Living to tell about it

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Noelle Oxenhandler

One New Year's Day, Noelle Oxenhandler took stock of her life and found that she was alone after a long marriage, seemingly doomed to perpetual house rental and separated from the spiritual community that once had sustained her. With little left to lose, she launched a year's experiment in desire, forcing herself to take the plunge and try the path of Putting It Out There. It wasn't easy. A skeptic at heart, and a practicing Buddhist as well, Oxenhandler had grown up with a strong aversion to mixing spiritual and earthly matters. Still, she suspended her doubts and went for it all: a new love, a healed soul, and the 2RBD/1.5 BA of her dreams. Thus began her initiation into the art of wishing brazenly.In this charming, compelling, and ultimately joyful book, Oxenhandler records a journey that is at once comic and poignant, light and dark, earthy and spiritual. Along the way she wonders: Does wishing have power? Is there danger in wishing? Are some wishes more worthy than others? And what about the ancient link between suffering and desire? To answer her questions, she delves into the history of wishing, from the rain dance and deer song of primeval magic to modern beliefs about mind over matter, prosperity consciousness, and the law of attraction.As the months go by, Oxenhandler is humbled to discover the courage it takes to make a wish and thus open oneself to the unknown. She is surprised when her experiment expands to include other people and other places in ways she never imagined. But most of all, she is amazed to find that there is, indeed, both power and danger in the act of wishing. For soon her wishes begin to come true--in ways that meet, subvert, and overflow her expectations. And what started as a year's dare turns into a way of life.A delightfully candid memoir, unfettered, poetic, and ripe with discovery, Oxenhandler's journey into the art and soul of wishing will inspire even the most skeptical reader to search the skies for the next shooting star.Praise for THE WISHING YEAR"This is a wonderful book, full of wisdom gleaned from a year of Noelle Oxenhandler's daring to embrace what she had previously denied herself--her own personal wishes. I highly recommend The Wishing Year for anyone wanting to learn more about what life has to offer when we pay attention to our heart's desires." --Sarah Susanka, author of The Not So Big Life "Do you want to know how wishes come true? Then read The Wishing Year. It's a book that beautifully illuminates the art and mystery of wishing--and it does so in a way that is inspiring, funny, serious, honest, heartfelt, and irresistibly readable."--Jack Kornfield, author of After the Ecstasy, the Laundry "The Wishing Year is an elegant exploration of the way thought shapes reality. Writing with great personal honesty and candor, Noelle Oxenhandler's exhilarating prose takes us deep into the pain and glory of being human." --Mark Epstein, M.D., author of Open to Desire"Oxenhandler's new book makes it okay to be a smart, sophisticated grow-up who also believes in magic. She dives beneath the new age veneer and deconstructs how wishes really come true." --Susan Piver, author of How Not to Be Afraid of Your Own LifeFrom the Hardcover edition.

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Betty Mahmoody with William Hoffer

Imagine yourself alone and vulnerable, trapped by a husband you thought you trusted, and held prisoner in his native Iran; a land where women have no rights and Americans are despised. For one American woman, Betty Mahmoody, this nightmare became reality, and escape became only an impossible dream. Not Without My Daughter is the true story of one woman's desperate struggle to survive and to escape with her daughter from an alien and frightening culture. Betty had married the Americanized Dr. Sayed Bozorg Mahmoody in 1977. His interest in his homeland had been revived since Khomeini's takeover, and he had increasingly expressed his desire to introduce his five-year-old daughter Mahtob and his American wife to his beloved family in Tehran. Betty and her daughter anxiously awaited the end of their vacation in this hostile land, but the end never came--Moody had other plans for his family. Betty and Mahtob became virtual hostages of Betty's tyrannical husband and his often vicious family. Hiding her secret meetings from her husband and his large network of spies, a desperate Betty began to plan her escape. But every option involved leaving Mahtob behind, abandoning her to Moody and a life of near-slavery and degradation. After a harsh and terrifying year, Betty discovered a ray of hope--a man would guide them across the mountain range that forms the border between Iran and Turkey. One dark night, Betty and Mahtob escaped and began the long journey home to Michigan, but first they had to survive a crossing that few women or children have ever made. In this gripping, true story, Betty Mahmoody tells her tale of faith, courage, and constant hope in the face of incredible adversity. Breathlessly exciting, Not Without My Daughter is a rivoting true adventure that grips its readers from the very first page. --- Also contained in: - Reader's Digest Condensed Books. Volume 1. 1988

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Dan Martin

"St. Louis is a funny town. Cartoonwise, that is. Different theories abound, but the Gateway to the West has been unusually starcrossed with some of the most talented and famous cartoonists this country has ever produced. Under the umbrella term of cartoonist, these talents are classified as comic-strip artists, political satirists, caricaturists, visual humorists, illustrators, and misunderstood artistic pioneers. The range is extraordinary-from the legendary Joseph Keppler in the 1870s to the present-day graphic novelists. Readers will learn about the historically obscure foundations, the work of Robert Minor, Al Frueh, and Harry Tuthill, and the stories behind today's popular strips Blondie and Mother Goose and Grim. All of the artists included in Martin's book have significant connections to St. Louis region, and their contributions to the art of cartooning come to light in his engaging profiles. Published in cooperation with The Sheldon Concert Hall and Art Galleries."--Publisher's website.

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Lady Hong

These extraordinary memoirs paint a vivid picture of court life in Korea during the middle of the 18th century as the background to a royal family tragedy of epic proportions, as seen through the eyes of a remarkable woman. In these most compelling of palace chronicles Lady Hong tells of her introduction to court life, of her selection as a consort to the Crown Prince at the age of ten, and of her brief years of happiness that were eclipsed by a series of dark events culminating in the madness of her husband and his death at the hands of his father, King Yŏngjo. Written at the end of her life for the benefit of her son and grandson who became kings, Lady Hong’s absorbing and revealing memoirs combine historical authenticity with the artistry of fine literature. ‘…Extraordinary memoirs…(if they) were presented as a work of fiction one would be irresistibly reminded of Vladimir Nabokov’s master piece , ‘Pale of Fire’…’ Auberon Waugh, Sunday Telegraph ‘…a remarkable psychological drama…East Asian Oedipus in reverse…’ John Gittings, The Guardian ‘…heartfelt emotions explained with a striking frankness…a lively autobiographical account…’ Paul Ensor, Far Eastern Economic Review ‘…jewel of a book deserves to become a classic…outstanding as narrative, as drama, and as characterization…’ Aidan Foster-Carter, South