L. Dieudonné Lemmert's Blog

I’m more than happy to say that my new book is finally finished! The projected release date is June 15, 2024, on Amazon. Special thanks need to go to my relentless editor who shaped the concept into a novel that brings the characters fully to life.





I am proud of the various positive reviews that I was able to obtain:

Booklife: I submitted last August for a competition, and you will see, the review is mixed, and the writing is criticized. There was a word limit, forcing me to chop some content off, which probably didn’t help. However, I took the feedback to heart and spent the next few months on improving the fluidity of the writing, and I submitted again for another review which may have been done by a different reviewer. As you will also see, this second review is quite positive.
https://booklife.com/project/life-und...

Kirkus: This is the oldest and most established reviewing agency; even famous authors submit for their review. I am glad I had improved the book based on the initial Booklife review; it paid off:
https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-re...

Reader’s Favorite: They allow requesting 1-5 reviews; I requested 3 and all 3 were positive. One gave me a “4”, and two a “5” which is the high end of their scale. I seem to be unable to publish those reviews before the book is available on Amazon, so I copied and pasted for you the one I liked the best:

Reviewed by Laura R. Brush for Readers’ Favorite
Set in a distant and advanced future millennia away, an astute Earth scientist finds himself captivated by the intellect of a counterpart from an extraterrestrial civilization. Life Undiminished by L. Dieudonné Lemmert introduces two individuals who hail from starkly contrasting planets—a fact that's not just metaphorical. Despite being entwined in an intergalactic narrative rife with clandestine affairs and enigmatic tension, their saga has the potential to irrevocably alter the cosmos in a good way. The Earth scientist stands as an authority in scientific endeavors, a virtuoso with a particular mastery in all things technical. His expertise is so renowned that it commands the respect and fascination of his alien peers. As they navigate the labyrinth of universal enigmas, they must concurrently confront the complexities of their burgeoning feelings for each other. This odyssey is a sophisticated drama set against the backdrop of an interplanetary pandemic, promising to ensnare its audience from the outset to its conclusion.

L. Dieudonné Lemmert’s skill shines through as the author shapes the main characters, both alien and human. Each character is meticulously crafted, brimming with vivid ambitions and complex temperaments that fuel their every move. The reader can imagine a universe, eons from now, where an array of interstellar species engages in dialogue and collaborate across galaxies for the betterment of humans and extraterrestrials alike. Lemmert’s characters untangle cosmic conundrums and tackle adverse problems of romance and science. These challenges leap off the pages of the story. I found myself captivated by Life Undiminished and wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone drawn to envisioning an enigmatic future a millennium ahead. A rich tapestry of possibilities awaits those who enjoy speculating on marvels the future may hold.


I wish to thank you for your encouragement and support. For those of you who can’t wait until Mid June, I have a few ARCs (“Advanced Reader Copies”) available on request.



L. Dieudonné Lemmert
April 2024
www.life-unedited.website

On October 4, 2022, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced the Nobel Prize for Physics in a press release . It went to three physicists who conducted groundbreaking experiments to elucidate the nature of particle entanglement further. Entangled particles – usually photons – are mysteriously connected, even over long distances, such that when one reads out a certain state of the proximal twin, the state of the distant twin is determined.

What wasn’t clear to me was whether this connection is causal or merely correlative. Most sources I consulted with and people I talked to claimed it was merely correlative, which would exclude the possibility of actively changing the state of the distant twin by manipulating the proximal twin. That was bad news for the scientific plausibility of my novel Life, Unedited. ” (published under my pen name, L. Dieudonné Lemmert): One key assumption of the novel is that entanglement can be exploited for instantaneous communication across distances measured in light years in a device I called Tangle Phone.

The experiments for which the Nobel Prize was awarded indicate that entanglement can be used for long-distant communication. The causal relationship I was after is now called quantum teleportation. While in principle, teleportation of matter could work (like in Star Trek!), all I am interested in is the transfer of information from proximal to distant particles. And quantum teleportation enables exactly that, as most clearly expressed in this piece of the National Science Foundation. Some sources still claim that the transfer of information would be bound by the speed of light according to Einstein’s universe, but I can’t see that because in this kind of information transfer, no electromagnetic waves whatsoever are involved. Note the word “instantly” in the NSF article.

