The Power of Awe by Jake Eagle & Michael Amster
Discover a clinically proven way to reduce inflammation, stress, loneliness, and burnout while improving overall well-being.
In May 2020, at the height of the pandemic, two trial groups embarked on a study through UC Berkeley to test a new method for “micro-dosing mindfulness.” One group was comprised of frontline healthcare workers; the other consisted of patients at a local medical center, as well as any of their friends and family who wished to participate. Almost immediately, both groups reported significant improvement in symptoms of stress, depression, and chronic pain—results that bore out over the course of the study and beyond. Jake Eagle, LPC and Michael Amster, MD, knew that they were on to something.
Research has proven that mindfulness improves well-being and reduces stress, anxiety, and pain. But for some, the practice itself feels challenging and inaccessible. That’s where the A.W.E. Method comes in. In THE POWER OF AWE: Overcome Burnout & Anxiety, Ease Chronic Pain, Find Clarity & Purpose—In Less Than 1 Minute Per Day (Hachette Go; January 3, 2023; $29; ISBN: 9780306828973), therapist Jake Eagle and chronic pain specialist Michael Amster, MD, share their extraordinary yet simple mindfulness practice that turns ordinary moments into awe-inducing experiences, helping you effortlessly achieve a heightened state of consciousness usually reserved for seasoned practitioners of mindfulness—all within a matter of seconds.
A.W.E. stands for Attention, Wait, Exhale and Expand, and the method is a five- to fifteen-second, three-step process. The A.W.E. Method quickly transports us into awe, an incredibly powerful emotion that produces wonderment and a heightened state of consciousness along with some remarkable changes in the mind and body that can improve health and wellness.
The three-step process A.W.E. process may sound too good to be true, but the results are very real. Bolstered by the success of the initial studies, plans are now underway to look at how A.W.E. can be used as a medical intervention to help COVID-19 long haulers and patients who have suffered heart failure. In THE POWER OF AWE, readers will learn:
- Exactly how to enter a state of A.W.E. at home – no trips to the Grand Canyon or virtual reality equipment are required. It’s all about finding inspiration in the everyday, further distinguishing this research from previous studies that have relied on VR to simulate awe in a lab.
- The science of A.W.E. on a cellular level—exactly how and why this practice works to reduce inflammation in the body (as measured by levels of the compound interleukin-6)
- What A.W.E. looks like in practice – through a combination of results from the study, their own lives, and their work with clients, Eagle and Amster show exactly how the A.W.E. method is significantly improving people’s lives, and how readers can reap those benefits for themselves.
Experiencing awe does not require any demanding discipline or skills or “awesome” settings. The A.W.E. Method ensures that awe and its many benefits are accessible to you at any time, in any place—sitting at a stoplight, cooking a meal, petting an animal, or listening to a loved one’s laugh.
THE POWER OF AWE will be released on January 3, 2023, published by Hachette. It is currently available for pre-sale on Amazon.
