What We Are Reading Today: ‘The Science of Meditation’

Short Url
Updated 17 March 2022
Follow

What We Are Reading Today: ‘The Science of Meditation’

Authors: Daniel Goleman & Dr. Richard J. Davidson

“The Science of Meditation: How to Change Your Brain, Mind and Body” is a self-help book written by psychologist Daniel Goleman, and professor of psychology and psychiatry Dr. Richard J. Davidson.

A practical guide, the book reveals how mind training is imperative to our physical, emotional, and mental well-being.

With Goleman being a science journalist and Davidson is a neuroscientist, the book encompasses a vast array of studies and research that attempts to ground meditation in the sciences.

“The Science of Meditation” demonstrates how the practice of meditation can alter our state of mind and shift our focus inwards to self-reflect and become more mindful of our presence in the world.

The co-authors use scientific research and data to rid the reader of misconceptions about the practice, and the book introduces scientifically backed techniques and smart practices to promote new neural pathways and help open our minds to equanimity and higher consciousness.

Chapter 10 of the book, titled “Meditation as Psychotherapy” discusses meditation and cognitive therapy to clinically improve mindfulness and quality of life.

The book guides the reader through the process of healing from trauma, and teaches how letting go of past burdens can change the way we see ourselves and the world.

Goleman previously wrote about behavioral sciences and the mind for the New York Times. Davidson, meanwhile, is known as a confidante of the Dalai Lama, and professor of psychology and psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

He was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time Magazine in 2006, and is part of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Mental Health.

The pair, friends at Harvard and both best-selling authors, contemplated and researched the mind and how it is possible to alter it through meditation alone.


What We Are Reading Today: ‘Prehistoric Textiles’

Photo/Supplied
Updated 1 min 7 sec ago
Follow

What We Are Reading Today: ‘Prehistoric Textiles’

  • “Prehistoric Textiles” made an unsurpassed leap in the social and cultural understanding of textiles in humankind’s early history

Author: E.J.W.BARBER

This pioneering work revises our notions of the origins and early development of textiles in Europe and the Near East.
Using innovative linguistic techniques, along with methods from paleobiology and other fields, it shows that spinning and pattern weaving began far earlier than has been supposed.
“Prehistoric Textiles” made an unsurpassed leap in the social and cultural understanding of textiles in humankind’s early history.

 


What We Are Reading Today: ‘Fuji: A Mountain in the Making’

Photo/Supplied
Updated 24 January 2025
Follow

What We Are Reading Today: ‘Fuji: A Mountain in the Making’

Author: ANDREW W. BERNSTEIN

Mount Fuji is everywhere recognized as a wonder of nature and enduring symbol of Japan. Yet behind the picture-postcard image is a history filled with conflict and upheaval. Violent eruptions across the centuries wrought havoc and instilled fear.
It has been both a totem of national unity and a flashpoint for economic and political disputes.
And while its soaring majesty has inspired countless works of literature and art, the foot of the mountain is home to military training grounds and polluting industries.

 


What We Are Reading Today: ‘On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous’

Photo/Supplied
Updated 24 January 2025
Follow

What We Are Reading Today: ‘On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous’

  • Vuong, a celebrated poet, brings his mastery of language to this debut novel, crafting a work that is as emotionally resonant as it is stylistically daring.

Author: Ocean Vuong

Ocean Vuong’s “On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous” is a breathtaking and poignant exploration of identity, memory and the enduring impact of generational trauma.

Written as a letter from a son to his mother, the novel bridges the personal and the universal, weaving together themes of love, family and survival with exquisite lyricism.

Vuong, a celebrated poet, brings his mastery of language to this debut novel, crafting a work that is as emotionally resonant as it is stylistically daring.

The narrator, Little Dog, writes to his illiterate mother, recounting his experiences growing up as a Vietnamese immigrant in America. Through this deeply personal lens, Vuong delves into the complexities of their relationship, marked by both tenderness and violence, shaped by her own traumas from the Vietnam War.

Little Dog’s reflections extend beyond their dynamic to explore his own coming of age, his struggles with identity, and the weight of cultural dislocation.

What sets the novel apart is Vuong’s poetic prose, which transforms every sentence into something luminous. His language is evocative and tactile, imbuing even the smallest moments with profound significance. Whether describing the beauty of a first love or the scars left by intergenerational pain, Vuong’s words resonate with a raw honesty that cuts to the core.

At its heart, “On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous” is a meditation on the power of storytelling. Little Dog’s letter becomes an act of preservation — a way to make sense of his own life and honor the sacrifices of those who came before him.

Vuong examines the ways memory is shaped by trauma and love, showing how the past informs the present in both painful and redemptive ways.

The novel’s structure, non-linear and fragmented, mirrors the nature of memory itself, creating a narrative that feels both intimate and expansive. While its introspective style and heavy themes may not appeal to all readers, “On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous” is an unforgettable work that demands attention.

Vuong has crafted a novel of extraordinary beauty and depth, a tender and haunting reflection on what it means to be human, to love and to endure. It is a book that lingers in the heart and mind long after the final page.

 


What We Are Reading Today: The Conqueror’s Gift by Michael Maas

Updated 24 January 2025
Follow

What We Are Reading Today: The Conqueror’s Gift by Michael Maas

Ethnography is indispensable for every empire, as important as armies, tax-collectors, or ambassadors. It helps rulers articulate cultural differences, and it lets the inhabitants of the empire, especially those who guide its course, understand themselves in the midst of enemies, allies, and friends.

In “The Conqueror’s Gift,” Michael Maas examines the ethnographic infrastructure of the Roman Empire and the transformation of Rome’s ethnographic vision during Late Antiquity. 

Drawing on a wide range of texts, Maas shows how the Romans’ ethnographic thought evolved as they attended to the business of ruling an empire on three continents.


What We Are Reading Today: ‘The Social Wasps of North America, Central America, and the Caribbean’

Updated 22 January 2025
Follow

What We Are Reading Today: ‘The Social Wasps of North America, Central America, and the Caribbean’

Author: Chris Alice Kratzer 

Social wasps like hornets and yellowjackets use the power of teamwork to build complex societies and architectural wonders, and though they comprise only a fraction of the thousands of species in North and Central America, they are almost solely responsible for giving wasps a bad reputation.

This beautifully illustrated field guide covers all known species of social wasps from the high arctic of Greenland and Alaska to the tropical forests of Panama and Grenada.