Good Reading

The Chrysanthemum and the Sword by Ruth Benedict Essential reading for anyone interested in Japanese culture, this unsurpassed masterwork opens an intriguing window on Japan. Benedict's World War II era study paints an illuminating contrast between the culture of Japan and that of the United States. The Chrysanthemum and the Sword is a revealing look at how and why our cultures differ, making it the perfect introduction to Japanese history and customs. This book gives us some insight as to the uniquely Japanese way of conducting one's self in the world.

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley Brave New World is a darkly satiric vision of a "utopian" future where humans are genetically bred and pharmaceutically anesthetized to passively serve a ruling order. A powerful work of speculative fiction that has enthralled and terrified readers for generations, it remains remarkably relevant to this day as both a warning to be heeded as we head into tomorrow and as thought-provoking, satisfying entertainment. An often referenced work that foretold the promotion and advertising of mood products.

Brave New World Revisited by Aldous Huxley Following Brave New World is the nonfiction work Brave New World Revisited, first published in 1958. It is a fascinating work in which Huxley uses his tremendous knowledge of human relations to compare the modern-day world with the prophetic fantasy envisioned in Brave New World, including threats to humanity, such as overpopulation, propaganda, and chemical persuasion.Slightly more optimistic than the original, B.N.W. revisited suggests some tools with which to repair the damage.

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller A monumental artifact of contemporary American literature, almost as assured of longevity as the statues on Easter Island...Catch-22 is a novel that reminds us once again of all that we have taken for granted in our world and should not, the madness we try not to bother and notice, the deceptions and falsehoods we lack the will to try to distinguish from truth. A must read that reminds us of the manipulation which takes place seemingly just below the radar.

Walden - Essay On Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau Thoreau says so many pithy and brilliant things, and offers so many piquant, and, we may add, so many just, comments on society as it is, that this book is well worth the reading, both for its actual contents and its suggestive capacity. Also notable is Thoreau's capacity of observation and detailed descriptive qualities.

Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell Thought Police. Big Brother. Orwellian. These words have entered our vocabulary because of George Orwell's classic dystopian novel, 1984. The story of one man's nightmare odyssey as he pursues a forbidden love affair through a world ruled by warring states and a power structure that controls not only information but also individual thought and memory, 1984 is a prophetic, haunting tale. A prophetic piece meant as a warning, not a 'how to' manual.

Harold und Maude by Colin Higgins An unlikely romance between a death-obsessed 19-year-old named Harold and a life-loving 79-year-old widow named Maude. They meet at a funeral, and Maude finds something oddly appealing about Harold, urging him to "reach out" and grab life by the lapels as opposed to dwelling morbidly on mortality. Harold & Maude one of the sweetest and most unconventional love stories ever made. A poignant dissection of adolescent angst and the question of existence.

Eden Express by Mark Vonnegut "Most diseases can be separated from one's self ... schizophrenia is something we are." So begins Mark Vonnegut's depiction of his descent into, and eventual emergence from, mental illness. As a recent college graduate, self-avowed hippie, and son of a counterculture hero, Vonnegut begins to experience increasingly delusional thinking, suicidal thoughts, and physical incapacity. In February 1971 he is committed to a psychiatric hospital. A chilling journey which takes us deep inside the addled mind of a schizophrenic.

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck This beautiful, timeless novel speaks of the love that men can feel for each other -one inarticulate, dumb, sometimes violent in his need; the other clever, hopeful, and tied to a responsibility he doesn't want. Both touching and disturbing, this book tells us things about ourselves that we may not want to know.

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values by Robert M. Pirsig Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is a powerful, moving, and penetrating examination of how we live and a meditation on how to live better. The narrative of a father on a summer motorcycle trip across America's Northwest with his young son, it becomes a profound personal and philosophical odyssey into life's fundamental questions. A potentially dense read filled with mind-opening gems.

Player Piano by Kurt Vonnegut Vonnegut's first novel spins the chilling tale of engineer Paul Proteus, who must find a way to live in a world dominated by a super computer and run completely by machines. Paul's rebellion is vintage Vonnegut - wildly funny, deadly serious, and terrifyingly close to reality. To the uninitiated Player Piano makes you understand what the big deal is about Vonnegut.