Praise:
“A powerful, practical, science-backed book that shows us how finding awe everywhere, every day is essential to our health and well-being. In The Power of Awe, the authors generously share their A.W.E. Method, a novel, and refreshing approach to reduce stress, anxiety, and pain by finding awe in the ordinary.” —Judson Brewer, MD, PhD, New York Times bestselling author of Unwinding Anxiety
“The Power of Awe comes to us in the nick of time, when mental and spiritual health has become a global issue that impacts people of all ages in every corner of the world. The co-authors have amassed a comprehensive and impressive body of research, science, and clinical experience, as well as decades of passionate inquiry and lived experience, synthesized in a way that is fully accessible to readers without compromising the scholarship behind it. This simple, yet potent method can be practiced by anyone, anywhere, at any time. I highly recommend this book to the countless readers across the globe, who will be benefitted by the message and practice that not only addresses our individual and collective suffering, but also offers the possibility of greater access to our deeper human possibilities, and more fulfilling, awe-filled lives. —Mariana Caplan, PhD, MFT, psychotherapist and author of Eyes Wide Open and Yoga & Psyche
“The Power of Awe encapsulates the essence of the healing journey out of chronic mental and physical pain. I have witnessed hundreds of patients break from pain with these concepts. I am in awe of Eagle and Amster’s work and how well it is presented.” —David Hanscom, MD, author of Back in Control: A Surgeon’s Roadmap Out of Chronic Pain
“The Power of Awe from Michael Amster and Jake Eagle guides us to the vast and miraculous moments of awe in each day and shows us how we can learn to access the healing medicine that surrounds us.” —Christopher Hobbs, PhD, LAc, author of Medicinal Mushrooms: the Essential Guide
“Able guides Jake Eagle and Michael Amster empower us to find awe in the ordinary and throughout the day, let go of the filters of naming and categorizing experiences, and open instead to a more receptive state of mind–to reawaken a ‘beginner’s mind’ and take in the breadth of life’s majesty.” —Daniel J. Siegel, MD, New York Times bestselling author of IntraConnected: MWe (Me + We) As the Integral of Self, Identity, and Belonging
“In this deeply insightful book, Jake Eagle and Michael Amster introduce their A.W.E. contemplative approach, tested during the stress and trauma of the COVID pandemic, to increase your everyday sense of awe and wonder. This original book offers a new path to enjoying a more meaningful and awe-filled life, inspiring us to open our eyes to the wonders around us.” —Dacher Keltner, PhD, Professor of Psychology, UC Berkeley, author, AWE: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How it Can Transform Your Life
About the Authors:
JAKE EAGLE, LPC, is a psychotherapist, mindfulness instructor, fellow member trainer of the International Association of NeuroLinguistic Programming, and cofounder of Live Conscious. After thirty years in private practice, Jake now works parttime as a meta therapist, working with people who want to go beyond the bounds of traditional therapy. Together, he and his wife, Hannah, lead lifechanging small group retreats at awe-inspiring locations around the world.
MICHAEL AMSTER, MD, is a physician and faculty member at the Touro School of Medicine. With twenty years of experience as a pain management specialist, he is currently the founding director of the pain management department at Santa Cruz Community Health. He’s been a student of meditation for over thirty years, as well as a certified yoga teacher and meditation teacher. He splits his time between clinical work, research on awe, teaching mindfulness, and leading awe-inspiring retreats around the world.
To learn more, go to ThePowerOfAwe.com
Getting Me Cheap How Low-Wage Work Traps Women and Girls in Poverty
Many Americans take comfort and convenience for granted. We eat at nice restaurants, order groceries online, and hire nannies to care for kids.
Getting Me Cheap is a riveting portrait of the lives of the low-wage workers—primarily women—who make this lifestyle possible. Sociologists Lisa Dodson and Amanda Freeman follow women in the food, health care, home care, and other low-wage industries as they struggle to balance mothering with bad jobs and without public aid. While these women tend to the needs of well-off families, their own children frequently step into premature adult roles, providing care for siblings and aging family members.
In Getting Me Cheap: How Low-Wage Work Traps Women and Children in Poverty (November 29, 2022, $27.99), sociologists Lisa Dodson and Amanda Freeman spent over a decade talking to low-wage workers. Based on years of in-depth field work and hundreds of eye-opening interviews, Getting Me Cheap explores how America traps millions of women and their children into lives of stunted opportunity and poverty in service of giving others of us the lives we seek. Destined to rank with works like Evicted and Nickle and Dimed for its revelatory glimpse into how our society functions behind the scenes, Getting Me Cheap also offers a way forward—with both policy solutions and a keen moral vision for organizing women across class lines.
Getting Me Cheap is essential for readers of Barbara Ehrenreich, Arlie Hochschild, Sophie Lewis, Kathi Weeks, and anyone with an interest in equality, feminism and labor.
