The enlightened gardener/Sydney Banks

[Salt Spring Island, B.C.]: International Human Relations Consultants, 2001.

A gardener, blessed with a unique philosophy changes forever, the lives of four people in search of meaning and inner peace. A simple tale with a profound message, told in a straight-forward style it is sure to have a powerful impact on any reader interested in overcoming life's trials and tribulations.

Seeking peace: chronicles of the worst Buddhist in the world/ Mary Pipher
New York. Riverhead books, 2009.

In this memoir of a life filled with happiness and tragedy, love and loss, success and lonlienss, Mary Pipher sees her life reflected in countless others. There are three kinds of secrets, she says. "Those we keep from everyone, those we keep from certain people and those we keep from ourselves."
In her quest to find meaning and tranquility, she explores Buddhist meditation, yoga and simplification and by writing this hard- to- put- down , smooth, insightful chronicle.
Written for the seeker in us all.

Home/Toni Morrison
New York: Knopf, 2012.




Frank Money has returned to the U.S. after the Korean war, embittered, angry and psychologically damaged. Here he has to find and take responsibility for his sick sister, swallow the hatred of his childhood town, clear his mind of the horrors of war and regain himself and his sanity. Set in a poor and racist town in Georgia, written in taut, rhythmic language, this is a deeply moving narrative by a Pullitzer prize winner, sure to appeal to a wide audience.

Elizabeth and after/Matt Cohen

New York: Picador, 2000

Much loved Elizabeth is dead. And this is the story of how her semi-alchoholic husband, guilt-ridden son and secret lover all mourn her loss and whose lives become wrapped in each others, as they confront the past and make their peace. Set in a snowy Canadian hamlet, this is a narrative of vivid description, filled with humor, desperation and romance.

Eating with the enemy: how I waged peace with North Korea from my bbq shack in Havensack/Robert Egan and Kurt Pitzer

New York: St Martin's Press, 2010.

Believe it or not, this is a true story of a burger-maker from New Jersey, on a mission to promote international peace.

"Why can't an ordinary guy have an extraordinary solution?" asks Robert Egan.

In an engaging, quick-moving style, he tells of the 13 years in which he unofficially embroiled himself in diplomatic battles between the U.S. and North Korea, travelling there several times and hosting north Korean diplomats in his N.J. bbq shack and making fast friendships across enemy lines.

For readers interested in a funny, off-beat memoir about serious issues.

The art of forgetting/Camille Noe Pagan

New York: Dutton, 2011.

Beautiful, exhuberent Julia is one day hit by a cab in New York and suffers brain damage that changes her personality and steals her memories. Her best friend Maria, successful but lacking in confidence finds her life changes too as she has to now take on an alpha personality and take charge. Both women have to face up to their relationship and decisions taken in the past and find the balance between forgetting and forgiving. A story of the true meaning of friendship, written in contemporary style, this novel will find definite appeal with the twenty-somethings.

Conversations with myself/Nelson Mandela

London: Macmillan, 2010.

The world's most famous political prisoner, Nelson Mandela, takes us on an inspiring journey through a lifetime of letters, notes and prison diaries - to discover the personal life of a man who through 27 years of incarceration maintained open negoitiations with his enemies and tolerance for all humanity. The reminiscences are sometimes philosophical, tender towards his family, and at times register anger at the hardship and humiliation suffered through apartheid. Admirers of this great man will be moved by his wisdom and quiet resolve to triumph by passive resistance.

The Watch/ Roy-Bhattacharya, Joydeep
London: Random House, 2012.

An Afghani woman approaches an American military base at an isolated outpost in the Kandahar mountain range to beg for the return of her brother's dead body, so that she can perform the last rites according to local custom. This creates chaos and uncertainty in the already tense atmosphere of the camp, as the soldiers argue about what to do next.
Written movingly, to expose the realities and repurcussions of war, felt by soldiers and their families, the story will strike a chord with those who despair at the futility of this and all wars.

Peace meals: a war reporter's journey with friends, feasts and candy-wrapped Kalashnikovs/Anna Badkhen

New York: Free Press, 2010.

Anna Badhken is a Russian journalist who has seen first-hand several war-torn countries and observes that while destruction from war is huge, it cannot take away from our inherent humanity. Her book is about confilict and food. From Iraq, to Chechnya and to East Africa she travels, writing realistically about the brutality she sees , the people she meets and dines with, whose lives though filled with conflict are also filled with compassion. Included are recipes of the dishes prepared from the areas covered. An unusual blend of war reports and a cook book, this honestly

and sometimes humorously written memoir will appeal to lovers of "food and travel" reading.

Desert rose: the life and legacy of Coretta Scott King/Edythe Scott Bradley, Joseph Hilley.

Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama press, c2012.

This is the story of the wife and closest confidante of Martin Luther King Jr., written by her sister. It traces Coretta's life from a middle-class, educated, socially-conscious upbringing in the American south, at the turn of the 20th century, to her involvement in the Peace movement and Freedom concerts and life as a devoted mother and talented soprano. This account in shortish chapters, written with affection is a must-read for those who want a closer look at the first family behind the International civil rights movement and the legacy left behind by an extra-ordinary woman.