Blog Archives
Breathe and Believe
Breathe and Believe, by Arthur Wiggins, drops readers into the messy, money-soaked world of American Midwest University athletics, where one bad week blows up an entire department. Bruce McDermott, a marketing specialist on the rise, watches his mentor quit, his secret relationship implode, and his football program slide toward NCAA sanctions and budget disaster. Interim athletic director Tara Gantt battles power-hungry basketball coach Ron Hill and his boosters over gender equity, football vs. basketball priorities, and the push to build a new multi-purpose facility, while a tragic road accident involving the women’s tennis team shows the very real cost of all these decisions. By the time Bruce walks into a legislative hearing with a giant check and a campus-wide vision, the book has turned a spreadsheet crisis into a story about ambition, grief, and what it really takes to keep a university sports machine alive.
The storytelling has a slow-burning style that works overall. The early chapters around the motel incident, the surprise resignation, and then the van crash hit hard and fast, and I caught myself thinking, “OK, this is not just a sports novel, this is a whole train wreck of a weekend.” The author writes meetings, press conferences, and budget talks with the same seriousness as big games, and that gave the book a grounded, insider feel. There are passages packed with numbers, acronyms, and institutional history where the tension dips. The dialogue often carries the weight, with characters stating the stakes rather than letting subtext do more of the work. Still, when the story leans into crisis scenes or personal confrontations, the pacing snaps back, and the pages move quickly.
What really hooked me were the ideas underneath the plot. The book digs into Title IX, gender equity, and the brutal math of “too many sports, not enough money” in a way that feels honest. We see how a 53 percent female student body sits next to only 39 percent female scholarship athletes, and you can feel how wrong that is without the author giving a lecture about it. Tara Gantt’s arc, as a veteran woman administrator who built a separate women’s program only to see it merged, trimmed, and constantly second-guessed, gave the book heart.
Bruce’s role as a marketing guy caught between ideals and survival felt believable to me; he is selling walk-a-thons, naming rights, and spring game hype so the department can pay back a 1.3 million dollar overspend, and the whole thing feels both clever and a little desperate. The tennis team crash is handled with a blunt, unsentimental style that hit me in the gut; it underlines that all the talk about TV contracts and conference moves sits on top of actual young people in vans on bad roads.
I also liked how Wiggins treats politics and media as part of the same ecosystem. The scenes with the local newspaper scrambling for a “thumper” front-page story and sniffing around the athletic budget felt very true to life, and there is a sly humor in how leaks, half-truths, and spin drive the narrative around AMU more than any scoreboard does. The boosters, legislators, and campus leaders come off as flawed rather than cartoonish villains, which I appreciated. There were moments when I wished for more time inside the student-athletes’ heads and a bit less time inside meeting minutes. Even so, I came away with the strong sense that the author has lived in this world, and that authenticity carries the book.
I would recommend Breathe and Believe to readers who enjoy behind-the-scenes sports stories, campus politics, and workplace dramas where the real action happens in boardrooms, press boxes, and budget spreadsheets more than on the field. If you want a thoughtful, occasionally heavy, very human look at what modern college athletics does to the people inside it, you’ll enjoy this book. Arthur Wiggins has written a grounded, slow-burning sports novel for readers who love college athletics stories packed with messy politics, money trouble, and real emotional fallout.
Pages: 309 | ASIN : B0DFCHCWND
American Insomniac: Reflections on the future of a dying democracy
American Insomniac is a restless, wide-ranging collection of essays, op-eds, and personal reflections that circles around one big worry. American democracy feels like it is slipping away. Author Jim Smith moves through three big territories. First, he pulls apart the health of democracy and freedom in the United States and ties it to capitalism, inequality, and political polarization. Then he turns to culture, from a gripping story about Argentina’s “Dirty War” to feminism, consciousness, and the way modern life sells us “experiences” as products. Finally, he dives into explicitly philosophical explorations of thinkers like Vine Deloria, Lukács, and Gregory Bateson and uses them to ask what a more humane, sane society might look like. All of it sits inside one frame. An insomniac citizen who lies awake at three in the morning, trying to make sense of a country that feels both familiar and broken.
