Awake in the Heartland offers clear non-dual understanding, not in the abstract, but grounded in the actuality of daily life with all its messiness, complexity, uncertainty, paradox, and apparent imperfection. If there seems to be a gap between what the enlightenment books describe and what you find in your own life, if you still think enlightenment is something that will happen to you in the future (or not at all), if you're still chasing experiences or self-improvement, then this book may be just what you need to wake up to the truth that what you are seeking is already here. Awake in the Heartland takes a fresh look at questions of addiction, free will, good and evil, authority, and identity. It encourages the reader to look for themselves without clinging to old opinions or relying on outside authorities. Honest, funny, and profound, this is a book that invites you to discover who or what you really are. About the AuthorJoan Tollifson writes and talks with people about the nature of reality. She has an affinity with Advaita and Zen, but belongs to no formal tradition. Her first book, Bare-Bones Meditation: Waking Up from the Story of My Life, was published by Bell Tower in 1996 and has been translated into German and Dutch. Joan has lived in California, New York, and currently resides in Chicago. Some of the teachers who have touched her most deeply include Toni Packer, Joko Beck, Nisargadatta Maharaj, Ramana Maharshi, and Tony Parsons.