To Be Is Better

About the Book

Two old colleagues began what they planned to be a short manual on dying. It turned out to be more about living, religion and a few observations about the politics of the day. The book is not an autobiography or a blank indictment of religion, nor is it a political screed. It is a mixture of the experiences of two men with varied lives and a range of interests in the last half of the last century. They did not end up defining the meaning of life, but instead they observe many of the illusions about life and belief and warn of a malevolence that is being perpetuated in the name of faith.

About the Author

Bob Hoyt and Joe Spradlin were born different counties in Western Kansas at the beginning of the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression. Both were farmers for a time, but the world of books and ideas became a stronger attraction than the land. Bob spent time in the military during the Korean police action and worked in intelligence as a technical writer in Washington during the 1960s. Joe Spradlin earned his Ph.D. and became research director for Bureau of Child Research projects at Parsons State Hospital and Training Center. He is a prominent behavioral scientist who has published extensively on behavior analysis and teaching children with handicaps. Bob now lives in Tennessee, Joe in Kansas.