FINALIST: NEXT GENERATION INDIE EXCELLENCE BOOK AWARDS 2013
Truth does not require your belief in order to exist.
Hawaiian proverb
Stillpoint is an emotional and intellectual adventure, that keeps one reading into the wee hours. The reader is immediately drawn into the story and thus begins an unforgettable ride into other worlds, other possibilities.
Stillpoint will make you think, make you examine what lies at the root of your beliefs. Some books shift the way we see the world, even ourselves. This is one of them!
Mallard asks: Why are the Palestinians and Israelis still fighting after almost seventy years, what can we do about it, you and me?
He suggests we become aware of the facts hidden behind the beliefs and ideology. You’ll not finish this novel in the same place you started. To see with someone else’s eyes brings understanding and understanding itself opens the door to peace.
It would be misleading to leave the impression this book is solely about the Middle East. Although a great deal of the story takes place there, it is in fact, a deep exploration of justice and injustice in the perpetuation of conflict. It is about war and peace, poverty and wealth, leadership and service, and what lies behind the fiery violence of religious fundamentalism.
What is unusual about the book is that Mallard approaches events from the perspective of the practical wisdom and insight inherent in Zen, Taoism and Advaita Vedanta.
In Stillpoint he has fashioned a love story to the great mystery of life, it is definitely a novel worth reading…more than once. A great story with a stunning conclusion.
PUBLISHED BY: PROMONTORY PRESS, VICTORIA, BC, CANADA WWW.PROMONTORYPRESS.COM
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Stillpoint Reviews
“…an amazing story…which could only have been crafted by a very gifted wordsmith…I want to see it on the required reading lists of political students all over the world.”
Michelle Cohen Corasanti author of “The Almond Tree,” Utica, New York, USA.
“I have read Stillpoint twice. Never before have I read something so emotionally enthralling about the present “Palestinian/Israeli” situation. It is to the point. It is poetic. It is honest. It is hopeful. It is, what I am dreaming everyday as a resolution to this most complex situation, one that concerns each one of us as human beings, no matter where we live.”
Rock Demers, Productions La Fete, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
“Stillpoint turns the political world of US and Middle East relationships upside down… Utterly astounded by the logic of it all. Fascinating, riveting and enlightening….a must read! Highly recommended.”
Steve Flawith
Courtenay, BC
“In his new novel Stillpoint, Colin Mallard offers a lucid, compelling vision of what it means to bring truth and wisdom to the political arena. The story dramatized on a contemporary stage allows us to witness timeless teachings such as those of Lao Tzu applied to the challenges of great power. Stillpoint is a gripping, thoughtful odyssey spanning two continents and 70 years. Experiencing the clash of peoples and ideologies in the world as it is, the reader is still inspired to a more hopeful understanding of [our]common humanity.
[Stillpoint] brings refreshing candor and philosophic transparency to matters of state, tackling even that most difficult of issues, Middle East politics. The reader is granted a vivid journey through the postwar history of the region, following memorable characters …. by which to understand the passions and painful realities on both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The storylines converge when American and Israeli policies collide in the ancient battleground of Palestine. This work of fiction draws from historical events to paint an alternate future… using alternative solutions to violence…. where another possibility might emerge…”
Nowick Gray
Victoira, BC
I finished reading Stillpoint, a couple of weeks ago and was deeply moved by it. So emotionally moved that every time the news reported on Israel and Palestine it would bring me to tears. My perspective has changed and I now feel as though I can see both sides, not just what we are programed to see, as Israel being the “good guys. I watched a movie a while back about a young Palestinian couple and I was confused, but now I think I understand at least somewhat.
Thank you! I am going to read it again.
Cindy Mawle
Quallicum, BC
SOME AMAZON REVIEWS
Stillpoint is a daring, controversial examination of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that shows the struggles of ordinary men and women on both sides, spanning the period from 1947 to the modern day and showing how lives are affected from Boston to Beirut, from Haifa to Rockport. Do we learn from history? It would appear that we don’t. What we learn we can easily forget, but understanding is of a different order, it cannot be forgotten. The poet T.S. Elliot describes this place of understanding as “The stillpoint of the turning world,” and this is where the book gets its poignant title.
Social/Historical Context:
Israeli/Palestinian conflict began early part of twentieth century. It has raged on while nobody took a second look. We think we know the underlying truths behind the strife along this strip of middle-eastern land, but Stillpoint could be called an eye-opener. Who are the real sufferers in this conflict? Who is daily being pummeled into the ground by the hands of very powerful opponents? Stillpoint answers these questions and more.
