Blindness Books

Whether or not you believe in reincarnation or spirit guides or even pre-birth planning, this book has something to teach you. The book helps us look at the negatives in our lives and turn those into positives - especially the negative people we encounter. Instead of harping on the negative lessons our parents (or anyone) gave us, we can thank them for being examples of how to and how not to be. It's a complete flip from the negative to the positive. I felt like a tremendous load had been lifted after I finished the book. Again, even if you don't believe in mediums, reincarnation, etc., you can still learn from this book. Give it a try.

If you have unanswered questions about why some of your relationships didn't work out, or why certain things seem to just "happen" to you, read this book! You will get a better understanding of how we chart our lives, prior to incarnation, in order to learn the lessons our soul needs to grow and perfect. Robert Schwartz does a wonderful job of researching!

The author is very humble in his approach to his subject. He, along with the reader, is in 'learning mode'. He takes a back seat to the real people and their real stories and is as awed by the information provided by psychics and channelers as we are. I will be using this book as a reference and will also be recommending it - highly - to others. For someone who has long believed in reincarnation and the healing it offers, I know what is important is the effect of what we believe. We accept that God exists but it is the extent of our faith which gives us strength and hope. Why scoff at the fact/concept of reincarnation, at the idea we've led many lives and even chosen the people, the events - beforehand - in them? A famous personage once opined that it is a miracle we've lived even one life. WE are not just 'one-hit wonders'; we have so many songs in our repertoire.
This book is so beautifully written and arriving at the last page was like leaving an old friend or ending a wondrous journey. I look forward to the next one and have emailed the author to share with him how much I loved his book. The heartbreaking stories, the insights and wisdom from the channelers allows us to feel a little bit more powerful, a little bit more knowledgeable and yes, even more humble to the greatness of our spiritual universe.

With my mother dying I had a lot of questions about the journey of souls. This book is packed with a lot of wonderful information and gave me a sense of calm and made me felt more accepting of situations and people in my life.

One of the most important books I have ever read. This book confirmed to me many things that I have always inherently felt to be true, but more than that, it has helped me see life and the people in it from a much more elevated perspective. I cannot stress how amazing it is. I am re-reading it once again. I hope the author writes another very soon.

is a simply written and easily understood book. it offers straightforward advice on many of the obstacles faced in the day to day life of an unsighted dog and her owner. i would recommend this book as a handy reference book for those who find themselves living with a blind dog. it has made a difference in our lives for sure.

It was very enlightening. There is hope for dogs and their owners to live a good quality of life. The book was encouraging in this aspect. It was compassionately written.

Our dog abruptly went blind on Father's Day which is not that uncommon
for our breed. We subsequently had to have his eyes removed due to irre-
versible and painful end-stage Glaucoma. We were, of course, devastated
as our dog just turned 6 last March. Our animal Opthalmologist suggested
this book as a great source for us and our acceptance of his delemma and
also some valid suggestions for helping our pet have as normal a life as
possible. These suggestions have worked well so I highly recommend this
book for others to read in similar circumstances.
Mary J. Hathaway

The majority of us dog owners love our pets but know little about what happens--or in the present case fails to happen--behind those happy eyes. Caroline Levin's lovingly written guide to living well with and for man's best friend when he can't see is a tremendous resource for such human pack leaders, brimming over as we are with good intentions but a little slim on the science side.

It's telling that so many reviews of Levin's work begin by telling the story of a beloved dog's loss of vision. Few of us come to Levin's instruction out of theoretical knowledge. Rather we desperately need to know what to do.

This reviewer and his family have not seen a dog lose his vision. Rather, we recently adopted an abandoned Rhodesian Ridgeback who is already blind. Sammy joins a home with a seeing Ridgeback who has done extraordinarily well in adjusting to life with the bumptious fellow.

Levin's book helps me understand our new dog's psyche, how to ameliorate his fears, and why he loves our voices and cowers when strangers speak the same words.

