Jason's Reviews

Reading this book is like taking a deep breath. One of our great living Zen masters has gifted us with a loving reminder to wake up, both to the beauty of our planet and to the great suffering of its inhabitants. This book teaches us to use our practice, our breath, and our insights to stop climate change before it is too late. It is a love letter to the next generation, an apology on behalf of the baby boomers, and a solution: All of us need to become Buddhas to save our world.—Jason

I cannot think of a better idea in this era of great uncertainty and anxiety than to learn to meditate. And I can think of no better universal teacher than Pema Chödrön. I have long enjoyed her books and teachings. She is ever-accessible both for beginners to meditation and to seasoned practitioners. This would be a wonderful gift for anyone in your life who needs to feel more peace.—Jason

Intimate, uplifting conversations with a beloved icon. Local writer Doug Abrams (cowriter of The Book of Joy with the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu) has written yet another book with a living legend. In The Book of Hope, he spends time with naturalist and wise elder Jane Goodall. Together they ask: What is hope? How can we find it in these dark days? I cannot think of a better book to lift all of our spirits right now.—Jason

From one of the founding members of the Occupy movement and author of the critically acclaimed Debt comes a posthumous epic that will change the way you see the past. It fundamentally questions major epochs (like the hunter-gatherer era) asking what really happened. It analyzes old structures and offers new paradigms from which to organize society. Readers of Guns, Germs, and Steel and Sapiens will be riveted by this well-researched and important new masterpiece of anthropology.—Jason

Though labeled as fiction, I Love You but I’ve Chosen Darkness is also the true story of the author’s father, who was a member of Charles Manson’s Family and who escaped right before the Family started their infamous killings. The result is a stunning work of auto-fiction, told in a sort of breathless stream of consciousness, exploring motherhood and abandonment in the shadow of her father’s dark past. Unique and gritty, it reminded me of Tales from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan.—Jason

True stories of income inequality told with the style and readability of a great novel. Desmond, a Harvard-trained sociologist, lived in low-income neighborhoods for three years, recording the lives of people in the slums of Milwaukee, as they struggled (and failed) to keep a roof over their heads. It ends happily, with thoughtful solutions to ensure that everyone has a place to call home. Winner of the 2017 Pulitzer Prize. - Jason

A comedic masterpiece by the king of postmodern satire. The son of one of the inventors of the atomic bomb is a dwarf who paints only stark black canvases. Around his neck he wears Ice-nine, a Weapon of Mass destruction that could freeze the world. Can Bokononism (a fictional religion) show us the way out of this violent age? - Jason

Anna works for a temp agency as a “hench”—a low-paid sidekick for super-villains. After she gets badly injured by an indestructible superhero named Supercollider, she vows to take revenge, and soon becomes The Auditor, a super-villain whose power is vengeful thinking. This is great for comic book fans and anyone who likes funny science fiction. - Jason

A monk leaves behind a life of privilege and adoration in order to abandon the self. In elegant prose, he details his new life as an ascetic and the humbling lessons he learns as he goes from having it all to having absolutely nothing. This book will change the way you see the world and challenge the myriad false ways by which you define yourself. Readers need not be Buddhists to fall in love with this book. — Jason

Although two thirds of US Buddhists identify as Asian American, mainstream outlets often fail to show the diverse and inclusive community at the center of American Buddhism. In Be the Refuge, Buddhist chaplain Chenxing Han shares academic excerpts and interviews from own voices—all engaging in difficult conversations about race and religion—illuminating the perspective of an important and underrepresented community. — Jason