"Hamlet is a painting of life. Perhaps alone amongst plays, it becomes a new piece of art with every layer of experience we assimilate. It is a swashbuckling parental revenge tale for children, a tribute to found and lost love for the young, a philosophical thriller of mannerisms and allegiances for the learning, a lesson for the writer and performer, a comical punchline for the cynical, a roster of consequences for the older. And for each, the question of 'to be or not to be' is ingrained in the reader's imagination."
"I knew since childhood that I was gay. Yet, I was always so afraid to be my true self. I played the part of being the ideal female and daughter. I wore dresses, wore high heels, put on makeup, had my hair long and flowing, and dated guys. I made myself out to be what I felt everyone wanted me to look like and to be. I never felt comfortable in my own skin, or in women’s clothing. I thought that I would have to live my life a lie. While living in Florida, in my mid-twenties, my friend and I started a book club. One of the books we chose was Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides. This book opened my eyes and my soul because it made me realize that up until that I couldn’t live my life that way any longer. Shortly after, I made the difficult decision to come out to close family and friends. Little by little, each day became easier and I was able to come into my own. Although the protagonist in the novel is intersex, I was able to relate to the character and his struggles. Some main themes of the novel are rebirth, the American Dream, and gender identity. These three themes I have been able to explore and eventually become my happy, true self."
"... Also, the Bhagavad-Gita, as It Is, read thus book in college and continue to consult it to this day for so many answers to the mysteries of life, any question I may be having has an answer in the BG!" Of purifiers I am the wind; of the wielders of weapons I am Rama; of fishes I am the shark, and of flowing rivers I am the Ganges. - Ch10 V31