Writing Style:
The author did a thorough research on the subject. His description of the environment and the plight of the oppressed are very vivid ones and he unapologetically delves into the cause of their plight. This book is one of blameless blame. It expunges the idea we all harbor concerning this conflict and implants new ones in their stead. Mallard tells his story as well with the help of clippings from newspapers and narrations from third parties. The result is an explosive reminder of the thin line between good and evil.
My Thoughts:
Why is this conflict still on? With common sense, we could have moved on a long time ago. Stillpoint is a recommended read.
George Shadow, the author of THE BLACK BOOK.
As a busy-busy, hard working American, stuck in living paycheck to paycheck, worried about taxes and feeding everyone in the house, I believe this is a book that we should all read. We don’t really seem to have time to worry about anything but our own lives, but once you start “Stillpoint” you may be as amazed as I to learn that such bully tactics are being used as geopolitical means of `deleting’ what doesn’t work for some countries. In this case, the every day Palestinian. For years they’ve been trying to survive after someone came along with a better/heart breaking, sob story and a pressing need for a place to belong. But what happens if you believe you belong where someone is already living and thriving? Well, it appears that one very great country that we so heartily back year after year as a poor, abused, outnumbered and beset at all turns by people that just don’t like them – well, that’s not the whole story. We forget that to build a nation for one people; can often be stealing land from another. Homes, heritage, sanitation, freedom, right to religion and education, right to raise a family in peace… why it all sounds a bit too `Columbus’ to me now.
This story doesn’t beat you over the head with what Mallard considers right and wrong. He just tells you the other side of what we think we know so well. He points out the pain, suffering and in some instances, acceptance of being put upon and just trying to survive with all your family intact. Terrorists can be freedom fighters, but when you remove all their free speech and hide them away from the world, getting a bit radical may be the only way to be remembered. We need to pay attention now. We need to get our noses out of our whazzoos and start hearing the cries. We need to help because everyone deserves a chance to enjoy liberty and some sense of security.
As someone who has always had a hard time understanding the Palestinian/Israeli conflict, I was curious to read “Stillpoint”. From reading the back cover, it seemed that this book would provide me with a perspective that I hadn’t seen prior to reading the book, and I was most definitely correct.
This story is incredibly well researched, well executed, and the reader gains an in-depth understanding of a most complex situation almost without even realizing it. The characters and story lines come together in such a way that the reader feels as if they’re experiencing these events right alongside the characters in the book. It’s non-fiction wrapped up in a tremendous, epic story. Colin Mallard’s commentary on religion, war, power, and politics gets to the heart of human nature and demonstrates that nothing is what it seems.
I picked up this book not really knowing much about the conflict between the Jews and the Palestinians and what was really going on in Israel. It surprised me by how easy it was to get sucked into the story and how as a reader I understood what was going on very quickly. The book is comprised of chapters with short stories that seem like they have nothing to do with one another. Though as you read more you notice how interconnected everyone really is. I really enjoyed that aspect of the book. It was a nice twist and made me want to get to the end to see the circle come full around…
Stillpoint is eye-opening, mind-opening, and heart-opening. You get a clear and personal look into the conflicts between Israelis, Palestinians and the US that have lasted over seventy years. It’s a hard story to read because its hard to imagine that there will ever be an end to the violence, violence definitely begets violence, but because Mallard creates a US President that is a student of Taoism you get to see that there is hope. If we all opened our minds and hearts so that we could understand the plights of others and what brings people to extreme acts of violence, our world would be able to move away from violence toward peace. Mallard’s story is an enthralling read; it is written wonderfully and flows easily from character to character and nation to nation. I wish every world leader would read this book, because it contains great lessons on how to be an effective leader that doesn’t have to resort to lies or violence. Everyone else can learn from this book as well, because we’re all human and we should all remember that.
Colin Mallard writes from a different perspective, from a Taoist. You’ll be shown the truth behind the Arab and Israeli conflict. This book takes place in the United States and in the Middle East. There are characters from many different generations including the most current situation with September eleventh. Each character has an important role with an important voice.
While among the chaos of Palestine and Israel, you can still find a positive message with meaning behind every word. If your thinking that Mallard is going to try to convince you of his opinions on war and religion, you’d be wrong. He simply introduces you to the other side of situations and hope that you can put yourself in someone else’s shoes. In comparison most of our lives are much simpler.
Do you know all that is going on between Palestine and Israel? What about what’s going on in your own county? If you’re like me and want your questions answered, pick this book up and take a walk through someone else’s neighborhood…
Elizabeth Barbarick (Stuffed Shelves) “Stuffe… (North Carolina)
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