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"What follows...is not a memoir in the usual sense. It is a spiritual odyssey, the story of one individual's escape from the narrow grip of a rigid, wrong-headed religion. Many who grew up in similar backgrounds have escaped as well, by abandoning their spirituality altogether. In my case the struggle was to hammer out a believable faith in God. Of course, by the traditional term GOD, I mean the transcendent, ever-present "presence" whose offspring, as the ancient Pagans also saw, we truly are."

The above comes from this book by Tom Harpur (who is now in his 80s). He was an Anglican priest; is a Rhodes Scholar; was a Professor of New Testament and Greek at the University of Toronto; was religion editor and writer about ethics, spirituality, and religion for the "Toronto Star"(a major Canadian newspaper); and is a prolific author (and known especially for authoring the controversial book entitled "The Pagan Christ," 2004).

Yes, this book is Harpur's memoir. But, as he mentions in the extract above, it's truly a "spiritual odyssey" as he outlines the critical elements of his own journey from fundamentalism to freedom. He states:

"Our greatest gift as human beings is our faculty of self-reflective consciousness (our ability to think about what it is we are thinking and feeling) -- in other words , our ability to think rationally. What we hold to be true about God must never contradict or oppose reason."

It is this principle that guides Harpur as he writes this beautiful and truly interesting memoir.

When Harpur took a job with the "Toronto Star" newspaper, things became very interesting. He writes:

"[Working for this newspaper as religion editor] was an adventure that took me many places I would perhaps never had seen and in close contact with scores of leading personalities in religion that I would otherwise possibly have never met."

Throughout this book but especially in its second half, Harpur details some of his observations and candid statements. These are what make this book really interesting. Here are just five of them:

(1) "Rome's stand on abortion made some sense to the majority; the simultaneous stand against birth control and contraception did not."

(2) "The question of whether or not I personally liked Pope John Paul II is not of great consequence. But for the record, I did not. There was much about him to admire, but the total package, spiritually speaking, was a matter of regret."

(3) "As I was convinced that the Eucharist (for Roman Catholics, the Mass) was one of the most poorly worded and misunderstood parts of the ritual or liturgy, I shocked them by saying that I didn't think I would miss celebrating it at all. The honest truth is, I never have." [This is with respect to Harpur leaving the priesthood.]

(4) "How could we be certain that the New Testament texts themselves were truly reliable documents? I had long been aware of the many contradictions within the Gospels."

(5) "Let me conclude by saying that for me the most powerful argument of all against the view that Jesus was a historical person...is this: the amazing varied theologies (Christologies) of Jesus Christ in the pages of the New Testament itself. There are at least six or seven opposing pictures of who he was assumed to be."

Finally, Harpur's journey culminates in his writing of his controversial bestseller "The Pagan Christ."

In conclusion, Tom Harpur's memoir is a brilliant work of spiritual insight, revelation, and finally...renewal!!

(first published 2011; 10 chapters; epilogue; main narrative 245 pages; acknowledgements; index)

<<Stephen Pletko, London, Ontario, Canada>>

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"This book is not supposed to be anything like a definitive guide to Roman Catholicism. It is a mere handbook dealing with some of the most common but by no means all of the attacks on the Church and should be useful to Catholics who want to defend their beliefs and need a little help, an intellectualizing of the instinctive or a mild fleshing out of what they already thought to be the case. It should also be of use to honestly curious non-Catholics who have heard the usual accusations and rumours and can't believe that this institution that has done so much good and contains so many good people can truly be so evil and wrong...

This is a small book about a huge subject, but that should not distract from its premise that Catholicism is right and this is why."

The above extract comes from the introduction of this book by Michael Coren. Coren is a practising Catholic, Canadian author, weekly newspaper columnist, and host of the Canadian "The Michael Coren Show."

I have watched Michael Coren's TV show and find him to be an extremely interesting character. In fact, I've analysed him and how he interacts with others. (One of my degrees is in psychology.) Thus, I feel like I know him despite never having actually met him.

