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Civilization as seen through a dog’s eyes.
A wonderful review in World Literature Today Magazine
Old Dog FAQs (6 min. video) : A Brief Author Interview
“Seely gives us a marvelous blend of the personal and the analytical. He comprehensively dissects the malady we call civilization with passion and depth. Highly recommended. Go wildness!” ~John Zerzan, A People’s History of Civilization
“Seely challenges the culturally-approved story that civilization is an inexorable march of progress, suggesting that in our quest to dominate the world, we have degraded and dehumanized ourselves and lost the ability to live authentically in the moment; in our attempt to enslave the planet, we have ended up enslaving ourselves to the infernal “machine” that we have created. But there is hope. Seely quotes a Turkish proverb: ‘No matter how far you have traveled down the wrong path, go back.’ The task is twofold, he says: we need to disconnect from the artificial world of our own creation and reconnect with the authentic community of life of which we have never ceased to be a part. Civilization Heresies is an engaging mix of personal anecdote, eloquent nature writing and philosophical reflection.” ~ Richard Schiffman, What the Dust Doesn’t Know
“These provocative essays are a cold splash of water in the face to wake us up from our sleepwalking and show us how we’ve allowed our true, wild selves to be subverted by the unnatural system we’ve created, and Seely is a thoughtful, worthy guide. ~Daniel Hudon, Brief Eulogies for Lost Animals
“What do an ailing human body and our planet have in common? Plenty. Mark Seely deftly explores the connections in Stones, combining a psychologist’s insight into human behavior, a teacher’s skill for making complex information understandable, and a poet’s gift for beautiful syntax. Equal parts memoir, history, and cultural philosophy, Stones examines what it means to be human in today’s world, from planetary crisis to personal mortality. You may not agree with all of his conclusions, but Seely will definitely make you think.” ~ John Sheirer, author of Make Common Sense Common Again and Loop Year: 365 Days on the Trail
“You will find it hard to put down this remarkably engaging and thought-provoking book, and will never look at cancer, civilization, and the human condition in the same way. Mark Seely’s writing grabs you from the first sentence and gently leads you, step by step, to a fuller but alarming understanding of who you are—maybe it is time to blow up the computer and move to the woods.” ~ Dr. Donald Johanson, Lucy: The Beginnings of Humankind
“With Stones, Mark Seely invites us to take a journey around the world, back through history and into his own body. The very real problem of civilization, as an opiate for the masses, far greater than anything mere television could conjure up, is writ large in this fascinating tale of survival, whatever the challenges.” ~ Keith Farnish, Times up!: An Uncivilized Solution to a Global Crisis
Contact: mail@markseelybooks.com