Zen Flesh Zen Bones: A Collection of Zen and Pre-Zen Writings by Paul Reps The essence of Zen -as a way of life, a religion, an aesthetic- can be found in the works of the Zen canon. Reps draws short stories and vignettes from such classic works as The Gateless Gate and 101 Zen Stories to help listeners come closer to answering the question: What is Zen? You will find yourself reading these short tales over and over to absorb the wisdom contained within them.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey Here is the unforgettable story of a mental ward and its inhabitants, especially the tyrannical Big Nurse Ratched and Randle Patrick McMurphy, the brawling, fun-loving new inmate who resolves to oppose her. We see the struggle through the eyes of Chief Bromden, the seemingly mute half-Indian patient who witnesses and understands McMurphy's heroic attempt to do battle with the awesome powers that keep them all imprisoned. An intriguing subject matter and engaging characters draw you into this famous book that the movie, of the same title, was based on.

The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling Rescued as an infant from the savage tiger Shere Khan, Mowgli is reared by a pack of wolves. His days are filled with excitement and danger as he learns the ways of the jungle from Bagheera the panther and the wise bear, Baloo. As the boy grows, he also learns he must take his place among his own kind - but first, he must face Shere Khan in a battle of wits and strength to discover the true King of the Jungle... Underlying moral values and lessons along with social commentary lurk just below the surface in this classic work.

John Lennon in His Own Write by John Lennon A brief and potentially annoying little book gives us some insight into the witty genius that John Lennon released to the world thru his musical and political exploits.Also contained in the book are various original drawings by Lennon.

Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu Written more than two thousand years ago, the Tao Teh Ching is probably the most influential work of Asian thought. . . . This lucid translation demonstrates that these teachings are as useful in the arts of leadership as they are in developing a sense of balance and harmony in everyday life. This compacted, or pocket version, will serve as a much better companion than any cell phone or electronic device.

The Art of War by Sun Tzu Conflict is an inevitable part of life, according to this ancient Chinese classic of strategy, but everything necessary to deal with conflict wisely, honorably, victoriously, is already present within us. Compiled more than two thousand years ago by a mysterious warrior-philosopher, The Art of War is still perhaps the most prestigious and influential book of strategy in the world, as eagerly studied in Asia by modern politicians and executives as it has been by military leaders since ancient times. The overriding message here is the avoidance of conflict thru the use of intelligent strategy.

Dictionary of Symbols by Carl G. Liungman From early cave drawings to modern corporate logos, graphic symbols have been used to convey meanings both tangible and abstract. This dictionary covers approximately 2500 Western graphic symbols. Each entry includes the sign's history, its meanings and the systems in which it is used, along with cross-references to other signs with the same meanings and structurally similar signs with different meanings. This books shows us how symbols have the strength to convey meaning when words become clumsy.

Dharma Bums by Jack Kerouac Less well known than On the Road, this is a similar but funnier document about the Beat Generation. Its influence, too, on the dropout ethos of the 60s is huge, dealing as it does with drifters and Buddhism. In contemporary culture, it's nuance can be found in the likes of a movie known as "Trainspotting".

Wabi-Sabi: for Artists, Designers, Poets & Philosophers by Leonard Koren Wabi-sabi is the most conspicuous and characteristic feature of what we think of as traditional Japanese beauty. It occupies roughly the same position in the Japanese pantheon of aesthetic values as do the Greek ideals of beauty and perfection in the West . . . Wabi-sabi, in its purest, most idealized form, is precisely about the delicate traces, the faint evidence, at the borders of nothingness. Included are images illustrating the rough esthetic contained in random natural expression.

Understanding Media by Marshal McLuhan The Director of the Center for the Study of the Extensions of Man at the University of Toronto, Marshall McLuhan here investigates the psychic and social consequences of technological media on man and his societies. The medium itself, rather than the content, is the message, he asserts, and turns to inspect the manner in which it affects us. He extends his inquiry beyond the expected media of print, radio, television, telephone to include "the mechanical bride" - the automobile, clothing - "our extended skin," money, clocks, housing. A genius work containing a myriad of ideas and explanations as to how culture is created and affected thru it's use of objects.

Ishmael: An Adventure of the Mind and Spirit by Daniel Quinn The narrator of this extraordinary tale is a man in search for truth. He answers an ad in a local newspaper from a teacher looking for serious pupils, only to find himself alone in an abandoned office with a full-grown gorilla who is nibbling delicately on a slender branch. "You are the teacher?" he asks incredulously. "I am the teacher," the gorilla replies. Ishmael is a creature of immense wisdom and he has a story to tell, one that no other human being has ever heard. Quinn has the ability to crack open the large picture of human history and assemble it in a sensible manner.

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson The epic tale of a young man's quest to capture a hidden treasure on the open seas -- one of the best-loved adventure stories of all time. Of pirates and exploration, this classic is required reading for all ages.