The opening autobiography of carnival life instantly hooked me. The details about flat stores, grab joints, rock o planes, and a childhood spent as “other” among carnies and then “other” again back in a small town, give his later anger and skepticism real roots. That early outsider lens never really leaves the page, and I found myself trusting him more because of it. When he goes after Congress, the Supreme Court, Trump, Montana’s legislature, or the hollow language of nationalism, it feels less like a partisan rant and more like the long view of someone who has watched the same bad habits play out in different costumes. The tone swings between dry humor, exasperation, and real grief. I caught myself laughing at his jokes about both parties and then, a page later, feeling that heavy, sinking sense that he might be right about how fragile things have become.
Stylistically, the book is a bit of a mixed bag, and I mean that in a good way. Parts of it read like newspaper op eds, quick and punchy, rooted in specific Montana fights and court cases. Other sections feel like seminar papers, thick with references and theory, especially when he gets into consciousness, reification, or Bateson. Those more academic stretches slowed me down, and at times I wished he had trimmed or translated the theory a bit more for general readers. On the other hand, that density also signals how seriously he takes ideas. This is not a collection of hot takes. It is the product of years of teaching, reading, and arguing with the world, and I appreciated that he did not talk down to me. Even when some statistics or political references feel a little dated, the core worries about authoritarian drift, commodified life, and the erosion of public trust still hit hard, maybe even harder now.
The book makes a convincing case that “natural stupidity” and bad faith politics are not going anywhere on their own. I was encouraged, though, because Smith never fully gives up on the idea that ordinary people can organize, think clearly, and push back. I would recommend American Insomniac to readers who already pay attention to politics and culture and want something more honest and personal than a standard textbook. It will work especially well for folks who enjoy critical essays, progressive political writing, and memoir woven together and who do not mind doing a bit of intellectual heavy lifting in return for an honest, insomniac tour of a “dying democracy” that is still fighting to stay alive.
Pages: 308 | ASIN: B0FNQSH73Y
Breaking Barriers: A Bold Vision for Pakistan’s Future
Breaking Barriers: A Bold Vision for Pakistan’s Future is part memoir, part diagnosis, part blueprint. Harris Kamal starts in Karachi and uses his own story as a doorway into Pakistan’s wider journey. He traces the rise from early “Asian Tiger” optimism to a present filled with corruption, broken institutions, and deep inequality. He then moves through the big systems that shape daily life: bureaucracy, police, courts, politics, education, gender relations, and the economy. Finally, he lays out a future agenda that leans on youth, better governance, and social inclusion, with long chapters on schools, women’s empowerment, and structural reforms in everything from taxation to resource use.
I enjoyed the way he mixes hard facts with personal feeling. The Karachi passages have texture and warmth, and the opening section on Pakistan’s “promise and peril” feels tight and focused. The writing is clear and direct. At times, it sounds like a long op-ed. At other time,s it sounds like a friend talking late at night about home. I liked the concrete cases he uses when he talks about law, such as famous murder trials, the Panama Papers, and the battles around Justice Qazi Faez Isa, and his comparison with Kenya’s judicial reforms gives the book a more global feel. The message stays strong, yet I felt that some sections could have been leaner, with fewer long lists of problems and more storytelling on how change actually happens on the ground.
The book moved me more than I expected. The anger at feudal politics, bloated bureaucracy, and daily injustice is clear, but it is grounded in love for the country rather than simple ranting. I found the chapters on women, education, and the digital divide especially powerful, because they show how big structures hit real people in homes, schools, and workplaces. His call for coeducation, broader career paths for girls, and real financial independence for women feels both practical and values-driven. I also liked his focus on tax justice and agricultural income, which many authors avoid. The vision is bold and hopeful, but I sometimes wanted more nuance.
The book does not hide how deep the problems go, yet it refuses to give up on the idea of a fair, modern, confident Pakistan. I would recommend Breaking Barriers to readers in the Pakistani diaspora, to students in Pakistan who are trying to make sense of their own country, and to policy folks or diplomats who want an insider’s passionate brief on what is broken and what could be rebuilt. It reads more like a long, heartfelt briefing from someone who has seen both Karachi’s flooded streets and America’s functioning institutions and still believes Pakistan can rise if enough people decide to push in the same direction.