In the above extract, he mentions that this book "should be useful to Catholics." I agree. At the end of the book he boldly states:

"[I]n a perfect world everybody would be Roman Catholic."

Thus, Catholics should be extremely proud after reading this book.

However, in the above extract, Coren also mentions that this book should "be of use to honestly curious non-Catholics." These people may have some problems with this book. I'll mention only three of these:

(1) Why hasn't this book an index? Many concepts are presented and yet there's no easy access to this information. The table of contents has chapter titles that are very general only.

(2) This concerns the book's references. It appears to be mainly Catholic literature written by Catholic authors. Why not use references from more neutral academic sources that are objective and that give a balanced & fair discussion?

(3) I also had difficulty in seeing how most chapters related back to the book's premise ("Why Catholics are Right").

For example, for the "Catholics and the Abuse Scandal" chapter, is Coren saying that Catholic priests are RIGHT in what they did? For the chapter entitled "Catholics and Theology," is he saying that Catholics have THE RIGHT theology and other religions do not? Or consider the chapter entitled "Catholics and History." Is he implying that Catholics have THE RIGHT history and other religions do not?

In conclusion, this book should resonate well within the Catholic community!!

(first published 2011; introduction; 5 chapters; main narrative 215 pages; acknowledgements; notes; bibliography)

<<Stephen Pletko, London, Ontario, Canada>>

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"Let me conclude this introduction simply by saying that I have spent the past five years studying forgery in the ancient Greek and Roman worlds, especially but not exclusively within Christianity. My goal all along has been to write a detailed scholarly monograph that deals with the matter at length. The book you're reading now is NOT that scholarly monograph.

What I try to do in the present book is to discuss the issue [of forgery] at a layperson's level, pointing out the really interesting aspects of the problem by highlighting the results of my own research and showing what scholars have long said about the writings of the New Testament and pseudonymous Christian writings from outside the New Testament...The present book...is not intended for my fellow scholars...It is...intended for you, the general reader, who on some level is...interested in THE TRUTH."

The above comes this informative and readable book by Bart Ehrman. He is a Distinguished Professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and is a leading authority on the Bible and the life of Jesus. Ehrman is also the author of more than twenty books.

Ehrman's interest in this book is with forgeries of the early Christian Church. He discusses many Gospels, letters, treatises, and apocalypses that claim to be written by people who did not write them. Such authors who called themselves Peter, Paul, John, James, Philip, etc., etc., were fully aware that they were not these people.

Ehrman debunks many popular myths about the Bible's forged books and letters, including the idea that "writing in the name of another" was a common accepted practise in antiquity.

At the end of most of the chapters of this book is a conclusion. I found these most helpful in consolidating a particular chapter.

Finally, what I personally found quite interesting is with regard to the first book of Timothy. This book is known to be a forgery. But it is STILL used today to oppress women, and provides the scriptural basis of the Roman Catholic Church's refusal to ordain female priests.

In conclusion, this book will turn upside down about what we "know" about the Bible. I leave you with this book's last paragraph:

"The authors of these lies [or forgeries] were no doubt like nearly everyone else in the world, ancient and modern; they probably did not want to be lied too and deceived. But for reasons of their own they felt compelled to lie to and deceive others. To this extent they did not live up to one of the fundamental principles of the Christian tradition, taught by Jesus himself, that you should "do unto others as you would have them do unto you." Possibly they felt that in their circumstances the Golden Rule did not apply. If so, it would certainly explain why so many of the writings of the New Testament claim to have been written by apostles, when in fact they were not. [What does that do to the authority of Scripture?]"