Sixteen chapters begin with the basics of how people and dogs grieve, how the canine eye is designed to work, and the reasons why it stops doing so. From there the author expertly leads us through behavior change and how to adjust our lives to that our sight-impaired pets can get on with theirs.

The book is peppered with photos of blind dogs and their owners and affectionate reassurances that living with a blind dog can be as joyful as tragic and often more so.

The book has large print--one wonders whether a nurse of ophthalmology presses her editors for this concession--and wide margins. As such, it reads quickly. In this reviewer's case, it will occupy an easily accessible place on a shelf for quick reference as we help our Sammy rediscover the playful, confident sub-alpha male that bounds playfully in his dreams and behind his happy smile.

My vet recommended that I get this book. I am so glad that I did take his advise. What I have read so far has been a big help. Before getting this book, I felt helpless. Now I know that Merlin and I will still have a great life together. Thank you so very much.

Sincerly,
Peggy Parker

I already read this book a few years ago, and like the other people above said, it`s an incredible history you can't not put down the book once you started reading, because you get involve into it. Personally I recommended, I was thinking to read it again...

A traves de este libro asombroso, Saramago pretende explicar que pasaria si a los seres humanos se les robaran la vista, una de las cosas que nosotros como seres humanos muchas veces damos por sentada. Una de las novelas mas humanas que he leido, los personajes al enfrentar la ceguera, llegan a ser meros animales, presos a las privaciones que surgen bajo la cruel perdida de la vista.

I read José Saramago's 'The Cave' about a year ago, and it is currently the best book I have ever read. Saramago's aptitude at illustrating human nature at its very worst is unsurpassed elsewhere. Also, his interesting, unconventional grammatical style (free of commaz, quotation marks, etc.), which is also found in his other books (Saramago is my favorite author, along with Pat O'Shea), is very interesting. He taught me that, in a way, grammatical symbolz can hold back a reader's experience by making them lazy, guiding them from sentence to sentence. His style forcez the reader to really think about what they just read, which is something I sometimez have trouble with when I'm putting alot of thought into any one part of a book.
Another great thing about Saramago's general style is how he truly makes it feel like a first-person experience. I remember when I first read the book that during and until about a month after finishing it I felt a need to feel my way through the house. I actually became physically more aware of my environment to this day, when I can memorize distance and I believe that the depth of the book caused me to gain much greater peripheral vision.
All-in-all, this novel is a tremendous read, and I recommend it to anyone literate in any language, as Saramago's literature is heavily-translated.

No creo que pueda decir nada que ya no se haya dicho sobre la trama de este libro, solo puedo agregar que apenas lei la primera pagina me enganche, y no pude soltarlo hasta terminar de leerlo. Ensayo sobre la ceguera es el primer libro de una trilogia, "involuntaria", de Saramago, y ya estoy esperando con ansia poder leer "Todos los Nombres" y "La Caverna", los otros dos titulos de esta trilogia. Saramago es un genio, que continua emocionandome, conmocionandome y ensenandome el lado obscuro de la naturaleza humana. En este libro Saramago hace una especie de denuncia de la desensibilizacion a la que hemos llegado los seres humanos, eso si, una denuncia escrita muy inteligentemente, con una sabiduria enorme y sobre todo con una humildad infinita. El estilo de Saramago obliga al lector a leer pausadamente, y a refleccionar sobre la profundidad de sus argumentos. Una fuerte critica social que no deja de sorprenderme.

Como uno a uno en el pueblo (sin nombre....) se fueron quedando ciegos debido a la plaga blanca.. el gobierno asustado por el contagio los mando de "internados" a unas instalaciones nada agradables para la vida cotidiana, poco a poco se fue llenado de ciegos, como empieza a hacer falta desde la comida hasta la misma agua...
que tanto tuvieron que dar algunos para recibir la comida, el precio de los otros por haberla cobrado, estrujante y maravilloso!

