Amina Thajudeen Book Review, Memoirs, non-fiction, Travel memoir, Travelogue

My China Dream: What I learned from teaching in China by Scott A Morrill

A humorous story of a lawyer’s journey of discovery in the Middle Kingdom. Follow along with his and his wife’s experience teaching young, impressionable Chinese university students western ways as they learn about China and eastern ways. Pandas, certificates and Red Stamps are staples of Chinese society, but the people, food and culture is what won them over.

Title: My China Dream: What I learned from teaching in China

Author: Scott A Morrill

Genre: Memoir

Pages: 236

My review

My China Dream by Scott Morrill is an eloquent memoir reminiscing the time author and his wife spent in China. It all started when they got an unexpected offer to consider teaching positions at Zhejiang University in China. Accepting this offer means, leaving the comfort and safety of home and travel to an unknown country with zero knowledge in their language. Ultimately he decided to take a break from his soul-squishing law practice and bring a sense of novelty and adventurous spirit to his life. Moving to China, a country that has surrounded by a fair share of prejudices and speculations in the western world were not easy. But their experience in China proved them all wrong.

This is a unique blend of emotions. It is heartwarming and humorous at the same time. For someone who lived almost all of his life in the modernized western world, China offers quite a big cultural shock at the first instance. But soon they have accustomed to its ways, thanks to the people who welcomed them with big hearts. The Eastern world is completely different by all means. The government, law, ethics, educational system, culture, faith…everything has its difference. But I really liked the author’s perspective towards them. He looks into this new world with an open mind and enthusiasm. His positive outlook on life is quite evident from the beginning of the book. He keeps this attitude throughout the book.

One of the best features of this memoir, which I liked most is its impeccable narration. The author has narrated every bit of his experience with utmost honesty. It is flawless and captures the emotions behind the words very easily. He included his thoughts, beliefs, frustrations and everything else which made his China dream a blend of sweet and sour. This memoir will make you laugh, excited and sad at times. But, it will certainly leave you with a big smile in the end.

Purchase link: Amazon.com

Amina Thajudeen Book Review, non-fiction

DARWIN ≥ MARX: ECO/LOGICAL R/EVOLUTION by Ciprian Pater | Review

Eco/logical R/evolution, is the story of mankind, told with words of a great and wonderful subjective odyssey, the never-ending quest; for objective truths and collective Eudaimonia. The author raises the issues; of political weakness and widespread confusion, about logical analytical errors, of which we find many of in Old Marxist Ideology. As a conscious effort, is thus made, to expel the mental subjugation of Platonic Idealism, away from the clenches Aristotelian Realism, and its bastard offspring; Old Historical Materialism. The book identifies, in the works of Darwin and Marx, a wide range of worrying philosophical incompatibilities, such that are clearly found; in their respective theories and research methodologies.

We hereby propose; that a New Marxist Philosophy of Science, stands a probable chance; at unifying the Natural and Social Sciences. As the convergence of truths is manifest, thus, it is mapped out in detail by the author, out of necessity. It invokes, a Marxist Metaphysical Identity, for the sole purpose of; presenting a teleological framework, for New Marxist Theory.

Title: DARWIN ≥ MARX: ECO/LOGICAL R/EVOLUTION

Author: Ciprian Pater

Pages: 121

Genre: Non-fiction

My review

Darwin ≥ Marx: Eco/logical R/evolution by Ciprian Pater is a critical analysis of political philosophies such as idealism, dialectical materialism, realism along with the theory of evolution. The author took an independent stand to analyse these ideologies to frame an unbiased outcome. Although the ultimate goal of this book is to propose a new Marxist philosophy of science that is relevant to the modern age, the author is vigilant to criticize the old Marxist philosophy to its roots.

This is an in-depth study that correlates the philosophies put forth primarily by Aristotle, Plato, Marx and Darwin. The author argues that every ideology has its own innate weaknesses. They all fail to understand human instincts and behaviour which drives their act to a certain extend. Eventually, the Darwinian philosophy and Marxian ideologies succeed to interpret human behaviour to some extend. But in this technologically advanced world, even Marxian philosophy is failed to predict human behaviours. Still, it is relevant but timely interpretations and advanced research is needed to make them relevant to current circumstances.

The Darwinian theory also has its shortcomings. The author criticizes many assumptions and predictions put forth by evolutionary theory in the historical and contemporary contexts. The new Marxian framework is proposed based on his analysis and conclusions. Through the New Marxist philosophy of science, the author correlates all streams of science which collectively affects the lives and livelihood of humans. I found this interpretation as very unique. Because he argues and applies Marxian theory to derive conclusions on diverse fields like economy to biology. His analysis opens an inter-disciplinary approach for rather confined socio-political theories.

