, how it is made, what to look for, what to avoid, tastes, etc.

I flipped through this book and there are sections that I will go back and read more fully, but I am fascinated to learn what cheese is best used for what type of dish, pairings, how to set up a cheese plate (the right proportions of tastes), some recipes at the end, and so much more. There is even a timeline that reflects how cheese came about through the centuries.

The book is chock full of useful information that I would never have thought to find all in one place. I can’t wait to learn more about proper cheese handling and storage. The book will blow your mind!

Disclaimer – This book contains religious satire.

 

We give this book 5 paws up

 

 

 

About the Author

 

My name is Erika Kubick and I really love cheese. I’m a former cheesemonger, which means I used to work in a shop caring for and selling cheese. I believe cheese is the sexiest, holiest food in the world and that we should all pleasure ourselves with it every day. I created Cheese Sex Death to inspire people to indulge their funky fromage fantasies: it’s your guide to buying, plating, pairing, cooking with, and tasting cheese.

Even though the world of artisan cheese seems intimidating, all you really need to know is that you like eating it. I’ll help you learn the rest.

 

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Synopsis

 

International students and immigrants have been the secret ingredient in America’s recipe for global success. America Calling shares one immigrant’s story, a tale that reflects millions more, and shows us why preventing the world’s best and brightest from seeking the American Dream will put this country’s future in jeopardy.

Growing up in middle-class India, Rajika Bhandari has seen generations of her family look westward, where an American education means status and success. But she resists the lure of America because those who left never return; they all become flies trapped in honey in a land of opportunity. As a young woman, however, she finds herself heading to a US university to study, following her heart and a relationship.

When that relationship ends and she fails in her attempt to move back to India as a foreign-educated woman, she returns to the US and finds herself in a job where the personal is political and professional: she is immersed in the lives of international students who come to America from over 200 countries, the universities that attract them, and the tangled web of immigration that a student must navigate.

A narrative that explores the global appeal of a Made-in-America education that is a bridge to America’s successful past and to its future, America Calling is both a deeply personal story of Bhandari’s search for her place and voice and an analysis of America’s relationship with the rest of the world through the most powerful tool of diplomacy: education.

 

 

 

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Praise

 

“In adding her voice to the immigrant experience, Rajika reminds us that everyone has a story to tell and that everyone’s story counts. It is books like this that make America a kinder and wiser nation. Highly recommended for high schools and colleges.” —Firoozeh Dumas, New York Times best-selling author of Funny in Farsi: A Memoir of Growing up Iranian in America

 

​“Rajika Bhandari is a voice that urges us with moral clarity and rigorous intelligence to embrace immigrants in higher education. This book tells a personal story and a wider one too, it’s a clarion call for the nation’s policy makers and educators, to welcome into the nation’s ranks any and all curious minds willing to join in the pursuit of an education.” —Maeve Higgins, New York Times columnist, award-winning author of Maeve in America: Essays by a Girl from Somewhere

 

“In America Calling, Rajika Bhandari captures the confusion and wonder of the international student experience of the sort she, I, and many others have shared. Sometimes funny, often moving, and always thought-provoking, Dr Bhandari’s is a memorable story, and an enjoyable read.” —Shashi Tharoor, Indian political leader, former Under-Secretary General of the United Nations, and best-selling author of 22 books including India: From Midnight to the Millennium and Beyond

 

“Rajika presents a very personal and fascinating story of the trials and tribulations of a foreign student coming to the U.S. She explains why the world’s brightest flock to American shores and boost its competitiveness—and why they are now returning home. She is right that if America doesn’t correct the exodus, it will be the greater loser.” —Vivek Wadhwa, Distinguished Fellow, Harvard Law School, Labor and Worklife Program, best-selling author of The Immigrant Exodus: Why America is losing the global race to capture entrepreneurial talent

 

“Through this intimate account of her own journey, Rajika Bhandari tells the story of the millions of young people who pursue the dream of an American education, the price they pay, the irreversible transformation they undergo, and the often misunderstood, under-appreciated, yet immense social and economic value they bring about. While she grew up in Delhi and I in Madrid, her story is, in many ways, mine too.” ​—Angel Cabrera, Former President, George Mason University; President, Georgia Tech and a Carnegie Corporation “Great Immigrant”

 

 

Interview with Rajika

 

While we know this story is a personal one, what motivated you to write this book at this time?

