Stalking The Vietcong: Inside Operation Phoenix: A Personal Account - by: Stuart A. Herrington (1982)

I've read many books about the America-Vietnam war that focus on the American side. This is the first one I've ever read that really gets into the Vietnamese side, and minds of the South Vietnamese, Vietcong, and NVA combatants. I found it on the FDC bookcart.

The Arrogance of Humanism - by: David Ehrenfeld (1978, 1981 Galaxy Ed., Oxford University Press)

This book provides excellent contrast for another book I've read recently called, "Pedagogy of the Oppressed" by Paulo Freire. Freire is a staunch humanist, and Ehrenfeld an ardent anti-humanist. But, if they could somehow see eye-to-eye the result could be almost miraculous! Neither Freire nor Ehrenfeld have all the answers, but they both have excellent views from different sides of the same problem (namely, mankinds sense of separation from reality). It's too bad that Freire is dead, because if he and Ehrenfeld got together to compare their unique views honestly and openly then I believe that a third viewpoint would emerge that could provide answers to the really tough questions that neither of these books do on their own.

That given, I strongly recommend both of these books to anyone sincerely interested in the possible futures of humankind, which neither book talks about, but both portend.

Dragon's Bait - by: Vivian Velde (1992)

A short fun book (fiction) written for teenagers, technically well written but transparently moral in character. I found it on the FDC bookcart.

Aztec Autum - by: Gary Jennings (1997)

This is the long awaited sequel to Jennings' first book "Aztec", which I read for the first time as a young man in prison (over 30 years ago). Back then I believed it was an accurate depiction of Central American history. But when I re-read that first Aztec book a few years ago I was shocked at how overtly Westernized the so-called Aztecs were in the story. This second book is even a bigger distortion of reality (i.e. history) than the firs. I guess I should have paid closer attention to the disclaimer inside the front pages: "This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are either products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously."

The Girl Who Played With Fire - by: Stieg Larsson, translated from swedish - by: Reg Keeland (2009, 1st US edit)

I read the first book in this series, "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" a couple of years ago and liked it. So, I counted myself lucky to find this one (book two) on the bookcart here in Seatac FDC. I usually don't like books (or movies) that depict skinny women as tougher than men, it just seems phoney and unrealistic. But this one does it in a convincing and half believable way that makes it entertaining and intelligent.

Pedagogy of the Oppressed - by: Paulo Freire (1970, 1993, 2010 30th anniversary ed.)

I got lucky when I found this book on the inmate bookcart here at FDC Seatac. I had never heard of Freire or this title before, but for some reason the title piqued my interest and I'm really glad now that I found it. I disagree with some of Freire's views on human consciousness as unique in nature, but other wise he is a genius when it comes to describing and defining the oppressor - oppressed contradiction (as he calls it). I've learned a lot from this book about why I felt I needed to do the terrible things I've done in the past. Or, rather, I've learned a new way to talk about it (which is really what this book is all about). It's a book I think should be required reading in all schools.

Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming - by: Stephen LaBerge, Ph.D and Howard Rheingold (1990)

I have read about lucid dreams before (many years ago) and have had lots of lucid dreams myself. But I'm hoping to start having even more and learning to be a real oneisonaut (dream explorer). This book has exactly all the information I need to do so, I'm really excited about the possibilities.