The Podcasts | Book Spectrum

Fiction, Science Fiction, Thriller October 5, 2022October 6, 2022

S3 E09- The Devil’s Calling: Will Over-Reliance on Tech and AI Wilt Our Humanity?

Imagine a world where technology allows for direct interface between the human brain and quantum computers, exponentially increasing the creative abilities of humanity and holding the potential to make war, hunger, poverty, pandemics and other human suffering obsolete. When human capability is enhanced by that much, how does ego resist the temptation toward power and control? What would happen if an ultimate technological power gets into the wrong hands – those who further seek to link minds directly through this quantum computer into an augmented hive-mind?

A sequel to his first offering, The Lost Theory, Michael Kelley takes the reader to the characters’ lives nine years later in the thrilling sci-fi adventure, The Devil’s Calling.

Kelley mixes mystery, science-fiction, philosophy, spirituality and action in this globe-spanning thriller of a novel. As in the previous book, the story centers around Sean McQueen and Emily Edens, the latter nominated for a Nobel Prize in Physics, finding themselves thrust into the position of having to save the world with the help of friends and an AI the two befriended.

On the surface, Kelley takes the reader around the planet for an intriguing high-tech experience while at the same time leading a similar tour of McQueen’s mind, inner conflict and feelings for Emily.

For those in our listening audience who enjoy the proverbial “Easter Eggs” within books and other creations, Kelley offers nods to some of the great classic rock artists sprinkled throughout the book.

Michael Kelley fell in love with literature and creative writing while at the University of Pennsylvania. He put this passion to the side during a lengthy career on Wall Street, where he worked as a lawyer, built an international business, and founded his own investment management firm. After leaving the financial world, he engaged in studies of quantum physics, Eastern mysticism, and philosophy. From these studies, he developed a “Theory of Everything” which became the basis of his novels.

After years of life in New York City, Michael now lives in the peaceful woods of Dutchess County with his wife and daughter. There, he enjoys meditation, yoga, wine, reading, and hiking, all of which inspire his writing.

Current Events, History, Non-Fiction, politics September 17, 2022January 13, 2023

S3 E08- Dan Shyti Breaks Down the Systematic Gaslighting of Many Americans in His Latest Book

In his timely new book, American Gaslighting: How America is Being Systematically Taught to Hate Itself, author Daniel A. Shyti provides an in-depth analysis of human psychology and historical precedent demonstrating how Americans are being manipulated into hating their own country to serve the ends of political extremists who have propagandized entertainment, education and several other aspects of the culture. Dan breaks this down and discusses how he did his research on this episode of Book Spectrum.

Shyti minces no words about this manipulation, stating, “We need to blow the lid off woke ideology and expose it for what it really is – Marxism in disguise. The goal is to systematically deceive Americans into hating their own country. Its central tactic is pervasive gaslighting, a psychological ploy designed to make people doubt the reality that is right under their noses. “

“There wasn’t one specific event that triggered me to write this book,” says Shyti. “Rather, it was a build-up over time as I observed the egregious assaults on the American identity and the blatant self-hatred that the left is determined to create. As I heard the lies coming from the left, I noticed that they grew more and more outrageous, and it became obvious to me that the left was engaged in creating an alternate reality – persistent gaslighting intended to induce Americans to hate their own country.”

Daniel A. Shyti is a professional speaker, leadership expert, speech coach, political commentator, author, and patriot. After graduating with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the Pratt Institute and serving in the Army for four years, Dan made the transition to private industry. There he dedicated himself to being a good leader and eventually became the Vice President of a Fortune 100 technology company, until he left to start his own leadership training company.

Dan founded 4 Power Leadership, with the goal of creating personal transformation through teaching the art of leadership. Dan is the author of 4 Power Leadership: Your Pathway to Leadership Success and Ten Timeless Rules for Life: Things Every Young Person Should Know for a Perfect Launch. His third book, American Gaslighting: How America is Being Systemically Taught to Hate Itself, examines political ideology in a combined context context of human nature, logical thought, and historical perspective to expose and counter Marxism cloaked as “woke ideology.” Shyti passionately believes that identity politics is destroying America and that Americans need to unite under the one identity that matters – the American Identity – and commit to the Constitution as our unifying framework. Daniel and his wife live in Sterling, VA.