 

I have worked in the field of international education for many years and during this time came to realize how little the American public knows about international students — who they are, where they come from, what are their experiences. Yet there are over 1 million such individuals from over 200 countries who study in the US. There is no broader understanding of the value that such individuals bring to American society and yet they are presented with educational and immigration hurdles every step of the way.

I wanted to write this book to reveal the experience of an international student in the US and make people sit up and take notice that the future of America is at risk if the world stops coming to American colleges and universities. These issues became even more urgent over the past five years under the Trump administration, when there was an onslaught of damaging proposals — including the infamous travel bans — which made America feel very unwelcome to international students. As someone who had watched this from the sidelines, albeit as an expert, I knew I had to speak up and share my story and that of others on what being an international student and future immigrant feels like.

 

Your story speaks intimately on the education-to-immigration process many international students go through while planning their futures beyond academics. Why was it important for you to speak to this process?

 

There are a lot of misunderstandings about this process, with many in America believing that it is easy for international students to stay on, or that it is easy for someone to become a skilled immigrant in America. The reality and evidence point to the opposite, where the process, wait times, and immigration loopholes are dehumanizing and damaging — both for that student who aspires to stay on, but also for the US as a country which, each year, loses a ton of global talent that leaves the country and goes elsewhere because of the inability to stay. While much of the country’s focus has been on undocumented immigrants and their challenges — which are of course critical — the harrowing ordeal of those pursuing the pathway of immigration through employment does not receive as much attention.

 

The voices you highlight in the book are so impressive and inspiring. How did you choose who to interview and go about your writing process?

 

I see the book as a way of telling not just my story but also those of others whose lives and experiences speak to the impact that studying in America has had on them, and who themselves have had a profound impact on the US and its ties with the world.

I sought out well-known individuals like Ambassador Richard Verma, the first person of Indian American origin to serve as an ambassador to India under President Obama, and whose own father arrived in the U.S in 1963 as an international student from India with just $14 in his pocket. I tell the story of Susan Mboya, whose father along with John F. Kennedy, launched the “African Airlift” which brought over 800 African students to the US in the 1960s, including the senior Barack Obama.

I thought it important to also tell the stories of everyday people and young global dreamers–a young female student from China who came to believe anything was possible in America when landing an internship with Ivanka Trump; a refugee fleeing Syria to come to an American university offering him a safe haven and a new life; and an Indian student whose experience during the Black Lives Matter movement helped him and his friends confront their own racial stereotypes.

I do also tell the stories of those who America has pushed away and whom the country has lost: a brilliant young scientist and team at Monash University in Australia that is doing cutting-edge work in gravitational wave astronomy (the field that won the Nobel Prize in 2017) but that was forced out of the US because of visa issues. Capturing these narratives helped me show the full arc of America’s relationship to the world through education: the history of such relationships going back to the late 1800s, to my own experience, and then to the current view and what is happening today.

 

 

About the Author

 

Rajika Bhandari: A former international student from India to the US and an Indian American immigrant, Rajika Bhandari is an international higher education expert, a widely published author, and a sought-after speaker on issues of international education, skilled immigrants, and educational and cultural diplomacy. An author of five academic books and one previous nonfiction book, Dr. Bhandari is quoted by dozens of global media outlets each year, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, NPR, The Times of India and Quartz, and her writing has appeared in The Guardian, The Chronicle of Higher Education, HuffPost, University World News, Times Higher Education, and The Diplomatic Courier, among others. She lives outside New York City.

 

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Synopsis

 

It can take less than a minute to get fired. Less than a minute to hear the words that change your life as you’ve known it. You’re stunned, shocked, humiliated—because your career has defined your life and you’ve been blindsided. You’re a company Loyalist with a capital L, and you’ve been sucker-punched professionally. How do you even talk about this?

Countless books focus on leadership and resilience, but none of them take you through what actually happens to women leaders who are suddenly let go, or who endure untenable circumstances and ultimately fire themselves. None of them take you, step by step, through the emotional process of acceptance and beginning again. And that’s where Involuntary Exit comes in.

