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THE BOOKS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What to Think About:  Philosophy             for a Younger Generation 

 

                       ISBN-10: 1507563663

                      ISBN-13: 978-1507563663

 

What to Think About:  Philosophy for a Thoughtful Younger Generation, by Chris Brockman is up on Amazon. Brockman uses his own definition of “philosophy” as a “systematic study of who I am,  what’s out there, and what should I do about it,“ to arrive at suggestions for things to think about.  Each chapter ends with scenarios and questions challenging the reader to think. This book is billed as “written from a humanist perspective,” and may offend some religious sensibilities.  It is offered as appropriate for young adults and older readers.

Praise for Growing Up   in Boom Times

Growing Up in Boom Times              

          ISBN: 978-1-4567-6830-0 (sc)

            ISBN: 978-1-4567-6829-4 (hc)

            ISBN: 978-1-4567-6828-7 (e)

 

     This memoir of growing up in Oakland County, Michigan, takes you back to the times and places that shaped us Baby Boomers into the most influential generation ever. 

     In twenty chapters such as "Home Place," "Be True to Your School," "Workin'," "Infatuation," "Winter Wonderland," "The Beach," "I Get Around," and "Simple Gifts," Boom Times will spark your own  memories of simpler times, favorite teachers, young love, fun in the sun and snow, summer dances, your first car.  

   There is wisdom here, too.  Implicit, and occasionally explicit analysis of what made these times so special is integrated smoothly to create an appreciation for how who were has influenced who we are. 

 

 

Well done, indeed. I could not put the book down and read it in one sitting.

--Mike MacNamara, FL

 

The charm of this book is the easy way he takes this reader through incidents of his and my youth with humor and excellent writing.

--Susan Reichle, MI

 

Chris tells the story of his childhood in such a gently humorous and simple way that you can't help being transported to those wild blackberry thickets along with him. His story is not one of events but of the moments. His skill is in capturing the feeling, the essence of the time ... It's a real feel good read but you have to pace yourself. No more than two chapters per day, otherwise it will be over too soon.

--Jim Patterson, MI

​Thanks for the enjoyable read..."Growing Up In Boom Times". It surely brought back  a life that I haven't thought about in years.....maybe 50 years +!! ... Surely a good reminder to all that "simpler can definitely be better!"

      --Stephen Ginardi, IL

 

Brockman has hit the high notes for baby boomers, from family dinners to long forgotten TV shows. His relationship with Michigan's nature is a great touch! If you are a boomer, open a Faygo pop, sit back and enjoy.
--George Emanoil, MI

I Used To Be Old

ISBN:13-978-1491255957

ISBN:10-1491255951

I Used To Be Old is accessible, empathetic poetry on the glory and grief of getting older. From laughter to lonliness, from nostalgia to nursing homes, these poems are both honest and optimistic.  They are a cure for both isolation on the inside and indifference on the outside. Side effects may include a feeling of close identification and an occasional tear.

 

If you are getting older, if you anticipate getting older, or if you know someone who is getting older and you want to better understand life from his or her standpoint, you will identify with this collection.

 

If you think you don't like poetry, these poems may very well change your mind.  There's an immediacy of meaning, here, that will draw you in,  But, there also are layers of meaning, metaphor, symbolism, and allusion that richly reward multiple reading and, especially, some generous thoughtfulness.

What they're saying about I Used To Be Old:

Growing old can be a daunting experience. Our bodies seem to betray us, as do our memories, chores seem to take longer to get done, days quicken, our blood slows, yet all the while, INSIDE, we feel we haven't changed from the person we've always been.


In this wonderful and poignant set of poems, Chris Brockman provides eloquent words for those memories and feelings that are often difficult to express. Each poem I read seems to ZING me with an experience that echoes my own. I find myself nodding and OH-YES-ing and tearing up as ambiguous feelings are concretized with beauty and tenderness.

                                                  Lin Frye, NC

 

After reading Mr. Brockman's first book Growing Up In Boom Times I have longed for more of his insightful prose on life and aging. "I Used To Be Old” captured my mind and heart and took me, once again, into his wonderful world of life and living.

