How has the Christian faith shaped my life?  Why did I pursue an education in America?   Why did I marry an American woman?  How did I get a break at CBS Network News?  Why did I become an American citizen?  How did I eventually become a professor, chair, and graduate director at an American university?  Why did I become an author?  Why am I writing Christian books in retirement?  These are some of the questions the author answers in Life’s Passages: From Guyana to America.      

      

Life’s Passages is a spiritual biography that traces my life as a member of the Thomas’ family up to the present time.  Its theme captures the role of a loving and caring God in our lives.  Readers will journey in the local environment of a small South American country - Guyana, and explore the realities of living in America as a student and professor.

 

Undoubtedly, Guyanese culture helped determine who I was to become.  Social, political, and economic factors were the bedrock of the way I came to view the world.  But it’s my belief that the hand of God was at work throughout my life.  This was true from the day I was born, to my experiences in public school, colleges, and universities.

 

From my early days in North Road, Georgetown, I would join my siblings in prayer in our three-room home.  I mainly attended Mass at St. George’s Cathedral, Guyana, and Church of the Holy Apostles, Virginia Beach, VA.  These experiences were to have profound effects upon me.  It was however by the grace of God working in my life that I was able to have the necessary breaks to progress in these communities.

 

Some unexpected opportunities led to fulfillment and happiness.  I benefited from an excellent education, found wonderful jobs, was blessed with a caring family, and friends.  There were trials along the way, when my life seemed as though it was falling apart.  But, by the grace of God I was able to persevere, and overcome these setbacks.  My story therefore is one of hope, love, grace, and above all, the triumph of the human spirit.            

Dr. Katsumi tries to build an AI that can predict the future. The government tries to stop him, forcing him to test his project on  single person, who is then mysteriously murdered, revealing to Dr. Katsumi  a huge conspiracy connected to genetic engineering.  As he get closer to his objective, the government begins putting up obstacles to slow his progress.

The usual brilliance from Abe, perhaps the best science fiction/fantasist of his day.

Inter Act: Interpersonal Communication C... This is the latest of Lauren Weisberger's novels and it dives deeply into the Tennis world, which I know absolutely nothing about, or knew nothing, before I read this book. I have to admit that Tennis is also not the most interesting choice of topics for me personally, but getting a glimpse of something new never hurts I guess :)
I liked how the story developed, though for my taste it was a bit too predictable, but the main character Charlie managed it (surprisingly against all odds, in my opinion) to stay likeable and nice for the most part, though she was actually supposed to become a "fighter" or "warrior princess" as her management and trainer put it, in order to succeed in her career as a high-ranked, professional Tennis player.
What I didn't enjoy was the part where Charlie "accidentally" smoked pot, or actually she didn't even smoke it but "vaporize" it...?! This part I didn't enjoy at all because for me it seems a bit far-fetched that a professional athlete as Charlie would just take a pull from a vaporizer randomly handed to her on a player's party in a hotel room. Also, her rivalry with her strongest opponent Natalya sometimes assumes weird proportions. .
All in all it's a nice, quick read and I enjoyed it :)