Absence from Felicity: The Story of Helen Schucman and Her Scribing a Course in Miracles

There are a lot of things I love about this book. I was into it and wish there was a big DVD series I could watch that talked about it. But the best thing I got from it was learning through Helen's, and her colleagues, trials and forgiveness lessons. I'm not sure if it was in this book or another one of Ken's books, but he talks about being able to learn from others forgiveness lessons and there are so many in this book. For example: Helen "avoiding" Jesus by shopping. We all do this one way or another. One of my ways of escaping him was video games and internet surfing. I had no real desire to do these things and I knew it would be better to practice the lessons. Reading of Helen's funny little things she would do to push him out was somewhat shocking and funny to me in that I could see how I was doing it.

This book gives A Course in Miracles much needed context, i.e. Helen and Bill's relationship, and makes large parts of it more easily understandable. The story of how the Course came about is a truly amazing one, and it's fascinating to read about the personal help given to Helen and Bill by Jesus, printed here, which didn't make it into the Course itself. This book really comes to life once the Course dictation starts, seeming a little laboured up to that point, but there are numerous treasures for every Course student from then on. Buy it, and then buy it for your friends too !

This is one of those indispensable books, along with Gary Renard's DU and YIR, that the serious ACIM student should definitely consider having. I had a rather different impression of Helen Shucman until I read Absence from Felicity. It puts into perspective the scribing of the Course, the events that led up to and ensued during the scribing, and the complexities surrounding Helen's relationship with Bill Thetford and others. Compared to Kenneth Wapnick's other companion guide books to the Course whose academic tone is sometimes difficult to follow, this book reads smoothly and includes a lot of Helen's personal notes, mostly letters written to Bill throughout their relationship. Most of all, Absence from Felicity shows us that Helen was just as neurotic (or, 'ego-driven,' to put it in Course terms) as any of us and that she herself made a tremendous effort to undertake the teachings of the Course. It's an informative source of encouragement that I recommend for anyone interested in A Course In Miracles.

This work is an invaluable historical resource for students of A Course In Miracles. Mr. Wapnick painstakingly details the life of Helen Schucman and the scribing of ACIM. He also provides many valuable examples of personal material between Helen and Jesus. Although difficult reading, it is essential for anyone who wants to know the story of how the Course came to be. Students of the Course the world over are grateful to Mr. Wapnick for his loving efforts in the area of A Course In Miracles. Highly recommended for serious students of ACIM.

Although I am Catholic and do not believe in "A Course in Miracles", I think this book is the best reference to anyone who wants to know about Helen Schucman's life and her writing of the Course. I know Mr. Wapnick personally and know that he is very sincere in telling us about his experiences with Helen.