A Free Life by Ha Jin

How does a Chinese immigrant deal with cultural, political, and emotional adjustment to his new country while struggling to support himself and pursue his not-very-remunerative passion for writing poetry? Author Ha Jin brings to this subject his own experience as a literary immigrant who has won many awards including a National Book Award. In A Free Life (Jin's fifth novel) he focuses most on his hero's inner life, but the lives of his wife and son also draw the reader in. The painful struggle to gain an economic foothold in this country yields gradually to the ability to pursue interests beyond the need for simple subsistence. It's Maslow's hierarchy written from the gritty bottom to the top in a cross cultural situation. Great book.

Awakening into Oneness by Arjuna Ardagh

"Oneness," as used in this book, is the dissolution of the sense of a fixed, separate self. "Once we realize that our concept of the self is an illusion, we become capable of experiencing ourselves as a flow of consciousness that is no longer subject to the conditioning of the mind." This is what is being taught at Oneness University in India, Fiji, and Italy and at events in various places around the world. Thousands of seekers have been given the deeksha or Oneness Blessing which is said to bring personal peace and joy. The hope is that when enough people realize there is no difference between me and not-me, problems in relationships of all kinds will melt away.

"Awakening into Oneness" is essentially an advertisement for the Oneness movement which can be easily written off as a cult. However, I believe that the basic idea of oneness is gaining credibility, at least among people who are grounded in spirituality. Although the book is weak in science, it is another example of the coming together of ancient philosophy with the cosmologies of contemporary science.

People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks

An expert in identifying and restoring ancient books is invited to work on the Sarajevo Haggadah, a book used in Jewish homes during passover. The restoration work forms the framework on which hangs the story of how the haggadah made its centuries-long journey from its origin in Spain to Venice, Vienna, and Sarajevo. Antisemitism and vicissitudes of war send the little book into hiding along the way, and the reader is given glimpses of European life in various eras. Informative and a good read.

The Yoga of Jesus by Paramahansa Yogananda

There is a legend that Jesus spent his young manhood (about ages 14 to 28) in India. The story comes from the discovery in a Tibetan monastery of a manuscript about Saint Issa from Israel "in whom was manifest the soul of the universe." Issa/Jesus was said to have traveled around India and the Himalayas learning and preaching; then he returned to his native country were he was reviled, condemned, and put to death. A Russian traveler saw the Saint Issa manuscript and published notes about it in 1894. In the 1920s at least two other people saw the manuscript but eventually the monks would or could no longer make it available.

Wether or not you choose to believe Jesus was ever in India, the similarities of spirituality as taught by Jesus and by yoga is interesting. They both come down to the idea that God or the Universe emanates divine love and wisdom to guide all beings back to infinite consciousness.

A Circle of Souls by Preetham Grandhi

Rather simplistic but a fun read, Grandhi's novel deals with a child whose death has officials stymied until they realize that the dreams of another child seem to be providing clues.