Books I have brought with me for my stay

I basically have four books with me, with two as reserve at home.

I am reading three of them simultaneously. Why not? They are all three on varied topics and from different sources.

My friend Theresa Bonopartis sent me a book which in most countries is entitled “Praying Self-Abandonment to Divine Love”, but in the English-speaking world has been re-titled “In the Arms of Mary.” It was written by Slawomir Biela, a Polish man who after getting a PhD in physics decided to get degrees in the theology of spirituality. I’d never heard of him, or the group he primarily writes for, the Families of Nazareth Movement.

But the book, so far is excellent. The first chapter is entitled “To Pray with the attitude of the Tax Collector” so you have an idea what point the author makes right off the bat. The book had been translated into 46 languages and there were five forwards written by Cardinals from five different countries. (U.S., Mexico, Philippines, Spain, and Korea).

So that is the morning reading.

Now the afternoon book is far and away the toughest I’ve read in a long, long time. When I was in college at Fairfield I took a course on Martin Heidegger and Alfred North Whitehead. A Chinese teacher taught the course (Lik Kuen Tong, who is evidently very highly respected as a philosopher today in China), and the course title was “Existentialism and Process Philosophy”. It was very fascinating, but because of the great difficulties in reading the main books of the two men, we read commentaries.

So I decided to go back to Heidegger’s book – "Being and Time" – and read it (I always wanted to and figured here is a good opportunity. But no, not in the original German). Written in 1927, this book asks the question “What does it mean to be?” and proceeds with an analysis from the perspective, of course of human beings.

Heidegger’s insights have had profound influence in many areas, psychology, theology, the sciences, etc.

So I’ve started working my way through the book, with the help of the original commentary (with the very original title “A commentary on Heidegger’s Being and Time”!) I read in college. So far, slow going (Heidegger is notoriously difficult), but very worthwhile.

The evening book is “1776” by the historian Gary McCollough, a pleasure to read. It is a narrative of the crucial year for the American Republic of 1776. Of course much of the book is going to be about George Washington. 

I also brought along a book I’ve already read, “Sadhana” by the late Jesuit, Anthony de Mello. The book is subtitled “Christian Exercises in Eastern Form”. Perhaps I’ll get to it after finishing the morning book.

I have two books in reserve at home. One is “The Elusive Quest for Growth”, a highly recommended book that is about economic and social development efforts in the “Third World”. Having lived in the Third World, it’s a topic I am interested in, and the book is supposed to be very good.

Also on the bench, is the current hot history work “Team of Rivals, The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln” by Doris Kearns Goodwin. My friend Bill Connolly gave me the book, and I will start it after I finish “1776”.

I’m trying to get in about four hours of serious reading a day while I’m in Memorial. In addition to that I’m online reading the papers and emailing or IMing various people, calling some clients, calling the family, taking calls form my nine year old Tim, and getting instant messaged by the twelve year old, Joe. No time for rest! Of course you can’t get any rest in a hospital anyway.