BOOK TESTIMONIALS
“A doctor, William Sadler, and his wife, Lena, assert that for decades they heard Celestial Voices speaking to them each evening, instructing them as to how they and the world they knew began and evolved. Sixty years later another doctor and accredited historian, Sioux Oliva, determined to seek the truth behind the Sadlers’ assertions. She did –- and the full story of that investigation is well researched and elegantly rendered here. Do I believe Celestial Voices shared the secrets of the Universe with this couple for decades? If I can accept the miracle of the thumb I am holding up as I write this, I am capable of accepting anything.” ~Norman Lear
“Good writing, the right tone, filled with information and analysis, sympathetic yet objective. From what you sent I was not entirely sure where you stand on Urantia. I sense that you certainly respect the achievement and are inclined to believe that some kind of inspiration is behind it. I think that is a good position from which to write. You will not be compelled to explain it away; on the other hand you can understand the skepticism about its origins.” ~Dr. Richard Bushman, Gouverneur Morris Professor Emeritus of History at Columbia University
“Lively, attractive, cheerful and charming, Sioux’s insatiable appetite for knowledge leaves you amazed and eager to learn her latest discovery. Competent, trustworthy, and tenacious, she is a treasured resource!” ~Ethel Kennedy
*"Your book arrived yesterday. I’m doing all kinds of moving-related stuff so I didn’t get a chance to look at it. So last night, when I went to bed, I thought "I’ll read the first chapter before I go to sleep." So I did….but then, I couldn’t stop. It was 2 a.m. when I finished.
Sioux, it’s great. There’s so much that I love about it. I love the way you put everything in historical context. You did it so well, and you did it very efficiently. You got a helluva lot across in a very few words. I’m reading and I thought, hey, how does she know all this stuff? Then I remembered: Ph.D., American History. Your depth of knowledge informs the whole book. I remember your telling me about your research, talking about, for example, the eugenics. You did a great job of putting that in context. Your idea to list people and organizations who believed in it was brilliant. You took what seems to us an insane nutball idea, and made us understand how it was such a part of the culture at the time, and convinced us to accept that. Without arguing with us or beating us over the head.
You lay everything out so straightforwardly and simply. I’d even say dispassionately, but the fact that you are passionate about the subject is apparent. I think what I mean is that the tone is so even and measured.
The way you structured it is great. How you took us through both of the Sadlers’ lives and works and careers before you got to explaining the Urantia book. It made them extremely credible people, so when you arrive at the Urantia Book, you’ve gotten us onboard with them, so we’re more willing to accept the fantastic (and I mean “fantastic” not as in “fabulous,” but as in “that which lies way beyond the realm of reality.”)
You also made the decision to do the Urantia section in a very straightforward manner. I mean, you didn’t set it up (hey, folks, what’s coming next is really wacky!), which would have been easy to do. Instead, you simply laid it out. I don’t mean to minimize that. What I’m trying to do is praise your economy of language and your ability to express the cosmic in a simple, explicit manner.
Your sourcing and documentation is meticulous. I know (from what you’ve told me, and, what is in the book) the enormous amount of research you did. You could have made the mistake of “research-dumping” — including everything that you found. You didn’t. You chose what was important to the narrative, and the breadth and depth of the research informs that narrative.
You also artfully slipped things in that I would have thought would have seemed like a glaring interruption of the narrative…but wasn’t. Like the Anthony Grafton info re footnotes. I don’t know how you did that. Seems like it shouldn’t work…but it did.
The book is like a French sauce reduction. I mean that you took gallons and gallons of beef juice and boiled it down to an exquisite, extremely rich broth. (Weird metaphor, but you know what I mean.) I wondered/am wondering whether the book was way longer, and you just kept editing it down and editing it down, compressing and tightening until you got exactly what you needed to tell the story in the most economic and efficient way.
Sioux, I am so happy for you and so proud of you. And (it nearly goes without saying) wildly impressed. It’s a gem."
~Susan Roy, Historian
*
“I just finished this wonderful and thought provoking book. Sioux Oliva did a terrific job on a tough subject. I did not find it hard to read and as a UB reader it was fascinating even the historical parts which gave such context to the times and to Sadler himself.
I knew Sadler was smart but I had no idea. It was hard to believe that one person could accomplish all that he did in one lifetime. No wonder the commission chose him!
The author cleared up (at least for me) the plagiarism issue. Footnoting just wasn't done in those times. I do not think that Sadler had wrong intentions. Although I'm sure there was a healthy ego there, but that just makes him like the rest of us.
At the end of this book, one still has to decide for themselves about the UB and Sadler. The evidence is compelling and I’m sure that people will reach different conclusions Personally, I don’t think this book takes anything away from the UB. If anything, it makes it even more intriguing.