(first published 2011; acknowledgements; introduction; 8 chapters; main narrative 265 pages; notes; index)

<<Stephen Pletko, London, Ontario, Canada>>

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"Of the 7,000 members of the SS [protection squadron] who worked at Auschwitz and who survived the war, fewer than 800 were ever put on trial. Nearly 90% of those involved were never prosecuted...There are those who deny the reality of what took place here...1,300,000 people were sent to Auschwitz during the 4 1/2 years of its existence. 1,100,000 of them died here. Hundreds of Jehovah's Witnesses, homosexuals, and other minorities were murdered. 15,000 Soviet prisoners of war; 21,000 gypsies; 70,000 polish prisoners; and 1,000,000 Jews, at least 200,000 of them children."

The above comes at the end of this chilling documentary film series. It presents the story of Auschwitz or technically Auschwitz-Birkenau, a German Nazi concentration camp established in 1940. It was a network of 45 concentration and extermination camps built and operated by the Third Reich (or Nazi Germany) in Polish area annexed by Nazi Germany during World War 2.

This series (titled in the UK as "Auschwitz: The Nazis and the 'Final Solution'") uses primarily four elements:

(1) rarely seen archival film (mostly black and white)
(2) nearly 100 interviews with survivors and former guards (many speaking out for the first time)
(3) computer-generated reconstructions of buildings now demolished (the architectural plans for these buildings only became available in the 1990s)
(4) re-enactments of meetings and other events

This documentary is the result of three years of research.

The historical and script consultant was Professor Sir Ian Kershaw who is said to be one of the world's leading experts on Hitler and Nazi Germany.

The writer and producer of this series, Lawrence Rees, has stated:

"There is no screenwriter...Every single word that is spoken is double--and in some cases triple--sourced from historical records."

This documentary is deeply informative, easy to understand, well-written, objective, and superbly narrated (by actress Linda Hunt).

There are two things I especially liked about this documentary. First, it only gives you the facts. It's never boring (in fact, I found it riveting). Second, the archival film footage has been cleaned up. In other words, this footage is not grainy and has no blemishes as you might expect, but is unusually clear.

Finally, this DVD set was released in 2005 and has two interesting extras.

In conclusion, this documentary gives the viewer the facts behind "the biggest killing center the world has ever seen!!"

(2005; 4 hr, 50 min; 6 episodes; about 48 min/episode; 6 chapters/episode; 2 discs; BBC production; originally made for TV; wide screen)

<<Stephen Pletko, London, Ontario, Canada>>

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"By reading this book that lays out my fourteen years of experience treating bed bugs you can get the best of my help--exact information on how to check for bed bugs, reduce clutter, decontaminate your belongings and pack...I also guarantee that following my prevention methods will cut the likelihood of your getting bed bugs by at least 75 percent. And if you do get them, my advice will save you at least $1500, not to mention months in false starts and unqualified exterminators as you try to get rid of the bugs. Once you get rid of them, this book will help keep you rid of them."

The above comes from this practical and sometimes humorous book by Jeff Eisenberg. He is the founder of a NYC-based pest company, and is one of the leading bed bug experts and exterminators in the country.

So, you think you can't get bed bugs? Thing again! We're in the middle of a bed bug epidemic and you have to know how to protect yourself and your family from being a meal for these vampire-like pests.

(And if you think going to the Internet for information to solve your bed bug problems is the solution, you'll be disappointed. I found that the bed bug information on the Internet to be confusing.)

Question: what is the best way to avoid bed bugs? Answer: avoid getting them in the first place. In other words, prevention. This book gives important prevention advice for the home, your place of employment, the automobile, on trains, on planes, when travelling, and other "unexpected bed bug hangouts."

What if you're not sure if you actually have bed bugs? This book will help you with detection techniques, simple steps to determine if you have a bed bug problem.

And what if you do get them? Treatment options are discussed. This includes hiring exterminators but only those exterminators who actually know what they're doing.

Throughout this book is important information that's isolated from the main narrative and appears on a gray background. I found these good for quick reference.

Finally, I only had one problem with this book. There is no index. The advice in this book is VERY beneficial. Thus, I think a comprehensive index would have been quite handy for quick and easy reference.