Pages: 702 | ISBN: 9783127323207
Positive Politics: A Proven Playbook to Get into Politics, Change Your Life, and Change the World
Positive Politics is a guidebook for anyone who wants to step into public life with clarity, courage, and a sense of purpose. Author Neil Thanedar lays out a practical playbook for how ordinary people can enter politics, build momentum through activism, and ultimately make a meaningful impact. The book mixes personal stories, political theory, and hands-on instruction. Thanedar opens with his father’s journey from poverty in India to serving in the US Congress, using that story as proof that political life is not reserved for elites. From there, the book moves through two arcs: why politics needs new voices and how to actually get started.
Thanedar’s writing has a direct and confident tone, and he keeps returning to one central belief: ambitious optimists can and should lead. His stories about watching political rooms from the inside, learning how negative incentives shape behavior, and seeing how ordinary activists turn ideas into bills all made the book feel grounded. He doesn’t pretend politics is pretty. He talks openly about corruption, cynicism, and personal attacks, but he frames them as challenges that can be met with transparency and action. The rhythm of the writing moves between clipped, punchy lines and longer reflections that read like someone thinking out loud about what they’ve seen and what they wish more people understood.
What surprised me most were the parts where he breaks down politics into simple, relatable pieces. His idea that politics is basically a long, iterative game reminded me of someone flipping on the lights in a dim room. Suddenly the noise makes more sense. Being nice, taking action, getting quick wins, thinking long term, going direct, and staying independent. These principles sound simple, but the examples he uses give them weight. Seeing his father win some races, lose others, and still find deeper purpose in the work made the ideas feel lived in rather than theoretical. And when Thanedar writes about ambitious optimists, it genuinely feels like an invitation, not a slogan.
By the end, I felt both clearer and more cautious, in the best way. Clearer about how change actually happens and cautious in the sense that the work is harder, slower, and more personal than it looks from the outside. If you’re someone who already cares about civic life but feels overwhelmed or unsure where to begin, this book will likely speak to you. It’s part memoir, part instruction manual, and part motivational nudge. People who enjoy political nonfiction that blends practical strategy with accessible storytelling will get the most out of it.
Pages: 222 | ASIN: B0FWF8XDX3
The Spiral Can Be Reversed
The Path from Hell to Heaven is a philosophical and psychological map of the ego, tracing how people spiral downward into “Hell” through fear, shame, and denial, and upward toward “Heaven” through trust, openness, and renewal. Why was this an important book for you to write?
Because ego explains nearly every human collapse and ascent, yet most people never receive a practical map for it. I wanted to translate psychological chaos—fear, shame, denial—into a recognizable model anyone could use, the same way we map complex systems in software or business architecture. This book is that missing human blueprint: a self-debugging framework that moves readers forward instead of leaving them looping in abstraction.
How did you come up with the concept of the two-sided spiral of the ego and develop this into a process that readers can implement into their own lives to find clarity and understanding of themselves?
I analyzed patterns before individuals. Ego contracts or expands; there’s no true neutral. Avoiding truth descends, openness creates lift. The spiral metaphor stuck because it captures momentum and acceleration.
To make it implementable, I structured it as an RPM self-awareness loop:
- R – Recognize the ego state you’re operating in
- P – Pause the automatic reaction loop
- M – Move with intentional correction or openness
It’s diagnostic and reversible, giving readers a clear exit path whether they’re descending or rebuilding upward.
I found the ideas presented in your book relatable and appreciated the actionable steps that readers can take to find their own clarity. What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?
The concepts that mattered most to me were:
- Ego itself isn’t the problem → closed ego is
- Narcissism is often unprocessed fear wearing armor
- Pain isn’t identity, it’s a turning point
- Ambition without self-awareness becomes self-sabotage
- Recognition of the loop always comes before the escape
And above all—I wanted a book that doesn’t just sound smart, but gets applied and changes outcomes.
What is one thing that you hope readers take away from The Path from Hell to Heaven?
That their ego has directions, and so do they. If they feel stuck, defensive, ashamed, or overwhelmed—it’s a state, not a life sentence. The spiral can always be reversed, rebooted, and climbed. The only real trap is believing the descent is normal and permanent.
This book is a Map of the Ego’s Double Spiral — a journey every individual, family, and society travels between Hell (closed ego) and Heaven (open ego).
Through vivid metaphors and grounded psychological insight, LANOU unveils how pain becomes protection, how protection turns to illusion, and how awakening begins when trust cracks the shell.
You’ll see yourself, groups, and even nations in these patterns:
The wound that starts the descent.
