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Reviews
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“en.light.en.ment affirms the good of humanity even while challenging many elements of human thought and life; it's a spiritual invitation to unconstrained free thinking.
"This volume of 150 pages of brief essays, many of which are only a few dozen words, presents Burmeister’s "liberal life-stance" on a variety of topics, from philosophical themes like pacifism, Zen, meditation and yoga to deep-thinking approaches of broader topics like money and terrorism.
"Each essay is a novel bite of an in-depth topic, favoring fresh thought over comprehensive deconstruction.
"Essays are cross-referenced, making it easy to wander through the book, following whatever train of thought feels compelling. Burmeister aptly describes his style as "flippant succinctness over learned elaboration." Creative diction and varied syntax show that he relishes language, in itself and as a medium, and he brings humor and keen insight to the problems and solutions of the human condition. While there certainly is some brash irreverence here, essays are more often an earnest plea to rethink and break free from the traps that so many fall into.
"The goal of the book is to present a challenge and urge determined exploration, but the result is far from elitist, off-putting, or aggressive ...“
Review by Melissa Wuske
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"... best part about your book, it makes you think about subjects that you don't necessarily take the time to ponder yourself. So far it has given me the opportunity to question my own beliefs and to investigate subjects I know very little about. Broadening my understanding of what is here - and how I fit into this world - can only be a good thing ... I love the front cover." (Marie Florian, www.getintheloop.com.au)
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An editor said, "This is such an interesting & idiosyncratic book that I'm not sure it should be edited (really, proofread) at all; you write very well and it'd be a shame to lose any of your natural voice". Others: "your book is a conversation starter";
"I learn something new every time I read a page".
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"Carsten Burmeister is sharing his eclectic moral code that blends pacifism, science, the Golden Rule, Eastern spirituality and the need for rational, intellectual debate.
en.light.en.ment is a compilation of 150 pages of short essays, covering big ideas – the meaning of life and whether it’s possible to fight for peace – as well as little things such as the proper way to dunk a tea biscuit.
"Burmeister’s essays are broken into easily digestible nuggets of narrative. Many also include famous peoples' quotes, and dictionary-style definitions. Among the heavier commentaries about truth, justice and moral law are a few personally revealing essays about the author.
"Burmeister is a man who almost drowned and, on another day, learned first-hand what it’s like to go broke. He emerges as a seeker, an apt pupil of the world’s greatest prophets and philosophers, and a thinker who likes the process of rolling their ideas around until he can make sense of them.
"Readers find in him a writer who toggles between detached teacher, gentle spirit and argumentative mental gymnast ... synthesizing the values shared by all great religions, for example, and warmly inviting readers to consider the many forms God can be viewed in.
"en.light.en.ment provides a rollicking ride through the world of animated discourse."