In conclusion, I feel if you follow the advice in this book, you will dramatically reduce your chances of getting bed bugs. If you do get them, by following the advice in this book, you can effectively get rid of them. And here's the answer to the question that titles this review:

"A failure."

(first published 2011; introduction; 9 chapters; main narrative 195 pages; appendix; about the author)

<<Stephen Pletko, London, Ontario, Canada>>

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"The lessons of this book--the secrets of the cheapskate next door--are as much about happiness as they are about money. For cheapskates like me, you will learn, money has very little to do with true happiness. By spending and consuming wisely, we make money a relatively minor part of our lives. We worry less about money than most people, and we can afford the luxury of spending fewer of our limited hours here on Earth chasing ever after more of it. We can focus our time and our attention on the truly valuable things in life--those that often come without a price tag--like spending time with the ones we love, helping others, and pursuing our passions. Because we consume things sparingly, thoughtfully, and fully, things do not consume us."

The above comes from this intriguing, practical, and sometimes humorous book by Jeff Yeager. He is known as "America's Ultimate Cheapskate" and he is now a writer.

In this book Yeager travels (on bicycle!) to interview and survey his fellow cheapskates in order to discover their secrets for happily living life on less.

Throughout this book are "Cheap Shots," quick, money-saving tips to save you more. These are isolated from the main narrative in their own box for easy reference.

Besides the Cheap Shot tips, some ideas about saving money also are found in the main narrative. Do you have to do everyone of the suggestions in this book (some of which are extreme)? Of course not. Yeager explains:

"By all means, adopt those suggestions you like, and ignore those that you don't; you'll still come out ahead."

Besides the money-saving tips, I feel Yeager, through his interviews and his own personal experiences, gets across the cheapskate's mindset. You can have all the money-saving tips in the world but unless you have the proper mindset, your efforts, sooner or later, will be futile.

Finally, the only thing Yeager does not emphasize, I feel, is that when doing any money-saving technique make sure: (1) it's safe and (2) your health won't be negatively affected. As well, there is another menace to be aware of when purchasing or finding used stuff: bed bugs. (Bed bugs, a worldwide problem pest, can be expensive to eradicate.)

In conclusion, after reading this book, Jeff Yeager definitely unleashed my "inner cheapskate." I leave you with the this book's dedication:

"To my parents...and to all parents who teach their children that happiness is not about money. That priceless-but-free gift you give your kids becomes more valuable with each passing year. This I know, thanks to my mom and dad."

(first published 2010; preface; acknowledgements; introduction; 16 chapters; main narrative 225 pages; sources)

<<Stephen Pletko, London, Ontario, Canada>>

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"At the crux of the astronomers' pursuit is one basic question:

Is our solar system--with its mostly circular [planetary] orbits, giant planets in the outer realms, and at least one warm, wet, rocky world teeming with life--the exception or the norm?

It is an important question for every one of us, not just scientists. Astronomers expect to find alien Earths by the dozens within the next few years, and to take their [light] spectra to look for telltale signs of life before this decade is out."

The above comes from this fascinating book by Ray Jayawardhana. He is a Professor and Canada Research Chair in Observational Astrophysics at the University of Toronto.

Jayawardhana, among other things, offers us a good look at the "cutting-edge" science used by modern-day planet hunters, the terminology needed to understand this young science (about 15 years old), our prospects for discovering "alien Earths" and alien life (including alien intelligent life), and the controversies and debates inherent in extrasolar planet (or exoplanet) research. All of this was put into historical context (which I appreciated).

(Note that an extrasolar planet or an exoplanet is a planet not of our solar system.)

This book also has, peppered throughout it, illustrations, pictures (black and white), graphs, and tables. All of these enhance the narrative.

My favourite picture, by far, is of a star and its planets. It has the following caption:

"Image of the three planets orbiting the young star HR 8799."

