Perils and pitfalls, grace and peace

Norman Fischer is a nice Jewish boy. He’s also Zoketsu Norman Fischer, a Soto Zen roshi, a co-abbot of the San Francisco Zen Center and a founder of the Oakland-based Everyday Zen Foundation. As if that weren’t enough, Fischer is also the author of a new book called Sailing Home: Using the Wisdom of Homer’s Odyssey to Navigate Life’s Perils and Pitfalls. Given the necessity of coping with perils and pitfalls—and the desirability of having some sort of grace and peace while doing so—it’s a good thing Fischer is visiting Sacramento. He’ll be reading from and signing copies of his new book at Time Tested Books (1114 21st Street) this Sunday, August 30, at 7:30 p.m. For more information, call Time Tested at (916) 447-5696.