Non-Fiction Books

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The Journey of Adam Kadmon recounts the interlocking stories of two men, separated by culture and geography but united in their compelling need to find understanding and enlightenment in a world of illogic and apparent evil. Moses, a Polish Jew and professor of philosophy in Warsaw, is obsessed with the notion that even the best-intentioned people often inadvertently cause harm to others, through acts that can have grave, even fatal consequences. Sahadeva, an Indian now in his thirties, turned his back on his native land in his late teens and sought fulfillment by becoming a Franciscan priest. The Journey of Adam Kadmon explores the eternal issues of forgiveness and redemption that arise from our spiritual longing and the inevitable hurt that we cause others, even - or perhaps especially - those closest to us.

Blending an analysis of general political, diplomatic, and military trends with a description of how Zionist pioneers coped with ongoing social developments and challenges, Stein recounts the events that would ultimately lead to the formation of the State of Israel in May 1948. The study begins with the wave of Russian pogroms that erupted in 1882 and stimulated an interest in Jewish migration to Palestine. Stein proceeds to the experiences of the first batch of settlers as they established farms, fostered the rejuvenation of Hebrew, and coped with the local Arab population. He examines how Theodore Herzl's worldwide modern Zionist movement gathered momentum and led to a further increase in Jewish settlement in Palestine. This book covers key events such as the pioneering efforts to establish collective farms, the inauguration of Jewish defense organizations, the Balfour Declaration, and the formation of the British Mandate. Stein focuses on the gradual but persistent consolidation of the Jewish community as a self-contained body, looking closely at important institutions such as the Trade Union Federation, as well as the development of political parties. Later chapters chronicle the growing strife with the Arab population and the disintegration of the British Mandate, which would eventually culminate in the declaration of a Jewish state.

A bold and humorous picaresque featuring an adolescent misfit and the oddball characters she seeks to befriend after losing her best buddy to a distant suburb. Hipster wannabes, cheesy New Agers, and co-dependent 13-year-old girls are meticulously illustrated with cut paper and ink, making this Xeric-winning graphic novella a fun and unique read.

On May 14, 1948 the State of Israel was declared, announced by David Ben-Gurion at a small gathering that assembled in the main hall of the Tel Aviv Art Museum. Within a time frame of only nineteen years, culminating in the Six-Day War, Israel fought three separate wars. But within its first four years, thanks to mass immigration, its population doubled. Furthermore, Israel had been confronted with acute economic difficulties, intra Jewish ethnic tensions, a problematic Arab minority and a secular-religious divide. Apart from defence issues, Israel faced a generally hostile or, at best, indifferent international community rendering it hard pressed in securing great power patronage or even official sympathy and understanding. Based on a wide range of sources, both in Hebrew and English, this book contains a judicious synthesis of the received literature to yield the general reader and student alike a reliable, balanced, and novel account of Israel?s fateful and turbulent infancy.

Many people have visions of what they want their lives to be. Big goals, lofty dreams, or aspirations that move them forward. But do they leave them at dream level or do things daily that ACTUALLY bring them into reality? In penny speak, do they turn their “$20-bill visions” into penny-sized pieces of action that will help them achieve their goals bit by bit? Life enthusiast Leslie Stein uncovers insights on discovering our hidden “$20-bill visions” by paying attention to the tiny, small, & previously unnoticed moments (the metaphorical pennies of our lives). Each chapter uncovers a new perspective about why little things matter...perhaps more than the big ones. Penny Perspectives takes you on a journey of discovery to find life lessons in the ordinary using the most unlikely of teachers...abandoned coins. Step over them & keep living as you always have. Start picking them up and see that everything you truly want has been right beneath your feet all along. In this book, Leslie Stein combines the humor, inspiration, & intelligence that helped her turn a curiosity for picking up pennies into a movement that collected thousands of dollars for do-gooders & charities working to create change in their local communities. It is a book that will have you asking, “Am I choosing perspectives that will help me live the life I want?” “Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, we do in life comes down to a choice of perspective.” --Leslie Stein

In 1951, Carl Jung published what he considered the highest synthesis and exposition of the transformation of Self and the discovery of the divine in one of his latest and most difficult works, Aion. The equation’s complexity and uncharacteristic elements of mysticism have caused it to fall by the wayside in traditional Jungian and psychological analysis. No major work has tackled this fascinating concept until now. Leslie Stein, a disciple of noted Jungian analyst Rix Weaver, here explores this groundbreaking equation to its fullest capacity. Tracing the roots of Jung’s research back to his influences in the world of the Kabbalah and Sufi mysticism, and grounding the more esoteric philosophy toward the modern sense of identity, Stein has produced both a rigorous work of scholarship on a major figure and a guide that challenges readers to reflect on our own truths.

