SPOTLIGHT: ‘Humanitarians, Visionaries, Heroes and You’ by Mary Feliciani (Biography)

Spotlight is my small effort to support upcoming authors in their effort to reach their readers. And yes, it is FREE, however to be featured in this section, you need to go through a selection process, please click here for details.

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“Writing is both cathartic and introspective. It forces you to search corners of your mind that you might not get to in any other way." - Mary Feliciani

Sometimes, in our day-to-day activities, you come across someone who you could relate to very well. As we discussed the purpose of Mary Feliciani’s book in course of writing this Spotlight, she touched a chord within me as she echoed my own thought process. As I keep saying in my discussions with fellow authors, students and would-be writers, any work of art has to have a purpose to become a masterpiece. As the purpose of my books 'Songs of the Mist' and 'Kuhase ke Geet' (Hindi) has been to inspire young generation to read and write for the beauty of language, since it has the power to change; while the purpose of writing for the author Mary is to inspire an individual to change the society for the better.

“I think that this comes out in my writing. Certain issues in society compel me to write. My book Humanitarians, Visionaries, Heroes, and You would fall into the sociopolitical realm for this reason.” - Mary Feliciani

THE BOOK

The book is a collection of seven inspiring mini-biographies. The author uses the voices of Mattie Stepanek, Martin Lurther King Jr., Mahatma Gandhi, the Dalai Lama, Mother Teresa, Terry Fox, Craig Kielburger, and her own reflections to encourage the reader to join a growing movement towards social responsibility and global citizenship.

BRIEF NOTE ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mary is a Canadian author, independent publisher and a former elementary school teacher. She attended UTM where she studied psychology and still lives in Mississauga, Ontario.

Mary’s background in psychology, work with children and passionate interest in the human condition, which stems back as far as she can remember, are all evident in her writing.

INSPIRATIONS

I feel compelled to write about certain issues. The issues themselves inspire me. I write about topics that I am passionate about, and if you are passionate about a subject, there is always more to say. Ideas live in my head for a very long time before I sit down to write.

Currently, I am writing a book about bullying entitled The Invisible Boy. Bullying is a type of abuse and an issue that I'm interested in. Issues in our society such as these are what motivate me to write.

HER CHALLENGES

The most difficult aspect of writing the book was the balancing act I was trying to sustain. On one hand, I wanted the biographies of the personalities in the book to be inspiring for the young reader, but not so surreal that the reader would think they could never emulate them. I use the word "You" in the title because I think that there are young people out there today who possess the same qualities as the humanitarians in the book. Also, the most important quality that the personalities all demonstrated was that they wanted to make a better world.

I also wanted a balance between appealing to the reader’s intellect and appealing to the reader's emotions. It is a persuasive piece of writing. If you both think and feel that something is right, that is a very powerful connection. I wanted the reader to be connected to the humanitarians, visionaries, and heroes in the book on both levels.

QUOTES FROM THE BOOK

'Humanitarians, Visionaries, Heroes and You'

1. “Be the change you want to see in the world.” - Gandhi

We cannot control the behavior of others. We can only control ourselves. But, through our actions and words we can influence people. That is what Mattie Stepanek did through his poetry. That is what Craig Kielburger along with his brother, Marc Kielburger, are continuing to do with “We Day”. 

2. “When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love always won. There have been tyrants and murders and for a time they seemed invincible, but in the end they always fall - think of it, always.” - Gandhi

This statement gives us hope no matter how bad situations are.

3. The beginning of Martin Luther King's “I Have a Dream” speech always arouses strong emotions in me. “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.”

I heard it so many times paired with the news of his death, that I became conditioned to feel connected to him. When I hear or even think the words, a strong feeling of humanity is evoked in me.

4. “If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.” - Dalai Lama

We don't often think about how rewarding being able to understand others can be, and what a toll hate and anger takes on us. I also like this quote because it contains two of my favorite things – truth and humor.

When asked to choose from the following purposes for writing: ego, aesthetic enthusiasm, historical impulse, and political purpose, Mary adds philosophy and psychology to the mix.

Mary says that philosophy motivates her. She is always asking questions about humanity. But one might argue that philosophy presupposes both psychology and politics and that we end up back in the political sphere. Although understanding the individual is the focus in psychology, and understanding both the individual and society are central to philosophy, politics is a narrow sliver of philosophy applied to the masses. And there is an aspect of philosophy that isn't always found in politics - the humanist worldview. She says her book relates to this worldview.

