Agents of Change – Jesuits and Liberation Theology

The people and the revolution that sent tremors through the United States and the Vatican:

The 1960s sparked revolutionary changes that swept the secular and religious world. At the forefront of the battle for a new – better – world was the most powerful Catholic Order.

Progressive Jesuit priests started a movement that would turn the archaic religious institution into the leading force for change, and in the process put them at odds with the United States.

These Agents of Change saw the need to do away with antiquated political and banking systems, with murderous military-industrial complexes, and flawed educational systems.

They became the biggest threat to U.S. interests…

Inspiration and Historical Context:
http://www.spywriter.com/aoc/index.html

SpyWriter Jack King: Agents of Change,

Invasion of Book Reviewers

Amazon, a jungle of anonymous book reviewers…

“why anyone would even bother reading these anonymous customer reviews (even if not faked), rather than relying on those of the “experts.”

“To see why, we need to step back and recall that the book review was born at a democratising moment of the capitalist 18th century. Publishers realised that there was now a larger literate group of readers to whom they could sell books – and who therefore could use help in choosing their reading material.

The end of the patronage system had meant that writers were writing for a wider (and unknown) readership. But it also meant that the review first came into the world as a form of consumer reporting. And it has continued to have this function for us in the globalised, electronic world of the 21st century bombarded, as we all are, by more information and greater choice than ever before. We too are in need of assistance in making selections. 

More: http://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/can-the-modern-book-reviewer-be-unputdownable-1.1332489

SpyWriter Jack King, the author of:
Agents of Change, WikiJustice, The Black Vault, and The Fifth Internationale.
A new Pope. A new Church. A new world:

http://www.SpyWriter.com

Depressed? Literature more effective than pills

“Reading books is more effective than pills or therapy when it comes to treating depression, according to a study published in Plos One. The research studied a sample of 281 patients in the UK with mild symptoms divided into two groups. The first group were given a self-help book that followed the cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) approach, while the second group underwent a series of traditional therapies based on therapy sessions and antidepressants. After four months, the group that read the CBT guide showed greater signs of improvement. CBT concentrates the patient on the present, rather than analysing and re-living memories and childhood traumas. The therapy helps to identify and modify thought disorders and irrational mental patterns.”

More:

http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0052735

http://www.west-info.eu/cbt-books-the-best-therapy-for-depression/

SpyWriter Jack King, the Author of:

WikiJustice http://amzn.to/t3zd8Z

The Black Vault http://amzn.to/Na7QRO

The Fifth Internationale http://amzn.to/snl4w1

And announcing:

http://www.SpyWriter.com

Study literature to succeed in business

“Arguably, literature and the humanities have a lot to say about the world of business and the world in general. Ask most business leaders what keeps them up at night, and the answer will rarely be issues of process, technology or numbers – although all of that is certainly complicated and challenging. Rather, what leaders struggle with usually comes down to the people stuff. And by that they mean the complex and often contradictory nature of human beings. …

Insights from literature and the humanities are particularly valuable when trying to understand behaviour that doesn’t seem to make sense in a classic economic analysis. Examples of people being confusing in the world of business abound, whether dealing with colleagues, partners or customers. …

As a way of approaching complex reflection, nothing beats the fragility, the openness, and the contradictory nature of the literary text.

A more sustainable business is surely a more human business. If we continue to ignore human complexity, and human motivations beyond profit, eventually people will turn their backs on commerce. It is already starting to happen.”

More: http://www.guardian.co.uk/sustainable-business/blog/what-can-literature-teach-about-business

http://www.SpyWriter.com

Reading and Writing indispensable human requisites

“Books banish darkness, literature conquers ignorance, reading opens and sharpens the mind, and writing widens perspectives and ultimately develops character.

Reading not only clears our thoughts, it also widens our perspective and enlarges our vision. It gives us, not a narrow, limited view of reality, but a world view of ourselves, of life in general, and of human existence as a whole. 

Our duty as humans is to highlight the truth of the human condition through writing, public discourse, and social solidarity. We must encourage our young to read, write and express themselves. These are the indispensable requisites, indeed virtues, of intellect.”

More: http://opinion.inquirer.net/45437/the-pleasure-of-reading-and-the-joys-of-writing

SpyWriter Jack King || “A new King of thrillers on the horizon” || Author of Political Thrillers || http://www.SpyWriter.com

Truth or Myth: Politics and Novels don’t mix

Interviewer: The question of combining politics and fiction has engaged a good many critics, often drawing from them the notion that it’s very difficult to mix the two. 