The mask that hides pain through control.
The collapse that breaks illusion.
The trust that starts renewal.
The open ego that frees love and truth.
Structured as a fractal spiral, the book reveals six repeating steps across all scales — from individuals to groups to the world itself. It blends the clarity of psychology with the simplicity of spiritual truth: hell is repetition; heaven is renewal.
Once you see the map, you cannot unsee it.
The Path from Hell to Heaven: The 2 Sided Spiral of the Ego
This book is a philosophical and psychological map of the ego, tracing how individuals, groups, and societies spiral downward into “Hell” through fear, shame, and denial, and how they rise toward “Heaven” through trust, openness, and renewal. It’s written like a guide for self-awareness, where the ego’s descent, wound, shell, mask, illusion, collapse, and denial are mirrored by its ascent through trust, openness, adulthood, mastery, and renewal. Each section builds on the last, connecting personal trauma to collective dysfunction and, finally, to global healing. The language is clear and rhythmic, sometimes poetic, and the structure moves like a spiral itself, repeating ideas but deepening them each time.
I liked how direct this book is and how it pointed to familiar pain without drowning in theory. The writing style blends psychology and spirituality without turning preachy. I could feel the author’s intention: to wake readers up, not to comfort them. Sometimes the simplicity of the prose makes it cut deeper than expected. It’s not a book that flatters, it exposes. At points, it felt like being called out and held at the same time. The “spiral” metaphor worked for me; it explained so much of what people repeat in life, from personal self-sabotage to entire societies collapsing under pride and denial.
The book’s tone is confident, almost absolute, which can feel heavy when you’re already raw. The ideas are strong, but their repetition across individual, group, and world scales sometimes blurs the freshness. Yet even then, I found myself underlining lines, rereading them, and thinking of people I know who live both spirals at once. The message that Heaven and Hell are not destinations but daily states of ego, sticks.
I’d recommend The Path from Hell to Heaven to people who crave clarity more than comfort. It’s for readers who think deeply about healing, leadership, and the way our inner wounds ripple into culture and politics. Therapists, activists, or anyone burned out on shallow self-help would probably find it bracing. It doesn’t tell you what to do; it shows you what you’re already doing. And if you’re willing to face that, it can be liberating.
Pages: 151 | ASIN : B0FT5HM9RS
The Politics of Hope
Beyond the Politics of Contempt explores how ordinary Americans can move from division to dignity, offering a compassionate roadmap for healing relationships, communities, and democracy itself. Why was this an important book for you to write?
We wanted to write the book now given how much division we have in our country. Large numbers of us are fearful and untrusting of others, and many have lost hope in our democratic republic. We wish to transform this politics of fear and contempt into the politics of hope, and build a national culture of kindness, dignity, and respect. At one level, we offer practical solutions for readers who want to heal their relationships with their estranged relatives, neighbors, and friends, and in the process, strengthen their mental health. At another level, through collective action, we can strengthen our communities and nation.
You describe dignity as a “muscle” we’ve forgotten how to use. What daily practices help people strengthen it again?
For many of us, an important first step is getting in touch with our values. We have an entire chapter devoted to identifying our values, and then examining these values in relation to how we feel about others who support politicians we don’t approve of. Owning the disconnect is key to strengthening our muscle of treating others with differing political views with dignity. From there, some engage in a daily physical workshop, or a regular mindfulness meditation practice, or a frequent detox from social media “doomscrolling.” Then, we are ready to tackle conversations on issues we disagree with, becoming curious and humble toward others. We like to say “Be curious, not furious.”
In your research and experience, what’s the most common obstacle that prevents people from having “braver conversations”?
In our experience, there are several obstacles. It may be the fear that others won’t respond positively to our reaching out- -that they will not be heard by “the other side.” Sometimes it’s “Why should I reach out? They created the mess.” Interestingly, sometimes it’s our own side that presents the biggest obstacle – “How can you talk to those people?” We don’t want to alienate our tribes so we stay siloed in our echo chambers.
What gives you hope right now that America can move beyond contempt, and what signs of healing do you see emerging?
