2012 ForeWord Book of the Year Award Finalists Announced

ForeWord Reviews has announced the 2012 Book of the Year Awards list of finalists. Representing more than 700 publishers, the finalists were selected from 1,300 entries in 62 categories. These books are examples of independent publishing at its finest.

The following two titles from Earth Aware Editions and Mandala Publishing are finalists for the 2012 Book of the Year Awards:


By God's Grace (Mandala Publishing), Mind & Spirit category
By Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati, Preface: Rabbi David Rosen, 
Foreword: His Holiness Tenzin Gyatso The Dalai Lama
Hardcover, Price: $50.00

By God’s Grace is an absorbing portrait of the extraordinary life of a renowned Indian spiritual leader, Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswati. Practical wisdom, a connection to the Divine, and global action have made him one of India's most renowned and beloved spiritual teachers. 

Elaborately illustrated, the book traces his journey from childhood in the jungles of India to the company of world leaders, from Himalayan villages to the podiums of the United Nations, the World Economic Forum, and other venues of global change. His projects are unprecedented, including a cleanup of the 1,560-mile-long Ganges River and a six-million-word encyclopedia of Hinduism. 

American-born author Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati, Ph.D., moved to India in 1996. She was officially ordained by Pujya Swamiji into the tradition of sanyas and lives at Parmarth Niketan in Rishikesh, where she serves Pujya Swamiji's humanitarian projects, teaches meditation, gives discourses, and counsels individuals and families. She lives in Rishikesh, India.

A Day in the World (Earth Aware Editions), Photography category
By Jeppe Wikström, Foreword: Richard Branson, Introduction: Desmond Tutu
Hardcover, Price: $50.00

One day, millions of perspectives. On May 15, 2012, people from around the globe picked up their cameras to record their lives—A Day in the World is the result. 

Professionals and amateur shutterbugs alike are featured in this beautiful edition, the most comprehensive photographic documentation of daily life ever made.

Including tribal areas and urban sprawl, intimate portraits and riotous events, the book was the brainchild of the movement Aday.org (a branch of the foundation Expressions of Humankind), a unique project that celebrates
the power of photography to encourage cultural understanding. The foundation's council includes Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Sir Richard Branson, and a host of other luminaries and advocates. Author Jeppe Wikström
is one of Scandinavia's best-known and most-published photographers, with some 20 book titles to his credit.

Wikström is one of the founders of the nonprofit Expressions of Humankind, which works to promote human understanding through photography, and created the A Day in the World project.

ForeWord’s Book of the Year Awards program was created to highlight the year’s most distinguished books from independent publishers. Award winners are chosen by librarians and booksellers who are on the front lines, working every day with patrons and customers.

Help save the Yamuna River

About the Yamuna

The Yamuna flows through many of India’s most significant attractions, including the capital New Delhi, with a population of almost fourteen million; Vrindavan, an international pilgrimage site visited by tens of millions annually; and the Taj Mahal, a World Heritage site and one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

Over fifty million people rely on the Yamuna for their daily needs, using the water for religious observances, agricultural needs, and bathing, washing, and cooking. In addition to benefiting the human population, the Yamuna has supported a vast ecosystem of wildlife, such as fish, turtles, crocodiles, river dolphins, and aquatic plants.

Aside from agricultural, ecological, and domestic uses, the Yamuna River has long been regarded as a cultural icon and defining symbol of India. Ancient scriptures, traditional and contemporary art, music, festivals, and even the Indian National Anthem, demonstrate the reverence in which the river is held.

Basic Facts

• The Yamuna River is the largest tributary of the Ganges River, with a catchment area (345,848 sq km / 133,533 sq m) that constitutes 40 percent of the total Ganga River Basin.
• The river is 1,376 km (855 miles) long and passes through seven Indian states.
• The Yamuna is water source for 57 million people.
• 97 percent of the river’s water is directed away from the riverbed not far from its source. The balance dries up within a few kilometers. None of the original river water flows beyond that point north of Delhi.
• Whatever little water reaches New Delhi does so through various canals entering the riverbed. A Central Pollution Control Board of India report in 2006 stated that there is “almost no fresh water in the river” beyond New Delhi. The report declared that for 580 km (360 m) south of Delhi, the river is “critically polluted.” A subsequent report in 2009 states that, “There is no doubt that the river is a cesspool for Delhi’s waste.”
• The levels of pollution in the water flowing through and out of Delhi are so high that even bathing in the water is dangerous. The water from the river is also replenishing groundwater in the area, resulting in highly polluted well water, which threatens the health of millions of people.
• Many accounts of severe illness and death have been attributed to the toxic state of the river’s water quality downstream of New Delhi.

You can help by joining the Yamuna Network's efforts. Follow them on Facebook and learn more at their website, www.yamunanetwork.com.

