Head on Fire: The Path to Personal and Collective Transformation Now. A memoir by Andy James (Iguana Books, 2025)
This book elaborates, expands and updates many of the issues and topics introduced by Andy’s 2003 “Ageless Wisdom Spirituality” (AWS – see below). It emphasizes the urgent need for individual change as the only way to get past the pendulum swings and vicious circles which complicate our collective lives and prevent us from tackling our fundamental, long-term crises. It explains why the timeline for corrective action is not infinite as we commonly presume. These crises include the threat of ever more destructive wars, unexamined implementation of new technology, growing inequality and the devastation of the planet. The acceleration of these global threats with little attention or proposed solutions from leaders prompted Andy to write “Head on Fire”. Technological advancements since AWS have included the explosion of social media and now AI. Since profit is the overriding motive of technological and scientific innovation, we only learn of its negative aspects years later when damage has already been done.
“Head on Fire” is also a memoir that relates how Andy came to the deep practice of Buddhism and the Chinese ‘internal arts’, to teaching, and eventually to building and running Harmony Dawn retreat. It describes in detail the practice of Vipassana Insight meditation, using stories and questions from students. It attempts to explain Vipassana meditation within the context of the major global spiritual and religious traditions.
Reviews for Head On Fire:
HEAD ON FIRE is not just a memoir. It’s a master class framed in text, on the art of pursuing one’s dreams through determination, hard work and skill. Moreover, it challenges every-day people at all stages of life, to engage in the wisdom of internal arts like, meditation, qigong and yoga, to discover pathways to deep understanding of self and one’s place in the universe.
Linda Dempster Singer/Songwriter
If you simply want to savor an interesting, engaging, and inspiring true story, Head on Fire will not disappoint. Plus, it is SO much more than a “memoir”. Head on Fire is a steely fist in a soft glove – a brutally honest historically based global assessment of mankind’s existential threats, tempered with hope. It will give you the courage to face uncertainty knowing that you, an ordinary person, can indeed do something right now! and now! and now! to be a light of change. Don’t be scared off by terms like “Vipassana insight meditation” – Author Andy James makes good on his statement “I find the Buddha’s teachings straightforward and clear in explanation and immediately accessible through personal practice. It does not require money, equipment, prior knowledge, or belief, so it is open and available to all.”
Andy James writes about profound things in the context of everyday life and family circumstances which are easy to relate to. One quote that has stuck with me is deceptively simple: “I have long told my daughters and my students that it is not necessary to analyze yourself for possible problems just for the sake of it, because if something from the past is urgent enough, it will arise for your attention sooner or later, and that is the time to deal with it. In that way, you can meet whatever challenges life throws at you in each moment as you journey through life, without accumulating ever heavier burdens.”
Sister Georgene Wilson, OSF
“Head on Fire” by Andy James is a clarion call for modern times. The world currently faces many challenges: political instability, rapid technological change, and grave concerns about climate change. James draws on his near five decades of teaching experience to contend that change, both personal and collective, is not only possible but also urgently necessary to address them.. “Head on Fire” draws on influences both ancient and modern from the Buddha to Einstein to deliver its compelling message.
Jeff W, Goodreads review
“Head on Fire” is a steely fist in a soft glove – a brutally honest, historically based global assessment of mankind’s existential threats, tempered with hope. It will give you courage to face uncertainty knowing that you, an ordinary person, can indeed do something right now to be a Light of change! Andy James writes about profound things in the context of everyday life and family circumstances which are easy to relate to.
Mimo, Goodreads review
Andy James is a courageous person who has created his own path so his story and wisdom can help you. It is not easy and it is possible. His guidance is profound and accessible. Times are tough, confusing and uncertain. We do not need illusions and easy fixes, we need real, live, intelligent guidance from someone who has and is doing the hard work.
Donna Armstrong, Former Crown Attorney and Author