Praise:
“This empathetic and eye-opening study leaves a mark.” —Publishers Weekly
“This formidable book insists we face the harm of wage poverty in women’s lives and see the real costs of relying on their cheap labor. The powerful stories of mothers’ determination to care for their children become a courageous call for solidarity and collective action.” —Ellen Bravo, activist and author of Standing Up: Tales of Struggle
“The United States has the highest percentage of low-wage workers of any country in the OECD aside from Lithuania—a disproportionate number of them women who provide services to better-off families. Freeman and Dobson take us inside their lives to reveal the price they and their families pay for the cheap labor they provide to others.” —Stephanie Coontz, author of The Way We Never Were: American Families and the Nostalgia Trap
“An insightful book that shines light on issues that should be better understood by any responsible citizen.” —Kirkus Reviews
“An urgent exposé and exploration of one of our most pressing social problems—hidden in plain sight. A must-read for anyone concerned about how to make America a more just and equal nation.” —Saru Jayaraman, president of One Fair Wage and author of One Fair Wage
“The lives that so many of us lead depend on the invisible labor of others, whose own needs are cast aside by our society. This brilliant book moves those essential workers—so many of them mothers—into the light” —Michael Eric Dyson, New York Times bestselling author of Tears We Cannot Stop: A Sermon to White America
“The stories shared in this volume speak for themselves, spotlighting the frustrations, needs, and hopes of the women featured.” —Library Journal
Excerpt:
In 2019, before the pandemic, the Brookings Institution released a report describing the low-wage workforce: the roughly 53 million Americans making an average of $10.22 an hour, or essentially poverty incomes. This is the part of the U.S. labor market disproportionately relegated to women, Black, Latinx, and immigrant workers. Over the two years that followed, as the pandemic unfolded, it was clear these same women would be the workers who suffered the most. Jerome Powell, chair of the Federal Reserve, put it like this, in the spring of 2020: “The people getting hurt the worst are . . . the lowest paid people. It’s women to an extraordinary extent.”
At the time Powell made that statement, we had been listening to low-wage moms for years. So we were not surprised that the pandemic took the most from those who could least afford it. This is not new. Low-wage women work in food services, as grocery clerks and in retail sales; as cleaners and child-care workers; and in the rapidly expanding market for home health–, elder-, and personal-care work. The nation’s back-water jobs are largely filled by women—and disproportionately by Black and Brown women. While raising more than half of all kids in America, these women provide the services that higher-income people rely on to manage career and family demands. They work to uphold the comfort and well-being of the affluent but are left to care for their own children and families on poverty earnings.
As one woman put it to us years ago, “They get me cheap.”
This book is guided by the concerns and values that low-income women emphasized and circled back to repeatedly in our conversations with them. It is not a linear story or one molded by current partisan debates. Instead, it mirrors the lives these women described to us, multitasking and shape-shifting above all, to be there for their kids. We heard how they changed jobs, went back to school, joined the armed services, made residential moves, and at times sought public aid to supplement poverty pay. Across states and over the years, one thing never changed. Motherhood and kids always remained at the center of their lives.
About the Authors:
Amanda Freeman is an assistant professor of sociology at the University of Hartford and a writer and researcher of motherhood and work. She lives in Westport, Connecticut, and Getting Me Cheap (The New Press) is her first book.
Lisa Dodson is Research Professor Emerita at Boston College. She is the author of The Moral Underground: How Ordinary Americans Subvert an Unfair Economy and co-author (with Amanda Freeman) of Getting Me Cheap: How Low Wage Work Traps Women and Girls in Poverty (both from The New Press) and Don’t Call Us Out of Name. She lives in Portland, Oregon.
Getting Me Cheap: How Low-Wage Work Traps Women and Children in Poverty will be released on November 29, 2022, published by The New Press. It is currently available for pre-sale. To learn more, go to https://thenewpress.com/books/getting-me-cheap
Heartbreak to Hope by Kara Bowman
Heartbreak to Hope: Poems of Support for Grief and Loss by Kara Bowman is a collection of original poems designed to help people through the grieving process.
