Books published by Wisdom/Works

“No lies”The Hurricane Notebook, found on a Wilmington beach after a storm, contains the thoughts, artistic experiments, vignettes, and recorded dialogues of an unknown author calling herself “Elizabeth M.” Its entries record the inner life of a soul in crisis, perpetually returning to the moment she learned of her sister’s suicide and making an unrelenting attempt to understand herself and the human condition. Whether engaged in introspective soul-searching, or reconstructing her discussions with friends, mentors, and acquaintances, she challenges herself to accept “No lies” that would mask or hide her own responsibility for evil in the world. The notebook ends abruptly; having traversed subjects as diverse as God, childhood, chess, philosophy, ballet, self-hood, conscience, guilt, and friendship, Elizabeth’s questions are left uncertain and hanging in the air, just like her hope that she might find “one person on earth who understands me,” and unanswered, like her plea “Having understood me, would you grieve on my behalf, my friend?”  

The action is unexpected, and the philosophical ideas are deep. A vicious attack, a dubious new ambassador, shocking murders, and several assassins on the loose, a boat trip down the Nile, a terrible accident, a strange little book with secrets, and a major battle take their places in The King and Prince, Book Four in the adventure series Walid and the Mysteries of Phi.The realities behind appearances, synchronicity, intuition, happiness, power and meaning, life and death, evil and redemption, and the ghostly souls of books are just a few of the philosophical ideas that arise in new ways in this book. The center of government in the kingdom of Egypt is a target for violent revolutionaries. And you could never imagine what results.A short book, The Oasis Within, followed a group of men and one boy from a small village in western Egypt as they crossed the vast desert, headed for Cairo in the summer of 1934. That brief tale served as a prologue to an epic adventure story that will continue to reveal deep and surprising secrets about lives and our world. Book One-The Golden Palace, Book Two-The Stone of Giza, and Book Three-The Viper and the Storm then brought us drama, mystery, humor, profound ideas, and a touch of true romance as the real action began. In The King and Prince, the ongoing story will take us to more unexpected places. Walid Shabeezar, the Prince of Egypt, along with his friends Mafulla, Kissa, Hasina, and several other classmates will face an ultimate challenge that's as terrible as it is surprising in its unexpected twists and turns. And, along the way, much more will be revealed.

Steve Jobs: In some ways, he was like a Socrates in Silicon Valley. Throughout his life, he embodied a spirit of endless curiosity on a quest to expose limited assumptions and leave behind the flimsy opinions of those who had not dared to think deeply enough. He stripped away people's illusions through fierce challenges and tough questioning. And as a result, he blazed new paths whose influence will likely never disappear. This book explores the philosophical operating system behind his great success, and digs deep into what Jobs did that's essential for insanely great results in any business, or in any adventure.

In this third volume of the philosophical adventure series Walid and the Mysteries of Phi, a wise character speaks to every one of us when he says to his friends, "We're all participants in a great drama that encompasses us in space and time. We're chosen to help move it forward, but we never have to depend on just our own abilities to do so. We're free, but we're also deeply supported and guided. Let that build your confidence, your faith, and your hope in the future. Great things are afoot. And we're among the foot soldiers of destiny." That deep perspective plays out in this story through many surprises encountered by the two boys known as The Golden Viper and Windstorm.The short book, The Oasis Within, followed a group from a small village in west Egypt as they crossed the vast desert headed for Cairo in the summer of 1934. It served as a prologue to the epic adventure that will continually reveal deep and surprising secrets about our world. The Golden Palace and The Stone of Giza then brought us drama, mystery, and a touch of romance, as the action began. In The Viper and the Storm, the story will take us to more unexpected places. Walid Shabeezar, the Prince of Egypt, along with his friends Mafulla, Kissa, and Hasina, will face new challenges as they grow into what the future holds for them.

Egypt has long been a land of mysteries. And the epicenter of those mysteries may be the area in and around Giza, where the Sphinx and the Great Pyramids are to be found. Legend has it that, long ago, something remarkable was discovered deep in the sand at the feet of the Sphinx, that great stone beast with a lion's body and the head of a human. And this unique item may have within it the power to show what any of us really is, deep down.In this book, Walid Shabeezar, the young Prince of Egypt, will face new challenges in his efforts to find his proper place in the world. The story that results will take us deeper into an exploration of what lies behind our ordinary lives and hidden beneath the surface events of our world. It may upend your assumptions, or confirm some of your unspoken suspicions about what's really going on in this life-whether in Egypt, or anywhere else.The short book, The Oasis Within, followed a group of men and animals from a small village in west Egypt as they crossed the vast desert headed for Cairo in the summer of 1934. It served as a prologue to the great adventure that was about to begin. The Golden Palace, Volume 1 in the subsequent series, Walid and the Mysteries of Phi, then saw these characters to their destination and the unexpected challenges that awaited them in the ancient city. Now, we can see what comes next. More will soon be revealed.

This is a book about our inner power to live and flourish in a challenging world. In 1934, a thirteen-year-old boy from a small village in western Egypt is on his first trip across the desert when he discovers something about his life that transforms his future. He's traveling with his seventy-year-old uncle, who is exceptionally wise for any stage of life. The boy and his older relative are also accompanied by a caravan of merchants and animals traveling to Cairo to bring goods to market. The young man has had no idea what awaits him on this trip. His uncle will decide to share with him the basic elements of a practical and yet profound philosophy of life, as they deal with events and challenges that appear throughout the journey. And this wisdom for living will prove to have come at just the right time, when the boy learns that he is on his way, not just to a marketplace, but to a life change that will thrust him into new dangers and opportunities beyond anything he has ever imagined. This book is the short prologue to a forthcoming series of seven novels entitled, Walid and the Mysteries of Phi.