In summary, it seems very much that cutting edge research in physics converges to the imagined realities in my novel!

On October 4, 2022, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced the Nobel Prize for Physics in a press release /a>. It went to three physicists who conducted groundbreaking experiments to elucidate the nature of particle entanglement further. Entangled particles – usually photons – are mysteriously connected, even over long distances, such that when one reads out a certain state of the proximal twin, the state of the distant twin is determined.

What wasn’t clear to me was whether this connection is causal or merely correlative. Most sources I consulted with and people I talked to claimed it was merely correlative, which would exclude the possibility of actively changing the state of the distant twin by manipulating the proximal twin. That was bad news for the scientific plausibility of my novel “Life, Unedited.” (published under my pen name, L. Dieudonné Lemmert): One key assumption of the novel is that entanglement can be exploited for instantaneous communication across distances measured in light years in a device I called Tangle Phone.

The experiments for which the Nobel Prize was awarded indicate that entanglement can be used for long-distant communication. The causal relationship I was after is now called quantum teleportation. While in principle teleportation of matter could work (like in Star Trek!), all I am interested in is the transfer of information from proximal to distant particles. And quantum teleportation enables exactly that, as most clearly expressed in this piece of the National Science Foundation. Some sources still claim that the transfer of information would be bound by the speed of light according to Einstein’s universe, but I can’t see that because in this kind of information transfer, no electromagnetic waves whatsoever are involved. Note the word “instantly” in the NSF article.

In summary, it seems very much that cutting edge research in physics converges to the imagined realities in my novel!

I just read a fascinating book that is making quite some waves:
Winning the Genetic Lottery.
While the book is primarily about genetic influences on intelligence and non-cognitive skills, it does acknowledge the significant effect on early childhood experience. Specifically, on page 97, the author describes an experiment conducted in Romania that demonstrated how infants transferred from an orphanage into foster care obtained measurably higher IQs some years later. She makes reference to Attachment theory which says that primate babies need close contact with another person, typically the mother, to develop well physically and cognitively. In German, there is a word for such a person: Bezugsperson

While this specific experiment was new to me, I knew about attachment when I wrote my novel , based on much older findings that also showed that children without care fail to thrive. On Mitis, the Sisterhood tries to breed the next generation towards ever higher intelligence, and their selective schools ascertain that the brightest are identified and promoted. But you may also recall the inhumane ways they use to bring up their babies: They are raised by robots, without any human bezugsperson . That raises the question: Do the Sisters select for intelligence, or rather for robustness against lack of attachment?
Let’s consider Regina and Aurora, both of whom made it through the selection procedures: Regina is puzzled about the finding that some children develop normally at first and then derail. But she can’t get close to solving the mystery because the context of human attachment is too foreign to her. You may agree that there is a strangeness around Regina: One could call it a lack of compassion and a lack of being in touch with her own, suffocated needs for human closeness. Later in the book, her inability to connect emotionally with her staff almost costs her life. But it is that same strangeness that allowed her to survive the complete lack of a bezugsperson in her upbringing. I would think she has that in common with most of her peers in Mitis’ elites.
The situation with Aurora is different: The careful reader may remember that she was one of the last babies with a human nanny. In addition, both of her mothers were in contact with her, which was out of the ordinary in her Spartan culture. Aurora believes she was selected due to her intelligence and learning abilities. But I think that is only a partial picture; it was also the warmth and human connection provided by her nanny and her mothers that allowed her to thrive. Without that, she wouldn’t have made it through the selection process for she lacks the gene (or genetic defect) needed to go through a loveless childhood unscathed. We now understand why Aurora’s character is untypical for a Sister, with a deep ability to love, self-explore, and be compassionate.


There are some lessons here that are also explained in the “genetic lottery” book: (1) If we select people for something, we may not know what we’re really selecting for. (2) What genes matter and turn out to be adaptive depends on the environment.

The sales for my novel Life, Unedited flatlined. The steps I tried to breathe some life in them have all failed. Paraphrasing Edison, I would say I haven’t failed, but I found various ways of boosting book sales that don’t work.

