Interview with Penny S. Tee
If you had to explain this book in one sentence what would you say?
“Blasted from Complacency: A Journey from Terror to Transformation in Israel,” is the true story of our Jewish-American family’s vacation in Israel when we found ourselves touring amazing religious and tourist attractions and cowering in bomb shelters in terror.
Who are the major influencers on your life and philosophy?
Jean Houston, Oprah Winfrey, Deepak Chopra, Eckhart Tolle, Golda Meir, Brene Brown, Claire Zammit, Gary Zukav, John Assaraf, Michael A. Singer, Nahid Casazza, Maralys Wills, James Malinchak, The Jewish National Fund, and Toastmasters.
In fact there is an entire Resources section in my book that speaks about teachers and authors that I’ve taken classes with and read their books which helped lead me to my transformation.
What other authors or book influenced you to write this one?
Daniel Gordis, Leon Uris, Elinor Burkett, Ari Shavit, Chaim Potok, James Michener, Estelle Frankel, Dr. Shefali Tsabary, Don Miguel Ruiz, Kahlil Gibran, and Rhonda Byrne.
You can find these authors in the Resources section of my book as well.
What are some of the major ideas that you integrate into this book or in general?
Throughout my book I discuss transformative events that have occurred in my life to make me the person I am and how I countered their impact with new ways of looking at life. Perception is everything. Being the human target of missiles made me want to work on Peace, but writing this book made me realize I had been working on Peace all of my life, but it had been internal.
In the last chapter of my book I discuss eight life lessons that I live by which include ways to treat yourself and maintain awareness of your private thoughts to the necessity of doing what you love and dreaming big.
If you could not use your current book title, what would be another choice?
A Survivor’s Story of How the Impact of Terror Positively Evolved My Life