Review: Captivating and Thought-Provoking
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 09 7, 2013
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.I'm going to start this review off by saying that I do believe in psychics, mediums, etc. I'm going to assume that you are at least open to the idea. Why else would you have gone so far as to read the reviews? I'm not going to swear that the author is the real deal; that's up to you to decide. But I believe you can appreciate this book even if you are a skeptic. It gives you a lot of food for thought about the afterlife, and as long as a book makes me think, I believe it's worthy of a read.Though I have an interest in the paranormal, I do not spend a great deal of time researching people and I had not heard of the author. In the case of most self-published authors, I don't feel that researching an author is all that necessary. But this genre is a bit different. The introduction tells you about her life, but a little bit of Googling will you give you some background on her before buying. She's led an extremely interesting life and, if you're concerned about the authenticity, I think you'll find enough to justify the purchase.One thing I do wish the author would do a little more of is explain the method of her channeling. I find mediums fascinating and am always wanting to hear more about the experience itself. She relates stories about her experience in the introduction, but I wouldn't mind hearing more about her experiences with these interviewees and what her approach was in terms of writing out and editing the text--for example, is the connection strong enough to get full sentences, or is it more of a puzzle?This book is a set of interviews with people who have passed on. The stories are told from their perspectives. Some editing is clear throughout, but in a published book that's to be expected. The voices vary as the people change, but a few times it feels a little overly polished. Even so, each interview in this book is unique. There are people of all ages and walks of life. And time periods. The mental state of them during their lives also varies. In just the first few you see a little boy with a heart problem, an elderly man who is the town go-to for anything broken, and a runaway who finds a loving family. You'll see what life was like for people in different places and historical periods. You'll also see how even people with very destructive personalities end up finding their own peace in the end.The only thing I wish there was more of in the interviews is clear biographical detail at the start of each. After you get into every interview, it becomes clear the gender, age, and rough time period for each interviewee. But I feel I would benefit from having that information before I dive in. On the other hand, each one felt like a mystery and there was something nice about unravelling the story as you go.Either way, the stories are fantastic and captivating. The narratives start in the middle of people's stories--getting right to the part of their lives that relates to their death and how their souls recovered from any pain they experienced while alive. Some spend a great deal of time on the living part of their existence while others focus more on the death and afterlife part. Each one focuses on the most relevant parts; those that could help the reader. And they end with advice from the afterlife. They try to reach the readers and encourage them to live in the moment and not be focused on death or those they've lost. There are several "please learn from my mistakes" stories. So even for the skeptic, there is a lot to be gained from reading these interviews.Because they have a colloquial feel, they move quickly and you feel like you're in a café just chatting with an old friend describing their last big trip. The information about the afterlife is very interesting. Like I said earlier, even if you are skeptical, it gives you something to think about. We're all curious (and anxious) about the afterlife, and any information or idea that we haven't already encountered is useful. There are things you hear about in these interviews that will make you think about what you believe. Not to say you should be constantly reevaluating your views. But if you are still reading this review, I suspect you are looking for information or ideas that you can find here. Because it's such great food for thought, I recommend this book.