When I asked why she writes, and if she would stop writing, if asked by someone she looks up to, she says she can only stop when she has nothing more to say or finds another media to say it in. For her, writing is a form of self-expression.

“I don't believe that it is my ego that drives me to write. I never aspired to be an author. Growing up I wanted to be a psychologist, but ended up having a rewarding career as a teacher instead.” - Mary Feliciani

On the question about the timeline needed for her book to be published she says… “It is difficult to estimate because most of the book had been written in my head before I embarked on any serious writing. I always felt that I was my own guru. I was consciously aware that I was very introspective at a young age. The belief system that comes through in the reflections of the book had been with me forever. I just hadn't thought of a way to share them until I had the book idea. Once I started writing the book, it took one year to complete. That would include the whole process of publishing: writing, editing, book design, acquiring photos from certain organizations/foundations and printing.”

She jots down ideas wherever she is when inspiration comes, but for serious writing - when she wants things to come together - she writes in the peace and quiet of her study room. She is currently writing the second book of her bullying trilogy. It's entitled The Invisible Boy and will be published in late 2017. The first book of the trilogy, Big and Small in the Mirror, was published in 2015.

SOME INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT HER

I love to travel and I am a prolific photographer. I have thousands of travel photos. Also, I am into health and fitness, and I plan to take an art course in the near future.

TWO BIG THINGS OF HER LIFE

I am proud of how I raised my children and my career as an elementary school teacher. My children have a love of learning and have done well in academia and their respective careers. I enjoyed the time spent with my students, and I hope that I have made a positive impact on them. 

HER FAVORITE BOOKS AND GENRE

GENRE: Mystery

I crave mystery in books and also look for it in television and movies. I find this genre relaxing and intellectually stimulating at the same time. The reader/audience has to solve a puzzle, which is cerebral, but it is also relaxing because you know that the crime isn’t real – it is all in good fun.

BOOKS:

Agatha Christie is my favorite mystery author. She helped to develop the genre. My favorite books would be Murder on the Orient Express and And Then There Were None. The plots of both of these books were unique for their time period.

Irrespective of genre, my two favorite books (that I read in 2016) are The Book Thief and 1984 (which I read as a young adult and reread in 2016).

TO BUY HER BOOK “Humanitarians, Visionaries, Heroes, and You” … CLICK HERE

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– by Shashi 

Regional Head of a Multi-National Firm

Speaker | Author of “Songs of the Mist” & "Kuhase Ke Geet "
Haiku Poet | Writes India’s #1 Spiritual Blog “Shadow Dancing With Mind”
(Global Ranking #36)

List of SPOTLIGHT authors of Jan and Feb '17

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Shashi

ॐ नमः शिवाय

Om Namah Shivaya

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"The Politics of Unity' by M Cuddehe    Path to Wholeness - David Bookbinder

READER: "Out come is not the point' - Geraldine Brooks in Pulitzer Prize winning book "March"

Spotlight is my small effort to support authors in their effort to reach their readers. And yes, it is FREE,  please click here for details.
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“I think we are rare creatures in that we can observe and marvel at the universe and ask questions about our purpose.  That is enough for me.” - Geraldine Brooks

I remember, when I met Geraldine Brooks at Hindu Literary Festival in Chennai for the first time, we discussed another author’s comment that the written words are not cathartic. And I was happy to note that she disagreed to it as well. I sincerely believe that what we write or read, at a very deeper level affect us and our thought process, emotions and feelings. And that’s exactly what I found while reading Geraldine’s book ‘March’ as well. 

It changed the way I thought about people I have been reading about in her book ‘March’ like Emerson, Thoreau as well as about the American Slave History. I could also relate to the storyline, as the way she structured the plot, weaving her way into past and present, is the kind of style I wrote in my book “Songs of the Mist”.

