Inprint - New Books of interest

Writing the Book of Ester by Louise Domaratius. (Quality Words in Print, $21.95, Hardcover.)

Celia Davis, an American-born English teacher in France, is intrigued by one of her students, a mysterious foreigner named Mehdi Asqari. This young Iranian is the child of a Muslim father and a Jewish mother. As Celia’s relationship with Mehdi develops, so does her interest in his extraordinary mother, Ester. Celia indulges a fascination with Ester, who has been imprisoned in Iran for writing provocative journalism, by creating a ”book” in which she draws parallels between the contemporary Ester and the Biblical Queen Esther. This private narrative, derived from Mehdi’s descriptions of his mother and the Old Testament book of Esther, is made vivid by Celia’s rich imagination, keen to the interconnectedness of people through time and history.

In this novel, Louise Domaratius explores how humans live with repression and the fear of difference. She weaves a meaningful tale for our times, creating a saga powerful in its evocative imagery, in its depiction of tolerance and compassion, and in its affecting revelation of emotional truths.

Honoring the Medicine: The Essential Guide to Native American Healing by Kenneth Cohen, M.A. (One World, $26.95, Hardcover.)

Native medicine is America’s original holistic medicine: a powerful means of healing the body, balancing the emotions, and renewing the spirit. Kenneth Cohen, a master of alternative healing practices with more than thirty years’ experience as a teacher and health educator, presents a simple but revolutionary study in Honoring the Medicine. This comprehensive work on Native American healing examines every major aspect of Native medicine as well as a healing philosophy that connects each of us with the whole web of life — people, plants, animals, and the earth.

Written for the general reader who wishes to learn more about American Indian medicine as well as for the holistic healer or the Western physician, it explores the core principles of the living tradition — the values that make one a whole and happy human being, in harmony with one’s family, community, and the natural world. Cohen also offers new interpretations for the roles of humor, prayer, music, herbs, and dreams in healing, and discusses the differences between men’s and women’s healing gifts. He includes numerous case studies, drawn from his own clients.

30 Things Everyone Should Know How To Do Before Turning 30 by Siobhan Adcock. (Broadway Books, $19.95, Paperback.)

You’re old enough to own property and start a family, but are you equipped with enough basic know-how to call yourself a true adult? Do you know how to start a campfire? Whistle through your fingers? Cure a hangover?

By the time you’re 30, life demands that you know how to do certain things — most of which aren’t covered by the etiquette books or your parents’ advice. Whether you’re bluffing your way through a dinner with clients, struggling with the labyrinthine rules of thank you notes, or dealing with the increasing number of friends getting married and having babies, your late twenties and early thirties are years that call for some serious finesse. Equip yourself with enough basic know-how to call yourself a real adult. 30 Things Everyone Should Know How To Do Before Turning 30 is the answer to developing a whole new skill set as you enter the next baffling period of your life — your thirties.

Educating America in the 21st Century by Vicki Ebeling, Ph.D., L.M.F.T., C.E.T. (Lightword Publishing, $19.95, Paperback.)

Education in America is now a national crisis, yet when the economy goes down hill, school funding is one of the first targets for budget cuts. Today, many graduating high school students lack the skills to obtain gainful employment and children with learning disabilities fall through the cracks in a one-size-fits-all system. Americans are wondering what is happening in education. Dr. Ebeling begins to answer their questions by studying how we, and the children we raise, learn. She explains that we not only learn in different ways, but we also have varying levels of intelligence, types of intelligence, and areas of expertise. We acquire information and process knowledge in our own unique pathways. For instance, a student may do marginal work in reading, writing, and math, yet have high aptitudes in structural visualization. Such a student would excel in drawing, spatial undertakings, and understand the working of mechanical operations. Yet, in the present school system, such capabilities would never be discovered or nurtured — simply because they fall outside the perceived educational paradigm.

In this book, Dr. Ebeling explains the many complexities of modern education, how it evolved over time, the present-day realities, and projections for the future. Involving all citizens in the American education system is her primary reason for writing Educating America in the 21st Century. It is an effective resource for anyone who wants to improve U.S. education.

Essential Aromatherapy by Valerie Ann Worwood and Susan E. Worwood. (New World Library, $12.95, Paperback.)

Perfect for the thousands of readers who have discovered the amazing affects of aromatherapy, this book is a simple, easy to follow, quick reference to the world of essential oils. It reveals the secrets to the art of aromatherapy and organizes them into accessible, alphabetical listings of essential oil applications, the physical and emotional conditions that warrant their use, and individual oil profiles.

Valerie Ann Worwood, author of the best-selling Complete Book of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy and well-respected expert in the field teams up with her sister to create this no-nonsense reference. In the “Oil Profiles” section, for example, readers can find at a glance the botanical names and classification for the plant; a detailed physical description of it, including the exact part used for therapy; its most valuable uses and therapeutic properties; a purchasing guide; any known contra-indications and interesting historical facts. Specific formulas for blending the oils for a myriad of home and health applications are provided. Also detailed are treatments for such special circumstances as pregnancy, chronic pain, terminal illness, pre- and post-operative conditions, and more.

The Wisdom of Pelicans: a Search for Healing at the Water’s Edge by Donald McCullough. (Penguin Compass, $13.00, Paperback.)

Donald McCullough, a respected Presbyterian pastor and president of San Francisco Theological Seminary, watched his world tumble down around him when a private confession of an affair became public knowledge. Almost overnight, he lost his position, suffered the estrangement of family and friends, and found himself facing a bleak, uncertain future, with his faith utterly shaken.

Writing with courage and absolute candor, McCullough describes the pain of hitting bottom, with nothing left to do but walk along the ocean shore, watching the pelicans. There he meditates on these evolutionary “survivors,” marveling at their development of graceful yet resilient techniques for flourishing as outcasts on the margins of the earth, the mysterious border of land and sea. Gradually, almost unconsciously he draws on nature, his loved ones, and himself to recover the hope, and ultimately the faith, he thought he had lost forever.