With advice for every unexpected twist, turn, and emotional trigger, this book is based on author Robin Merle’s experience at the top of billion-dollar organizations, as well as her interviews with accomplished women who were suddenly severed from their organizations and navigated their way back to success. The real-life examples she offers in these pages prove that you’re not alone—and that you, too, will get through this. Whether you’ve been fired or need to move on, Involuntary Exit will help you rediscover your value and emerge as a stronger leader on your own terms.

 

 

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Excerpt

 

 

Preface to Involuntary Exit

 

By Robin Merle

 

 

I wrote this book over two years ago, before the pandemic changed our world and levied a crushing blow to our sense of normalcy. I wrote it before unemployment was at historic highs, with nearly fifteen million people in the US unable to work because their employer closed or lost business due to the pandemic. I listened to women’s heartbreaking stories before the advent of Zoom firings, and thousands of people from Weight Watchers were told that they lost their jobs, while they were muted, during a three-minute virtual meeting. Pre-pandemic, when I wrote about professional women being fired, sudden job loss and its traumatic impact was a private phenomenon. We talked about it in huddles with best friends or with people we trusted enough to help us, or we didn’t talk about it at all.

COVID-19 changed all that. Stories about unemployed workers filled headlines. About a month after New York City went into lockdown, the New York Times introduced an At Home section to help people get through the novelty of a life not circumscribed by work and routine but filled with uncertainty. Uncertainty was the yeast that rose steadily under the heat of the virus. Not knowing what was to come was as threatening as the virus itself. Did it make people feel more isolated? Throw them into a rage? Go up and down the seesaw of emotions until they landed at some balance of acceptance and anxiety?

Being thrust into the unknown, without bringing it on yourself, was a broad theme for all of the women interviewed for this book. They lost their jobs, or exited involuntarily at a time of stability in the world, but for them the world was not stable. All of the markers they’d known to define who they were and the purpose they had lived for were gone. Their sense of identity, so wrapped up in their positions, became a sense of loss, and at first they struggled to find a way to redefine themselves outside of their jobs. Is this happening now because of COVID-19? Are people questioning their identities and their journeys? How has the pandemic shifted our tolerance for uncertainty?

I asked these questions of Megan Marzo, a licensed clinical social worker with the Weill Cornell Psychiatry Collaborative Care Center, who specializes in cognitive behavioral therapy. She told me that, as a group, the people she is seeing in her practice are more uncomfortable with uncertainty than people have ever been because of how our society has evolved. “If we can’t find the answer, we blame ourselves and think something is wrong with us. When we look at the immediate future, it’s not clear. We’re existing without knowing where we’re going to be working or not working—it’s destabilizing. Losing a job has people reeling.”

These are the feelings that I explored pre-pandemic when the act of being fired was something to be dealt with by entities that now seem quaint, like an outplacement agency or any number of cottage industry specialists that were (1) employed and (2) had little to no training for dealing with the shame and trauma of job loss, no less night sweats about identity and purpose. “Our jobs are the thing we orient our identity around,” says Marzo. “There’s a newer phenomenon where our job isn’t just about gaining resources, it’s about who we are, so when we lose that, we feel we’re failing at the purpose we decided upon.”

The good news is that almost all of the women in this book did step back, reflect, and reinvent themselves after being fired. They did so in their unique ways, which are not so much novel as workable for them. Marzo says she sees a COVID silver lining of people “adapting in beautiful ways. We’re hearing people reevaluate priorities as we acknowledge that job loss is often an identity loss. The pandemic has led people to take a step back and question, ‘Why is my identity my job? Do I like this? Why am I doing this? Is working hard good?’ As behavioral therapists, our goal is to disentangle fact and the story you’re telling yourselves about the event. You can challenge your stories and see that a lot of them are changeable and not true.”