In short, this comprehensive study on socio-political philosophies opens a new door of knowledge to the readers. The research and effort taken by the author to bring such a holistic analysis deserves a huge round of applause. This is definitely a book that I will re-read for sure.

Purchase here: Amazon.com

Amina Thajudeen Book Review, Memoirs, non-fiction, Young-Adult

The Guilt Is Alive by Hemalatha Gnanasekar | Review

Long ago, when life began, our species survived by reacting instantly to the threats. The ancient humans who stopped to smell the roses became easy targets for predators. Today, the predators are mostly gone, but we are still so primed to pay attention to bad news and tend to ignore the good things happening around us. Sivadoss, my father belonged to this very category. He was a grumbler and kept complaining constantly about one thing or the other. He failed to count his blessings and would rather count his problems. He was blessed with five children, three sons and two daughters and I happen to be the eldest of them. Being his loving daughter, I would make an all out effort to solve all his problems, whatever it be. However, father would take the progress for granted and find a new cause for alarm. After his retirement, when he was finding it difficult to make both ends meet, he took a drastic decision in his life. He wanted the eldest of his three sons Sampathkumar to go abroad for a job and support him financially. When he divulged this fact to me, I set about the task in good earnest and wished to fulfill his desire. My brother on the other hand was a man of temper. First, he expressed his disinterest in leaving the family and second he was not willing to pay through his nose to the international recruiting agencies as bribes to get a job. With my prayers, I succeeded in changing his mind. Very soon, he also got a job offer in Jamaica. It was from an Indian, Narayanan, settled in Jamaica. He did not charge any recruitment fee and was also willing to pay for his air-tickets. On reaching Jamaica, my brother realized that he had been duped. He was not given the promised job. He had a tiff with his boss and left the company. Suddenly he finds himself on the streets, penniless. I was gripped with an acute feeling of guilt, for it was me, who had coaxed him to accept the job and leave the country. Shocked beyond belief at the plight my brother had landed himself, I now felt that it was my responsibility to bring him back to India. The letter was the only means of communication then and with less access to phones, it took me nine long years to achieve this goal.

Title: The Guilt Is Alive

Author: Hemalatha Gnanasekar

Pages: 196

My review

The Guilt is Alive is a testimony of siblings bond. More than a memoir, this is an exact reflection of a middle-class Indian family. Hemalatha who is the eldest of five children in the family is bound with responsibilities from her birth. Her parents had special care and love for her. But they all came with a price. The parents have high expectations and children are bound to fulfil them, even if it costs their life. This pushed her to interfere in the lives of her brother to meet their father’s wishes. But it does not turns out well and become a source of guilt for her even today. This memoir is heart touching revisit to those days.

Hemalatha’s story is an accurate portrayal of a family. Her memories brings many laughs and tears at times. She has carried this memoir without losing its emotional intensity from beginning to end.

The struggle for money is real. Every penny counts and it is essential for the survival. Besides all these chaos, only one emotion that unites them is love. We can feel the connection and love between the characters throughout the story. This emotional narration is the backbone of the story.

This memoir is a living acknowledgement of sibling relationship. Although the author still hasn’t forgiven herself for interfering to the decisions of her brother’s life, I found one superior connection in their story. No matter how hard is their circumstances, they both are capable to turn things around with their hard work. They quickly get out of the after-effects of every bad decisions through hard work. They never sacrificed their mutual love for them.

The whole book is edited accurately to comply with the US standards. The thorough editing by two different editors reflects in the story. This ensures a smooth flow and connects all the events in the memoir well.

In a nutshell, this is a very good memoir sliced out from the real-life.

Amina Thajudeen Book Review, non-fiction, Self-Help

Captain You: a course in Emotional Self-Reliance by Luca Bosurgi | Review

Clarity, self-reliance, happiness, high-performance. The Bosurgi Mind Fitness method offered in this book, Captain You – A Course to Emotional Self-Reliance, combines exclusive knowledge, exercises, takeaways, and tips with 21 Bosurgi Mind Fitness™ Virtual Reality sessions (included with this book) to help you train, clear, and optimize your mind, removing unnecessary emotional blockages. This is obtained by establishing your natural self-leadership and self-reliance, resetting obsolete emotional programming and imbalances, terminating Adult Emotional Dependency (AED), and improving emotions, thoughts, and feelings management. The process will help you clear associated mental struggles and byproducts, such as anxiety, fear, low confidence, overwhelm, depression, alcohol and drug abuse, and procrastination. Most importantly, it will free misused brainpower, which can be reinvested into confidence, high performance, and happiness.A Bosurgi Mind Fitness™ Virtual Reality 20-session Emotional Self-Reliance course, for mobile iPhone/Android app or Oculus Quest (100% unlocked), included with this book. *VR goggles not included

