“Zor” pursues a new paradigm for philosophy, spirituality, and science by asking one simple question; what do you do when the core beliefs of your life disappear? Such is the dilemma confronting Jonathan Brewster, a middle aged money manager from Boston, whose "chance" meeting with a Haitian dwarf named Zor, spirals out of control.
Forced to defend his life in a series of intense debates concerning negative ch’i, emotional addictions, neuron networks, placebos, vipassana meditation, the collective unconscious, laws of attraction, sub-atomic entanglement, Nietzche, metta, God, and happiness; John is reluctantly drawn to a new reality.
Rising above his crisis of conscience he restructures his life for the greater good, only to be challenged by the ultimate betrayal.
Professional Reviews
Over $4.13 Billion of Wisdom in 268 Pages, December 14, 2010 by Citizen John
To me this book serves as Volume II of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. Discoveries in quantum physics call for this book. The 4.136 billion dollar figure in the title of this review is just a plug number. It merely stands for something large and in fact is the average daily increase of the US public debt over the last 3 years.
A lot of the action takes place in a Boston bar called Jake's. Substantive conversations occur between an intellectual investment manager with a spiritual deficit and a mysterious philosopher named Zor. The story thread is the spiritual transformation of John, the investment manager.
John's enlightenment is interesting although not entirely believable because it relies on some coincidences, maybe even miracles. Nevertheless, the drama in John's life kept me engrossed. And in some ways, John is an "everyman." He is outwardly quite successful and has a very nice life except for his lack of meaningful connection with others. He should be happy but he's not.
Zor is a font of knowledge and wisdom, but he's not realistic because he has no apparent self-interests or life problems. But in relatively few pages, Zor provides major paradigm shifts by incorporating recent scientific development into a spectacular world views and purposes for life.
Zor is the kind of book that leads one to read other books, beginning with those referenced in this book. It is an introductory book for thought processes leading to the unification of religions and a kind of second Renaissance that will integrate science with spirituality.
I was surprised at my relative ignorance of quantum physics and their implications. This makes Zor an important book. Zor makes these amazing discoveries relevant.
A well used theme that is well presented, what is success?,December 12, 2010 by Charles Ashbacher
Monetary success not being a sure path to a feeling of well-being and personal happiness is a common theme in all forms of entertainment. An individual reaches middle age, looks around them and suddenly experiences an overwhelming feeling of dissatisfaction with their life. While the warning signs have been there for some time, one or more events trigger the powerful feelings.
Jonathan Brewster is a money manager that once had a plan to travel to Africa with a buddy as members of the Peace Corps. However, at the last minute he was convinced to stay in the United States and help his father manage an investment firm. Now he is in all but name the sole manager of the firm and is what he believes to be happily married. His ritual after work is to stop at a local bar and drink for an hour or two before heading home to his wife.
During one visit to the bar he meets a Haitian dwarf calling himself Zor and they begin an ongoing conversation where Zor questions Brewster's belief in the solidity of his life. The breadth of the conversations is wide, covering everything from quantum physics to the presence of God in the world. Most major religions are at least mentioned, generally to emphasize the similarities rather than the differences. Zor is not by any means a Haitian mystic or shaman, the best description is that he is man of wide, albeit superficial philosophical opinions. Zor's primary point is to constantly emphasize the presence of negative energy and how it must be reduced as much as possible in order for the maximum amount of good to be done.
As a consequence of his conversations with Zor, Brewster comes to understand some of the sources of his unease and he works to reconnect with his wife and make positive changes in the world. He succeeds, but not to the extent or with the consequences that he had hoped.
Reference is made to the classic book about searching for meaning, "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance." As a reader of that book, I recognized some of the similarities that the author of this book emulated. Although the plot has been used many times, the author of this one manages to do it reasonably well. Sometimes all it takes is a conversation with a person having a Socratic bent to cause us to look more deeply at ourselves and recognize what is ailing in our complex psyche. Those questions don't have to be deep to be penetrating.
Coming Of Age For The Boomer Set, December 4, 2010 by Joshua Wye
This work is fantastic! I have never read a book that balances philosophy, religion, and science so well.
If you have a PHD in Philosophy, Religious Studies, or Quantum Physics; and are searching for a literary opus, "Zor" may prove a bit light. However, if like me you have a genuine interest in all three disciplines, I am confident you will find this book extremely satisfying.
"Zor" is not only entertaining, it addresses themes that matter to thinking people; quantifying the essential questions, (and some of the answers), to our very existence.
The story's protagonist, Jonathan Brewster, is a trust fund kid that grew up in the 60's. After successfully navigating that tumultuous decade he starts a family and creates an envious life of wealth and prosperity. Perfectly content in middle age he has settled into a routine that daily brings him to a local watering hole called Jakes.
It is there he meets the Haitian dwarf, Zor. Through a series of innocent conversations they explore the meaning of life and the purpose of man. Initially a happy participant, John eventually becomes defensive as Zor's observations continually challenge his core beliefs. Succumbing to Zor's relentless attack, Jonathan is forced to reexamine his own life, with extraordinary results.
I enjoyed this book's storyline and particularly liked the style in which it was written. The author presented some very deep material, but I never felt overwhelmed or patronized. In fact my one complaint is I wish J.B. went deeper. There were many references made throughout the book that I believe needed further clarification.
I can only assume the author did not want to slow the story down with excessive academics, leaving it up to the reader to research other sources for collaboration. To that end, a web site noted at the beginning the book, gotozorcom, offers a number of supportive links.
J.B. identifies other books of interest throughout his story, most of which I have already read. He cited two books which I believe are very similar to his own, "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" and the Don Juan series by Carlos Castaneda. All three of these publications, told in a first person narrative, are extremely well written and will influence the reader long after the pages have been turned.
Intuitively, I know I've lived many lifetimes, and none more interesting than the one I'm living now. However, being born an old soul somehow did not excuse me from the same job I share with you and that is learning to craft a positive attitude about
It unites spiritual wisdom from the East and West to help readers experience Christ consciousness in the here and now. Combining the Oneness teachings of India with a fresh look at the New Testament.
