I have always been interested in people—specifically exploring what makes us human from different angles and often different disciplines. Overtime, this has taken the shape of writing novels, studying biological anthropology, psychology, and medicine, and sometimes even just people watching. My novels have explored topics such as nonsuicidal self-injury, the pains of growing up, and growing up multicultural. I am currently pursuing a PhD in Psychology.
Most people would probably not think of The Unbearable Lightness of Beingas being a coming-of-age novel. Coming-of-age novels often center around younger characters dealing with first crushes, forming an identity, finding a self, separate from family—The Unbearable Lightness of Beingis none of that. Instead, I think of it as about a second “coming of age.” This “coming of age” deals with recreating an identity after you do not recognize what your life has become. I find it’s one of those books with something for everyone, though I find myself recommending it the most to college students or those feeling a little lost post-college. Love, the struggle with modernity, the meaning of life—you name it, chances are, Kundera has covered it. For this reason, this is probably my all-time most recommended book.
'A cult figure.' Guardian 'A dark and brilliant achievement.' Ian McEwan 'Shamelessly clever ... Exhilaratingly subversive and funny.' Independent 'A modern classic ... As relevant now as when it was first published. ' John Banville
A young woman is in love with a successful surgeon; a man torn between his love for her and his womanising. His mistress, a free-spirited artist, lives her life as a series of betrayals; while her other lover stands to lose everything because of his noble qualities. In a world where lives are shaped by choices and events, and everything occurs but once, existence seems…
Dr. Irvin Yalom is a writer and clinical practitioner who is beloved by many in the field of mental health and therapy. I, like many, admire the way in which he tackles the most difficult human dilemmas through intimate stories highlighting the universality of many of these topics. It was difficult for me to pick which of Dr. Yalom’s books to recommend, as I have thoroughly enjoyed each one I’ve read. However, The Schopenhauer Cureis particularly about confronting mortality—the realization of the ephemerality of life and the limitations and acceptance of what we can achieve. Through Dr. Yalom’s adroit depictions of Philip Slate and Julius Hertzfeld, we see the blurred edges of philosophy and psychology, where some of our most basic questions may best be addressed by the melding of the two.
From the internationally bestselling author of Love's Executioner and When Nietzsche Wept, comes a novel of group therapy with a cast of memorably wounded characters struggling to heal pain and change lives
Suddenly confronted with his own mortality after a routine checkup, eminent psychotherapist Julius Hertzfeld is forced to reexamine his life and work -- and seeks out Philip Slate, a sex addict whom he failed to help some twenty years earlier. Yet Philip claims to be cured -- miraculously transformed by the pessimistic teachings of German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer -- and is, himself, a philosophical counselor in training.
Creativity, Teaching, and Natural Inspiration
By
Mark Doherty,
I have woven numerous delightful and descriptive true life stories, many from my adventures as an outdoorsman and singer songwriter, into my life as a high school English teacher. I think you'll find this work both entertaining as well as informative, and I hope you enjoy the often lighthearted repartee…
High school tends to be a difficult time for a lot of people. There are growing pains, hormones, and heightened emotions, all while trying to establish who you are independently and in relation to other people. For some, this time is made even more difficult when the unimaginable happens. Speakexplores healing in the aftermath of violence and rebuilding a part of oneself.
Many people are familiar with Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre and her mad woman in the attic. Wide Sargasso Sea, written as a prequel to Jane Eyre, turns this on its head and lends another perspective to the Victorian mad woman trope. Throughout this novel, I couldn’t help but ask myself what constitutes madness. How much of what we think of mental illness is societally determined? As we grow up and conform to society's expectations, are those that refuse to completely conform considered “mad?”
Wide Sargasso Sea, a masterpiece of modern fiction, was Jean Rhys's return to the literary center stage. She had a startling early career and was known for her extraordinary prose and haunting women characters. With Wide Sargasso Sea, her last and best-selling novel, she ingeniously brings into light one of fiction's most fascinating characters: the madwoman in the attic from Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre. This mesmerizing work introduces us to Antoinette Cosway, a sensual and protected young woman who is sold into marriage to the prideful Mr. Rochester. Rhys portrays Cosway amidst a society so driven by hatred, so skewed…
Historical fiction inspired by the story of Mary Leakey, who carved her own path to become one of the world's most distinguished paleoanthropologists.
It's 1983 and seventeen-year-old Grace Clark has just lost her mother when she begrudgingly accompanies her estranged father to an archeological dig at Olduvai Gorge on the…
The Hours tells a story of three women throughout time and their connection toMrs. Dallowayas they deal with death, sickness, and growing old. In this snapshot of these three women’s lives, we see their meditations on their various life transitions, including their contemplations of death.
Winner of the 1999 Pulitzer Prize and Pen Faulkner prize. Made into an Oscar-winning film, 'The Hours' is a daring and deeply affecting novel inspired by the life and work of Virginia Woolf.
In 1920s London, Virginia Woolf is fighting against her rebellious spirit as she attempts to make a start on her new novel.
A young wife and mother, broiling in a suburb of 1940s Los Angeles, yearns to escape and read her precious copy of 'Mrs Dalloway'.
And Clarissa Vaughan steps out of her smart Greenwich village apartment in 1990s New York to buy flowers for a party…
11-year-old Cynthia knows she shouldn't talk to strangers. So when her mysterious neighbor Miss Hatfield asked her in for a chat, Cynthia wasn't entirely sure why she said yes. It was a decision that was to change everything. Miss Hatfield is immortal. Thanks to a drop of water from the Fountain of Youth, Cynthia is as well. Cynthia is beginning to suddenly grow up and take on the aspects of her neighbor. She's becoming the next Miss Hatfield. Cynthia must travel back in time to turn-of-the-century New York and steal a painting, a picture that might provide a clue to the whereabouts of the source of immortality. The Seventh Miss Hatfieldis a story of the sudden loss of one’s childhood and the painful creation of a new adult identity.
A historical thriller set in south London just after World War II, as Britain returns to civilian life and the men return home from the fight, causing the women to leave their wartime roles. The South London Hospital for Women and Children is a hospital, (based on a real place)…
What happens when a person is placed into a medically-induced coma?
The brain might be flatlining, but the mind is far from inactive: experiencing alternate lives rich in every detail that spans decades, visiting realms of stunning and majestic beauty, or plummeting to the very depths of Hell while defying…