A book and story like no other that I have read. The author becomes blind and then learns to paint, as the title indicates, but what the review and title do not reveal is that the author guides the reader through her personal journey toward self actualization. By her frankness in revealing the changes she endured, the emotions she felt and the methods that lead to her acceptance, the reader gets a great insight into their own life and how to handle personal problems. A marvelously insightful book by a mind that is creative, mature and certainly a genius. I could not wait to see what happened next and found myself reading the book late into the night.

This is a well-written story about a woman who, after being suddenly plunged into darkness, struggling with denial and profound depression, ultimately triumphs and goes on to soar into a life she could never have imagined. This is a truly inspirational story which has lessons for all of us.

I recently had the pleasure of meeting the author and her husband. I thought she was inspiring after a short visit over breakfast. But until reading this book, I had only seen the tip of the iceberg! It is amazing that someone who has endured so much can remain so positive and create great works on canvas as well as create great impacts on the lives of others. There is so much inspiration in this book. This will be great for Christmas gifts!

It took an incredible loss for Lisa Fittipaldi to become a winner. Her inability to see the world from the outside forces her to look within. The author entices you from the beginning by intimately sharing her painful discovery into who she really was, and wasn't. A brilliant career woman channels her intelligence, determination, and resourcefulness into finding an answer, but not knowing to what. As her health continues to deteriorate she explores every dimension imaginable desperately attempting to discover her purpose in life. Miracuously everything seems to flow together and manifests itself in every stroke of her brush. It is difficult to conceive that her images come from an internal memmory bank, eloquently transfering onto canvas. Just as skillfully she takes the reader through this process managing to explain the impossible. After reading all night I finished the book feeling refreshed and inspired. A remarkable woman!

As Lisa Fittipaldi's "art dealer extraordinaire," I was honored to be included in her touching account of how she overcame going blind and went on to produce such moving realism in her paintings. As I read the book, I found myself unable to put it down, despite the fact that I have known the artist for more than five years and thought I knew her whole story. This book shows Lisa's journey to re-enter the sighted world after going blind and how she used art to find that path. The following quotes from the jacket cover indicate how this book inspired Natalie Maines, Heloise, Kinky Freidman, and Rick Riordan.

"This book goes far beyond learning how a blind painter creates her works of art. It is an honest, heartfelt look at a woman who struggles to overcome her own faults and fears to find her authentic self."
- Natalie Maines, lead singer of the Dixie Chicks

"A truly inspirational story with highlights, lowlights, and lessons we can all learn from."
- Heloise, international household hints columnist

"Lisa Fittipaldi is a great artist who also happens to be blind. "A Brush with Darkness" is the story of how art imitates life, and how life imitates art, and how both are mirror reflections of the miracle that is the human spirit."
- Kinky Friedman, singer, songwriter, and author

"By turns poignant, enthralling, and uplifting, "A Brush with Darkness" is a tribute to human perseverance and creativity. Lisa Fittipaldi writes as she paints - with deft strokes and vibrant color."
- Rick Riordan, Edgar Award-winning author

It's true that you will remember this book for a long time. I first read it 27 years ago and I still fondly recall the lead character and her ability to overcome the hardship of being a teenager struggling with blindness. This is a great story for any juvinile struggling with hardship or "being different." Also it would help foster empathy in those without such difficulties. I think adults would still enjoy it, they would just find it a bit of a quick read. The sequal is also very good.

This book is about a girl named Cathy, who has severe glaucoma. She has surgery and it makes the problem worse than it already is and makes her blind. Throughout the book she copes with the blind lifestyle. She gets a seeing eye dog named Trudy who leads her around everywhere. This book teaches you a lot about the morals of life. I highly recommend this book because it also makes me appreciate not being blind and having 20/20 vision.

I read this book when I was in fifth grade, and I absolutely fell in love with it. I am now in ninth grade, but I can remember the stroy perfectly. Kathy's struggles have made me see that I am so lucky to be healthy, and the book has broadened my perspective on life. My teacher recommended this book to me, and I cried when I read it. This book will have a lasting effect on your life, and you will remember it forever. I am so glad I had the chance to read this book.

