S. R. Lavin aka Sholom

Books by S. R. Lavin

Voice in the Whirlwind: Poems 1979-2008 by S.R. Lavin

Voice in the Whirlwind: Poems 1979 - 2008

S. R. Lavin offers his collected poems, 1978-2007, VOICE IN THE WHIRLWIND, to the international audience and readership he has reached for more than forty years. Contained within this one volume are as yet unpublished poems as well as poems previously published in quarterlies, magazines, and anthologies in England, The Netherlands, Poland, The United States and, most notably, China. Lavin's writings span three decades of a maturing visionary seeking peace and beauty while confronting injustice and social evils, and never failing to ponder those mysteries beyond our finite understandings.

Lavin has forged his own destiny and identity in his writing, but at the same time, these poems are a compelling human odyssey, and Lavin's readers can make the journey with him into the intimate realm of self and discovery, through the primal mysteries while embracing the hopes that are in common to all of humanity. Through suffering and the courage to endure, Lavin offers a reassuring voice and an affirmation of a life that has been lived fully in touch with what is worth struggling to attain, and, without apology, to stand resolutely against injustice.

Taken as a body of work, these poems offer a complete and expansive vision of the human capacity to see and comprehend how the forces of Nature are woven in concert with his existential narrative. The poems convey what it means to be vulnerable and connected to our deep human needs.

From THE RUSTED ARM OF GOD: "Eternity surrounds us — a glimpse of sparkle/in the crystallized dew-drops/of the waking world. Beyond understanding —the immortal song of a grasshopper/on a warm summer day."

"Reading S. R. Lavin's poetry is to allow for a personal transformation to occur within one's own soul." William Berger

"Every writer with his own voice changes the way we see ourselves. S. R. Lavin is to be counted among those we ought to read, listen to, and remember." Keith Jennison

"S. R. Lavin is like an Old Testament prophet who demands that we hear his impassioned cries of protest for justice and truth." Tom Smith

"A celebration of the surviving human spirit no matter what...a celebration of life...in difficult times." Thomas C. Heffernan

"When one accepts the wide range within which Lavin's work takes hold, the results continue to surprise and reassure us of the unfailing flow of his deep human vitality." Gerard Malanga

This book is forthcoming from SynergEbooks.

ECTO: The Ultimate Terror

ECTO: The Ultimate Terror

ECTO: The Ultimate Terror, is a story about a race of humans with co-dominant genetic patterns that have produced another kind of human being. They are a species of ectodermal beings, homo sensients, with superior natures (and abilities) to homo sapiens, but are dying off because of environmental pollution and global warming. They are also are being hunted down by government agents as objects of scientific research.

They are human in all the ways that we regard as human...but they are profoundly different in ways which are in direct opposition to modern society. Moreover, these Ectos have evolved to be a profoundly cultivated expression of a kinder, simpler, more caring creature than homo sapiens and they have certain amazing powers. Lorraine Wilson and her son Willie, befriended by the Ectos, are caught up in the web of a secret government plot to use the Ectos as guinea pigs to create biological weapons.

This book is forthcoming from SynergEbooks.

Feingold's Loop by S.R. Lavin

Feingold's Loop

FEINGOLD'S LOOP is a work of fiction, a quirky narrative centered around 20th century disappointments, failures, and the desperate need we have to create meaning and purpose in our all to brief lives. The story revolves around Arthur Wallach, a middle-aged real estate broker having second thoughts about his own destiny after he rushes to the bedside of his lifelong friend, Max Stein, a renowned film-maker, who dies after making Arthur the executor of his estate. When Arthur discovers that his friend Max had committed a heinous and despicable crime, Arthur is even more determined to somehow right the wrong done by his friend. But life proves to be neither fair nor just...and readers are left to figure out for themselves what is truly important and what is not.

Published by Jerusalem House. This book is available directly from the author; please contact him at sholom.srlavin@gmail.com to purchase. The cost is $7.95 download /complete manuscript.

METACOMET (The Saga of King Philip)

METACOMET (The Saga of King Philip)

Metacomet (aka Philip), King and Sachem of the Wampanoag Indians, fought a bloody war against the Puritans (circa 1676). King Philip burned many towns and won every major battle, only to see his people destroyed by hunger, disease, and genocide. 232 pages.

You can purchase this book at SynergEbooks.com or BookLocker.com.

God's People - In Search of a Destiny - A Look into Life in the Twelve Tribes Community

God's People: In Search of a Destiny -
A Look into Life in the Twelve Tribes Community

I wrote GOD'S PEOPLE with a clear motive: to tell a true story. And, along the way, my narrative tells the truth about the Twelve Tribes. I leave it to the reader's scrutiny to hold me to the "objectivist" standard (that is, that I wrote this account with objectivity and sincerity). Inevitably, it is my hope that "a look into life in Twelve Tribes communities" will serve as a catalyst to bring the reader to some kind of conclusion about the inner workings, the group's dynamics, and how members really live. What are the motives of this group? Is it a cult? Does the group have a hidden agenda? Are their beliefs sound or are they heretics? You be the judge. You decide.