There are so many things from her book I learned, like the way she describes nature or the way she wrote about physicality of the characters, specially her characteristic style of writing about feelings, specially the erotic feelings without being sexual…

"... yet I could not let go of her. I felt like Peleus on the beach, clinging to Thetis, only to find that, suddenly, it was she who held me; that same furnace in her nature that had flared up in anger blazed again, in passion." - Geraldine Brooks in ‘March’

At the Hindu Lit festival in Chennai

But what I could relate to the most was the conclusion…

“You are not God. You do not determine the outcome. The outcome is not the point.” - Geraldine Brooks in ‘March’

Bhagavad Gita’s most famous shloka talks about that too. We are to perform our duties, act as per our nature and not worry about the fruits of our actions. And the reason, I relate to it deeply, is that in my book the Monk says the same thing to the young boy, who is running away from pain and heartbreak.

Meeting Geraldine Brooks in Chennai...

“Can you give any action more than hundred percent of your striving? If not, then why worry? You just could not give two hundred percent. So once you are done a task with your hundred percent efforts, dedication and sincerity do not worry about the result. Move on. Instead of worrying, you should focus on other actions required of you. It is in the nature of nature to provide you with the result as no action goes waste.” - The Monk in “Songs of the Mist” (Pg 154)

And as I come to the end of Geraldine Brooks book 'March', she shared an important thought and a solution, which is universal in nature as well. The following lines from her book gives me hope and happiness...

“… there is only one thing to do when we fall, and that is to get up, and go on with the life that is set in front of us, and try to do the good of which our hands are capable for the people who come in our way.” says the character 'Grace' in the Book ‘March’

I enjoyed meeting her and reading her book. Here is part of my interaction and some of the wonderful thoughts from her Pulitzer prize winner book ‘March’. Hope you will also enjoy reading it…

BRIEF NOTE ABOUT THE AUTHOR

In her library

Australian-born Geraldine Brooks is an author and journalist who grew up in the Western suburbs of Sydney, attending Bethlehem College Ashfield and the University of Sydney. She worked as a reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald for three years as a feature writer with a special interest in environmental issues.

In 1982 she won the Greg Shackleton Australian News Correspondents scholarship to the journalism master’s program at Columbia University in New York City. Later she worked for The Wall Street Journal, where she covered crises in the Middle East, Africa, and the Balkans. In 1990, with her husband Tony Horwitz, she won the Overseas Press Club Award for best coverage of the Gulf War. The following year they received a citation for excellence for their series, “War and Peace.”  In 2006 she was a fellow at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Studies at Harvard University.

She was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in fiction in 2006 for her novel March. Her novels, Caleb’s Crossing and People of the Book, were New York Times best sellers. Her first novel, Year of Wonders is an international bestseller, translated into more than 25 languages and currently optioned for a TV series produced by Andrew Lincoln. She is also the author of the nonfiction works Nine Parts of Desire, Foreign Correspondence and The Idea of Home.

Brooks married fellow journalist and author Tony Horwitz in Tourette-sur-Loup, France, in 1984. They have two sons– Nathaniel and Bizuayehu–two dogs, three alpacas and a mare named Valentine. They live by an old millpond on Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts and spend as much time as possible in Australia.

- Text curtsy Author's Website

HER INSPIRATIONS

I love literature; I always have.  I write first for myself--a book I would like to read.  It seems to take me about three years to write a novel, but it’s hard to say because there is a long period of thinking about a book, even while working on other projects, before one sits down to write. 

HER CHALLENGES

For me the challenge is to decide who tells the story, and to clearly hear that narrative voice.

SOME INTERESTING THINGS ABOUT HER

With Alpacas

Animals are a very important part of enriching life for me, so we have dogs, alpacas and a horse.  I also love to cook, and adore nature, so I’m lucky to live by the sea and woods.

QUOTES FROM THE BOOK

“I had been there, one a spring morning, wherein the fog stood so thick on the river that it looked as though the bowl of the sky has spilled all its milky clouds into the valley.”

“It is a mountebank, this river. It feigns a gentle lassitude, yet coiled beneath are the currents that have crushed the trunks of mighty trees, and swept men to swift drowning.”

“Swiftest hint of a smile I believe a human face can make - like a tic, almost -before her countenance returned its accustomed gravity.”

“Though his was the soft hand of a man unacquainted with physical labor, his grip was almost painfully firm, as if he wished to leave in no doubt of his power. It was, I thought, the overzealous handshake of a boy playing at being a man.”

View of her garden

“To me, the divine is that immanence which is apparent in the great glories of Nature and in the small kindness of the human heart.”

“But it is a hard thing when a man is ruined by the very idea that most animates him.“

“If there is one class of a person I have never quite trusted, it is a man who knows no doubt.”