I am near sighted and one of my worst fears in this world is going blind. This book, however, showed me that most of our fears are only fed by the society we live in. Cathy's triumph in overcoming this obstacle is a sure way of showing anyone the true meaning of living. Enjoy this book and cherish it...Share it but don't give it away. I bet you'll need it again some day!

I read this book when I was in junior high school, and loved it. When I was recently diagnosed with glaucoma, I remembered the book, and re-read it. Even at age 44, I still loved it!

What led me to buy this book? I don't know. I have always read newspapers and news magazines for serious news, light fiction for pleasure. and bought books that I wanted for reference materials. 'Escaping Plato's Cave' has riveted me from the first few pages. Early on, Rosenblum gives a quote that is a major theme of the book. The answer to the question of what has been going wrong with our country for the past fifty years, he quotes, is that we have been treating the EFFECTS, not the CAUSES. We are always behind.

Think about that. When the bombers flew the planes into the World Trade Center, what was our reaction? "Go get 'em." Did anyone ask, "Why were these people so angry that they would do such a thing?"

How can we win a "War on Terrorism" when our actions make more and more people furious with us? The ranks of terrorists increase when we kill innocent civilians, hold (and torture) prisoners for years before finding out that many were not who we thought they were, insist on imposing our form of government on cultures that do not admire or want it, arrogantly refuse to cooperated with the rest of the world in curbing pollution and conserving energy.

I thought that we were redeeming ourselves through our disaster aid. Wrong. Rosenblum tells us what has really been happening. He was there.

I'm only part way through the book. Join me in seeing reality.

I found Escaping Plato's Cave to be an eye opening view of the corporate journalism in American now and a "must read book". It is well written and packed with a lifetime of tales of traveling to wars and disasters as a reporter. Like a good reporter, he speaks in a well modulated and clear voice throughout despite the horrible catastrophe he is describing. He is reporting a vast attack on journalism that is not being reported in the press. This is not some fringe lunatic, but a major mainstream professional writer and reporter who has been our trusted eyes and ears fro a long time.
This is a book by an insider about how and why the news is no longer accurate reports from the source at the scene. When organizations like the AP cut down the number of reporters on location, soon the news from many places is only available from official government sources.
How can you have news without reporters? As this books shows it maybe exactly what the major news organizations are doing.
It is a first hand account of the corporate takeover that is happening in many critical areas of American life. Like all news, it is meaningless unless you understand it and believe it to be true. The many ways the truth can be spun should not be the hallmark of good journalism.
Mort Rosenblum and many other experienced journalists have been gotten rid of as part of a downsizing trend. It is a trend that suits the new owners since it cuts costs and all the difficulties with reporters in the field whose stories don't agree with the press releases from Washington. With no reporters in the field who can disagree with the word from Washington?

The author piles on historical fact after fact on the high end of the real vs unreal teeter-totter to counteract the the weight of false beliefs, concepts, and expectations that so often keep the wrong end of the teeter-totter on the ground because of our unrealistic and ignorant expectations that have resulted from looking at the shadows on the cave wall instead of turning around to view the reality exists around us and accept it for what is really going on in the world as a result of our ignorance and the capitulation of the news media to cover world affairs in order to sell entertainment.

Mort Rosenblum's book, Escaping Plato's Cave, is, alas, the kind of wisdom that those who would most benefit from it, are the very same that are least likely to seek it. This is a highly reommended present for George W. Bush and his most fervent supporters, Bill O'Reilly and those that nod in approval under his rants and finally as a teaching aid for all the budding reporters that dream of working for Rupert Murdoch. To those of you that are saying; well then, what about the terrorists; I say, Bush is not making it better.

Mort Rosenblum's writings are always deeply perceptive, keenly observed and smartly composed. Those of us belonging to a certain journalistic generation know how wonderful Mort's dispatches were during his long tenure at The Associated Press. His books are something to look forward to, and "Plato's cave" is a delight. This kind of writing can only come from long experience and from personal knowledge of the world's complexities.