Inspirational, Lifestyle, Non-Fiction August 19, 2022August 19, 2022

S3 E07- Mia’s Odyssey: After an Abusive Marriage, Mia Odeh Takes Back Her Soul

Mia Odeh was Imprisoned in an abusive marriage, but how can a woman whose culture emphasizes female submission escape the clutches of her husband? Mia Odeh shares her journey and how she finally re-took control of her live in the revealing new memoir, Mia’s Odyssey: Taking Back My Soul.
In the book, Mia revisits her life story, beginning in Palestine at age sixteen, where she was forced into an arranged marriage. After being brought to the United States, Mia realizes that her marriage is not only unwanted, it is unsafe, as she experiences routine sexual and physical assault. Mia’s Odyssey shines an unflinching light on the horrors of domestic abuse and reveals how a survivor with enough determination can find the resources to forge a path to freedom.

“Sometimes you have to get a little distance from something before you can really see it,” Mia says. “From the time I was sixteen years my husband surrounded me like a putrid fog, permeating every minute of every day and completely blocking the sun from entering my life. When my husband left us behind in Arizona and moved to Michigan for work I began to see him as he really was, nothing more than a small, evil, isolated creature. I made it my goal to keep my children pure, to keep them from ever becoming like their father.”

Adventure, Fiction, Science Fiction July 1, 2022July 1, 2022

S3 E06- Fionne Foxxe Farraday’s Sci-Fi Adventure: KAIRN, Mates of the Alliance

Fionne Foxxe Farraday talks with Chris Cordani on Book Spectrum about her first novel: KAIRN, Mates of the Alliance.
It is what she calls a a sci-fi adventure romance which combines an alien invasion, a rescue effort an inter-species love story and a thrilling adventure.

Farraday’s story brings us sometime in the near future, Earth is reeling from its first contact with a predatory alien species, the Ichori. Daria, a human ICU doctor, struggles with loneliness and wishes for a partner to share her life, but puts her own desires aside to tend to the wounded. On the heels of the invasion, things look dire until another species of aliens – the Luperans – show up to help repair and rebuild. Members of the Galactic Alliance, the stunningly handsome and muscular Luperans and their captain, Kairn, establish an alliance with Earth and utilize their advanced technology to begin repairing the ravages of the Ichori. Kairn and Daria, members of two different species, each with hopes, dreams, and visions of a one of a kind relationship, meet and are instantly drawn to each other.

The book shows parallels between the plot’s events and today’s world turmoil while exposing the flaws in pre-perceptions of others, whether they be ally or enemy though the eyes of complex characters and perhaps will raise questions as to whether world technological leaders should or should not step up efforts to try and communicate with other life forms throughout the universe. Will we attract friendly aliens or perhaps a predatory society much like the Ichori?

Business, Inspirational, Lifestyle, Non-Fiction, Success May 25, 2022May 25, 2022

S3 E05- Bew White Reveals His New Outlook on Life After Recovering From a Near-Fatal Disease

What does it mean to live a truly substantial life?
How does a visionary entrepreneur repeatedly overcome risk and rejection?
Is there more to a life well lived than the sum of a person’s successes and failures?
A Summer Classic: The Bew White Story explores these questions and more through the life and eyes of William Bew White III, the founder of Summer Classics, a manufacturer of luxury outdoor furniture.

“When you start a small business and grow it, you go through a lot of trials and tribulations,” observes Bew. “This really is sort of a modern re-telling of the Jimmy Stewart It’s a Wonderful Life movie.”

The biography, written by Christopher Taunton, delivers a detailed chronicle of Bew’s childhood, college years, early professional life, the successes and failures that got him to where he is today and how he overcame a health condition which nearly killed him as he makes the most of his life on Earth.

The high costs and sacrifices behind this success make A Summer Classic compelling and instructive, a gripping illustration of the saying, “One step forward, two steps back.” Bew’s career was beset with “hurdles, challenges, sleepless nights, poor health, things that didn’t work, (facing) the recession” and the twists and turns of a life spent doing business with a host of people. Trustworthy business partners were hard to find, and those who did not share Bew’s commitment to faith, character caused big problems along the way. At each obstacle, his creative thinking, foresight, and leadership helped the company to move forward with its vision that people might look at Summer Classics furniture and see “beautifully furnished spaces where they might share memorable moments with their friends, family, and loved ones.”