I am grateful to Sioux Oliva for devoting her time and energy to writing this book. She has done a great service to the UB community and the planet. The truth regarding the origin of the UB needed to come out. I can’t help but feel that the commission knew all along this day would come. The rest is up to us.” CAS, Urantia Book reader
“A doctor, William Sadler, and his wife, Lena, assert that for decades they heard Celestial Voices speaking to them each evening, instructing them as to how they and the world they knew began and evolved. Sixty years later another doctor and accredited historian, Sioux Oliva, determined to seek the truth behind the Sadlers’ assertions. She did –- and the full story of that investigation is well researched and elegantly rendered here. Do I believe Celestial Voices shared the secrets of the Universe with this couple for decades? If I can accept the miracle of the thumb I am holding up as I write this, I am capable of accepting anything.” ~Norman Lear
“Good writing, the right tone, filled with information and analysis, sympathetic yet objective. From what you sent I was not entirely sure where you stand on Urantia. I sense that you certainly respect the achievement and are inclined to believe that some kind of inspiration is behind it. I think that is a good position from which to write. You will not be compelled to explain it away; on the other hand you can understand the skepticism about its origins.” ~Dr. Richard Bushman, Gouverneur Morris Professor Emeritus of History at Columbia University
“Lively, attractive, cheerful and charming, Sioux’s insatiable appetite for knowledge leaves you amazed and eager to learn her latest discovery. Competent, trustworthy, and tenacious, she is a treasured resource!” ~Ethel Kennedy
*"Your book arrived yesterday. I’m doing all kinds of moving-related stuff so I didn’t get a chance to look at it. So last night, when I went to bed, I thought "I’ll read the first chapter before I go to sleep." So I did….but then, I couldn’t stop. It was 2 a.m. when I finished.
Sioux, it’s great. There’s so much that I love about it. I love the way you put everything in historical context. You did it so well, and you did it very efficiently. You got a helluva lot across in a very few words. I’m reading and I thought, hey, how does she know all this stuff? Then I remembered: Ph.D., American History. Your depth of knowledge informs the whole book. I remember your telling me about your research, talking about, for example, the eugenics. You did a great job of putting that in context. Your idea to list people and organizations who believed in it was brilliant. You took what seems to us an insane nutball idea, and made us understand how it was such a part of the culture at the time, and convinced us to accept that. Without arguing with us or beating us over the head.
You lay everything out so straightforwardly and simply. I’d even say dispassionately, but the fact that you are passionate about the subject is apparent. I think what I mean is that the tone is so even and measured.
The way you structured it is great. How you took us through both of the Sadlers’ lives and works and careers before you got to explaining the Urantia book. It made them extremely credible people, so when you arrive at the Urantia Book, you’ve gotten us onboard with them, so we’re more willing to accept the fantastic (and I mean “fantastic” not as in “fabulous,” but as in “that which lies way beyond the realm of reality.”)
You also made the decision to do the Urantia section in a very straightforward manner. I mean, you didn’t set it up (hey, folks, what’s coming next is really wacky!), which would have been easy to do. Instead, you simply laid it out. I don’t mean to minimize that. What I’m trying to do is praise your economy of language and your ability to express the cosmic in a simple, explicit manner.
Your sourcing and documentation is meticulous. I know (from what you’ve told me, and, what is in the book) the enormous amount of research you did. You could have made the mistake of “research-dumping” — including everything that you found. You didn’t. You chose what was important to the narrative, and the breadth and depth of the research informs that narrative.
You also artfully slipped things in that I would have thought would have seemed like a glaring interruption of the narrative…but wasn’t. Like the Anthony Grafton info re footnotes. I don’t know how you did that. Seems like it shouldn’t work…but it did.
The book is like a French sauce reduction. I mean that you took gallons and gallons of beef juice and boiled it down to an exquisite, extremely rich broth. (Weird metaphor, but you know what I mean.) I wondered/am wondering whether the book was way longer, and you just kept editing it down and editing it down, compressing and tightening until you got exactly what you needed to tell the story in the most economic and efficient way.
Sioux, I am so happy for you and so proud of you. And (it nearly goes without saying) wildly impressed. It’s a gem."
~Susan Roy, Historian
*
“I just finished this wonderful and thought provoking book. Sioux Oliva did a terrific job on a tough subject. I did not find it hard to read and as a UB reader it was fascinating even the historical parts which gave such context to the times and to Sadler himself.
I knew Sadler was smart but I had no idea. It was hard to believe that one person could accomplish all that he did in one lifetime. No wonder the commission chose him!
The author cleared up (at least for me) the plagiarism issue. Footnoting just wasn't done in those times. I do not think that Sadler had wrong intentions. Although I'm sure there was a healthy ego there, but that just makes him like the rest of us.
At the end of this book, one still has to decide for themselves about the UB and Sadler. The evidence is compelling and I’m sure that people will reach different conclusions Personally, I don’t think this book takes anything away from the UB. If anything, it makes it even more intriguing.
I am grateful to Sioux Oliva for devoting her time and energy to writing this book. She has done a great service to the UB community and the planet. The truth regarding the origin of the UB needed to come out. I can’t help but feel that the commission knew all along this day would come. The rest is up to us.” CAS, Urantia Book reader