The Gospel of Judas, 2nd Ed. - by: Kasser, Meyer and Wurst (2006, 2008)

I requested this book out of curiosity. Nothing about it really surprised me. I was glad that it presented different scholarly views and not just Christian or even secular. This allowed me to enjoy my own view, given my own prior knowledge and understanding. As I would expect, the Christian accounts for this lost "Gospel" were biased and used cherry-picked and incomplete historical references to attempt to discredit other scholar's conclusions. Christian "scholars" refer to these tactics so routinely that I strongly feel they should not even call themselves scholars at all; "theologians" would be a much better term.

Clearly, The Gospel of Judas, and other nonconical scriptures from the first few centuries tell us a lot about how Christianity formed as a religion. Christian "scholars" deny they have any merit at all in regard to their religious beliefs. Of course, they must say that, or they'd be forced to admit that what they believe is a human fabrication, and not "devine" at all.

The Mind of the Cells - by: Satprem (1981, 2010 translated from French)

This is one of those books that so closely mirror my own understanding of the reality in which I find myself that I think if I were a better writer I could have written it myself.

Anyone who has read my blog posts with any understanding would recognize much of my thoughts and ideas in this book - even though I've never read anything quite like it before. Like my own thinking, "mother" (the actual human source of this books wisdom) bases her understanding on direct experience, not on things she has read or otherwise been told.

Every cell in your body is independently conscious and self aware. The consciousness that we experience as humans only arises from the ability of the cells in our body to share their conscious experience through "emotional" connections that we humans might call love. But no matter what it is called, it is a very real and fundamental force of life and nature. Someday, when humans learn to love each other, and the world itself, as our cells love each other and the body they belong to, then we will awaken to a new reality that will be as strange and alien to our present reality as our present reality is to that of a single cell. "Mother" calls it evolution, so did Darwin, and so do I.

The Racketeer - by: John Grisham (2012, 2013)

This book was given to me by another prisoner after he finished reading it. I read it during a power outage last week. I really liked Grisham's take on the American criminal justice system. Here's an example:

"A trial (in the US) is a contest in which one side will win and the other side will lose. Each side expects the other to bend the rules or to cheat, so neither side plays fair. The truth (and any chance of real justice) is lost in the melee."

This has been my experience exactly and consistently, as I have tried to express at times elsewhere in this blog.

Drawing: A Complete Guide - by: Giovanni Civardi (translation from Italian, 2006)

I've got several books in my cell to help me learn to draw better. I like this one the best; it's the most comprehensive. But, I have a long way to go.

Advanced Lucid Dreaming: The Power of Supplements - by: Thomas Yuschak (2006)

If dreams are "a window to the soul" (as Jung says) then I think lucid dreams are the door! I got this book as part of my personal research into lucid dreams.

Tears of Rage - by: John Walsh and Susan Schindehette (1997)

I got this book as research on John-Walsh types, for a fictional story I'd like to write. This book was difficult for me to read because of the extreme prejudice against "bad men", which only ends up creating the environment necessary to breed "bad behavior". But, that's what the story I want to write would be about; overcoming the fear and ignorance (i.e. "Rage") that leads only to a life of infinite pain and suffering. In my story, the "Rage" of the protagonist is transformed into profound love and understanding when he is compelled to open his heart and mind to one of the "bad men" he has so vehemently condemned because of his own tragic loss. It's not a new story. In fact, it might be the oldest story ever told. But it is a new scenario, and one I like to think would open a few eyes, if not hearts and minds.

P.S. When John Walsh's TV producer contacted me and asked if I would agree to an in person interview with Mr Walsh for a new TV series (called "John Walsh Investigates") I was tempted to accept, if only to look Walsh in the eye and offer him a chance to forgive. But, ultimately I decided that even if a man like him had the strength to forgive in his heart, his circumstances in life would never allow him to admit it. He has an entire production company, not to mention a significant fan base, of people who feed on his "Rage". Very few men in history have ever been able to walk away from that. The illusion of power and control is too great. The promise of sympathy and support is too comforting. And the threat of actually having to embrace his loss (i.e. accepting it without conditions, or "justice") is one Mr. Walsh, according to his own book, is clearly not ready to face.

