by Jim Terr (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
Erhard Seminars Training, sometimes known as EST, was a vehicle for self-actualization and a better life for over one million people in the 1970s and 80s. New Mexico author and record producer Jim Terr stumbled by in 1975 and got very involved, and herein he tells his story. Filled with laughs, tears, and numerous digressions, this chronicle provides a brief, personal overview of a powerful, eye-opening experience.
“Whatever you may think of Werner Erhard and est, Jim’s very personal account has remarkable depth and richness — especially for such a short book. It contains many valuable insights about life, family, and relationships. And hiding in the middle of the book is a fairly radical economic/political proposal which, if widely adopted, could transform life on earth! All told with remarkable frankness and vulnerability; highly recommended.”
-Thom Hartmann, radio host and author
“Jim was right in the middle of that early era of the human potential movement — not from the sidelines, but fully immersed — and his stories bring a unique, personal lens to a movement that has influenced so much of what we see today in personal development. Jim’s reflections and short stories capture something real, raw, and worth exploring. If you’re curious about where a lot of today’s personal growth ideas originated, this is a great place to start.
P.S. A fun fact about Jim: he wrote and performed the song ‘Sing a Song of Snapple’ which I remember hearing as kid in the early 90s on Snapple drink commercials.”
-Ryan Lilly, human potential historian
“I find myself going back to your book. It’s rewarding in detail and in general. The mixture between est and personal stuff works beautifully.”
-Eileen Aronson Ireland, poet, “Spoken Flares, Sun Beacons”
“Werner and Me is a rare memoir — funny, honest, and surprisingly moving. Jim Terr doesn’t pretend to have all the answers about est or enlightenment; instead he gives you something better: the unvarnished story of a young man stumbling into adulthood through one of the most fascinating social experiments of the 1970s. The personal digressions are the best part — each one a small gem of self-awareness and humor.”
— Ryan Lilly, human potential historian (back cover review)
(Amazon.com)