A journey, I easily traveled through his great writing.

 

                                                                        Susan Reichle, MI

 

Growing old. It happens to all of us. Some of us are philosophical. We take it in stride, try to laugh off our increasing frailties and make the most of each day. While some are accepting, some go kicking and storming on with muscle-ripping exercises or flaying face-lifts, lavishing cash on costly creams and potions in a desperate bid to stay young. Yet, fate catches up with us. We all get old. And this is the theme of I Used To Be Old. Life in all its exuberance, in all its messy glory from cradle to walker, is here in these pages.
 

Some of Brockman's poems contain the sounds and beat of the `50s and `60s generations, echoing musical fragments reminding us of our glory days: ...Why must I be a teenager in love...Will you still love me Tomorrow... Are you lonesome tonight...Why do fools fall in love... We see Sinatra having a very good year with small-town girls on the village green. And remember those yellow polka-dot bikinis?
His observations are sometimes breath-taking: "Life is an ECG....It clacks along.... and we listen and watch to see how we're doing. We only escape the peaks and valleys when the line goes flat."

 

On love as nourishment: he writes, "I read my wife like an old familiar book...and every day I'm surprised at how much I missed so many times before." In "Blanket Cosmology".... "and I remember how once you and I would come to the park, and on a 5x7 section of heaven we'd arrange our lives so we could see the universe in one another's eyes."
 

In "Old Folks at Home": "They're circled up, a ghostly wagon train, broken and bleached, not by use and sun, but by lack of both...they're waiting... embraced by wheelchairs, laid out on gurneys, waiting for something. Waiting for nothing."
And the flagship poem "I Used to Be Old" tells us: "I used to be old, but now you could learn a lot from what's happened to me." And readers will learn a lot about the art of living from this fine book. It touches every emotion...fear, sadness, relief and joy. Much joy. 

                                                            Wilhelmine Estabrook, Alberta, CA

What about gods?

  ISBN: 0-87975-1061

What about gods? is unique classic book of religious skepticism for children. It is unequivocal in denying the existence of gods.  It is intended to counter the omnipresent, agressive proselytizing of religion.

 

What about gods? grew out of the author's wanting to raise his own children in a free-thinking environment.  It soon became evident that this was going to be very difficult with religious propaganda everywhere, in doctor's offices, on TV, and from their little friends.  So the author wrote his own book to present the other side of the issue for kids.

 

What about gods can be read to and discussed with younger children and read independently by older children.  It gives atheist parents graphic support in discussing gods with their childen and agnostic parents a starting point for discussing the other side of religious propaganda.

 

What about gods? is offered, here, directly from the author at a 30% discount from the publisher's price.

 

 

This is the best book I know of to introduce youngsters to reliugious skepticism in an effort to encourage children to think for themselves. . . It is a real joy to leaf through this masterpiece and read it to children.

                                 American Rationalist

 

See more reviews at Amazon.com.

 

http://www.amazon.com/What-about-Skeptics-Bookshelf-Series/product-reviews/0879751061/ref=cm_cr_dp_see_all_btm?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending

Malachi's Cove

By Anthony Trollope

Edited by Chris Brockman

L.O.C #: 80-82127

 

Malachi's Cove is an 1857 short story by Anthony Trollope that was updated as a young adult book by Chris Brockman.  It's the engaging story of Mally Trenglos, "at all points a thourough little vixen," who suports herself and her old grandfather by hooking seaweed from the wild and treacherous Malachi's Cove on the coast of Cornwall.  She's strong and successful until a farm boy, Barty Gunliffe, tries to cut in on her territory.  In the dangerous cove, this could be fatal, or...

 

Gina Allen wrote in The Humanist, "Malachi's Cove has everything: adventure, suspense, heroism. There is even a love story.  It pits young people against the sea, against each other, and against the gender and economic differences that divide them.

 

This hardbound first edition has some cosmetic imperfections that do not impact the text.  It is available here for a bargain price.  Contact the editor for puchase procedure.

 

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