Title: Captain You: a course in Emotional Self-Reliance

Author: Luca Bosurgi

Pages: 120

My review

Our mind controls every thought, actions and our wellbeing. A healthy mind is essential for happiness. One step further, if you need a fit mind, this is the book you are looking for. How to achieve fitness for our mind? obviously, not by controlling it, because it will never work. We have to understand the functioning of our mind. How it works, how it controls our actions, how it changes etc. This book is a fine guide for this process.

One of my best takeaways from this book is, knowledge on adult emotional dependency. No matter how carefully I manage my mind and actions, I find myself in a break down once in a while. In those moments I rely on others for comfort. This dependency costs me way more than I admit. Emotional self-reliance is the only way out from this condition. I learned to eliminate this issue from this book. It was essential and it is the way forward.

Through self-love and self-parenting, the author connects our mind with the body. Before reading this book, I treat both of them as one. But it is possible to separate them and reconnect them whenever you want. The mind management techniques was an eye-opener for me. The knowledge that has poured through this book is unmatchable.

I can summarize this as a whole new level of wisdom.

Amina Thajudeen Book Review, non-fiction, Self-Help

How to Improve Study Habits by Christine Reidhead | Review

For students 13 through college graduation, Christine Reidhead’s guide to building study skills is an extremely important book for those who want to secure their future through good grades. Too many students’ grades are falling, especially in a time when regular classrooms cannot fully open. Parents everywhere are at a loss regarding what to do with their responsibilities in the face of the increasing downturn in their children’s grades. It seems as though, with the advent of social media, the attention of a lot of students has been shifted from their books to their smartphones or computers. Apart from social media, blame has also been put on a decline in the interest of students regarding education in general. Students, at the moment, do not have the motivation or zeal, as it seems, to even study. Good study habits, or skills, are solutions to the problems experienced by students. This has been true for a long time, but the world is changing rapidly, which also means that the tools employed during study have to be changed in order to keep up. This is especially true as a result of the covid-19 pandemic that has forced students to study and learn from home rather than in the classroom. E-Learning, or online learning, can be effective, but only if the student has the discipline and drive to succeed using the tools and materials they are provided by teachers. Without strong study skills the student will fall behind in the classroom. Online the failure to develop good study skills can be devastating, leading to an inability to achieve the success in life the student could otherwise achieve. This excellent guide walks students through skills and habits which a student, or a person, employs while studying in order to make the most out of the experience. The kind of skills employed by a person, whether good or bad, determines how successful they will be in the process of learning, and Reidhead shows how to understand study skills, discover what kind of learner you are, develop great study skills, avoid bad study habits, identify the best places to study, and how to keep up with Online Learning during the current ovid-19 pandemic. It also helps parents and students to identify when certain students are studying excessively, harming the effectiveness of their studying. This is a must book for students who want good grades. Both a guide and a self-help book, it can help any student of any age, middle school through graduate school, succeed in their classes whether they are held in a classroom or online.

Title: How to Improve Study Habits

Author: Christine Reidhead

My review

This pandemic has affected our lives in unprecedented ways. Schools and colleges have been closed and online lecturing become new normal. But this also comes with many drawbacks. We are now dragged more and more into the internet and social media. This affects our attention span. The method of teaching was not changed, only the medium was changed. The transition from classroom to virtual learning was not smooth and this created numerous problems. Falling behind grades are not acceptable. This quick guide devise a perfect plan to overcome these problems.

It does not offer any shortcuts. In fact, the author herself specifies that success does not have any shortcuts neither the learning. What we can do is to build a discipline by understanding our uniqueness.

Learning how to learn is an integral part of this transformation. The author focuses on this part from the beginning itself. It also has a worksheet where we can assess ourselves and know where we stand. The next part is developing the right study skills. One important feature of this book is, the author has included a chapter about excessive studying and its adverse effects. This chapter is unique and essential. This helps us not to fall into that trap.

The last chapter discusses about online learning. I found this one most useful. Because I was struggling to keep up with online learning for some time. Every concept is explained with the utmost clarity. They are also illustrated through examples for better understanding. I loved this approach from the author. Also, there is a bonus planner at the end.

In a nutshell, this is quite a useful and handy guide for all students and parents.