I have a few more tricks up my sleeves – maybe – but I am out of steam and have no time right now for book marketing.

At the same time, I started working on the sequel. Yes, there is one more story in me that wants to come out. And I do have time and energy for that.

On the wall on the upper floor of the bookstore on the Cornell University campus, I noticed the following quote:

“A writer is a writer because even when there is no hope, even when nothing you do shows any sign of promise, you keep writing anyway.” (Junot Dias, 1005).

That spoke to me.

https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/di...

Triggered by recent events and history, I've been thinking about what fascism really is:

It is the trampling on individual rights for a purported higher goal.

Some people in the West do not acknowledge that a large part of the Russian population supports the invasion of Ukraine. There is something we are missing. We think of one person only and therefore see only the head of the fascist beast; we refuse to see its massive body of millions in whose impoverished lives it breathes the illusion of purpose, and of belonging to a righteous group. That is why dissenters need to be eliminated, for they threaten to take that precious opium away.

Hence the inescapable result of fascism: Millions of people ruined, incarcerated, eliminated.

When we deal with those pursuing burning causes, such as eliminating poverty, fixing the climate, promoting "diversity," or saving the animals, it behooves us to ask: How do they deal with their dissenters? The answer will expose them for what they are.

The counterpoint to fascism is humanism which puts in focus the individual alone. Luc Ferry's book "The New Ecological Order" explains this tension between humanism and fascism – and eco-fascism in particular – is well explained in Luc Ferry's book "The New Ecological Order." It consoles me that the Western World, still being ravaged by the fascist beast, has also invented its antidote. We must be proud of it, and we must speak up to our would-be oppressors. The majority must not be silent. As Jordan Peterson says, if you have something important to say and don't say it, it's a lie.

A couple of readers have commented that my novel "Life, Unedited." is deeply "humanistic." That has helped me understand why I wrote the book in the first place. Here is the setting: A totalitarian society on a distant planet where most people are excluded from meaningful activities is contrasted with Earth's chaotic but free communities where everyone contributes according to their means. Aurora, the main protagonist, is human in the humanistic sense, although she is genetically edited. She learns on Earth that we cannot invoke "identity" to discover our purpose; we need to find our individual purpose ourselves. Here is a slightly modified dialogue between her and Dr. Ruba, a psychotherapist:

Dr. Ruba: We are who we are, and we are glad to be here. It doesn't matter what you are; it only matters that you are."
Aurora: "Is this really enough? What about your identity? We do need to know what we are."
Dr. Ruba: "Why? Everyone is someone already; why does everyone want to be something?"
Aurora: "Something?"
Dr. Ruba: "Yeah. You said it. You wanted to know what you are. A 'human', for instance. Or a woman. Or almost a woman. Or an improved human, a Sister – what the heck? What is this all about? Why do you want to so restrict yourself?"
Aurora: "It's just that… if you know what you are, your life is so much easier. Because your identity gives you your duty, your destination, and your path to fulfillment."
Dr. Ruba: "Who says life is supposed to be easy? Just be yourself; only then can you free yourself of any mold and develop your full potential. It's hard but more fulfilling. You are human; that means that you must find your own destiny."
Aurora: "That scares me."
Dr. Ruba: "That is what freedom feels like."
Aurora: "It is all new to me. Others have always shown me my way and defined my ambition."
Dr. Ruba: "Aurora, you need to take this on. It is the noblest challenge."

Due to the genetic editing done to her race, Aurora is not a fully formed woman, and she cannot bear life. When she complains about that to Dr. Ruba, here is what he says:

“Focus on what you can do, don’t waste a thought on what you cannot do.”

Ref: pg. 285 of my novel “Life, Unedited>”: https://www.life-unedited.website/abo....

Recently, I found the following video on Tiktok that demonstrates this point so much more beautifully than any novel could:

https://vm.tiktok.com/TTPdAF4tJ5/

In case the link doesn’t work, it is a young woman named Grace who is afflicted by a genetic disease that impacts her muscles. Almost defiantly, she demonstrates what she can do despite of this: Play Beethoven’s popular piano piece “For Elise” quite elegantly.