John Dos Passos: Well, I don’t know. Recently, I’ve been calling my novels contemporary chronicles, which seems to fit them rather better. They have a strong political bent because after all—although it isn’t the only thing—politics in our time has pushed people around more than anything else. I don’t see why dealing with politics should harm a writer at all. Despite what he said about politics in the novel being “the pistol shot at the opera,” Stendhal also wrote contemporary chronicles. Or look at Thucydides. I don’t think his history was at all damaged by the fact that he was a political writer. A lot of very good writing has been more or less involved in politics, although it’s always a dangerous territory. It’s better for some people to keep out unless they’re willing to learn how to observe. It is the occupation of a special kind of writer. His investigation—using blocks of raw experience—must be balanced. Sartre in his straight, plain reporting was wonderful. I can’t read him now. A writer in this field should be both engaged and disengaged. He must have passion and concern and anger—but he must keep his emotions at arm’s length in his work. If he doesn’t, he’s simply a propagandist, and what he offers is a “preachment.”

More: http://www.ibna.ir/vdciv3azwt1awz2.ilct.html

SpyWriter Jack King || “A new King of thrillers on the horizon” || Author of Political Thrillers || http://www.SpyWriter.com

Novels Influence the Young

“the popularity of a young adult novel … satisfies a more covert, noble cause. It gets the twelve to eighteen year old crowd reading whether it an actual book or an e-reader. Reading leads to learning and learning creates a desire in the young adult to seek more knowledge in expanding vocabulary, improving comprehension and teaching them how to write effectively. They may even inspire to be the next great author to rise out of the ashes of what many consider today’s lost youth. The old adage “reading is fundamental” is a basic truth. The young adult that can read and comprehend has a much better chance at surviving the test of life and becoming a productive member of society than one that doesn’t read well.”

More: http://www.melodika.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=548461&Itemid=50

SpyWriter Jack King “A new King of thrillers on the horizon” http://www.SpyWriter.com

Books expand the world

“I have been told that many schools have changed their core reading curriculum to include more modern commercial novels…

I believe there are serious consequences to the exchange of commercial writing to classic literature in curriculum. We are graduating students from American high schools, some on their way to four-year universities, with a limited and vapid literary foundation of vampires, werewolves, and wizards. This ignorance means that they will neither be able to complete a New York Times crossword puzzle or receive mercy from an English professor who’s been teaching before Stephenie Meyers was even an idea in her parent’s heads. At its worst, this American generation will go forth in a world with a great dearth of general knowledge, undoubtedly inferior to their contemporaries overseas who have had a more meaningful education, that will detract from many aspects of their lives.

Literature is not just an exercise in creative expression, it reveals and resolves, it engenders compassion and understanding, it expands our world far beyond the borders of the written page.”

From: http://blogcritics.org/books/article/fantasyland-the-limited-world-of-todays/

SpyWriter Jack King “A new King of thrillers on the horizon” http://www.SpyWriter.com

Reading fiction affects perception

“Can people change their minds by reading fiction?

There’s not a lot of systematic research on how reading fiction changes people’s opinions or behavior, but one study found that a majority of serious readers reported that one or more books had in some way helped them or made a big difference in their lives. Another study found that people’s ratings of their own personalities changed more after reading a Chekhov story than after reading the same information presented as if it were a real court transcript. The fictional version also generated a greater emotional response, even though it wasn’t judged any more interesting than the non-fiction version. …

But what about the content of what you read in literature? The arguments? Can they change your mind about something important?

Not that much is known … especially about what you might consider to be ‘something important.’ But we do know that people partially compartmentalize what they read in fiction, keeping it separate from what they believe is true of the real world. But at the same time we know that there can be some leakage. For example, if you read a story in which a character mentions, in passing, that most mental illness has been shown to be contagious, you’ll have a harder time rejecting the idea later on, at least for the few minutes after reading the story. You can also pick up ‘misinformation’ without later realizing that it comes from the story.”

More: http://www.npr.org/blogs/13.7/2012/12/03/166362989/learning-facts-through-fiction-an-imagined-encounter

SpyWriter Jack King “A new King of thrillers on the horizon” http://www.SpyWriter.com

Reading changes lives

“Many authors write from their personal experiences. When an author can personally connect with young adults with depression, self-harm or any issue for that matter, it sets an example that the reader is not alone and many people go through what he/she feels (including your favorite author!). Authors can be an example that life gets better.

In a world where many adults think teens don’t read anymore, hundreds of thousands of adolescents every day are glued to reading fiction. Some are “reading for school” or “reading for pleasure.” Many are reading for an experience. No matter what age, everyone can say they were forever changed by a book.

Though the book itself can’t physically change a person, the story can plant new ideas and views in someone’s life. Characters with similar problems or scenarios may relate to the reader. The way they handle a situation may spark an idea in the mind of the reader.”

More: http://my.hsj.org/DesktopModules/ASNE/ASNE.Newspapers/Mobile.aspx?newspaperid=818&editionid=0&categoryid=0&articleid=558564&userid=0