People who are mourning a loss often don’t have the mental ability to focus on books so the short length of a poem is a perfect fit. Each of the poems in Heartbreak to Hope captures a different aspect of grief. Readers will find their experience reflected on the pages in accessible and easily understood vignettes. They will feel less alone knowing that others have experienced the same feelings. They will move through the process of grief, having words for their emotions. And they will treasure this volume, coming back to their favorites time and time again for comfort and understanding.
“Kara Bowman’s Heartbreak to Hope is a wonderfully sensitive and poetic accompaniment as we journey through grief. It captures so much of the darkness and difficulty of that journey while holding out hope that through those difficulties one can still get to a sense of peace–even growth. I wish every individual struggling with grief could have a copy!” -Professor Kenneth J Doka, PhD, Grief Researcher and Author, Grief is a Journey, When We Die: Extraordinary Experiences at Life’s End.
“Kara Bowman understands the inner experience of grieving. If you are looking for a book of poetry that captures the heart of what the journey of mourning is about, this is it. It will mirror back to you the experiences you are having, and it will also help you to teach others what you are going through. If you are deep in mourning, you will see yourself recognized by this powerful book of poetry about the experience of loss. As Shakespeare once said in Macbeth “Give sorrow words; the grief that does not speak knits up the o-er wrought heart and bids it break” In Heartbreak to Hope, Kara Bowman has, indeed, given sorrow words.” -John R. Jordan, Ph.D., Grief Researcher and Author, Devastating Losses
Excerpt:
I was sitting in a comfortable chair across from an impeccably dressed, petite, white-haired woman. She was crying gently as she described her husband’s death and the sharp pain she felt in her heart whenever she thought of him. She suddenly paused, looked me straight in the eye, and plaintively said, “I just don’t know what to do. I don’t know how to grieve.”
An hour later, a soft-spoken, intelligent young Latino man was in the same spot describing the agony of his life without his mother in it. His face looked desperate as he asked me, “Will this get better? What should I be doing?”
In my work as a grief therapist, I often receive these heart- felt questions. I wrote this poetry collection as a response to my clients and every person who wonders how to help themselves through the difficult process of grief. There are many things to learn but the most important thing to know is that grief is not something we need to do; it is something we simply need to allow. If we feel our feelings without judgment, bathed in self-compassion and allowing in compassion from others, the sharp edges will soften with time.
This collection grew out of the many hours I have spent with people who are mourning every imaginable type of loss, as well as my own experiences of grief. I tried to capture what I have heard: the expected emotions, such as sadness, longing and pain, and the sometimes surprising emotions, like numb- ness, anger and relief. My reflections are offered in bite-sized pieces, each capturing one part of the kaleidoscope-like expe- rience of bereavement, allowing you to take in as much or as little as you choose at one time.
We mourn both acutely alone and invisibly connected to everyone who has ever lived and grieved. In these poems, I hope to name some things you are experiencing and may not yet have words for. I also hope to help you recognize parts of your inner world that you didn’t realize existed. Finally, I hope that, as you read these poems, you will know others have felt similar things and you will feel less alone.
While it is now known that there are no set stages of grief, the poems are organized broadly in terms of some common reactions. The first section reflects when the wound is new, the second when grief has settled in for a long visit, and the third when adjustment to a new reality begins to take hold. As you read, you should find some recognition and comfort in these pages. Like the two clients described above, my wish is for you to ultimately arrive at a place of acceptance, peace and love.
Sample Poem:
The Surreal
Everything is the same,
but nothing is familiar.
I am plucked from the life I am living,
And ushered into another world entirely.
Not knowing the rules,
not understanding how things function,
not knowing what to do.
I am in uncharted territory because
just as every person is unique,
every grief is unique, too.
Nobody knows how to act,
what to say,
and when to say nothing in this bizarre world.