Completing his acclaimed trilogy on the history of Israel, Leslie Stein brings readers right up to contemporary events in Israel Since the Six-Day War. Stein vividly chronicles Israel's wars and military engagements, but he also incorporates fascinating assessments of many other issues, including Israel’s economic development, the nature of the PLO and Palestinian Authority, and Israeli settlements in the West Bank and Gaza. Furthermore, Stein explores broader social issues, such as extremist Jewish movements and the varying fortunes of migrants from Russia and Ethiopia, to convey clearly a sense of the diversity and complexity of modern Israel. Wide-ranging and judicious, Stein's cogent and compellingly readable account of Israel’s recent past will engage students and general readers alike.

Beginning at the stroke of midnight on January 1, 2014, and ending on January 1, 2015, Leslie Stein began drawing one comics page per night. Made possible by serendipitous bouts of insomnia, Stein has combined words and images in a series of comic strips, paintings, and collages that reflect her life. Bright-Eyed at Midnight collects the best of the 365 pages she’ll do in 2014: by turns funny, unsettling, charming, improvisational, honest, and evocative, Stein explores her 1980s childhood, dreams, her bar patrons, Jim Hendrix, travel, artist’s block, drinking, recording, rock shows, her siblings, amusement parks, moments of introspection, and loneliness in the most exciting city in the America.

A lyrical exploration of the city and memory, as drawn by a Vice cartoonist Leslie Stein takes us on a sinuous urban stroll divorced from destination, glimpsing New York City through her open eyes. While she is closing up a bar late at night, she is also an adolescent at a rave in the mountains, an adult grappling with her grandfather’s fading memory or at one of her first waitressing jobs. Stein is a master storyteller, an urban explorer, and a loyal guide through dark days and simple, blissful encounters. Stein’s curiosity about and generosity toward the world around her come through powerfully: each colorful story flows with vivid watercolors and delicate ink lines. Here, an autobiography is built through memories and moments tied together by loose lines, evoking a beautiful dreamlike yet endlessly relatable glimpse into the world of a thirty-something woman carving out a life for herself, one step at a time. Known for her acclaimed Eye of the Majestic Creature series, collected here are Stein’s serialized Vice.com comics which have become a staple for the site, showcasing her storytelling abilities with a freer style. With an introduction and new material, Present will be a deluxe die-cut hardcover that is a meditation on memory. Stein asks us to take a moment to be here now, while acknowledging the other places and people we always carry with us.

A mystical experience, no matter what else, is a subjective occurrence in the psyche. However, when it appears in the psychoanalytic consulting room, its origin, content, and meaning are unknowable. Yet it is there in the room, and it must be addressed. It is not a minor illusion but rather one that requires attention as its occurrence may lead to a profound alteration of consciousness and, as Carl Jung suggests, a cure for neurosis. Leslie Stein interviewed twenty-nine mystics in order to understand the origin, progression, phasing, emotions, and individual variations of a mystical experience in order to make sense of how it should be addressed, the appropriate analytic attitude in the face of a mystery, the way to work with its content, and its psychological meaning. In doing so, he uncovered that there may be specific development markers that create a proclivity to be receptive to such an experience that has clinical significance for psychoanalysis.

A candid and philosophical memoir tackling abortion and the complex decision to reproduce I Know You Rider is Leslie Stein’s rumination on the many complex questions surrounding the decision to reproduce. Opening in an abortion clinic, the book accompanies Stein through a year of her life, steeped in emotions she was not quite expecting while also looking far beyond her own experiences. She visits with a childhood friend who’s just had twins and is trying to raise them as environmentally as possible, chats with another who’s had a vasectomy to spare his wife a lifetime of birth control, and spends Christmas with her own mother, who aches for a grandchild. Through these melodically rendered conversations with loved ones and strangers, Stein weaves one continuing conversation with herself. She presents a sometimes sweet, sometimes funny, and always powerfully empathetic account, asking what makes a life meaningful and where we find joy, amid other questions―most of which have no solid answers, much like real life. Instead of focusing on trauma, I Know You Rider is a story about unpredictability, change, and adaptability, adding a much-needed new perspective to a topic often avoided or discussed through a black-and-white lens. People are ever changing, contradicting themselves, and having to deal with unforeseen circumstances: Stein holds this human condition with grace and humor, as she embraces the cosmic choreography and keeps walking, open to what life blows her way.