The Power of Ten

Product Description:
Overview of "The Power of Ten" by Vis A. Liepkalns Ph.D.With some literary, romantic and dialogue enrichment, and given the imperfections of the human memory, I have tried to make sense of the experiences of academics and other underachievers of superior intelligence I have known. With their names changed to protect their privacy and mine, I put ten of them in the same room. These people share a common desire to understand each other; they make that effort mainly through stories about events in their childhood that shaped their character one way or another. A common theme in their stories is child abuse and stress; and redemption through survival, adaption and sacrifice. They contribute powerful and fulfilling learning experiences to each other that give them the synergy to move on. In the process I have also tried to find common ground: between lovers and the object of their passion, between kin who feel funny just hugging each other, between rock music and "classical music", between faith-based assumptions and scientific reasoning, between historical icons and real people, between our perceptions of existence and non-existence, and between the pathos and the humor of man's search for meaning and purpose... I'll stop there. In writing this book I found that the stories lent themselves to many metaphoric and symbolic techniques, which the reader may find helpful intellectually and visually, as well as enriching aesthetically.Vis A. Liepkalns Harwich MA October, 2008.

The Power of Ten 
Just a thank you Vis for writing this book. I have recommended the read for so many of my friends who have brilliant children. The book is "masterful". The words you choose sound as though gestated when you put them down on paper, almost as if you have had a long relationship with them. You are a masterful writer and a most thoughtful and mindful person, as shown in your characters. I am having an astounding experience reading your book. I do not want to put it down but I need to, in order to think about what I read. Another Chekhov, where the characters are definite,yet of much depth. Thank you again for sharing the critique. Your eye is beyond description.

connected and insightful 
Finding a book like this is why i read books. Liepkalns weaves a story that makes you race home to get back to it. The characters are like all of us, flawed but endearing and one can see themselves and there friends and loved ones in them. Its more then a story is a peek into the tortured part of our souls with a realization that we can all learn and grow from our past and present. That it is never to late to come to terms with those things that made us who we are, and that we all have the potential to make ourselves greater if we learn and grow from them. THe book looks at 10 gifted individuals who are underachievers and traces there inability to accept success to traumatic childhood experiences that shaped their character. Liepkalns uses extensive knowledge of science, literature, music and philosophy to create parallels and bring to light through the experiences of the group leader and nine others how there family environments and society shaped them and effected them. What comes out and is observed by the group shows insight and a deep understanding of human psyche, not to mention entertaining and often quite funny. I recommend you read this book no matter where you are in your life. It makes you look at yourself and those around you in a new way. I came away from this book feeling first off that I wanted to read it again and again, but also that i was not trapped by my past and present. That if i took the time to understand myself I could achieve greater things. Thanks to the author this book is helping change my life.