The recent publication of a biography of Green encouraged me to revisit his books, which for years have been grossly and inexplicably neglected. I started with this one.

Nothing is based in London in 1948 and concerns two former lovers, John Pomfret and Jane Weatherby, who find their two children, Mary Pomfret and Philip Weatherby, are engaged to be married. Complicating things are Liz Jennings and Dick Abbot, the pair's current lovers. Jane still loves John and hatches a subtle plan to wreck the children's engagement and win him back. Things work out nicely in the end for everyone except poor Arthur Morris. Like almost all of Green's books, Nothing is about love.

One of the most curious thing about it is that it consists mainly of dialogue. It is almost a play rather than a novel. There is little descriptive narrative, unlike some of this earlier works. Happily Green gets the dialogue right. He has an extraordinary ear. Nothing is reminiscent of Evelyn Waugh (circa Vile Bodies) and Anthony Powell (A Dance to the Music of Time). John and Jane are by far the most attractively rendered characters. I found myself particularly drawn to the latter.

Green is an absolute master. In addition to Nothing I would recommend the rest of his books, especially Loving, Party Going, and Pack My Bags.

With a little patience, the reader will quickly adjust to the rhythms of one of English literature's most unique, and until recently, nearly forgotten novelists; and in the process enjoy an utterly and unabashedly charming and delightful novel. Years after having an affair that almost ruined their respective marriages, Jane Weatherby and John Pomfret are reunited when their children decide to get married despite questions regarding their possible kinship and the fact that they have almost no money to their name. Afraid that Mary Pomfret and Philip Weatherby are destined for the working-class, Jane and John attempt to stall the development of the wedding plans by having endlessly witty conversations about, well, nothing. This gives Jane -- a shrewd, resourceful widow -- the opportunity to embark on a scheme to lure John away from his current love interest. As the plot advances through discussions filled with misdirections and omissions, Green demonstrates that there is nothing like the spoken word to conceal one's true intentions, yet at the same time reveal everything. One of Green's final novels, Nothing is a worthy addition to the varied tradition of English literature that includes Virginia Woolf and Evelyn Waugh. Fans of Austen, Forster, and Wharton should also be rewarded. Green's masterful description of the novel's centerpiece alone -- an as-if-you-were-there party -- is worth the price of purchase.

The British writer Henry Green's literary skill went far beyond a comedy of manners, which this book appears to be on the surface. Dense with meaning, "Nothing" is a short literary gem, which forces the reader to read a million nuances into the witty and yet deeply dense conversations which make up the entirety of the book. The story is set in 1948 and follows John and Jane, now middle aged but still reminiscing about an affair they had many years before when they were still married. They both have new relationships, Liz and Richard, but still see each other frequently for meals or for tea. Their respective children, Mary and Philip, are now grown and want to marry. But of course there are complications.

The world that the author creates for the reader is a very British one. The dialogue is precise but filled with hidden meanings, as what is unsaid is often even more important than what is said. There's a wonderful symmetrical balance in each of the conversations as well as in the structure of the book. The characters speak for themselves, with very little description, and, through their words alone, the twists and turns of the story emerge, the sounds of their voices echoing on the pages. The question of what really happened and is happening is always just beyond our reach, and the even though the characters might be moved around like chess pieces at the author's whim, they never do change or gain insight into their behavior. Surprisingly, this is still an amazingly satisfying read, as if is the reader himself or herself who gets to experience their world and gain insight into the inevitability of the conclusion. This book is a delightful read and a real treat. I highly recommend it.

