Showing results by publisher "Phoenix Books" in Politics & Social Sciences

Inspirational author Og Mandino shares the blueprint for a successful life as told to him by his friend Simon Potter, a "ragpicker" and salvager of human lives. This treasure of wisdom includes what one must do in order to mount the 7 rungs of life's ladder - from material achievement and worldly success to the highest spiritual development. Whatever your dream may be, Og and his good angel Simon will show you the way to bring it within reach.

Brilliant, mystical, pragmatic and witty, some have called Chuang Tsu the world's first anarchist. Even 2,000 years after his death, this provocative Taoist text remains in the forefront of ancient Chinese philosophical study. A companion to the Tao Te Ching, Chuang Tsu: Inner Chapters is a spiritual classic in its own right and a source book second only to the Tao Te Ching in importance in the Taoist canon. The sublime prose serves as a profound and paradoxical commentary to the Tao Te Ching.

Humans have long sought to comprehend the enormities of cosmic space and time. Here, best selling science writer Timothy Ferris tells the story of that quest. He interweaves the majestic themes of astronomy, physics, religion, and philosophy with fresh and lasting portraits of the men and women who created what has been called our society's most precious treasure - its conception of the universe at large.

Atheist? Believer? Uncertain? No matter: The Portable Atheist will engage you every step of the way. From the number one New York Times best-selling author of God Is Not Great, comes this provocative and entertaining guided tour of atheist and agnostic thought through the ages with original pieces by Salman Rushdie, Ian McEwan, and Ayaan Hirsi Ali.

In Stupid Black Men, Larry Elder takes on the mind-set of those people who always capture the most media attention - as well as masses of public money - people who say that racism is the root of all problems and who end up hurting precisely those they claim to be helping.

At the age of 48, film critic David Denby returned to his alma mater, Columbia University, to re-experience the core humanities courses he had taken as a freshman 30 years before. Facing the question of what he really knows, Denby re-examines the besieged Western classics, ranging from Homer, Sappho, and Sophocles to Dante, Nietzsche, and Woolf. What relevance do the writers and thinkers of the past have to our current life? The answer surprised Denby and will surprise and enlighten his listeners.

The next stage in the evolution of human consciousness is coming soon. Thanks to a successful interplanetary experiment in 1972, the human race is spinning out of its old skins and into an other-dimensional reality. At the head of this big leap in human evolution is Drunvalo Melchizedek, jester and witness-guide from the 13th dimension.

In Behold a Pale Horse, William Cooper reveals classified information kept in secret government files since the 1940s. In this eye-opening work — read by the author — Cooper explores the assassination of John F. Kennedy, the war on drugs, the Secret Government, and UFOs. His lucid presentation of information transcends partisan affiliations as he addresses issues in a way that has a striking impact on listeners of all backgrounds and interests.

Inhabiting the small corner where France meets Spain, the Basque speak their own language, Euskera. Evidence of their culture showed up as early as 218 BC, and now, with a population of 2.4 million, their influence on our world has been all-pervasive. In this "delectable portrait of an uncanny, indomitable nation," listeners will be enthralled as Kurlansky delves into the roots of an intriguing population, and shows us why they continue.

This personal, philosophical narrative surveys the panorama of our world past and present. Dillard poses questions of natural evil, God, and individual existence. Can one individual really matter? If so, how? Compassionate, enthralling, and always surprising, For the Time Being is the latest work by one of our most original writers - her breadth of knowledge matched by keenness of observation- at her best.

We, the Jury is the dramatic story of the seven jurors who convicted Scott Peterson of murdering his wife, Laci, and their unborn son, Conner, despite a series of internal battles that brought the first major murder trial of the 21st century to the brink of a mistrial. The Peterson jurors argued and disagreed but eventually bonded to seal the fate of the icy killer who dumped his victims into the bullet-gray waters of San Francisco Bay.

In this collection of inspirational writings, novice and experienced practitioners are treated to four key works that rank high in the Zen canon: 101 Zen Stories recounts actual experiences with Zen that span five centuries. The Gateless Gate is a 13th-century collection of mind problems used in the practice of Zen. Ten Bulls is a 12th-century commentary on the stages of awareness that lead to enlightenment. Centering is a 4,000-year-old teaching from India that may have been the source of Zen.

Find yourself and tune in: such is the message of Zen. These simple exercises by Zen Master Foyan lead you to the awakening of insight into the real nature of self. The Chinese Zen classic emphasizes independence and autonomy, two qualities vital to seeing and acting clearly. Both newcomers and experienced practitioners will benefit from this guide to authentic Zen practices.

Hazardous Duty is a real-life, hard-hitting nonfiction thriller set in the ruins of Bosnia and the sands of Saudi Arabia, the deadly alleys of Mogadishu and the teeming streets of Port-au-Prince. Colonel Hackworth returns from these new American battlefields to report that the Pentagon is wasting hundred of billions of dollars gearing up to fight the wrong kind of wars, and offers a tough-love critique of American military leadership, interpreting the new post-Cold War conflicts.

In 1968, with the publication of Carlos Castaneda's The Teachings of Don Juan, the spiritual search was revealed to be as incredibly exciting as any death-defying adventure which human beings may be drawn to undertake. As the years have passed, Dr. Castaneda has come to be seen as an anthropologist of the soul, showing us that the inner world has its own inaccessible mountains, forbidding deserts, and awesomely beautiful dangers which we are all called to confront.

"Virtues? What could possibly be good about growing old?" That's the response former President Jimmy Carter received when he mentioned the title of this book. Indeed, the thought of aging causes people to worry about the physical aspect of it as well as the prejudice that exists toward the elderly. Carter demonstrates, however, that there are indeed virtues to aging, exploring the possibility of spiritual and intellectual growth in old age. This inspirational audio version is narrated by Carter himself.

Christopher Hitchens continues to make the case for a splendidly godless universe in this first-ever gathering of the influential voices past and present that have shaped his side of the current (and raging) God/no-god debate. With Hitchens as your erudite and witty guide, you'll be led through a wealth of philosophy, literature, and scientific inquiry, including generous portions of the words of Lucretius, Benedict de Spinoza, Charles Darwin, Karl Marx, Mark Twain, and more.

In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's there are few. So begins this most beloved of all American Zen works....

Where White Men Fear to Tread is the well-detailed, firsthand story of Russell Means' life - a life in which he did everything possible to dramatize and justify the Native American aim of self-determination. He stormed Mount Rushmore, seized Plymouth Rock, ran for President in 1988, and, most notoriously, led a 71-day takeover of Wounded Knee, South Dakota, in 1973. This visionary autobiography by one of America's most magnetic personalities will fascinate, educate, and inspire.

Talk about a fish story! New York Times and Harper's columnist Mark Kurlansky offers "history filtered through the gills of the fish trade." David McCullough, the historian behind John Adams, says Kurlansky's "charming tale" of a "seemingly improbable idea" will change the way people think of the fish and the history.