Where authors come from
When you read a book (assuming you do read books), do you ever stop to wonder more about the author?
This is something I have become increasingly interested in. Maybe it is because I have been reading a lot of books lately, and I’ve noticed a few things. Like when there are perspectives shared in one which is shared slightly differently in another book, or where one author could clearly have benefitted from reading another author’s work. Or when the writing style or choice of words clearly reflect a perspective different from mine.
If I stop and think about it, authors write books because they have something of value to share with others. In fact, some are quite passionate about it. Maybe they have learned or developed something new. Maybe they have uncovered patterns and connections in a different way. Maybe they have a message to deliver on behalf of others. They are somewhat unique in their ability to put words and thoughts together on many pages – not everyone has that kind of patience and dedication.
Regardless of the reason, I realized how much I wanted to be aware of the author and their perspective. Who are they? Where do they come from, both physically, psychologically, or culturally? How do they see the world and what does that mean for me?
Let me give you four examples.
(1) I have previously mentioned Golf Beneath the Surface by Raymond Prior. Prior is a performance psychologist – and is male. His book is like taking a Psychology 201 course sprinkled with mindfulness. I had a brief virtual conversation with him and soon uncovered why I felt the edges of his words were a little harder than I prefer. It also gave me insight into the black and white approach he used (it was the same way he answered my questions) – which I loved and needed at that time. His book was instrumental in helping me reframe my anxiety, and in proposing a somewhat different approach to breaking bad habits to earlier learnings from James Clear’s Atomic Habits as well as the RAIN approach shared by Tara Brach. His perspectives on the brain and the mind were incredibly helpful for furthering my own knowledge.
(2) Then I read Get the Life You Love, Now (cheesiest title ever, I know!) and speedread An Introduction to the Lightning Process, both by Phil Parker. Parker is an osteopath by training who is now an internationally renowned lecturer, therapist, and innovator in the field of personal development. Another man who shared similar concepts as Prior, and added movement (not unexpected for an osteopath who has better understanding of how the body moves) to his process and encouraged mindfulness without actually calling it that. Another book which was pivotal in changing my life direction. I took that knowledge and began applying his proposed actions. But something didn’t feel right – again, the edges felt too hard for me. One discussion with one of his coaches (Amanda Ashley) and I began to see how I could adapt what he had proposed to what works better for me right now.
(3) Speaking of other male authors, Peter Attia wowed the world with his book Outlive. Attia is medically trained in the western world, and his big push is to move his peers and patients from reactionary/diagnosis to prevention within the current medical system. He called his new world “Medicine 3.0”. That is worth its weight in gold – I have been struck by how our entire health system and benefits do not support our efforts to be proactive. But I didn’t just stop there – I considered what worked for me and what was missing, such as:
There was a lot of focus on longevity, without a lot of focus on quality. There was one line in the book on p. 383 that stood out to me starkly: “The words of my therapist, Esther Perel, rang in my head practically every day: “Why would you want to live longer if you’re so unhappy?” I think he needed a new therapist with that kind of encouragement! I almost missed the small print on the cover: Rethinking Medicine to Live Better Longer. I can get on board with that!
I noticed a complete lack of understanding about the female body apart from pp. 188-189 and an odd statement about being female as a risk factor. What does this absence mean? It might mean he just doesn’t know. Or, he might be like many researchers and medical professionals who believe women are just small men (which Stacy Sims, as one example, clearly disagrees with!)
I also noticed there was a complete lack of discussion around the importance of recovery in Attia’s book – something which is key for our overall well-being. Yes, he had a chapter on sleep which is important. But the push for more exercise without recovery is dangerous in my books.
Then I wondered if Attia had ever read The Mindful Body or spoken with Ellen Langer about the mind-body connection (a female author and professor of psychology). Attia begins to show further development when he talks about emotional health (which includes mental illness) in his last chapter, which was a helpful distinction for me. It was interesting reading about what worked for him which was new for me. I am still curious why mental health or emotional health is always a separate chapter – as if that is somehow separate from our physical health.