With a little patience, the reader will quickly adjust to the rhythms of one of English literature's most unique, and until recently, nearly forgotten novelists; and in the process enjoy an utterly and unabashedly charming and delightful novel. Years after having an affair that almost ruined their respective marriages, Jane Weatherby and John Pomfret are reunited when their children decide to get married despite questions regarding their possible kinship and the fact that they have almost no money to their name. Afraid that Mary Pomfret and Philip Weatherby are destined for the working-class, Jane and John attempt to stall the development of the wedding plans by having endlessly witty conversations about, well, nothing. This gives Jane -- a shrewd, resourceful widow -- the opportunity to embark on a scheme to lure John away from his current love interest. As the plot advances through discussions filled with misdirections and omissions, Green demonstrates that there is nothing like the spoken word to conceal one's true intentions, yet at the same time reveal everything. One of Green's final novels, Nothing is a worthy addition to the varied tradition of English literature that includes Virginia Woolf and Evelyn Waugh. Fans of Austen, Forster, and Wharton should also be rewarded. Green's masterful description of the novel's centerpiece alone -- an as-if-you-were-there party -- is worth the price of purchase.

The recent publication of a biography of Green encouraged me to revisit his books, which for years have been grossly and inexplicably neglected. I started with this one.

Nothing is based in London in 1948 and concerns two former lovers, John Pomfret and Jane Weatherby, who find their two children, Mary Pomfret and Philip Weatherby, are engaged to be married. Complicating things are Liz Jennings and Dick Abbot, the pair's current lovers. Jane still loves John and hatches a subtle plan to wreck the children's engagement and win him back. Things work out nicely in the end for everyone except poor Arthur Morris. Like almost all of Green's books, Nothing is about love.

One of the most curious thing about it is that it consists mainly of dialogue. It is almost a play rather than a novel. There is little descriptive narrative, unlike some of this earlier works. Happily Green gets the dialogue right. He has an extraordinary ear. Nothing is reminiscent of Evelyn Waugh (circa Vile Bodies) and Anthony Powell (A Dance to the Music of Time). John and Jane are by far the most attractively rendered characters. I found myself particularly drawn to the latter.

Green is an absolute master. In addition to Nothing I would recommend the rest of his books, especially Loving, Party Going, and Pack My Bags.

I can't remember ever reading anything quite as compelling. I'm not going blind nor do I have any cognitive disabilities. However, if you are a practicing meditator as I am and are interested in the nature of consciousness itself, you will be quite intrigued with this highly descriptive account of both the visual and non-visual aspects of perception. If this book doesn't inspire you to start thinking outside the box, nothing will. That been said, the average reader will find this to be an unforgettable, beautifully written book well worth reading. Highly recommended.

In place of the word "unsentimental" often used to describe this book I'd use "Lynchian", as in David. Blindness is just the starting-off point: The book is really a luxuriant journey into the *other* four senses and the heightened reality one begins to feel -- for instance how the white noise of a sudden rain can throw your outdoor echolocation into turmoil and immobilize you at some random place. With all respect to anyone looking for a good book on the disability, this one is for the artists.

On the front cover Oliver Sacks is quoted: "Staggering. . . the most extraordinary, precise, deep, and beautiful account of blindness I have ever read." But this book is primarily a message of facing change and developing methods for coping. Of compensating, of reaching out, of accepting your plight and going forward. You sense the author's despair and frustration, but he manages to see his difficulties as challenges. He engages you in the struggles he faces and overcomes. After all, he has a wife and four children, he lectures and attends conferences. Perhaps the most fascinating chapter of all, for me, was how he faced giving a lecture when he could no longer read notes. He eventually learned how to write his speech in his mind so that he could simply read one page as the next ones were being formulated. I pictured it as something like the beginning of a Star Wars movie. John Hull has somelthing to teach us all.

Heard the taped version of TOUCHING THE ROCK by John
Hull, a moving memoir of a university lecturer who slowly
lost his vision over a period of several years . . . he recorded
his thoughts in a diary, and I must admit to being touched
about how both he and his family dealt with his
condition . . . even typing this brings teary thoughts to
mind . . . imagine having seen a child as a youngster,
then not being able to see her again as she grows up . . . or
never having seen another child from the time he was
born . . . it makes me want to hug my daughter, Risa . . . and
to appreciate all that I do have!

