Claudio F. Herrera, an author who has already surprised us through his philosophical novel “The Site", through "Singular Quotes For My Children - Frases Sueltas Para Mis Hijos" (a bilingual book English-Spanish) and "Versos Simples" invites us to continue along an inner path in which the sentence is to become a new source of motivational power; showing that a phrase is not just a group of words in search of meaning; it is much more than that; it is the synthesis of a way of looking at life and the world. They are abstract sentences that emerge from the human soul. Like a wave moving back and forth, The Site is a philosophical novel which transports us into a world where our thinking is the real character of the story. It is a book through which we can understand how it is sometimes our silence what limits our freedom of speech, our intolerance and self-distrust what help justify any kind of discrimination...the war provoked for war´s sake is the most infamous crime of war and our lack of commitment to our fellows the worst attack to our freedom. Through The Site readers will have a chance to search inside their souls. They will discover that ideologies can lead to nonsense, specially in this world and culture created by us where the ethic, respect and tolerance have lost value, where the others are simply the others but not my neighbor. The best and the worst of us live in us … we have lost the heroic and romantic sense of life. German philosopher Emmanuel Kant stated, “We are all equal as regards moral duty”. Indeed, it is this duty which compels us to denounce whenever and in whichever way our neighbour is hurt or denigrated. This must be done; for even though we may refuse to admit it, our behaviour towards our neighbour is, and will forever be, the mirror on which our souls shall be reflected. As the protagonist of The Site says, “In life, you can allow yourself to have your own way, but you can never remain indifferent to your neighbour’s predicament or pain!”  

- Review published in Amazon.com
5 out of 5 stars Important Parable, July 8, 2011
By Sandra Shwayder Sanchez (Nederland) * -

The Site is a gracefully written parable that makes the important point that as long as people turn a blind eye to the corruption that comes with power and greed they will be doomed to repeat the same sad history over and over again. The survivors of a global holocaust come together with the best of intentions to create a new society but over time they fall into the trap of allowing the same pattern of events to develop. The author introduces all of the chapters with relevant quotes from venerable thinkers and creative writers including Seneca & Plato, St. Augustine, Dante, Shakespeare and Einstein, evidence of a well read individual who has learned from his reading. I recommend reading and learning from this book which, in the face of circumstances that could make a cynic of anyone, is still full of hope.

Did you know that in addition to being sold in the USA and Canada “The Site” is also sold in New Zeland, India, U.K., Germany, Ireland, Australia, France, Japon, etc.?

http://stores.lulu.com/cfherrera


* Sandra Shwayder Sanchez, co-founder of TheWessex Collective, is an avid reader and the author of two published novels: The Nun, Plain View Press, 1992 and Stillbird, The Wessex Collective, 2005. She has also published two collections: Three Novellas with Wessex in 2007 and A Mile in These Shoes, a collection of 9 short stories in 2010. Most of these stories have appeared over the years in an annual literary journal, The Long Story as well as Zone 3, The Healing Muse, The Dublin Quarterly, New Scene Quarterly and Cantaraville.


- Professional Book Review by Theresa Potts

The Site was an engaging book for me. You see, I had just encountered my first class in “breathing, meditation and yoga” And so I found this book to tie right in line with “living in the now” and in thinking about things from our fee will; our spirit, without the restrictions put upon us from society. The author, Claudio Herrera is clearly a worldly scholar and I believe his intelligence in writing this book, is no less than the honor he deserves in helping the reader to remember the true meaning of life, in being responsible to one’s moral duty.

In The Site, the author takes you inside of a world, in which there is segregation of its in habitants, “The Blacks, The Yellows, The Others” . From within this world, he explores the defining of society by its title; it’s unwritten, though if sometimes written, moral code. These were described as different countries that were governed by a ruling class, formed by religious and political sectors.

It is in unraveling this “society “ that the author takes you to a point of mind. A strong thought process begins and you really begin to have “sight” of how our history has defined us. How our religious beliefs, our ethnic backround and teachings by our elders has shaped us into behaving how we do. Now, clearly most of us adults know this, but exploring this foundation and challenging us to live past our predisposed ideology, for me, is what this book was about.

I enjoyed this book. It is a heavy read that makes one ponder. Yet, it is not long and is quite a journey into our own minds and provides life lesson, history and hope for mankind.

Theresa Potts
Book Reviewer


- Book Review by Chris Kanyane ( Chris Kanyane has written the most compelling constructive book about President Barack Obama --- Reader's Digest)

Greater role in life
You are so good. And the work you do here on earth shows indeed that if we can really be quiet and listen we can discover that each one of us came here on earth with a divine mission and purpose for fulfillment - and you are fulfilling it in your own true ways. Bravo. In Kenya (East Africa) they say asante sani - meaning thank you.
Chris Kanyane