“The brave man, the real hero, quakes with terror, sweats, feels his very bowels betray him, and in spite of this moves forward to do the act he dreads.”

“I now felt convinced that the greater part of a man’s duty consists in abstaining from much that he is in the habit of consuming.”

“I was overcome with a rush of confused emotion: delight at the sensation of my first kiss, mortification at my lack of restraint, desire to touch her again, to touch her all over, to lose myself in her. Alarm at the potency of my lust. And guilty awareness that I had an obscene power here. That if lust mastered me, this woman would be in no position to gainsay my desire.

“But this, also, true: I wanted her. The thought of her -arched, shuddering, abandoned - thrilled me to the core.”

“To believe, to act, and to have events confound you - I grant you, that is hard to bear. But to believe, and not to act, or to act in a way that every fiber of your soul held was wrong - how can you not see? That is what would have been reprehensible.” And even as I said this, I knew that if I stood again in the cattle show ground, and heard him promise to go to war, I would hold my peace again, even knowing what terrible days were to follow.”

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As I read her book, I realised that she has certain real life characters from the period like Emerson and Thoreau merged with fictional characters. She did explain the characterization in an endnote, but I was wondering, where one draws the line between reality and fiction. 

“I think one should probably stay within the known facts of their lives, but in a novel one has some liberty to play within these boundaries--to concoct additional dialogue true to the kinds of things they are known to have said or set down.  If one goes beyond that, I think one should change the names and then in an endnote say the character is “based on” the real person.  March is actually my second novel.  My first, Year of Wonders, has a character based on a real person, but I changed the name because I changed some facts and because we don’t have enough writings from the real man to know his mind sufficiently.  Same for my novel Caleb’s Crossing.  I kept Caleb’s real name but changed others where I changed known facts about them.” - Geraldine Brooks

She usually works at home. She moves around depending on the seasons. Mostly she works in her study but sometimes in winter, she sits in the kitchen at the table near the fireplace, and in summer in the garden under a shady apple tree.  When not working on her novels she said, tries to help her younger son, navigate the world of adolescence. 

She has just started a new historical novel set in three time periods: 1860s, 1940s and present time.

HER FAVORITE BOOKS

GENRE: I love all kinds of genres, including science fiction/speculative fiction. 

1. Gilead by Marilynne Robinson, which is a deeply felt, gorgeously written meditation on love, family, spirituality and history.

2. Jane Austen’s Emma because it is so perfect in its portrait of a single individual in her society.

TO BUY HER BOOK ‘MARCH’ CLICK HERE

– Shashi 

CEO & Partner ICUBE Projects

Speaker | Author of “Songs of the Mist” & "Kuhase Ke Geet "
Haiku Poet | Writes India’s #1 Spiritual Blog “Shadow Dancing With Mind”
(Global Ranking #36)

List of SPOTLIGHT authors of Jan and Feb '17

__
Shashi

ॐ नमः शिवाय

Om Namah Shivaya

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"The Days of Abandonment' by Elena Ferrante

SPOTLIGHT: The Politics of Unity: An Invitation to the High Road by Michael Cuddehe

Spotlight is my small effort to support upcoming authors in their effort to reach their readers. And yes, it is FREE, however to be featured in this section, you need to go through a selection process, please click here for details.

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“The wealth of a nation is like the blood in the body. It needs to circulate everywhere in order to maintain optimal health.” Michael Cuddehe

When the author of the book Michael Cuddehe told me that the purpose of "The Politics of Unity" is to enliven Dharma in public life, my interest in his book grew. As I read more and get to know Michael better through my interactions, I realized that the reason he wrote the book is different. Yes there is a mix of ego i.e. get to be known as an ‘Author’ - probably make some money and get invited to talks etc. but more importantly, I believe he wrote the book from the historical perspective and with a political purpose. There is a good mix of Aesthetic enthusiasm as well, which makes the book more readable as well.

BRIEF NOTE ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Michael Cuddehe is a veteran market analyst, trader and fund manager. He has spent the last 35+ years tracking and analyzing global political and economic developments and is currently the Managing Member of Strategic Global Advisors, LLC. He is the publisher of Risk & Opportunity, a quarterly political and economic newsletter, and the author of "Chronicle of Catastrophe: A Contemporaneous History of the Bush Years."