Bew White III is the Chairman of the Board of Gabriella White and its brands, Summer Classics, Gabby, and Wendy Jane. He graduated from Auburn University in 1972 with a degree in textile engineering. The phrase “outdoor living” had hardly been coined, as outdoor furniture was simply known as a table and chairs you would find on a basic patio deck
At just 28 years old, Mr. White left his job at his family-owned business, Avondale Mills, and started a sales representative company in 1978 called Vista Corporation, specializing in selling outdoor furniture. In 1987, Bew started multiple companies in an effort to expand from selling on the road to building a national brand. One of those companies was Summer Classics, which was created around Bew’s thought of designing and manufacturing products that he would want for his own backyard. With a business model based on creating products that were consumer driven, would stand the test of time, and would not go out of style, Summer Classics officially took off in 1987.
Born in 1950 in Birmingham, Alabama to William Bew White II and Gabriella Corner White, Bew is the great-grandson of Braxton Bragg Corner, governor and then senator for Alabama, as well as the founder of the Alabama-based Fortune 500 textile company Avondale Mills.

Business, Non-Fiction, Success March 29, 2022March 30, 2022 business, business book, CEO, contract negotiation, hiring, Jotham Stein, Nefotiate Like a CEO, non-compete, salary negotiation, work

S3 E04- Jotham Stein’s Unique Guide to Negotiating Like a CEO

What does it mean to negotiate like a CEO? How important are employment agreements? How can you learn to protect yourself and your family if the worst does happen? These are all questions Jotham Stein addresses in his book Negotiate Like a CEO, with the goal of equipping employees, executives and entreprenerus with the tools they need to safeguard themselves.

A lively, engaging read, Negotiate Like a CEO outlines how employees, executives, and entrepreneurs have protected themselves in the past, and gives readers eye-opening advice on how to make sure they won’t get taken advantage of. The book describes best practices, common pitfalls, and sky’s-the-limit possibilities at any career stage, whether you’re just out of college or you’re gunning for that C-suite job.

Current Events, History, Non-Fiction, politics March 1, 2022March 1, 2022 Putin, Putin's Playbook, Russia, Russia Ukraine War, RussianInvasion, Ujkraine, USSR

S3 E03 – A Deep Dive into Putin’s Playbook with former DIA Agent Rebekah Koffler

As the Russian invasion of Ukraine commences and captures worldwide headlines, what people might not know is this is only a small portion of Vladimir Putin’s long game. What does he have planned next? What is the bigger picture? How does he plan to go about his ambitious goals?
With me on Book Spectrum for this episode is Rebekah Koffler, a Soviet-born former US intelligence officer with the DIA and author of the book, “Putin’s Playbook: Russia’s Secret Plan to Defeat America”
As we are seeing some of the Russian President’s games play out these days, Koffler says this has been in the works for a while. In Putin’s Playbook, Koffler goes in-depth on how Putin rose to power from behind the scenes to pushing himself onto the world stage. She also delves into:
Why Putin wants to rebuild the old USSR under his rule
How Putin wants to cement his legacy
Why Putin sees himself as the “Good Guy” amid the controversies with some of the former Soviet Republics
Putin’s disdain for NATO before and after publicly declaring the western treaty group as a threat to Russia’s existence.
When why and how Putin picks and chooses the times and circumstances involved with executing his plans
Are the US and the rest of the NATO nations strong enough to go against Putin in a potential world war or are they too weakened by internal wokeness policies to respond to the Russian threat?

Koffler’s goes inside the mind of the Russian oligarch in Putin’s Playbook.

Health, Healthy Living, Lifestyle, Mental Health, Non-Fiction February 18, 2022February 18, 2022

S3 E02 – Men's Health and the 21st Century Man with Dr Judson Brandeis

We are in an era of increased health-minded awareness and a plethora of books as well as PSAs and news pieces dedicated to wellness for women, children and seniors. Sadly, Dr. Judson Brendeis says while increased information is available, younger and middle-aged men still are not fully invested in their own health. Why is that? Dr. Brandeis not only answers this question, but provides the definitive guide to men’s health titled The 21st Century Man.
Dr. Brandeis takes a unique approach to this essential tome as he not only provides what one might use as an owner’s manual of one’s body, but styles it as a “hero’s journey” story with the reader as the main character.
In the book, Dr. Brandies encourages men to not ignore taking care of themselves while still focusing on their natural instincts to pay more attention to and protect others, answering such questions as:
What does a successful and healthy life look like?
How can men maximize their health to live their best lives?
In a man’s life, what changes are needed to build a mind and body that will help him develop health, strength, and vigor?