My favourite table has the following title:

"Directly Imaged Extrasolar Planets"

What's a "Hot Jupiter?" How about a "Super-Earth?" Definitions for these and other terms can be found in the book's glossary. I found this very helpful.

Finally, readers will find that certain parts of this book has prose that is heavily science-laden with planetary minutiae. Personally, I did not mind this but some readers may be uncomfortable with these parts.

In conclusion, this book will bring you up-to-date on a new area of astronomy--extrasolar planets or exoplanets!!

(first published 2011; 9 chapters; main narrative 225 pages; glossary; selected bibliography; index; acknowledgements)

<<Stephen Pletko, London, Ontario, Canada>>

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"As I will show throughout this book, the 'truths' peddled by free-market ideologues are based on lazy assumptions and blinkered visions, if not...self-serving notions. My aim in this book is to tell you some essential truths about capitalism that the free-marketers won't.

This book is not an anti-capitalist manifesto...My criticism is of a particular version of capitalism that has dominated the world in the last three decades, that is, free-market capitalism...

This book is intended to equip the reader with an understanding of how capitalism REALLY works and how it can be made to work better...

Most of the issues I discuss in this book do not have simple answers. Indeed, in many cases, my main point is that there is no simple answer, unlike what free-market economists want you to believe."

The above comes from the introduction of this enthralling book by Ha-Joon Chang. Chang is an economics professor at the University of Cambridge and author. In 2005, he won the Leontief Prize for Advancing the Frontiers of Economic Thought.

Here are the titles of some of the book chapters (that are the same as the "things"):

(1) There is no such thing as a free market
(2) Companies should NOT be run in the interest of their owners
(3) Most people in rich countries are paid more than they should be
(4) The washing machine has changed the world more than the Internet has
(5) The U.S. does not have the highest living standard in the world
(6) Making rich people richer doesn't make the rest of us richer
(7) People in poor countries are more entrepreneurial than people in rich countries
(8) More education in itself is not going to make a country richer
(9) What is good for General Motors is not necessarily good for the United States
(10) We are not smart enough to leave things to the market

Chang begins each chapter with a brief section entitled "What they tell you." In other words, this is the standard answer with regard to a particular thing that free-market capitalists and economists tell us. (For those who read the literature, these are called "Homo Economicicus" answers.)

Chang counter-balances this first section with another brief section entitled "What they don't tell you." In this section we're told the problems with the "What they tell you" section.

For example, consider thing (1) above which states that "There is no such thing as a free market." The standard answer or Homo Economicus answer given in the "What they tell you" section is:

"Markets need to be free. When the government interferes to dictate what market participants can or cannot do, resources cannot flow to their most efficient use. If people cannot do the things that they find most profitable, they lose the incentive to invest and innovate." (This section goes on for a few more sentences.)

Chang tells us in the section "What they don't tell you" for this thing, the following:

"The free market doesn't exist. Every market has some rules and boundaries that restrict freedom of choice. A market looks free only because we so unconditionally accept its underlying restrictions that we fail to see them." (This section goes on for a few more sentences.)

You can actually read the entire book just by reading these two sections. However, I wouldn't recommend this since Chang elaborates on the "What they don't tell you" sections with historical examples, appealing to logic, etc. In my opinion, these elaborations are superb and make this book the gem that it is.

Finally, Chang concludes his book with eight principles for redesigning our economic system. Again, these are excellent (but perhaps too idealistic).

In conclusion, I urge you to read how Ha-Joon Chang in his book slays the fundamental theoretical assumptions of free-market capitalism!!