The Yamuna Network is a nonprofit coalition of like-minded organizations and individuals whose sole purpose is to stop Yamuna River's waters from being diverted and prevent industrial and municipal waste from entering her waters, restoring the river to her past glory.

The New Long March

The stunning array of photographs in China: An Intimate Look at the Past andPresent gloriously captures the country today by revisiting the legendary military route the Long March. With a rich palette of vibrant and lush compositional photos, this touching and breathtaking 396-page tome documents the human endurance, tenacity, and fortitude that unified the Chinese people seventy-five years ago. This epic military journey remains an inspiration for modern China, and a testament to their enduring spirit.

The “Long March” refers to the path taken by the Red Army of the Chinese Communist Party, a precursor to the People's Liberation Army, to retreat from the domineering Kuomintang (KMT or Chinese Nationalist Party) army. This iconic troop withdrawal across the harsh wilds of China in 1934 was transformed into a galvanizing journey, setting the stage for the creation of the People’s Republic of China. The Long March marked the rise of Mao Zedong. Mao’s leadership during this military evacuation stirred the spirit of the Chinese Communist Party’s Red Army and gained him their support. In 2011, an international team of photographers was dispatched along that same iconic route, from Jiangxi in the southeast to Gansu and Shaanxi in the northwest. Their majestic work grants you an unprecedented glimpse into an event that shaped a nation. 

China features 320 electrifying and moving full-color photographs, revelatory illustrations, and maps for geographic contextualization. This grand coming-of-age saga brings to life the monumental transformations that China underwent, as villages became cities and dirt roads became superhighways, with the buzz of industry and commerce filling the air. Bearing witness to the changes have been the people of China, whose resilience, pride, determination, and perseverance are illuminated — the same spirit that turned the Long March from a disaster into a triumph.

An Augmented Reality feature transforms the book into an interactive experience with video footage, audio of traditional songs, and additional photographs. With contributions by a group of celebrated photographers, along with maps, timelines, and historical images and artwork, China provides an insightful and wholly original retelling of one of the most significant events in Chinese history. Informative and visually transcendent, this is a must-have for history and photo buffs.

China: An Intimate Look at the Past and Present

A Photographic Journey of the New Long March

Download The New Long March app for the iPad or iPhone to unlock more digital content when used with the book.   

World Environment Day

Our goal at Earth Aware Editions is to educate and help inspire global movements to help improve life on our planet. 


We're excited to celebrate World Environment Day and share with our readers, the many books that focus on the environment and what every day people can do to help save our planet.



The following titles can be purchased directly from our website:

National Parks


Wildlands Philanthropy


Grand Canyon

Plundering Appalachia

Blue Planet Run


These are just a few of the titles found in our Nature & Environment category. Check out our website for more, along with a description of each book and which organization is associated with them.

Earth Aware Editions is committed to broadening awareness and understanding the unique challenges of our time through powerful and provocative publications. From climate change and conservation to the accelerating loss of diversity in our planet's species and cultures, the continued erosion of our biosphere and ethnosphere cannot be ignored.

Founded on the principle that the sustainability of life on Earth depends on the spiritual heal and wisdom of humanity, Earth Aware Editions presents the diverse voices of today’s leading environmentalists, photojournalists, cultural commentators, artists, and activists. It is our goal to celebrate global diversity and preserve our cultural heritage for future generations.

Yoga and Vegetarianism

What does yoga have to do with vegetarianism? 

Drawing upon her studies of Vedic traditions, author Sharon Gannon explores how the practices of yoga are historically and structurally tied to an ethical vegetarian lifestyle.

"The yogi strives to live in harmony with Mother Nature...Eating a vegetarian diet can contribute more to saving ourselves and the planet than any other single effort."

Some facts:

1. Global Warming: Raising animals for food creates more greenhouse as emissions than all the transportation in the world.
2. Water Pollution: In the US, raising animals for food causes more water pollution than any other industry.
3. Water Use: More than half the water consumed in the US is used to raise animals for food.
4. Oceans: Most of the fish and other sea creatures caught annually are not eaten directly by humans but are fed to livestock.
5. Land: 45% of the total landmass in the US is used to raise animals for food and the crops to feed them.
6. Deforestation: An acre of land disappears every eight seconds, cleared to grow crops to feed confined animals in factory farms.
7. Crops: 80% of the corn and more than 95% of the oats grown in the US are fed to animals raised for food.
8. Fossil fuel depletion: Over 1/3 of all fossil fuels in the US go to raise animals for food.

"Our meat-eating culture not only affects the animals that are tortured and killed but also causes tremendous worldwide environmental devastation - which scientists loudly proclaim will have catastrophic effects on the planet."

Both yoga and vegetarianism form a framework for physical and spiritual attunement, and when practiced as a whole, provide the path not only to physical health, but to spiritual enlightenment.


To learn more about Yoga and Vegetarianism, pick up a copy of Sharon Gannon's book where she shares a 21-day cleansing diet and yoga poses to add to your daily routine.