I also found myself bristling at all of the tests he wants us to take regularly. That places the focus on what could go wrong which is exactly what our lizard brains are hardwired to do. I am learning to focus on what I want and what quality looks like. I don’t want my brain to get stuck on fear again.
(4) Then there is The Bible, the best selling book of all times (according to the Guinness Book of World Records) which is actually an anthology containing multiple texts providing stories, instructions and poetry. Also written by various male authors with some texts reportedly written as early as 1200 BCE and others added during the first AD centuries. As I learn more about the political and religious landscape and practices of those time periods (like how the Romans adopted the religion and its gods of their latest acquisitions, and how there was no separation of church and state), the instructions reflect the culture at that time and not my own.
For example, I’ll never forget one of my professors at Aldersgate Bible College encouraging me to take the Bible with a grain of salt – because no one cares about the size of a donkey’s gonads or a horse’s emissions (see Ezekiel 23:20 for yourself). On a more serious note, women have greater standing today, and are partners in relationships (and not just an “obedient, loving, humble” wife as Marcus Aurelius was grateful for 2000 years ago) — at least where I live. Slaves are no longer acceptable nor the norm where I live — employers now pay their “slaves”. The writings also don’t reflect the existence of gender and sexual diversity – which doesn’t mean it didn’t exist. Such diversity existed around the globe well before the written texts of the Bible. You can read more about that here: https://canadianequality.ca/weve-always-been-here-queer-nature-ecology-and-humanity-anthropology/.
Yet, the book clearly has meaning on a personal level for many people and on other levels for many various religions and those in power. I like this overview from John Riches, professor of divinity and biblical criticism at the University of Glasgow, on the diverse historical influences of the Bible.
“It has inspired some of the great monuments of human thought, literature, and art; it has equally fuelled some of the worst excesses of human savagery, self-interest, and narrow-mindedness. It has inspired men and women to acts of great service and courage, to fight for liberation and human development; and it has provided the ideological fuel for societies which have enslaved their fellow human beings and reduced them to abject poverty. ... It has, perhaps above all, provided a source of religious and moral norms which have enabled communities to hold together, to care for, and to protect one another; yet precisely this strong sense of belonging has in turn fuelled ethnic, racial, and international tension and conflict. It has, that is to say, been the source of great truth, goodness, and beauty at the same time as it has inspired lies, wickedness, and ugliness.”[223]
What does all of this tell me?
First of all, it is critically important to consider the perspective of any author I read and to understand where they are coming from.
Secondly, I need to choose what is meaningful to me within that perspective, and not just accept it blindly. I can learn from anyone, even if they are men (ha! ha!).
Thirdly, I need to be intentional about declaring my own perspectives when I am writing, and to be open about where I am coming from. That is a good reminder for me to review my About web page!
What does that mean for you?
Resources
Attia, Peter. 2023. Outlive: The Science & Art of Longevity. New York: Harmony.
Aurelius, Marcus. 2002. Meditations. New York: Random House.
Clear, James. 2018. Atomic Habits: an easy & proven way to build good habits & break bad ones. New York, NY: Avery, an imprint of Penguin Random House.
Creating Christ (Official Documentary). 2023. YouTube. https://creatingchristdoc.com/ (We recently watched this fascinating documentary which talked about the political and religious landscape during the inception of Christianity.)
Langer, Ellen. 2024. The Mindful Body: Thinking Our Way to Chronic Health. New York: Ballantine Group.
Parker, Phil. 2013. Get the Life You Love, Now. London, UK: Hay House.
Prior, Raymond. 2023. Golf Beneath the Surface. Dallas, Texas: BenBella Books.
Riches, John. 2000. The Bible: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford Paperbacks. (I haven’t read this book yet – the quote above was included on Wikipedia… probably by Riches himself or some loyal supporter.)
Sims, Stacy. 2022. Next level: your guide to kicking ass, feeling great, and crushing goals through menopause and beyond. New York:Rodale. (As a female, Sims is an exercise physiologist and nutrition scientist who aims to revolutionize exercise nutrition and performance, especially for women. She would know more about women than Attia).
Image by Tammy Brimner