(first published 2010; 7 ways to read this book; acknowledgements; introduction; 23 chapters or things; conclusion; main narrative 265 pages; notes; index)

<<Stephen Pletko, London, Ontario, Canada>>

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"The subject of parallel universes [also known as parallel worlds, multiple universes, alternate universes, metaverse, megaverse, or multiverse] is highly speculative. No experiment or observation has established that any version of the idea is realized in nature. So my point in writing this book is not to convince you that we're part of a multiverse. I'm not convinced--and, speaking generally, no one should be convinced--of anything not supported by hard data. That said, I find it both curious and compelling that numerous developments in physics, if followed sufficiently, bump into some variation on the parallel-universe theme...all of the parallel-universe proposals that we will take seriously emerge...from the mathematics of theories developed to explain conventional data and observations.

My intention, then, is to lay out clearly and concisely the intellectual steps and the chain of theoretical insights that have led physicists, from a range of perspectives, to consider the possibility that ours is one of many universes [that is, the possibility that our universe is part of a multiverse]...My aim is that when you leave this book, your sense of what might be--your perspective on how the boundaries of reality may one day be redrawn by scientific developments now under way--will be far more rich and vivid."

The above comes from the beginning of this book by Brian Greene. Greene is a theoretical physicist and now a professor of physics & mathematics at Columbia University. He has made a number of discoveries in Superstring Theory. Two of his previous books, "The Elegant Universe" and "The Fabric of the Cosmos" were bestsellers in the U.S.

What Greene does is take us through nine variations of the multiverse theme. The various versions have the following names:

(1) Quilted Multiverse
(2) Inflationary Multiverse
(3) Brane Mutiverse
(4) Cyclic Multiverse
(5) Landscape Multiverse
(6) Quantum Multiverse
(7) Holographic Multiverse
(8) Simulated Multiverse
(9) Ultimate Multiverse

Keeping the above quotation that begins this review in mind, any reader of this book should find it quite interesting, especially those with a physical science background.

I did find parts of this book not as accessible as the two bestsellers mentioned above. But there are still plenty of analogies with good, helpful illustrations throughout. I especially liked how everything was put into a historical context.

Finally, many readers may ask (including myself) if this topic that Greene is discussing true science? Greene does an excellent job of answering this question in the chapter entitled "Science and the Multiverse." This chapter is near the end of the book. I feel it should have been more at the beginning.

In conclusion, this book presents a remarkable journey to the very edge of reality--a journey grounded in science and limited only by human...imagination!!

(first published 2011; preface; 11 chapters; main narrative 320 pages; notes; suggestions for further reading; index)

<<Stephen Pletko, London, Ontario, Canada>>

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"That which has happened is a warning. To forget it is guilt. It is possible for this to happen and it remains possible for it to happen again at any minute." (Karl Jaspers, German philosopher)

The above comes at the very end of this chilling documentary. It examines Adolf Hitler (1889 to 1945) & the Nationalist Socialist German Workers' Party's or Nazis Party's or just Nazis' rise to power, their zenith, their decline & fall, and the consequences of their reign.

The historical adviser for this film was historian and professor, Sir Ian Kershaw. Kershaw is said to be one of the world's leading experts on Hitler and Nazi Germany. He appears in one episode.

This documentary is deeply informative, easy to understand, well-written, objective, and well-narrated (by actor Samuel West). It answered many of my questions concerning World War Two.

Throughout the film, there are eyewitness accounts given as well as comments from researchers.

There were two things I especially liked about this documentary. First, it only gives you the facts. It is never boring (In fact, I found it riveting.) Second, the archival film footage (some of which is in color) has been cleaned-up. In other words, the footage is not grainy and has no blemishes as you might expect, but is unusually clear.

The ominous music used over the opening credits for each episode comes from the second movement of composer Johannes Brahm's "A German Requiem" (1865-68).

This DVD set that was released in 2005 has no extras.

Finally, this documentary has won eight international awards.

In conclusion, this documentary is a frightening reminder of one of the darkest chapters in human history!!

(1997; 4 hr, 50 min; 6 episodes; about 48 min/episode; 6 chapters/episode; 2 discs, BBC/A&E co-production; originally made for TV; full screen)

<<Stephen Pletko, London, Ontario, Canada>>

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