COVID-19 has taught us many scalding and tragic lessons, but it’s also shown us that we have a lot more choices than we could see when we were chugging along day after day. “After the initial shock of trauma and absorption, there is a new forum for growth and opportunity,” says Marzo. This is my overarching message to all of you who pick up this book. Whether you’ve been fired, laid off, been the casualty of a business closure, or simply need to move on, my hope is that you’ll emerge with a new set of positive beliefs about your future and your power to change your course however it benefits you. Growth, opportunity, hope. Let’s hold on to that.

 

– December 2020

 

 

About the Author

 

Robin Merle has been a senior executive for billion-dollar organizations. She is a veteran of the power, value, and identity wars at the top ranks; has raised more than a half-billion dollars in philanthropy during her decades working with nonprofit organizations; has served as a board member for three nonprofits in New York City; and has been the vice chair of National Philanthropy Day in New York for three consecutive years. In 2017, she was named Woman of Achievement by Women In Development (WID) for her leadership in fundraising and commitment to women in the field. Robin is a frequent speaker at national conferences on fundraising and leadership. Her short fiction has been published in various literary magazines. Involuntary Exit is her first nonfiction book. Robin splits her time between New York City and North Conway, New Hampshire and Maine.

 

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HOLDING ON LOOSELY

 

by

 

DANA KNOX WRIGHT

 

 

Genre: Narrative Nonfiction / Memoir / Self Help

Publisher: Carpenter’s Son / Clovercroft Publishing

Date of Publication: August 24, 2021

Number of Pages: 208 pages

 

 

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Helicopter parents. Control freaks. Perfectionists. Intolerants. Over-consumers. Social media junkies. We all fit in there somewhere. Read one woman’s stories of clinging, turning loose, and becoming free.

We are overly busy helicopter parents, control freaks, perfectionists, intolerants, over-consumers, and social media junkies–who worry, fear, laugh less, and always want more. In the midst of it, we wonder what it would feel like to open our hands and turn loose of all of it.

In HOLDING ON LOOSELY: Opening My Hands, Lightening My Load, and Seeing Something Else, author Dana Knox Wright tells stories of one who is hardwired to cling.  To her children when they asked for a blessing to go.  To someone else’s ideas, when she didn’t trust her own. She held on to prejudice when she would tell you she didn’t. She shut down for days while clinging to fear. She clung to youthfulness as if what would come next couldn’t be her life’s cherry on top.

In a particular season of her life, she recognized her bent to possess, to keep, to hold tightly, and to control was completely contrary to Jesus’ example. This is one woman’s history of holding on and her stories of turning loose–stories of the gentle and firm, humorous and heartbreaking ways God led her to turn loose.  It is living minimally from the inside out.

 

 

 

 

 

ME, MYSELF AND I. Staying Selfless in a “Selfie” World

 

Guest Post by Dana Knox Wright

 

A few weeks ago I got off a plane and did the first thing most every woman does.  I headed to the bathroom.  As a rule, I never pass one up.

Of course there was a line because when isn’t there one.  That day all the gals in line wanted only one thing from this life.  Go.  Get out.  Get home.

So it’s what I did.

I went, I got out… and then this.

I walked out of the stall to a bay of three sinks.  In front of one of them was a beautiful, exotic woman who was having the best time at her very own “selfie-in-the-bathroom” photo shoot.  I rolled my bag out and waited for her to vacate the sink area.  She fluffed her hair and her breasts and snapped a few dozen pictures, checking her phone after each one.  She was completely, one hundred percent unaware I and others were waiting to rid ourselves of some nasty airport germs.  Finally, when she was pleased with the results, she confidently walked out into the Gate C-19 boarding area, oblivious to the line of waiting women she left in her wake.

My fellow travelers and I exchanged amused glances, some shaking their heads. We each knew what the others were thinking.

So this is it.  This is our world.  (Sigh).  The one where we live, move and have our being.  A selfie world.

I mean it’s not like we all take selfies in airport bathrooms, though.   In fact, I would say most of us don’t.  We don’t all own selfie sticks, (although I can think of a few times one would’ve come in handy).  But as adults who should be on a slow trajectory away from selfishness after exiting the womb, it seems we all have, at times, a propensity to dwell on ourselves.  Me, myself and I.