This book was given to me as a gift a few years ago, and while I am neither going blind nor am actually blind, I found many of the ideas and experiences and thoughts and feelings expressed in this book to be very similar to my own. I have some particular cognitive difficulties (prosopagnosia, often called "face blindness") which give me a rather different outlook on life from most people, and I was amazed to see just how much in common my outlook on life was when compared with the author's life experiences. Well, maybe I wasn't that surprized, but it was still an eye-opening (no pun intended) experience for me to read this book in that context.

Needless to say, I enjoyed this book very very much. It reads more like a personal journal or diary than an actual book, and that gives the whole book a very personal experience when reading it.

This work is most misunderstood by those who approvingly cite this, and by those who criticize this work. This misunderstanding has nothing to do with the structure of the book, but everything to do with the nature of any scientific hypothesis. The author has *not* criticized the concept 'religion' because the latter is western: do we think the concept of positron is western? And this book is not a critique of essentialism: entire natural sciences are `essentialistic.' `culture' is not monolithic; of course, species is not monolithic either, yet is amenable to study. What properties of Christianity are ones by virtue of which Christianity is a religion? Here Sweet Willman, in his criticism of the book, presumed that the properties of Christianity = the properties of religion. There are others who criticize it because it conflicts with their intuition. Of course, the author explained the necessity of experiencing religion in India.

Coming back to what the book does: the author identified a set of problems through historical research. Any theory of religion has to solve these problems. The author proposed a hypothesis of religion that solves these problems, and further explains the experience of believers; that shows why one can't study, say, Christianity as religion without being a believer. Then it is showed, one is compelled to do theology in order to study Christianity as a world view. Given this, the author shifted the study to a different level of abstraction: religion as that which generates a configuration of learning. This hypothesis sheds light on various issues: skepticism of Antiquity; origin of natural sciences in the West; vacuous debates of all sorts of relativism; cultural differences; theories of actions; etc. In other words, this theory does generate more problems, and can solve the same problems-in the long run.

The author nowhere did mention that `Hinduism', `Buddhism' etc. are not `something' else but not religions; whatever conceptual gestalts these entities `Hinduism' etc. refer to are non-existent in the way unicorn is.

It is not often that one reads a book that changes one's outlook drastically. This is one such book. I am really impressed. Sooner or later, the ideas propounded in this book will prove to be a major challenge to many disciplines like anthropology, religious studies, and such like.

It is not often that one reads a book that changes one's outlook drastically. This is one such book. I am really impressed. Sooner or later, the ideas propounded in this book will prove to be a major challenge to many disciplines like anthropology, religious studies, and such like.

Although the theory on religion that is submitted in this book is generally found to be highly controversial, Balagangadhara's arguments are so strong that one cannot simply dismiss this theory as intellectual 'spielerei'. His account identifies crucial constraints on Western thinking about other cultures and the social world in general, and convincingly explains why even 'giants and geniusses' have not been able to surmount these constraints. I heartily recommend this fantastic book. In the legendary words of one reader: "it might even change your world view."

The Blind Doctor: The Jacob Bolotin Story is the true-life story of Jacob Bolotin, born blind to impoverished Jewish parents in Chicago in 1888. Determined to be of service to others, Bolotin had a dream of becoming a doctor. He sold brushes and typewriters door-to-door to raise money, earned his passage through the Chicago College of Medicine, graduated with honors at twenty-four, and keenly trained his senses of touch and hearing to earn himself a name as one of the top heart and lung specialists in the city. Bolotin raised awareness about the plight of the blind, and the need to treat people with disabilities as productive citizens; he even started one of first blind Boy Scout troops in the United States. Though he died at the young age of thirty-six, Jacob Bolotin's exemplary life and his determination to overcome phenomenal challenges makes for inspirational and unforgettable reading.

The Blind Doctor is truly an inspiring story and gives hope to those who think something is impossible. It is very well written and is a "quick read." I believe that young people would benefit from reading this book--it let's them know to "dream big and go for it!".