Mr. Cuddehe has been active in politics as a candidate for U.S. Representative and as a member of the Platform and Executive Committees of the Natural Law Party. He is a Certified Teacher of

The Transcendental Meditation Program, and a founding member of E2 (Environmental Entrepreneurs), an NRDC affiliate, which works with business leaders dedicated to promoting environmentally sound public policy and business practices.

HIS INSPIRATIONS

Purpose – to make a meaningful contribution to Humanity.

CHALLENGES

Satisfying my editor.

QUOTES FROM THE BOOK

    “The wealth of a nation is like the blood in the body. It needs to circulate everywhere in order to maintain optimal health.”

    “Left/right, conservative/liberal are the left and right legs of the body politic. They are both needed to move forward.”

    “A self-realized individual, giving expression to his/her full potential, will spontaneously live and operate in harmony with natural law, becoming an asset to society. Brick by brick, a society composed of such self-actualized individuals will spontaneously become an ideal society.”     

    “How different our national life would be if the universal perspective of the wholeness of life were a lively backdrop to political process and policy considerations. It would provide a supportive foundation for mutual respect, honorable process, conflict resolution and the crafting of policy solutions meeting the needs of all parties, and society as a whole.”

These quotes summarize the practical application of the principles of balance, transcendence and natural law which, when enlivened, will mark the rise of dharma in public life.

THE BOOK

Our technological ascendance is presenting us alternately with the means to create heaven on earth, or to destroy ourselves utterly. The outcome of this transition is dependent on how we organize our affairs and conduct our relationships with each other—our politics.

In 'The Politics of Unity', Michael Cuddehe identifies the primitive thinking, perverse incentives and political dynamics keeping us divided, distracted, and stuck on the low road of endless conflict, and then lays out 10 steps to the restoration of a healthy political process, opening the door to the creation of a better, more sustainable world, utilizing our technology for the good of all.

"The Politics of Unity" is a guide to the high road in the political process; a social blueprint for a better world.

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Michael tells me that the first draft of the book was done in 1990 and the final iteration took a year. He thinks of his book as a guide to the high road in the political process; a social blue print for a better world. When asked if he would stop writing if some one asked him to, he says that it is unlikely. If he did, then he would probably continue his focus on markets and trading, and/or teaching. The favorite spot for his writing is his office. The energy of the place and the organization is supportive and he finds no disturbance, which is conducive to his writing style.

He is a world class trader, in 80’s was in top five Commodity Trading Advisor and adds with a smile - a good father as well.

He is currently developing a workshop entitled “Bridging the Partisan Divide: Nonviolent Politics” to offer…

- A model of healthy politics that will produce optimal policy without partisan warfare.

- A method for engaging in constructive dialog with people who disagree with you.

- Understanding of the forces systematically creating division, mistrust and conflict in our society.

- The knowledge and tools needed to neutralize the impact of these forces on your life.

He also plans to begin publishing on his blog to coincide with his workshop.

SOME INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT HIM

I am 94% Irish, the balance Scottish and English; grew up in the Navy, moving every few years; went to Catholic school. I love the mountains - have been to Gangotri, Yamunotri and Kedarnath. Met Bichendri Pal, the first Indian woman to climb Mt. Everest, on the path to Tapovan, after her climb of Shivling mountain. Love the ocean too – lived in Malibu and Laguna Niguel. I am a private pilot, multi-engine and instrument rated; owned a Beechcraft Baron

HIS FAVORITE BOOKS

GENRE: Historical Fiction

Narrative history and historical fiction. Learning about different times and cultures in the context of good storytelling and character development.

BOOKS:

City of Thieves about the siege of Leningrad
The Art of Racing in the Rain, for sheer delight.

TO BUY HIS BOOK “The Politics of Unity: An Invitation to the High Road” … CLICK HERE.

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– by Shashi 

CEO & Partner Interior Contracts Firm ICUBE Projects

Speaker | Author of “Songs of the Mist” & "Kuhase Ke Geet "
Haiku Poet | Writes India’s #1 Spiritual Blog “Shadow Dancing With Mind”
(Global Ranking #36)

List of SPOTLIGHT authors of Jan and Feb '17

__
Shashi

ॐ नमः शिवाय

Om Namah Shivaya

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'Death Desire Destiny' - Junliette Power  |   Biographies by Mary Feliciani