There are strange forms to fill out
and equipment to return
and clothing to sort through
and estates to settle.
Nobody asked for this existence and nobody wants it.
And yet, here I am,
in this world without a solid ground,
in this world where things keep moving,
in this world with new places, like the mortuary,
and new tasks, like writing an obituary.
The people are different and weird.
Not the same ones as before.
They talk about donating organs.
And bring Yule logs in July.
And ask about power of attorney.
I want my normal back:
my morning coffee on the back porch,
my minor irritation when I’m running low on gas,
my one and only love.
I want to go home to the world I knew.
Kara Bowman, LMFT, CT, CCTP, C-GC, is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who specializes in grief and trauma. She holds advanced certifications in Grief Counseling, Trauma, and Thanatology (the study of death and dying). Kara is passionate about helping people who are grieving through her private practice, as a hospice volunteer, by giving talks to the public and training therapists. Kara lives with her husband in Santa Cruz, California. For more information, please see https://www.griefpoetry.com and www.karabowman.com.
Broadway Baby by Russell Miller & Judith Proffer
Broadway Baby is a whimsical love letter to Broadway. Our leading role, Baby, dreams of becoming a star. Those dreams take us on a truly theatrical journey from his crib to the playground to the heart of New York City, with nods to many elements that make live theatre so special.
Through beautiful illustrations, this picture book celebrates the importance of how theatre inspires creativity. It encourages children and Broadway lovers of all ages to create and be whatever you want to be, whoever you are, wherever you are, and reminds the readers that even the loftiest of dreams can come true. The book celebrates the importance of theatre and creativity – inclusive and accessible.
Broadway Baby will be released on November 8, 2022, published by Meteor 17 Books. It is currently available for pre-sale on Amazon.
About the Authors:
Russell Miller is a theater producer, predominantly in the running of large and prolific commercial theaters, sports and entertainment venues. Previously as a Senior International Business Director, Russell operated 12 regional UK theatres and 10 West End theatres in London. He has overseen productions including the West End revival of ‘Guys & Dolls’ with Ewan McGregor, Patrick Swayze and Don Johnson. He also oversaw the opening of ‘On the Town’ and Cirque du Soleil’s Broadway debut hit musical, ‘Paramour’, both performed at the Lyric Theatre, Broadway’s second largest theater.
Judith A. Proffer founded Huqua Press, a division of Meteor 17 Books. Previously, Judith spent 25 years with press media (LA Weekly, OC Weekly, Village Voice Media, and Sun Community Newspaper.) She is the editor of I Hope You Dance, The Power of Spirit and Song, and co-authored When We Stayed Home. Proffer has been named one of the leading “Women Who Make A Difference” in the Southern California Community and has taught writing workshops to children, adults and incarcerated at-risk youths. She teamed with Hollywood Caterer, Gwen Kenneally, to establish Magpie Mini Pies, with proceeds benefiting local non-profits.
Iconic Song “American Pie” Inspires Children’s Book “Don McLean’s American Pie: A Fable”
🎶 bye-bye, Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee
But the levee was dry
Them good old boys were drinking whiskey and rye
Singing, “This’ll be the day that I die”
This will be the day that I die 🎶
Don McLean is one of America’s most enduring singer-songwriters and is forever associated with his classic hit “American Pie.”
He recently released a children’s book “American Pie: A Fable” inspired by the hit song. “American Pie: A Fable” tells the story of a young boy’s journey to uncover his passion for music.
“Don McLean’s American Pie: A Fable” weaves themes from the iconic song with experiences from McLean’s early life.
“As ‘American Pie’ celebrates 50 years, I’m very happy to have a children’s book based on the premise of the song,” McLean said. “Everyone has a different interpretation of it. Releasing this fable brings another perspective to the lyrics, along with some backstory for when I wrote it. I hope every child gets to imagine in their own mind what ‘American Pie’ means to them and know that dreams can become reality.”