Amina Thajudeen Book Review, non-fiction

How We Can Be The Bride of Christ and Share His Throne by Richard Ruhling |Review

Luke’s wedding parable offers the highest possible reward–“He will make [us] ruler over all that He has” if we are doing as this obscure parable tells us, or “beaten with stripes” if we shrug it of. The events of 2020 suggest beatings are possible, but it needs some explanation. The Appendix includes a link to a high value video showing how most disease is reversible by wise eating habits. Satisfaction Guaranteed!

Title: How We Can Be The Bride of Christ and Share His Throne (White Horse Series Book 7)

Author: Richard Ruhling

Pages: 52

My review

The path to salvation lies in the understanding of faith. This short book is an effort to simplify the wedding parables, models reflecting the different aspects of truth and qualifications by dissecting down deep into their roots. Dr.Ruhling gives a different side and better interpretations of scriptures and verses throughout the book. To support his claims he supplements the arguments with evidences from history, science, politics, and world order.

The book is compiled in a unique style. Because it is not entirely concentrated on interpreting parables. Rather he uses them to derive evidence from our own lives. Usually, we understand scriptures in a literal sense only. But if we look closer at them, we can reach in their deeper meaning.

One of the striking features of this book is the author’s independent voice. He attempts to separate truth from false claims. He touches on every social issue, environmental issues, and cultural issues. All these problems have some relations with the religion and its order. This was a revelation for me. The author connects every problem with the scriptures and derive solutions from it.

I found this book highly helpful and wholeheartedly appreciate the author’s effort.

Amina Thajudeen Book Review, non-fiction

Stroke Recovery, What Now?: When Physical Therapy Ends, But Your Recovery Continues by Tracy L. Markley

In “Stroke Recovery; What Now?” Tracy brings as much knowledge and experience as she can, hoping to help survivors continue with their personal stroke recovery. She teaches about the biomechanics of the body’s movements based on science. Tracy has helped several survivors achieve continued success in their stroke recovery. In “Stroke Recovery; What Now?” Tracy’s desire is to bring understanding to why specific muscles must be strengthened before other movements in the body can improve. Included in this book, are several important exercises for survivors and anyone who wants to become more stable when they stand and walk. There are also descriptions of why each exercise works. Tracy shares tips to improve a drop foot, spasticity, muscle strength, balance, communication, spatial awareness, cognitive skills, brain care and more. Tracy asked more than one hundred survivors about the struggles and challenges they faced when they were left on their own to continue their recovery. She was surprised by many of the tough challenges some faced, and she was determined to include all concerns in this book. There is no time frame on stroke recovery. Learning ways to help your brain build new pathways and helping your body move correctly more will assist you toward further recovery.

Title: Stroke Recovery, What Now?: When Physical Therapy Ends, But Your Recovery Continues

Author: Tracy L. Markley

Pages: 203

My review

This book is an all-in-one solution for every stroke survivor. Many survivors are confused on their recovery process after the limited physical therapy sessions. Either they don’t have proper knowledge of the continuing recovery or they may have the financial constraints to carry on physical therapy sessions. They may not have proper knowledge of the muscle groups that are affected by each exercises and the home workouts. Tracy has more than 20 years of experience in this field and helped many survivors in her long career. All her real-life experiences are bundled together and presented through this guide.

This is an A-Z guide on stroke and recovery. She starts from the basic information about stroke and its types. Then move on to the long recovery process. Along with illustrations on the exercises from beginner to advanced levels, she also stresses out the role of support groups. Many stroke survivors struggle with remembering things and depression. A strong support group is an excellent way out in this process.

One of the unique features of this book is its comprehensive coverage on all relevant topics. This significantly reduced my search for other books in this subject. Because it has anatomical illustrations, explanations and exercise diagrams. This is indeed a very helpful guide.

Amina Thajudeen Book Review, non-fiction, Self-Help

Dear Stroke, You Suck: The Journey of A Fitness Trainer and Stroke Survivor by Tracy Markley

Dear Stroke, You Suck is an inspiring journey in stroke recovery of a Fitness Trainer and a Stroke Surivior. The stroke survivor in this journey really wanted his story shared to help other stroke survivors and their care givers. This book was originally named The Stroke of An Artist. It appeared as an Art book, So it has been Republished with this new book title, Dear Stroke, You Suck. There are a few minor changes, as in some changes in the anatomy illustrations and pictures, other wise it is the same story as in the original publication. This is the 2nd Edition of the book The Stroke of an Artist.

Title: Dear Stroke, You Suck: The Journey of A Fitness Trainer and Stroke Survivor

Author: Tracy Markley

Pages: 160

My review

Stroke recovery is not an easy task. The survivor has to regain mental and physical health. Since the brain is trying to create new pathways to cope with the destruction caused by stroke, this recovery is slower than usual. Due to this fact, many stroke survivors give up their efforts too early. This is an eye-opener for those survivors.

