Author: Ronnie Lee

ISBN: 978-1432700096

The Book of Life by Chinese poet and philosopher Ronnie Lee is the first among a series of books that the author has scribed on the subject of existential philosophy and its role in explaining life. Published by Outskirt Press (December 2006), The Book of Life is a voluminous collection of Lee’s poems on existentialism, logic, and the reality of our existence. The aim of Lee’s work is attaining a greater understanding of truth and the core realities of life. The merit of his work is contained not only in his philosophical quest for discovering the meaning of existence but mainly in his use of poetry as a medium of explaining the otherwise mind-boggling views on issues that may not interest the general reader. But Lee makes his views both easy to grasp and enjoyable to read in poetic form.

The Book of Life is divided in five main sections: The Truth of Logic, Wills, Philosophy, World Science, and My World Experience. The first three parts deal with philosophical concepts and the role of logic and reason in understanding various phenomena of existence. World Science is a more mathematical part of Lee’s book, explaining the reality of life by applying existential logic to many mathematical expressions of our mainstream science. In the last part of the book, called My World Experience, Lee shares the many questions he asked himself for attaining a greater understanding of the reality of existence. His own curiosity for getting knowledge serves as a model of wisdom for his readers.

Lee’s The Book of Life is a founding work of philosophical poetry that is a rare genre in our times. Poetic composition makes philosophy easier and interesting. It is an invitation to discover grand realities in an enjoyable, artistic mode. We all have got our own ‘book’ of life; why not explore it in depth like Lee?    

The above review was contributed by: Ernest Dempsey which is  is the pen name of Karim Khan. A founding member of the World Audience Inc. (New York), Dempsey is the author of three books: The Biting Age, Islands of Illusion and The Blue Fairy and Other Stories. He writes articles, professional book reviews, essays, and poetry. He is also an interviewer. Currently Dempsey is working on his fourth book.