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Piercing the Cloud: Encountering the Real me
"Piercing the Cloud" is the story of a young boy's journey into science and spirituality. At 9 years old Jaime is stripped of his family, friends, country, and language, and sent to the U.S. in pursuit of a better life. The departure makes Jaime keenly aware that what he thinks of as the self, the personality that defines him, is really the composite of stories he and others have repeated. This memoir is about the search for the true self that Jaime, and many others, are on each and every day.
As a trained Neuroscientist, Jaime's views on science are at loggerheads with his views on the spiritual. His story offers hope for anyone living in an apparently empty world in which questions are more numerous than answers.
As a trained Neuroscientist, Jaime's views on science are at loggerheads with his views on the spiritual. His story offers hope for anyone living in an apparently empty world in which questions are more numerous than answers.
- GenresNonfiction
262 pages, Paperback
Published December 1, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 30, 2021
Jamie Pineda tells his own unique story in this well-written memoir. Piercing the Cloud: Encountering the Real Me focuses on science and reason, but also questions why such things are considered at odds with spirituality and faith. The author's impressive background of teaching Cognitive Science, Neuroscience, and Psychiatry at the University of California, lends further credibility to the book. (Find more of my reviews at www.rachelmpatterson.com/raesreads)
Pindeda starts with his mother's difficult decision to send him to live in the United States for a better future. The rest of his childhood is filled with typical teen angst and a love of reading and writing.
"Unconsciously the stories reinforced specific Western cultural norms and behaviors I took as my own. I remember reading the Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck and wanting to have the grit and fortitude of the Joad clan as they journeyed from Oklahoma to California only to find disappointment in the paradise they expected" (Pineda).
The author also explores his spiritual side during a self-proclaimed "mid-life" crisis. He explains that attempting to understand something bigger than ourselves is part of human nature. Currently, science can not explain the idea of a higher power, but it can't refute it either.
"Science and the scientific methods are humanity’s refined inventions and responses to uncertainty. But, just like the psychological limitations inherent in our reactivity to the pain produced by life, there are limitations inherent in scientific exploration—the pain of not knowing" (Pineda).
Jamie Pineda writes this story for himself, however, it is also a book for others struggling with what to believe in. No one has all of the answers, not even the most intelligent of human beings. This memoir blends everything into a perfect picture of what science and spirituality can create when taken hand-in-hand. I found this book to be inspirational and incredibly interesting. I highly recommend this to someone looking for a book about a higher power without the general biased conclusions others have written about in the past.
Pindeda starts with his mother's difficult decision to send him to live in the United States for a better future. The rest of his childhood is filled with typical teen angst and a love of reading and writing.
"Unconsciously the stories reinforced specific Western cultural norms and behaviors I took as my own. I remember reading the Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck and wanting to have the grit and fortitude of the Joad clan as they journeyed from Oklahoma to California only to find disappointment in the paradise they expected" (Pineda).
The author also explores his spiritual side during a self-proclaimed "mid-life" crisis. He explains that attempting to understand something bigger than ourselves is part of human nature. Currently, science can not explain the idea of a higher power, but it can't refute it either.
"Science and the scientific methods are humanity’s refined inventions and responses to uncertainty. But, just like the psychological limitations inherent in our reactivity to the pain produced by life, there are limitations inherent in scientific exploration—the pain of not knowing" (Pineda).
Jamie Pineda writes this story for himself, however, it is also a book for others struggling with what to believe in. No one has all of the answers, not even the most intelligent of human beings. This memoir blends everything into a perfect picture of what science and spirituality can create when taken hand-in-hand. I found this book to be inspirational and incredibly interesting. I highly recommend this to someone looking for a book about a higher power without the general biased conclusions others have written about in the past.
April 27, 2021
I have just finished reading Piercing the Cloud: Encountering the Real Me A Life in Review by Jaime A. Pineda, Ph.D. PIt was well written and interesting story of his life. He came from Honduras in search of a better education at age 9 to the United States. This autobiography is about his education,careers, trials and tribulations and spirituality that led him to where he is today.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews