So I came with an open mind to Judy Bachrach's book, Glimpsing Heaven: The Stories and Science of Life After Death. But I also approached it with the eye of an experienced journalist, which is to say I held the author to high standards of reporting and writing. Happily, she exceeded both. Drawing on interviews with an array of people who have had what is commonly called "near death experiences" -- but what she refers to more accurately as "death experiences" -- Bachrach exhibits the same journalistic skill that has distinguished her as a contributor to Vanity Fair. All had been declared legally dear, yet they retained a consciousness that existed outside of their bodies. They came back and spoke of experiencing "pure unconditional love," of seeing deceased relatives and being overcome with enlightenment. And, yes, they remembered being drawn to a "white light."
One "experiencer" Bachrach spoke with was Bill Taylor, a computer analyst who had suffered a heart attack. "The next thing I knew, I was out in space, looking on all the stars and planets ... There were threads connecting all of the bodies in the universe. And I am also connected to all these forms ... The threads were energy -- and it was love that connected everything to everything."
Interviews with doctors and scientists who have explored this subject are woven into the narrative, which Bachrach moves along at a highly readable pace. There would appear to be agreement among them that something indeed happens when we die, although it is not yet clear how or why. No book of this sort could possibly answer all of our questions, but it does give us the "glimpse" it promises into a realm that exists beyond the wall of time. And it reminds us again how little we know.
Mark Kram Jr. is the author of the PEN/ESPN Award-winning narrative Like Any Normal Day: A Story of Devotion.
4 comments:
Some think that "near death experiences" are simply the brain shutting down and coughing up a last few culturally conditioned images as it does so. Once brain death occurs, that's it. Kaput. Personally, I don't know why that prospect would upset people, but it certainly does. I vote with your uncle.
I'm skeptical and fascinated all at the same time! Thanks for being on the tour!
dont know about you guys but I plan on being carried off by Fryea and get drunk on what ever Goddess's drink.
thanks so much for that touching review of GLIMPSING HEAVEN. Like Mark, I am really not affiliated with any organized religion -- but as a journalist, I needed to research what so many have been reporting about experiences after death. I was astonished at the results!!
best judy bachrach
Post a Comment