“Don McLean’s American Pie: A Fable” is the story of a newspaper delivery boy in the late 1950s who discovers the joy of friendship and music, eventually learning that when you recognize what makes you happy, you are never truly alone.
ABOUT DON McLEAN:
Don McLean is a Grammy award honoree, a Songwriter Hall of Fame member, a BBC Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, and his smash hit “American Pie” resides in the Library of Congress National Recording Registry and was named by the Recording Industry of America (RIAA) a top 5 song of the 20th Century. A New York native, Don McLean is one of the most revered and respected songwriters in American history. TO learn more, go to DonMcLean.com
Easy Plant-Based Cooking for Two: Delicious Vegan Recipes to Enjoy Together
The Perfect Plant-Based Cookbook for Small Households
In Easy Plant-Based Cooking for Two: Delicious Vegan Recipes to Enjoy Together, chef Lei Shishak shares 80 extraordinarily delicious meat-free recipes for pairs. From morning beverages to baked goods, breakfast to lunch, mid-day snacks to sides, dinner to dessert, this book is a must-have for plant-forward enthusiasts, plant-based dieters, vegans, veg-curious, and anyone in between!
All 80 mouthwatering recipes are perfectly portioned for two but can also work for larger households where varied eating preferences often exist. Small-batch cooking isn’t complicated or restrictive. It cuts down on waste (and waist!) and leads to greater variety in meals. Get ready to start your small-batch, plant-based journey with recipes, including:
- Kiwi Kale Smoothie
- Nut and Seed Granola
- Blackberry Thyme French Toast
- Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad
- Mushroom Pâté en Baguette
- Sweet Potato Tacos
- Sesame Soba Bowl
- Stuffed Jerk Poblanos
- Chickpea Mulligatawny Soup
- Miso Green Beans
- Rye Raisin Scones
- Chocolate Layer Cake
- and more!
Easy Plant-Based Cooking for Two will help you make delicious sweet and savory plant-based recipes in just the right quantities. So whether you’re newly married, flying solo, BFFs, roommates, empty-nesters, or one in a large crowd, get ready to say goodbye to endless leftovers and hello to a new, delicious plant-based dish every day.
“This book is destined to make your taste buds happy and become a cherished kitchen companion!” —Evelisse Capó, PharmD, DipACLM
“Lei offers a guide to plant‑based eating that’s approachable, fun, and delicious. This book is full of back‑pocket, big‑flavor recipes that everyone from the baker to the meal prepper will return to again and again.” —Lizzy Briskin, food editor at Real Simple
“A beautiful cookbook that combines delectable, nutrient-dense foods in imaginative ways to produce the most delicious meals for two.” —Kim Campbell, chef, and author of PlantPure Nation, PlantPure Kitchen, and PlantPure Comfort Cookbooks
“This cookbook is a real page‑turner . . . From Asian‑inspired cuisine to Italian, your taste buds will not get bored. Even if you don’t follow a vegan diet, you will find ways to incorporate these vegetable‑forward recipes into your life.” —April Murray‑Kelly, RDN Owner of OC Nutrition Coaching
“Breaking down the barrier between ‘plant‑based food’ and ‘everyday food,’ Lei Shishak proves that a meal without meat is far from lacking. . . . At the end of the day, it’s just great food, period.” —Hannah Kaminsky, author of Real Food Really Fast, The Student Vegan Cookbook, and many more
LEI SHISHAK is the author of multiple cookbooks and a CIA-trained chef with a certificate in Plant-Based Nutrition from the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies. After heading pastry kitchens at notable LA and Orange County restaurants, Lei founded Sugar Blossom Bake Shop in San Clemente, CA, and has been featured in People, Riviera Magazine, Sunset Magazine, Los Angeles Daily News, and many more media outlets. She is a food editor at AllRecipes and has penned for Munchery.
Website: https://leishishak.com
Instagram: Lei Shishak (@leishishak) • Instagram photos and videos
