Book Review: The Power of Time Perception

The Power of Time Perception by Jean Paul Zogby
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Have you ever wondered about how when you are having fun the time seems to fly by? Or when you are at work and those last thirty minutes are dragging along? This book helps explain that phenomenon and so much more. It is a great book that helps us first understand time and how we subconsciously perceive it and then helps us with effective time management. At times, full of scientific information and at others philosophical anecdotes, this book bridges a gap that many others don’t.
Chock Full of good and thought provoking information, the author clearly has spent much time researching how the power of our mind can influence our perceptions of time. I liked this book and there are certainly ideas and practices that can be put to good use. I think that to be truly successful with it we will have to exercise willpower and stick with them, not just try them once and give up.


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Movie Review: 13th

It’s 12:30am and I cannot sleep. I just finished watching the Netflix documentary, 13^th by Ava DuVernay, and so much of this movie has shaken me. I’m by no means a politically or socially ignorant person, however, my awareness and self-education in the two matters has largely taken place over the past 1/2 years. Watching this movie, I must come to terms with the fact that I (along with the rest of the US population) have been brainwashed into thinking that slavery was truly a construct of the past. That we live in a time, where there certainly are racial issues, but overall, we have overcome the fundamental issues of slavery. And we have not. We have revised the system many times and given it new names, the newest which is the mass incarcerations, the prison construct system. 1 in 3 black men will see prison in their lifetime. Will my husband, or my son be one of them?

As a white Muslim women, I have the privilege of taking off my Hijab, of taking off any garment that marks me as “other”, and can blend into the crowd of humanity in our nation. My gender might set me apart, but racially, I would not be viewed as a threat. My husband, not only has the strike of being a black man against him, he has a double strike against him as a Muslim black man. He does not have the luxury of taking off his skin color so that he does not immediately appear to be a criminal. Our children, while able to pass as white, would more than likely be identified as Latino or Hispanic of origin and therefor still carry some racial/ethnic stigma or burden that I myself as their mother would not have.

The problem that arises with this realization is: What can and should I do about this? Is confronting racism and discrimination whenever I encounter it truly enough? Can a Stay at home Mom of three children under 5, Full-time college student really make a difference? How much time do I have to devote to this issue to truly make a difference? If the world is run by (To quote my Sociology Teacher:) “old white men”, then can I as a white middle class woman really do much? There is so much hatred in this world, so much systemic discrimination, a complete us vs. them mentality that it is hard to see any light at the end of the tunnel.

But we must believe it is there. We must hold out hope, that even our tiniest actions, from teaching our children to love everyone equally, to helping that old Black/Hispanic/Asian lady with her groceries, will sprout the seeds of change that we need in our country right now. Only by picking up the phone and calling our representatives, by emailing them will our voices be heard. If there is a protest rally in your city, maybe you should contact the organizers to see if they need any supplies, a few cases of water? Might not be a bad idea of you can’t put in the hours of being there in person. 

Book Review: Jukebox

The cover and the synopsis drew me in and this author doesn’t disappoint. Her novel Jukebox is full of old-world charm, set in London where you can just feel the character’s confidence and ruthlessness mingled with the British accent in a unique combination. When you think of mobsters, you typically think Italians, but open your mind because these London leaders of the seedy underbelly are going to take you for a ride, along with tea and crumpets. Nick, the lawyer but aspiring record label owner, Mel, his benefactor and Avery a spunky journalist all collide together and have a rip-roaring adventurous time. When things look to good to be true, they often are Nick is finding out, and Avery is pure determination to uncover the story she has sniffed out about Mel. For humor, originality, plot twists and overall great command of the English grammar I highly recommend this book.

Book review: Echoes of Paradise

Echoes of Paradise by Deanna Kahler
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Celeste is undergoing a midlife crisis, her job and her marriage make her feel trapped and lack the passion they once had. As an artist, she’s lost her zest in life, add to that fact that her secret true love Connor passes away, leaves celeste devastated. Once odd things start to occur around her, she sets out to find out if Connor is still here, desperately trying to tell her something.
This is a book I would set on the quasi paranormal with a twist of fantasy shelf, it deals with love, fate, the power of the human mind, questions of the afterlife and how our preconceived notions of all might be expanded a little more with some faith. If you read this as a simple romance novel you might not like it too much, but I think it was a good story. There were no grammar errors or sentence structural issues which was a nice touch compared to some other books I have read; so great job editing team!


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