Gary was an acclaimed artist and he survived the worst kind of stroke. He had numerous physical limitations. Along with that, he lost his spatial awareness, proprioception, peripheral vision and sensations. But his sheer determination changed everything. He had a good support group around him. Their encouragement and his confidence was enough to overcome all difficulties. After every training demonstration, he asked one question, “Can I try it now?” This relentless pursuit leads him to a healthy body which had no signs of stroke injuries.

This heartwarming story is told without losing the emotions and intensity at any points. You can’t complete this book without dissolving into tears. Gary’s story touched the bottom of my heart. But his journey will not be complete without mentioning his trainer, Tracy. She is a perfect example of determination and persistence. She believed in her abilities and helped Gary with patience. She understood his needs and devised a plan exclusively for him. All her efforts rewarded with Gary’s quick recovery.

This story emphasizes on one thing- anything is possible with the right knowledge and determination. This is a must-read for all caregivers, stroke survivors and general audience who would like to increase their awareness on this subject.

Amina Thajudeen Book Review, non-fiction, Self-Help

Stroke Recovery: Regaining Arm Movement by Tracy Markley | Review

In Stroke Recovery, Rebuilding Arm Movements, Tracy share illustrations of the many muscles in the body that participate in the movement of the arm and exercises. In many cases, stroke recovery patients do not receive enough physical therapy to help them reach the full potential in their stroke recovery. This leaves many stroke survivors seeking help from other sources, such as personal trainers, Pilates teachers, and other professionals in the fitness communities. Tracy believes when a survivor gains more knowledge of muscles and movement and why specific exercises need to be practiced, it leads to a stronger recovery.

Title: Stroke Recovery: Regaining Arm Movement

Author: Tracy Markley

Pages: 103

My review

The arm is a very complex body part. It is designed to carry out more than 70% of our daily activities. We can lift weights and pick a needle using the same hand. The layers of muscle and bones are arranged to efficiently carry out every activity. Regaining arm movement is a difficult task for a stroke survivor. I know this fact because I witnessed this difficulty when my father had a stroke. We were more concentrated on walking gait. Although we didn’t ignore arm exercises, it was not enough. I learned these facts from this book. In all her books, the author stresses the importance of posture for a healthy body. Because the hand movements are directly connected with back and core muscles.

We have to devote more time and adopt a variety of exercises to regain the arm movement. This book a smooth guide for everything we need to know. It has detailed explanations and illustrations on the muscle groups. This helped me to understand which exercise affects which muscles and joints. This in turn helped to comprehensively understand the anatomy. The author herself demonstrated every exercise and its variations. This resolved all my doubts.

Amina Thajudeen Book Review, non-fiction, Self-Help

The Power of Your Spine: How Back Strength and Posture Pilots the Entire Body by Tracy L. Markley | Review

In The Power of Your Back and Spine Muscles, Tracy shares illustrations of many important spine and back muscles. She also shares the physical movements these spine and back muscles perform for everyday activity. Tracy feels if we have the knowledge of our muscles and movements, it guides us to stay injury free during our daily activities and exercise programs. Having this knowledge will help fight against decline and weakness that often come with aging and/or disease. It will also assist in recovery and rehab from injuries, stroke, surgeries and rebuilding walking abilities. This anatomy book is a vital resource for all ages, including students, fitness fanatics, athletes, fitness professionals, physical therapists, chiropractors and medical professionals.

Title: The Power of Your Spine: How Back Strength and Posture Pilots the Entire Body

Author: Tracy L. Markley

Pages: 116

My review

What is the importance of Spine in our body? Its simple, everything originates and everything ends there. This book is a treasure in this subject. I was unaware of the importance of the spine until now. But in reality, Spine deserves more attention than anything in our body.

Movement is the basic function of our body. Proper movement is impossible without a healthy spine. Our body is designed to constantly move from one place to another. But our lifestyles push us to spend more time in front of a desk than walking or running. This deteriorates our health, especially our spine. All this points to one thing- we have to give more care to our spine.

This book is an all-in-one solution. What I meant by this is, it has A-Z details about spine. It has a beautiful explanation of the theoretical and practical aspects of spine health. The author has given special care to differentiate between wrong and right exercises. I found these things highly helpful while reading.

What makes this book a stand out is its content. It has detailed illustrations and explanations about the muscle groups, bone structure adjoining to the spine. Anyone who picks up this book can learn something new for sure.

Overall, I gained advanced knowledge and practical solutions for a healthy spine from this comprehensive book.