Are there really laws governing the universe? Or is the order we see a mere artifact of the way evolution wired the brain? And is what we call science only a set of myths in which quarks, DNA, and information fill the role once occupied by gods? These questions lie at the heart of George Johnson's audacious exploration of the border between science and religion, cosmic accident and timeless law. Northern New Mexico is home both to the most provocative new enterprises in quantum physics, information science, and the evolution of complexity and to the cosmologies of the Tewa Indians and the Catholic Penitentes. As it draws the reader into this landscape, juxtaposing the systems of belief that have taken root there, Fire in the Mind into a gripping intellectual adventure story that compels us to ask where science ends and religion begins. "A must for all those seriously interested in the key ideas at the frontier of scientific discourse."--Paul Davies

Presents the author's thesis that consciousness, in its manifestation in the human quality of understanding, is doing something that mere computation cannot; and attempts to understand how such non-computational action might arise within scientifically comprehensive physical laws.

“A stunning book.”—Oliver Sacks Memory binds our mental life together. We are who we are in large part because of what we learn and remember. But how does the brain create memories? Nobel Prize winner Eric R. Kandel intertwines the intellectual history of the powerful new science of the mind—a combination of cognitive psychology, neuroscience, and molecular biology—with his own personal quest to understand memory. A deft mixture of memoir and history, modern biology and behavior, In Search of Memory brings readers from Kandel's childhood in Nazi-occupied Vienna to the forefront of one of the great scientific endeavors of the twentieth century: the search for the biological basis of memory.

""Gravity's victory was inevitable. My fingers were losing their grip, slowly sliding off a rusty section of rain gutter... I felt a strong hand wrap around my swollen ankle and begin to pull. I couldn't hold on anymore."" In a span of 100 hours, 11-year-old Justin Tyme's world has been shattered. Still reeling from his father's unexplained disappearance and unsatisfied with the non-answers his mother has given him, he learns of his father's involvement with an elite team of engineers on the brink of developing a revolutionary new material, code-named C-Metal. With help from the school janitor, Justin unravels the clues to his father's disappearance, documenting his search in a mysterious, gold-edged journal his teacher gives him. As he searches for his dad, he copes with his mother's depression and struggles to protect his sister from their emotionally abusive stepfather. "Search a Darker Sky" is a rapid-fire psychological journey that propels Justin from boyhood to adolescence. "I was blown away by the suspense in "Search a Darker Sky." Truly an amazing story One to be read by millions." --Justin Stanton, age 13 "I couldn't put the book down. I felt I was part of the story. I can hardly wait for the sequel " --Yonatan Margalit, age 11 The Author: As a kid, Devik Schreiner had a bad haircut and wore his pants too short. He enjoyed reading almanacs, science fiction, and the backs of baseball cards. He plays the trumpet and piano, loves golf and the San Francisco Giants, and is known for balancing a pencil on his nose. Devik teaches middle school English and History in San Jose and lives in Los Gatos, California with his wife and twin girls.

A charming and funny memoir about experiences Gina Gershon has had with cats throughout her life that are analogous to her relationships with men and her ongoing search for true love. Film and television icon Gina Gershon may be best known for her movie roles in Bound and Showgirls and television appearances on Curb Your Enthusiasm and How to Make It in America, but deep down she is a self-described cat lady. In Search of Cleo follows Gina’s desperation and despair when her assistant loses her beloved cat, Cleo. Gina spends two months roaming the back streets of Los Angeles at all hours of the night, searching for Cleo and meeting several quirky and outrageous characters who help or hinder her in different ways, including Ellen DeGeneres, who searches with Gina and recommends her pet psychic, Sonia; Arthur, the newspaper delivery man who gives her advice; and the mysterious fortune-teller, who appears from the shadows to give her a statue of Saint Gertrude, the protector of cats everywhere. Gina soon finds herself enmeshed in L.A.’s strangest subcultures, doing everything she can to bring Cleo home, including chanting with a bunch of crystal-wielding hippies and being slapped with a chicken by a Santeria priest. Along the way, she reflects on the various cats that have been a part of her life and shares her travails as a single girl in search of both her cat and some sanity. In Search of Cleo will delight pet lovers and singletons alike as it introduces Cleo to the celebrated pantheon of literary cats that includes Dewey, Homer, and Oscar.

Drawing insight of the teachings of T. Krishnamacharya, b. 1888.

Mind Fixers tells the history of psychiatry’s quest to understand the biological basis of mental illness and asks where we need to go from here. In Mind Fixers, Anne Harrington, author of The Cure Within, explores psychiatry’s repeatedly frustrated struggle to understand mental disorder in biomedical terms. She shows how the stalling of early twentieth century efforts in this direction allowed Freudians and social scientists to insist, with some justification, that they had better ways of analyzing and fixing minds. But when the Freudians overreached, they drove psychiatry into a state of crisis that a new “biological revolution” was meant to alleviate. Harrington shows how little that biological revolution had to do with breakthroughs in science, and why the field has fallen into a state of crisis in our own time. Mind Fixers makes clear that psychiatry’s waxing and waning biological enthusiasms have been shaped not just by developments in the clinic and lab, but also by a surprising range of social factors, including immigration, warfare, grassroots activism, and assumptions about race and gender. Government programs designed to empty the state mental hospitals, acrid rivalries between different factions in the field, industry profit mongering, consumerism, and an uncritical media have all contributed to the story as well. In focusing particularly on the search for the biological roots of schizophrenia, depression, and bipolar disorder, Harrington underscores the high human stakes for the millions of people who have sought medical answers for their mental suffering. This is not just a story about doctors and scientists, but about countless ordinary people and their loved ones. A clear-eyed, evenhanded, and yet passionate tour de force, Mind Fixers recounts the past and present struggle to make mental illness a biological problem in order to lay the groundwork for creating a better future, both for those who suffer and for those whose job it is to care for them.

"If you're reading this, consider yourself lucky- you've stumbled across one of the best books ever written. Walter Staples has put so much wisdom and so many practical strategies for success into this book that it could have been three books. What a treasure chest for anyone serious about greater success and more happiness in every area of their life." Jack Canfield Coauthor of Chicken Soup for the Soul "This book has an important message-how to master the process of personal empowerment to help ourselves and others live fuller, more productive lives." Denis Waitley, Ph.D. Author of The Psychology of Winning and Seeds of Greatness "When you become master of your inner world, you become master of your outer world." So states Walter Staples in his new book. The author wants the reader to experience a spiritual awakening in order to develop a whole new sense of self, which affects every aspect of life. Everything is rooted in basic psychological principles, yet few people have been exposed to formal psychological education. As a consequence, most people live their lives without knowing who they really are, without knowing their true self. Everything necessary to find the true self comes from within: an open mind, curiosity, and ambition. This is the instruction book to use to achieve that goal. Dr. Staples is one of America's leading authorities on human potential and personal empowerment. An active speaker, he is the author of the international best seller, Think Like a Winner!, and Power to Win!, both published by Pelican.