Americans are increasingly realizing that we are being manipulated by conflict entrepreneurs, a term describing forces that serve to profit or gain power from sowing division. These include some media outlets, tech companies, some politicians, and foreign powers. Americans don’t want to be taken advantage of – -we believe we are better than this. As we become more aware of the conflict entrepreneurs, our hope is that more of us will see the importance of uniting across differences, not to agree, but to treat each other with respect. We are heartened by the increased membership of Americans in groups such as Braver Angels that promote courageous citizenship, including the skills of engaging in healthy conflict rather than an “us” vs “them” mentality.
Author Links:
GoodReads: Doug Teschner | Beth Malow | Becky Robinson
X (Twitter): Beth Malow
Facebook: Doug Teschner | Beth Malow | Becky Robinson
Website: Book Website | Doug Teschner | Beth Malow | Becky Robinson
“In Beyond the Politics of Contempt, Teschner, Malow, and Robinson offer nourishment for America’s hungry soul. You’ll discover, in invitingly bite-sized chunks, a cogent analysis of how we became so polarized. Diverse in their politics and rich in expertise, these authors add in generous dollops of storytelling where they examine their own assumptions and biases, often with surprising outcomes. Then, they challenge us with intriguing exercises to explore our own role in today’s political dynamic. Take them up on the challenge. Use this book to get together with colleagues or cousins, neighbors or strangers, friends or frenemies, and explore the art of listening to understand.”
—Susan Clark, coauthor of Slow Democracy: Rediscovering Community, Bringing Decision Making Back Home
In a climate of widespread contempt and even hatred for people who disagree politically, we can each make important contributions to better our lives, our relationships, and our country. We can stand up for what we believe while also building bridges across the political divide. While many fear for our nation’s future, there are practical steps we can each take to build hope for a better America. The book includes:Skills for greater self-awareness of how our reactions to political events and others impact our health and well-being;
Practical ways to mend relationships torn apart by politics and to empower yourself and others when difficult conversations arise;
Steps to integrate political activism and bridge building; and
Actions to rebuild a national culture of kindness, dignity, and respect.
Beyond the Politics of Contempt: Practical Steps to Build Positive Relationships in Divided Times
Beyond the Politics of Contempt is a call to action wrapped in compassion. The authors, drawing from backgrounds in politics, medicine, and leadership, explore how America’s social and political fractures have deepened into mistrust, fear, and even hatred. Yet they argue that hope isn’t lost. Through a blend of research, storytelling, and personal reflection, they lay out a path for restoring dignity, respect, and empathy in how we engage across differences. Divided into five sections, the book walks the reader from despair to possibility, showing how change begins within individuals before it ripples outward to families, workplaces, and communities. It doesn’t promise utopia. Instead, it offers something more realistic, a map for ordinary people who want to be better and help the country heal.
I found myself pausing often while reading this book, mostly because it hit uncomfortably close to home. The authors’ honesty about their own biases and missteps felt refreshing. They don’t pretend to be moral giants. They’ve lost their tempers, argued badly, and regretted words said in haste. That humility made the lessons land harder. The writing style is approachable, warm, and at times tender. It doesn’t sound like a political science lecture; it sounds like a conversation with a friend who believes you can do better. I appreciated how the stories moved from small moments, a kind word at an airport, a difficult talk with a neighbor, to big societal questions about democracy and trust.
The authors talk about dignity as if it’s a muscle we’ve forgotten how to use. They nudge readers to flex it again, through curiosity, listening, and self-reflection. What stood out most was the emphasis on practical action. This isn’t just a book to make you nod along, it’s meant to change how you behave tomorrow. The sections on “braver conversations” and “healthy vs. unhealthy conflict” gave me tools I can actually see myself trying. And I liked that they don’t ask readers to soften their beliefs or stop caring about politics. They simply ask us to hold conviction without contempt. That’s harder than it sounds, and they know it.
When I finished the book, I felt lighter. Not naïve, just a little more hopeful that small gestures can matter. The authors write like people who love their country enough to tell it some hard truths, and that love comes through. This book isn’t for those looking for political talking points. It’s for anyone who’s tired of the noise and wants to be part of the repair. Teachers, community leaders, public servants, and ordinary citizens will find something useful here. I’d especially recommend it to readers who feel “stuck in the middle,” the ones exhausted by shouting from both sides. Beyond the Politics of Contempt doesn’t scold or preach. It reminds us that we have agency, and that rebuilding trust begins in the smallest, most human moments.
Pages: 302 | ASIN: B0FM5N31K9
LITERARY TITAN 