Don Harris Oben: In Search of a Future

This book chronicles the captivating journey of Don, who as a young boy used to listen with rapt attention to the fascinating stories his father told about his travels in colonial Nigeria. These tales invoke in little Don a burning desire to one day undertake his own voyage of discovery, to broaden his horizons beyond the familiar.

So Don sets out into the unknown at the tender age of 14, quickly realizing that expanding one’s worldview is no one-time event. Rather, it is a lifelong process full of twists, turns, and unexpected revelations about places, peoples, and even himself. As Don navigates a complex and often bewildering world, we walk alongside him through monumental challenges, missed opportunities and connections made.

With a wife and five third-culture kids in tow, Don’s pursuit to continually push boundaries and search for a brighter future proves as epic and demanding as that of history’s great exploratory figures. His tireless voyage makes us reflect on what it means to have an inquisitive mind, confront hardship, and leave behind footprints that point others to higher horizons long after we are gone.

Don't Blink [You might miss something]

Have you ever taken life for granted?

Have you ever been ungrateful for a loving gift?

Learn how one man saw the obvious in the not-so-obvious. How an episode early in his life caused him to see his life’s circumstances and his special family—with unexplainable insight. Not just of deeds and words, but of hearts and minds.

There were the sagas, the fortunes, the adventures.

It was life. Then death. Then life again. But different.

No, don’t miss something. Don’t miss anything.

Dream in a Suitcase

Dream in a Suitcase unravels a fast-paced journey of survival, resilience, and the power of love. It is the first English language memoir of a female Romanian-American survivor of the worst communist dictatorship behind the Iron Curtain.

The story offers a rich multicultural mosaic of a life divided not only between two cultures and languages, that of the heroine’s native Romania and her adoptive US but also between Chicago's urban culture and that of a small town in Virginia marked by a heavy confederate history. This book is deeply relevant for our times as it offers an opportunity for American-born audiences to develop a deeper understanding for all those who arrived in this country as refugees in search of freedom, peace, and different versions of the American Dream.

Endorsements:

“An extraordinary memoir of fortitude and freedom, a narrative that is vibrant and lyrical. Radulescu takes us from Romania's dark dictatorial past to the world of literature and beauty, back to the landscapes of her beloved native country, then to her new home in America, and always to the geography of the earth. This is an extraordinary read and a covenant to the power of truth and words.”

Marjorie Agosin, award-winning author of I Lived on Butterfly Hill.

“Domnica Radulescu is a courageous writer. Dream in a Suitcase, like her other novels, is a breathless read.”

Andrei Codrescu, NPR commentator, award-winning poet, and filmmaker.

Dresden: Portrait of a City

The world knows Dresden as the victim of vicious Allied bombing at the end of World War II that destroyed its famed Baroque architecture. But Dresden is more than this stereotype implies. This portrait explores the highs and lows of Dresden’s individual experiences. It captures the visions of the princes who created the Baroque city. It displays the talents of the individuals who turned a princely residence into a modern industrial hub. It traces the city’s historically conflicted relationship with its Jewish community. And it reveals how the city’s identification with the arts was often at odds with its economic, social, and political realities. This background led Dresden to act as spearhead of the peaceful revolution that re-united Germany in 1990. The multiple facets of Dresden’s past inspire its current vitality and energize its response to contemporary challenges.

Driven by Hope

Driven by Hope chronicles the life of author Ansu Kamara from his turbulent childhood in Sierra Leone to his coming-of-age in New York City. Kamara was born in a village in rural Africa to loving Muslim parents and, as he grew, he encountered everything from smallpox to snakes and shipwrecks to violent military coups. He made his way to America on a prayer and a student visa, only to face a terrifying case of mistaken identity, and the unexpected challenges of brutal East Coast winters. Even as a very young man, he’d known his destiny awaited for him in America, and he crushed every obstacle thrown into his path so he could get there. Through violence and fear, triumph and tragedy, Kamara fought to unlock success, happiness, and fulfillment in the ‘Land of Dreams.’

His heartwarming tale will inspire and encourage you to chase your own dreams, no matter how improbable they may seem.

Economic Myths and Economic Realities

The world’s ten richest countries have about 60 times the income per capita of the bottom ten. Nobel Prize-winning economists have acknowledged their ignorance regarding the sources of economic growth. This explains why, despite considerable financial assistance, the gap between poorer and richer countries has grown year after year, both globally and within countries like the USA and Europe.

Using straightforward statistical diagrams, this book explains approximately 90% of the variance in income among countries or states. First, it empirically demonstrates what does not work – the myths – from reindustrialization to Keynesianism. Then, it examines the real drivers of growth by evaluating whole countries (public, social and private sectors combined, including the non-working population) as companies, assessing their business administration across areas like marketing, work culture, strategy and operations. After all, numerous multinationals are larger than countries.

The lessons are twofold: First, nothing is more pointless than perfecting the irrelevant. Second, there are no underdeveloped countries, only undermanaged ones (P. Drucker). The wealthiest countries are, overall, the best-run companies.

Eight Fought to Live

1988: 82,362 gay and bisexual men had AIDS.

