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| March, 2008 | ||
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IN Unbowed, Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai tells her remarkable story of founding the Green Belt Movement in Kenya. Maathai has mobilized the women there to plant more than thirty million trees since 1977 in an effort to restore the country’s indigenous forests. Born in 1940, as a young child Maathai watched her mother hard at work in the fields in Kenya.They lived in a hut with mud walls and a thatched roof, and slept on mattresses stuffed with grass and leaves. Maathai relates that one day her mother was sweeping the hut and swept all around where Maathai was sitting without requesting that she move out of the way. Reflecting on this incident and other things her mother did, a young Maathai began to ask herself questions relating to personal responsibility. She wondered, “What was the right thing to do in life?” Already she was cultivating the values of justice, perseverance and courage that make her story so exceptional and inspiring. Maathai attended school when it was rare in her country for girls to obtain an education. She went on to earn a Ph.D. and became the head of the Department of Veterinary Anatomy at the University of Nairobi, before founding the Green Belt Movement in 1977. Though jailed and beaten on numerous occasions, Maathai continued to fight to save Kenya’s forests and to restore democracy in Kenya. In 2002, she was elected to Kenya’s Parliament in the first free elections in a generation, and in 2003 she became Deputy Minister for the Environment and Natural Resources. In 2004 Maathai received the Nobel Peace Prize. By expressing so fully the spiritual qualities within her, Wangari Maathai reveals the great possibilities that lie within each of us. She inspires us by her story of courage and amazing faith to know truly who we are and to bring forth the best in ourselves. |
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| —Kathy Juline | ||
IN Secrets of Longevity, Dr. Maoshing Ni has compiled, as the subtitle states, hundreds of ways to live to be one hundred. He is a thirty-eighth-generation doctor of Chinese medicine and an authority in the field of Taoist anti-aging medicine. This book provides a wealth of knowledge on what is best for us to eat. Dr. Mao, as he is called by his patients, tells us what foods benefit our well-being, and how to avoid foods that may cause us health problems. He also promotes the benefits of Chinese herbal medicine, acupuncture, Tuina (deep massage), body-work and other holistic practices. In addition to recommending foods that may lend to an increase in longevity, Dr. Mao also answers commonly asked questions about high blood pressure, cancer, high cholesterol and other conditions. He understands that many of us want to extend our longevity, but he feels that just living longer is not the only goal. Living healthier physically, mentally and emotionally in order to enjoy longevity are also goals to strive for. I believe the underlying message in this book is that we have the life that we carve out for ourselves, and when we make good choices about our health we become the recipients of well-being. Dr. Mao states, “Other attributes of a fulfilling life include joy, love, freedom, prosperity, meaning, wisdom and many more. To take joy in everyday life is a blessing that is available to all.” The good news is most of us are already living longer. According to the National Center for Health Statistics released last September, there was a decline in the number of deaths from heart disease and strokes, which are two of the leading causes of death among Americans. Secrets of Longevity is an excellent reference book for anyone who aspires to living a longer, healthier life. |
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| —Mary Porter |
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