What is this fixation with self?  Is it about attention?  Is it about comparison or self-esteem?  Pity, maybe?  I can easily spin off down all kinds of rabbit trails leading to dark and grim rooms of the human heart.  I don’t want to go there, though.  I really don’t.  It would be such a waste of a sunshiny day.

So instead, I’ll let my internal compass do its thing.  Not once has it failed to get me back on track–pointing me to my true north.  The place where selflessness is still alive and well and kicking butt.

It’s where Suzanne lives.  Suzanne, who wakes one Sunday morning and on a whim drives a couple hundred miles and arrives unannounced simply to sit with a friend on her porch because she knows her friend is struggling.  It’s where Maurie, only days after her own mom’s funeral, pays a joy-giving visit to another mother living out her last days.  In my true north, there are people who let their blessings flow through their fingers like rivers of living water.  Their laughter is so contagious–their joy so palpable–they can flip the mood in a room just by walking in the door. They show up and stay if needed.  They take out trash, drive people to appointments and will cry it out with you.  They don’t just have ideas on how to help, they actually carry them through.

And that’s not all.

They listen.  They give you a swift kick in the arse to get you out the door when you need it to remind you to rise above the struggle.  They rearrange plans–sometimes important ones.  They sacrifice time and money.   They pick up the slack and never excuse themselves from it.  They don’t pass things off to someone else.  They enter in.  They are present.  They are quiet sorts when it comes to tooting their own horns.  In fact, unless they come really near you, you might never know of their actions at all.  You will not find a record of their selflessness on social media no matter how hard you look.  They walk the delicate balance between their own overwhelming joy and unbelievable tragedy with a beautiful grace.  In fact, you likely will never know which side their foot is slipping into, because they are selfless navigators of their circumstances, be they joyful or heartbreaking.  They turn everything outward, these selfless ones.

I’m watching them, and my hope for mankind isn’t diminishing after all.  It’s growing!  They’re teaching you and me all kinds of stuff about being the hands and feet and heart of Christ if we will see it.  If we will receive it.

They’re teaching me gems like these.

We mustn’t wear our heartache and hurt like a badge of honor, hanging on to it like it’s our best friend– believing our grief to be so much greater than that which others are bearing.   With strength and humility, we each must bear out the measure of heartache dealt us so that we might gain empathy as we push through it and survive–so our sadness will count for something greater than ourselves.

And this.

We mustn’t hide our light and our joy when life gives us a cup full of it.  It would be ingratitude to do so.  We should dance in it and let it spill over as it will, letting it splash on all of those we come in contact with…sharing the bounty of it and the laughter in it and the hope.  We will be living proof that joy does come in the morning.

Our sadness must never require others to cover their light when it’s their season of joy.  Their joy will give us a little joy too if we let it. It will be healing salve to us.   And our joy must never fail to see the sadness just across the street, where hope and light are in short supply.  The sadness in others should hurt our hearts too, if we let it.  It will humble us as we enter in.

This is the beautiful essence of selflessness.  The circle of it.

I aspire to it.  I aspire to walk down the road, always looking right and left to see something or someone other than myself.

Today when I was upstairs writing, a woman quietly left a big basket chock full of the most beautiful vegetables you’ve ever seen on my doorstep.  She grew them with her own hands and harvested them in this Texas summer heat.   And for some reason she thought to share them with me.  She has walked through unbelievable hard stuff this past year, and would you look at her turning it all outward.

Beautiful selflessness.  May we see it, take note of it and become it.  It’s the thing that will keep the world from tipping over.

The last time I checked, the camera on my cell phone still defaults to focusing outward and away from me.

Kind of ironic and wonderful, isn’t it?  Technology actually reminding us to be to be selfless.

 

 

 

 

Dana Knox Wright began letting go of fear at fifty.  It’s the decade where, in an odd twist, Sandra Bullock asked for her autograph—the decade she began hiking to places with seriously wild animals, rafting in crazy rivers and eating wild blackberries with only mild concern rabid foxes eat from the plants, too. After a long career in radio voiceover, she found a passion for spreading goodness and living to the full. She has offered readers encouragement, hope and sisterhood for almost ten years through her essays published on her blog. Dana holds a degree in Journalism from The University of Texas at Austin and is the author of Saving Stories: Afternoons with Darrell (2017). She is the mother of three adult children and three grandchildren and currently lives in a small river town in the Texas Hill Country with her husband and an English Mastiff named Pearl.