Foremost, this book is a factual presentation and not meant to dissuade anyone from joining the Twelve Tribes...but it is a warning to those who would consider giving up everything to be part of the Twelve Tribes.

GOD'S PEOPLE is about sincere people abiding in what they believe. They back up what they believe with what they do. Behind the narrative is my own desire to explore the awesome stakes of Life and Death, of meaning and truth, of love and sacrifice, devotion and discipline...this book is meant to express that for anyone who desires these qualities in their own life.

I am aware there may be endless speculation about my role as both a participating "member" of the Twelve Tribes and at the same time, the author who claims an objective view. Whatever the innuendo or gossip about my status or motives I am not going to travel through that quixotic detour. I am not the issue, it's about a controversial group of people I have known and lived among. My wife was a member until her death, and my four daughters are currently members.

But, it is a group which requires that members surrender their First Amendment rights in order to fully participate in their agenda. I sincerely desire people to know a little more about the Twelve Tribes from the view of one who looked from the outside and then from inside...you decide what (if anything) is worth taking away from reading my book. —S. R. Lavin aka Sholom.

Reviews of GOD'S PEOPLE

The Twelve Tribes is a network of intentional religious "communities". Their daily life of total submission and "surrender" is the issue of contention that has caused many critics, scholars, and religious leaders to call their movement a "dangerous cult." Within their paradigm, members are enveloped in a compulsive pattern in order to remain loyal to the group and their beliefs.

As presented in GOD'S PEOPLE, their religious practices expose the conflict between basic human truths and the consequences of submitting to mystical practices, with all the human failings and foibles and corruptions and crimes that the Twelve Tribes is accountable for.

GOD'S PEOPLE peels back the layers of religious mythology, and, at the same time, examines the mind-set that craves to create meaning and order while serving a god who approves of their "sacrifice." The Twelve Tribes is a "lock and stock" system of what happens in a closed society in search of their destiny (with striking similarities to the Puritans of old).

In the end, we see a "people" who have given all they can but are no closer to a solution than any other group, no more convincing than any other group that their god is God. And for all their efforts, they are no closer to a real god than any other religious group. – M. Gordon, Literary Critic

"So why do the Twelve Tribes pose a challenge to people in the larger society? The Twelve Tribes live a life that, while it may seem strange and exotic to some, and threatening to many, is a life that emerges from the very religious, philosophical, social, and political values that supposedly form the basis for our entire society." —Dr. Richard Robbins, Prof. of Anthropology

You can purchase this book at SynergEbooks.com.

Download These eBooks for Free

Martin Buber's I and YOU: An Original Version by S . R . Lavin

Download this free ebook in .pdf format.

THE NIGHT THE MOUSE ROARED: A Play in Two Acts by S. R. Lavin

Download this free ebook in .pdf format.

Limited Edition Books & Broadsheets for Sale

Limited Edition Books:

PERDIDO

Nine poems by S. R. Lavin , hand printed on IYO Rag Papers
Original watercolor painted by Hannah L. Cleveland
An edition of six hand-bound copies, numbered and signed by poet & artist.
625.00

THE STONECUTTERS AT WAR WITH THE CLIFF DWELLERS

Nine poems by S. R. Lavin, Six Woodcuts by Bruce Chandler
Deluxe Boxed Edition, Signed by poet and artist, Copy No. XIII-L
225.00

ACCORDING TO JOSEPHUS

Poems by S. R. Lavin, Hand painted watercolors by R. M. Dredge
Artist's Proof (one copy only), hand printed on IYO Rag Papers
925.00

A BALLAD OF THE CINEMA KID

Poems by S. R. Lavin Woodcuts by Bruce Chandler
Letterpress printed on Fabriano Rag Papers Copy Number 44 of 50
125.00

THE GODS LIVE ON by Mikia Pezas

Three volume original manuscript (hand-typed, hand-edited, unpublished) with the author's signature on an additional document, namely, the Vitae of Mikia Pezas, from the original manuscripts, letters, and other ephemera in a permanent archive at the American Helenic Institute. Alan Ahern of Quill & Brush Books did an official appraisal of the Pezas archives, which included a second carbon copy of the same text (not edited in the hand of author Pezas).
2200.00

Limited Edition Broadsheets:

All broadsheets were poems by the author.
Hand-printed on Iyo Rag Papers,
Numbered, and signed by the poet.

BLUE 71 Ten Copies 95.00

ABNAKI SUNRISE Twenty Copies 95.00

ETERNAL BEING Twenty Copies 95.00

LONG ISLAND SOJOURN Twenty Copies 95.00

IN THE BOOK CALLED AMERICA Ten Copies 95.00

Orders and payments for limited edition books and broadsheets may be sent to:
S. R. Lavin, 2023 St. Lucie Boulevard #45, Ft. Pierce, Florida 34946