1989: 100,000 gay and bisexual men had AIDS.

1990: 307,000 gay and bisexual men had AIDS.

These are the two years Dr. Rosiello led an AIDS therapy group at Gay Men’s Health Crisis in New York City. Within two years each man in her group passed away from AIDS complications. One of these men was Vito Russo, an AIDS activist and historian.

This is the story of eight gay men living with advanced AIDS and one inexperienced fresh out of training psychoanalyst. Each man’s intimate story is peppered with Dr. Rosiello’s anxiety and her growing awareness regarding the importance of emotional authenticity in psychotherapy. The group members had no spare moments for Dr. Rosiello to use her newly learned psychoanalytic techniques. There was only time to be real.

Early on these group members pledged to not die. They pledged emotional support for the life of the group. This pledge held true for over a year. Blood brothers in their fight to live.

Emotional Freedom with No Fear, No Anger, and No Insecurity

There is an ancient belief that he who rules the self is greater than he who has captured a city. To rule the self, you have to have no fear, no anger, and no insecurities. In Emotional Freedom with No Fear, No Anger, and No Insecurity, over three dozen behaviors, tools, and skills are provided to help you achieve command of the self. You are not an emotionally free person until you have raised your level of consciousness to the extent that it allows you to control the thoughts that come into your mind. We may be advanced technologically, educationally, and intellectually, but we languish at a low, dysfunctional level of social development. The lack of acceptance we find in our social culture has impaired or damaged our self-worth. The opinions that we have of ourselves can have more of an impact on our lives emotionally, physically, mentally, and psychologically than anything else.A lack of understanding of our self has kept us in the dark about our real self. Gaining knowledge and discovering how we function in our relationship with our self and with others will open up a whole new realm and reveal a wealth of information.This enlightenment will allow you to take many different avenues and paths most suitable to you, and reveal answers and solutions about how you should live your life so that you can be the leader of the self who is in charge of the self.

Empowered Ladies

Empowerment doesn’t always follow a fairy-tale script. Neither its beginnings nor its journeys are always paved with acceptance. Women who dared to don trousers lived with the tremor of discovery, particularly those who veiled themselves as men to enlist in early wars, when only men were permitted to serve. Their fear was not just the battle cries, but the disgrace of being unmasked and sent home.

The world paused in disbelief when, upon the death of jazz musician Billy Tipton, it was revealed that he was a she. Similarly, when Dr. James Barry, who ascended to the zenith of medical ranks in the British Army, was uncovered as a woman posthumously, the army swathed the truth in secrecy.

Not all were ‘ladies’ in the conventional sense, but they were undeniably women - women who defied the societal mold. They sometimes cloaked themselves in trousers or other male disguises, challenging the expectations of their eras.

Their ranks encompassed saints and sinners, queens, countesses, and commoners. While names like Joan of Arc and Calamity Jane might ring familiar, their tales, along with those of others, are captivating in Empowered Ladies. This book unearths the narratives of these audacious women, weaving a tapestry of resilience and defiance that continues to inspire the quest for empowerment.

Ending Today’s Chaos And Repairing America

In our modern American society, we find ourselves amidst a disheartening breakdown, where chaos prevails. The dominance of a few corporations stifles diversity across numerous sectors of our economy. Complex and biased laws and tax systems cater to special interests, while the upbringing of many children and the quality of education are skewed towards wealthy areas. Moreover, our online platforms inundate us with fraudulent schemes, adding to the societal disarray.

This thought-provoking book offers a fresh perspective on historical change, presenting the idea that the Western world has undergone three distinct civilizations: the Greco-Roman, the Medieval, and the Enlightenment. With the passing of each civilization, we have witnessed a gradual deterioration of institutions and the erosion of social consensus. Examining the challenges we face today, the book delves into the concept of ‘Justice’ and questions what truly constitutes a fair society. It then presents a range of potential improvements to our current institutions, serving as a temporary measure until a new civilization emerges. Additionally, the book explores America’s place in the global context and delves into the complexities faced by other civilizations experiencing their own periods of institutional breakdown.

By offering a critical analysis of our present state and proposing alternative perspectives, this book provides a guiding light for navigating the turbulent waters of societal transformation. It inspires hope for a future where our institutions can be reimagined, fostering a more just and harmonious society.

Erasable

December 14, 2017

My inner light went out.

Increasing perfectionism and despotism upon the body got me physically and emotionally burned out. Fear was devastating me from within, yet life struggled for another chance to breathe a retrieved inner freedom.

Day one I started writing, and I have never given up since.

Yours,

A.

Everybody Needs Love

“Eddie was a black man in a white man’s body. No one I’ve ever worked with or heard had any more Soul than Eddie did. His guitar playing was always tasteful, strong and distinctive...his voice grabbed you and pulled you in so that you not only heard it, but you felt it...and were mesmerized by it. He had a beautiful smile... but behind it were some inner thoughts that had to do with some deep pain that he kept hidden inside. That was one of the things that made him so intriguing, so interesting and so powerful.”

– Chuck Leavell, piano player for the Rolling Stones and the Allman Brothers Band, among many others.