Arnold Mindell together with his wife and partner Amy are international treasures!
I am amazed that to date in this year 2010 there has been only one review of this remarkable book, The Deep Democracy of Open Forums, which was published 8 long years ago in 2002. I first became aware of it just last summer (2009), as well as of a long list of other equally remarkable books by Arny and Amy. I second the first reviewer's remarks!
In reading aloud the Kindle version preface to my wife one morning last summer to get an idea of its purpose and scope, we were so impressed and excited by it that we resolved to send copies to friends and family in anticipation of lively discussions. Alas, that is where we got stuck! The Amazon.com price in summer 2009 for the paperback version was prohibitive! So, I focused on other Mindell books before returning to Open Forums. However, I must have misread this number back then, because today it is altogether affordable.
In any case this book contains a model for creating true community and dealing with conflicts that block it. I realized that I had been looking for something like this for decades! It has given us here in Los Alamos a vision for an Open Forum, which is currently being planned for spring 2011. This notorious town is noted for its invention of The Bomb, which led historian Garry Wills to publish Bomb Power this year. Now, with Mindell's model, we have a means of transforming this horrid legacy into something creative. Our community would like this place to be known as the town "Where Discoveries are Made". If we manage to discipline ourselves well enough to apply Mindell's wisdom and practical suggestions, this transformation could become a reality to silence the echo of the old Manhattan Project.
The Deep Democracy of Open Forums is a book for any community large or small, which must deal with conflicts of any kind.
Eugene N Kovalenko, Ph.D.
Los Alamos, New Mexico