 

 

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Signed copy of Holding On Loosely, goodie basket,

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Visit the Lone Star Literary Life Tour Page

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10/12/21	Excerpt	Chapter Break Book Blog
10/12/21	BONUS Promo	LSBBT Blog
10/13/21	Review	Book Fidelity
10/13/21	Scrapbook Page	Hall Ways Blog
10/14/21	Review	It’s Not All Gravy
10/15/21	Guest Post	StoreyBook Reviews
10/15/21	Review	Jennie Reads
10/16/21	Author Interview	All the Ups and Downs
10/17/21	Excerpt	Reading by Moonlight
10/18/21	Review	The Clueless Gent
10/19/21	Author Interview	The Adventures of a Travelers Wife
10/19/21	Top 8 Quotes	Momma on the Rocks
10/20/21	Audio Review	Forgotten Winds
10/20/21	Bonus Review	Julia Picks 1
10/21/21	Guest Post	Sybrina’s Book Blog
10/21/21	Review	Book Bustle
10/21/21	Review	Missus Gonzo

 

 

 

 

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Synopsis

 

There are many ways to give back, from volunteering, serving on a board, raising funds, or donating time. Each role requires a specific skill set, but where does a person turn to get started? There has never been a formal guide for volunteers and activists to help them navigate the day-to-day activities associated with doing good through philanthropy; until now! So skip scrolling on the internet for hours to figure out how to advance the cause dear to your heart, and use this shortcut guide! “For A Good Cause” by philanthropy expert philanthropist Diane Lebson is for anyone who has ever said to themselves, “If I could make a difference in the world, how would I want to do it?”

Lebson’s book compiles everything you need to know about intentional volunteering and participation in philanthropic events. This accessible guide offers a wealth of information regarding best practices to follow, garnered through decades of experience in a nonprofit career and collaboration with 26 female philanthropists who also share their experience with step-by-step lessons.

Lebson’s priceless knowledge on how women can give joyfully and effectively to a cause is packed into this action-oriented guide, and will surely benefit anyone interested in making the most of their charitable endeavors. Let’s get started!

 

 

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Praise

 

“As a trailblazer in women’s philanthropy, Diane Lebson provides insightful advice on how to be intentional in your generosity. For A Good Cause illustrates what research at the Women’s Philanthropy Institute has demonstrated — that women are drawn to an expanded definition of philanthropy that includes time, expertise, advocacy, networks and money, applying all of their resources to work for good. Readers seeking greater confidence in how to do good will benefit from the real-world lessons and decades of experience shared through Lebson’s stories.” —Jeannie Infante Sager, Director of Indiana University Women’s Philanthropy Institute

“We know from research that women don’t resonate with the word “philanthropist” as it can be perceived as primarily the donation of money. Women know that they provide so much more than just treasure when they care about a good cause – they also give their time, talent, testimony and ties. Yet this broader definition of philanthropy is rarely celebrated, leaving women to believe that their full support is not valued. Lebson’s practical guide for women’s engagement with charities lifts up and honors what women bring to the table as talented and thoughtful volunteers, leaders, donors and amplifiers of the mission. In addition, her plethora of stories and practical advice is a welcome aide to women as they consider the best approaches to benefit any cause they hold dear.” —Kathleen E. Loehr, author of Gender Matters: A Guide to Growing Women’s Philanthropy

“In every encounter with Diane, I am always impressed (and motivated) by her energy and enthusiasm for supporting individuals to find joy in their philanthropic pursuits. Easier said than done! I am thrilled to see Diane articulate in word through her book, For A Good Cause: A Practical Guide to Giving Joyfully, the passion and practical steps anyone can take to embrace the sentiment of joyful giving. I believe truly that with her practical tips and relatable storytelling, you will feel confident and empowered to explore and expand your own philanthropic journey.”  —Katie Vlietstra Wonnenberg, President and Board Member, Phi Sigma Sigma, Inc. and Phi Sigma Sigma Foundation, and student in giving joyfully