I sincerely wish I could make Walsh understand the story I hope to write based on his very life; but, as I've tried to emphasize in this blog, you can't MAKE anyone love, or understand anything. You can only love and understand yourself, and have faith in the process, even while others don't (others who think THEY must "fix the world" by some means other than faith).

The NIV/KJV Paralell Bible - Published by Zonderyan (1985)

After my reading glasses, this book is probably my most prized possession. Not because it's a Bible, but because it's a beautiful book; bound in genuine leather with gilded pages and comprehensive concordances for both versions.

I thought I's lost this book after I left IMSI (Idaho state prison) because I had to leave it behind with my property there when I was transferred to the Federal System. But, somehow that property, and this book, caught up with me here at USP Terre Haute. I'm very happy it did. I might not be Christian, but I respect a good book.

The Medusa and the Snail: More Notes of a Biology Watcher - by: Lewis Thomas (1979)

I liked Thomas' first book so much that I decided to read the sequel. These are short books but fun to read.

The Lives of a Cell: Notes of a Biology Watcher - by: Lewis Thomas (1974)

A collection of very thoughtful essays that was recommended to me by a good friend. Definitely worth reading.

Sri Aurobindo, Or The Adventure of Consciousness - by: Satprem (1970, translation 1996, 2008)

Easily one of the best books about the quest to understand consciousness that I've ever read. I stumbled across Aurobindo's work by following up on a reference in another book. I'm really glad I did.

Mind, Brain & The Quantum: The Compound "I" - by: Michael Lockwood (1989)

To be honest this book was a little over my head. But, I think I at least got the gist. I think Lockwood approach to the question of consciousness, like so many others, is way too intellectual. This book is all about the science of our sense of self - something science will never comprehend.

The Tyranny of Tolerance - by: Judge Robert H. Dierker Jr. (2006)

Subtitled, "A Sitting Judge Breaks The Code of Silence To Expose The Liberal Judicial Assault"

This book was one of the scariest books I've ever read. It terrifies me to know that someone with the legal power to cause so many people harm, thinks so much like a twelfth century witch hunter. Very scary indeed.

The Taming of the Shrew (No Fear Shakespeare) - ("Plain English" translation, 2004)

This book contains William Shakespeare's original play side-by-side with a modern "plain English" translation. I enjoyed it very much. For once I could read and actually understand Shakespeare!

How We Die: Reflections on Life's Final Chapter - by: Sherwin B. Noland (1993)

If I didn't already dread the idea of dying from old age (i.e. "natural causes"), especially while I'm incarcerated, then I certainly would now, after having read this book. This book describes the ugly truth about what happens to our bodies as we die, as opposed to the dramatic BS you see on TV and in the movies. Definitely worth the read.

Calculus: College Review Series - by: Elliot C. Gootman, PH.D. (1999)

Even after two-plus years of college calculus, with straight A's, I couldn't even remember the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus. So, I got this review book for something fun and interesting to do; and it was fun. (I was lucky that they sell a basic scientific calculator on commissary here, which helped a lot).

The Sacketts: Mustang Man - by: Louis L'Amour (1966)

I normally ignore Western's on the prison book cart, but I'd been reading a history book about the American West and grabbed this L'Amour book hoping it would add some context. It didn't help much.

The Pleasure of My Company - by: Steve Martin (2003)

Let me just quote a couple of my favorite passages from this novel:

"My fear represented the failure of the human system. It is a sad truth of our creation: something is amiss in our design, there are loose ends of our psychology that are simply not wrapped up. My fears were the dirty secrets of evolution. They were not provided for, and I was forced to construct elaborate temples to house them."

And... in reference to a small child character in the storys:

"He was a person beyond logic; he was the singularity."

The Coroner's Lunch - by: Colin Cotterill (2004)

This book is from the Soho Crime Series. I usually don't read crime fiction, but this looked like it'd be interesting because it is set in Communist Laos. I enjoyed the author's take on such a foreign culture.