Stuart Matheson, 32, is trapped in a nursing home as well as his body, eerily immobile at the last stage of Huntington's Disease. Kelsey Raye is a science writer feeling guilty about the recent deaths of her parents. She volunteers for hospice and is assigned to Stuart. She's a PhD, he never finished school, but they share a love of rock music and disdain of religion. They instantly bond. As Kelsey plays her iPod daily for Stuart, he improves - an impossibility - and when she misses a few days, he backslides. She deduces that Stuart's gains follow hearing U2 or their imitators. Kelsey, who writes about stem cells, thinks the frequency of the arpeggios is turning on stem cells in Stuart's brain. She shares her idea with researcher Peter Holloway, but evil Nurse Smithies overhears and outs them to a tabloid. Meanwhile, Peter scans Stuart's brain. He's getting better!
All hell breaks loose when the tabloid hits. The government shuts down Peter's lab and confiscates Kelsey's iPod, while anti-stem cell protestors harass them -- just as Peter discovers how music stimulates stem cells. Then something unexpected happens. Did science fail, or was it the anti-science forces?
The underlying love story and comical cast of characters propel this parallel tale of emerging spirituality and an evolving medical technology. Many of the characters and scenes are based on real people, and the science dead-on accurate - with the one tweak of the music turning on stem cells.
It could happen.
Customer Review: Entertaining, informative, and inspiring
It's very refreshing to read a novel that is so well grounded in science and real life. This book has all the fictional elements of a great novel, yet you learn some things about science along the way through the book. I particularly liked the section on Congressional testimony. And I can personally relate to some of the nursing home scenes. Great job!
Customer Review: A good read AND informative!
Ricki Lewis' novel is the story of a young science writer who, as a hospice volunteer, finds herself inexplicably helping a patient with an incurable disease. It is current both in terms of discussing the science of the stem cell technology we hear so much about these days, but also in its musical references, like U2 and Coldplay (two artists included in a recent planetarium show I visited in the Rose Space Center in NYC.) There is a love interest with a twist, and I found myself gripped by the unknowns presented in the thickening plots. The cast of characters was eccentric but believable. Their actions felt so real sometimes, I found myself wondering if portions of the story were based on real events. What I perhaps liked the best was that the uplifting ending suggested that the miracle of art (in this case music) can inexplicably have a profound scientific effect on our bodies in ways we have perhaps not yet discovered. If there are not medical researchers out there testing out Dr. Lewis' "novel" hypotheses- there should be! I found myself learning about science while enjoying the story. This was a good read- I highly suggest it!
Lauren Peterson, another nationally recognized yoga practitioner and teacher, meticulously crafted Yoga Motion: White Swan Yoga Masters Vol. 4, as a sacred blend of male and female energies. Lauren is one of the few advanced (Fourth Series) ashtanga yoga practitioners in the United States. She has been featured in many magazines including Yoga Journal, as well as on television in the PBS series Healing Quest. If you're familiar with Dance Wave or Sweat Your Prayers events, you will readily appreciate the fabulous selection of music Lauren made for Yoga Motion. Starting with the slow, sensuous "Invocation to Water" by Shaman's Dream, by the third track, "Partner World" by Mass Ensemble, you'll be dancing like there's no tomorrow.
Of course, you may choose to do yoga or other forms of movement instead of dance with this incendiary collection of songs, but dance is my thing. "Napas," the next track, by Mercan Dede, continues the intense, even outrageous world beat groove. But then, a few tracks later, Jai Uttal and Ben Leinbach slow things down a bit with "Mahadeva." Before this exquisite CD concludes, we're treated to Prem Joshua and Manish Vyas doing "Habibi" and Deva Premal singing "Guru Rinpoche Mantra" as only she can. In short, Yoga Motion: White Swan Yoga Masters Vol. 4 takes the listener on a most extraordinary journey. With over 77 minutes of music, by the time you're finished moving your body to this delicious selection of tracks, you'll be ready for a break.
As is often the case with great compilations, one of the joys of Yoga Motion is the opportunity to get to know some terrific artists who you might not otherwise get to hear. I urge you to spend some time soon with the exotic, over-the-top joy of Yoga Motion: White Swan Yoga Masters Vol. 4.
Steve Ryals has been writing music reviews since 1994, and to date has published more than 1200. Steve specializes in World Beat, Native American, New Age, Meditation, Contemporary Instrumental, Chanting, Devotional Singing, and more. He currently writes two music reviews every month as part of his Drunk with Wonder Newsletter. To sign up for his FREE newsletter go to http://www.drunkwithwonder.com
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