“In my many decades as a nonprofit CEO I can’t remember reading a book that so comprehensively addresses all the facets of philanthropy from volunteers to donors to even starting your own nonprofit.  Diane’s contribution to the discourse reminds me that women have always worked hard to make the world a better place, now with For A Good Cause we have a guidebook to do it well and most important to do it joyfully.  Bravo Diane!” —Lidia Soto-Harmon, Chief Executive Officer, Girl Scouts Nation’s Capital

“The definition of philanthropy is a desire to promote the welfare of others, yet it has tended to be seen as limited to fundraising for a charitable cause. Diane Lebson’s new book For A Good Cause does a thorough and practical job of helping broaden that definition. She skillfully and with a very comfortably paced writing style introduces the reader to the many different ways you can “do good”…from serving on a board, to advocating for policy change, to making charitable contributions and so much more.    What I found especially useful is her understanding of the importance of finding the right “fit” when you choose to engage in philanthropy. I highly recommend For A Good Cause if you are just getting started or if you have been a long-time philanthropist who is thinking of pursuing a new direction.” —Anne Dalton, Community Volunteer, Portland, Maine

 

An Interview with Diane

 

 

What are a few signs that a person has found a charitable organization that is the right fit for them?

The most tangible sign that a person has found a charitable organization that is right for them is that they can actually feel it. They feel a sense of joy when they engage in their volunteer endeavor, even when the work is hard and challenging. They also are able to articulate how their charity work makes a difference and specifically how what they are doing is changing lives.

 

How do you think this guide would have impacted your life had it been available when you were first getting started?

If I had this guide when I was first jumping into philanthropy, I would have been able to focus my efforts more strategically. I would have wasted less time making mistakes and questioning whether I was doing the right thing in my charitable endeavors. I would also have been able to be more intentional in my efforts by selecting opportunities that were more closely aligned with my values — as opposed to responding to things that people put in front of me.

 

How did your relationships with other female philanthropists help you while writing this book?

Just like female philanthropists helped me chart my philanthropic path, they helped me on the journey of writing this book. The female philanthropists in my life are wonderful teachers and I am so grateful to the ones who mentored me along the way, connected me with opportunities, and encouraged me when I was challenged. In a similar way, the women I interviewed For A Good Cause were generous with their advice, networks, and cheerleading.

 

In what ways can a person with limited resources, money or time, still contribute to a charitable cause they care about?

There are so many ways that people with limited resources can make an impact in the philanthropic space. Post on social media about the causes that are important to you. Sign up for your favorite charity’s e-newsletter so that you can keep abreast of their activities. Identify a change agent you admire and become their pen pal by sending them notes of gratitude and encouragement. Live your values — try to buy from companies that engage in cause-related marketing campaigns.

 

What is your best piece of advice to someone just beginning to become interested in philanthropy, and how can they get started?

Don’t just respond to the volunteer or fundraising request that pops up in your inbox — think hard about what really matters to you and invest your entire effort to that cause. We diminish our power and our passion if we give or volunteer without intention. Just as you would with a financial investment, think about the long-term impact of going “all in” on an issue that matters to you — at the end of your life, you will find that you will have a positive impact on more lives if you concentrate your focus.

 

 

About the Author

 

Diane Lebson: Diane grew up as a first-generation American in Milford, Connecticut, the daughter of working-class, Polish immigrants who instilled in her a strong work ethic and desire to “do good.” After studying international relations in college, Diane stayed in Washington and began her nonprofit career on the national staff of United Way, the largest charity in the United States. Over the course of seventeen years, she managed United Way’s national literacy program, directed the national board of trustees, and built a women’s giving program that has to date raised over $2 billion and mobilized over 70,000 philanthropists. After leaving United Way, she went on to lead US fundraising operations for an international nongovernmental organization that serves orphans and abandoned children, lead a public library foundation, serve as the Chief of Protocol at the US Embassy in Canberra, Australia, and oversee the women’s giving program for the American Red Cross. In 2018, she and her husband cofounded Evergreen Philanthropic Solutions, a national consultancy that helps nonprofit organizations, individuals, corporations, and foundations achieve their philanthropic goals.

 

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