Dr. Judson Brandeis, in his straightforward and compelling guide to men’s health, The Twenty-First Century Man, addresses these questions and so many more while providing a clear road map for maximizing men’s health.

Dr. Judson Brandeis is an award-winning urologist and sexual medicine expert, clinical researcher, physician educator, and a caring clinician and surgeon. A graduate of Brown University and Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, with Urologic Surgery residency at UCLA and a post-doc fellowship at Harvard, today he specializes in the emerging field of sexual health and medicine.

Over the course of his 25-year career as a board-certified urologist he has performed thousands of surgeries and pioneered surgical robotics. In February of 2019, he opened BrandeisMD, a national leader in technology and sexual medicine innovations for men. BrandeisMD engages in ongoing clinical research to improve wellbeing and provide tools for men to live their best lives.

Current Events, Fiction, Issues, Sports February 3, 2022February 3, 2022 college athletics, College Sports, NCAA, Surviving the Second Teir

S3 E01 – M K Lever Reveals the Dark Side of College Sports in Surviving the Second Tier

We kick off Season 3 of Book Spectrum with a new author, M. K. Lever, whose new book Surviving the Second Tier depicts a dystopian world with an all-powerful NCAA which consolidated every collegiate sport into one super smackdown league. Lever’s knockout debut book weaves major issues and themes throughout a parallel Earth and the main character, “Sis,” to display the real world truths that face athletes in the college athletic world as told by someone with experience inside and a track record of in-depth research into the system.

“I wrote this book to educate readers about the reality of the college sports industry, as someone who has been there before,” Lever says. “Sometimes, facts and statistics don’t stick with people and since we are intrinsically wired to follow narratives, I wanted to tell people a story in hopes that the message would resonate in a unique and powerful way. I wanted to give college sports the 1984 treatment and create a narrative that would be impactful and a little unsettling.”

Lever, a former Division 1 athlete and PhD candidate at UT Austin, combines her personal experiences as a student athlete and the weight of her academic research in areas concerning NCAA rhetoric, discourse, and policy to create her stunning and emotionally driven literary debut. She tells the story through “Sis,” who competes in the only NCAA sport, a no-holds-barred fighting league while dealing with trying to keep winning and maintaining a perfect GPA.

M. K. Lever is a doctoral candidate at the University of Texas, researching NCAA rhetoric and policy, and working as a freelance sportswriter and sports consultant. She graduated from Western Kentucky Univiersity with a B.A. in Communication Studies and an M.A. in Organizational Communication. While at WKU, she was a Division 1 athlete running track and cross country and was a two-time Sun Belt Conference champion in track and field (indoor and outdoor).

Current Events, Education, History, Issues, Non-Fiction, politics November 5, 2021November 5, 2021 academia, antisemitism, Conspiracy theories, conspiracy u, Current Events, Northwestern University, propaganda

S2 E20 – Scott Shay Exposes Anti-Jewish Conspiracy Theories Being Taught at US Universities

While writing a tribute to his father, a survivor of the Holocaust who educated him on the importance of faith and Jewish values, Scott Shay was disturbed and dismayed to discover the presence of extremist anti-Zionist professors (Far Left and Far Right) on the faculty of his alma mater, Northwestern University. As a student of Jewish thought, history, and current events, who has written extensively on contemporary Jewish issues, he was compelled to take a deep dive into the world of anti-Zionist conspiracy theories and academia.

“I learned that Northwestern University, my beloved alma mater and a jewel of American academia, has enabled some of its professors to openly promote conspiracy theories,” says Shay. “Sadly, many academics can no longer even identify conspiracy theories. Professorial proponents insist that far from being conspiracy theorists, they are brave truth tellers.”

Set against the framework of Northwestern University’s motto, Conspiracy U not only illustrates the issues present when serious and trustworthy scholarship is abandoned in favor of theory and ideology, but proposes that the motto itself points toward a better option. Rather than dismissing ideology or giving it undue precedence, Shay suggests that the motto and the Golden Rule together form an unbiased and universally applicable framework which provides the intellectual and moral criteria to distinguish between facts and conspiracy theories, leaving room for diversity while also excluding approaches that devalue our common humanity.