Mystery of Reincarnation: The Evidence & Analysis of Rebirth

"What's the big brouhaha about reincarnation and what does it have to do with me?" If, as a novice to the subject, you are asking some such question with a bit of healthy curiosity, then J. Allan Danelek's MYSTERY OF REINCARNATION will suit your needs admirably. His matter-of-fact approach to this difficult topic-known to provoke emotions like those sparked by a discussion, say, of abortion-disarms the defenses, pro or con, and allows the reader to reason through both sides of the historical, physical, social, psychological, ethical, and religious evidence and draw his own conclusion. Still, the author's tone is conversational and personal throughout the book, nothing pedantic about it. He announces his bias in favor of reincarnation upfront, and, though somewhat abashed, he dares to share a personal story, one that led him to deduce that he was a German soldier during World War II his last time around. While the first of the book's two parts, "Weighing the Evidence," will be old hat to reincarnation studies' veterans, it starts, properly for the novice, with the Bridey Murphy story, the first case for reincarnation subjected to rigorous forensic examination. The other detailed case study presented, that of "James, the Submarine Man," an individual who "discovered" through hypnotic regression that he had died during the sinking of the USS Shark in 1942, is not only an intriguing story in itself, but also its presentation is an excellent demonstration of the necessary and difficult analysis required to prove or disprove a prior existence as a specific individual. In the first section, also, is a chapter entitled "A Very Brief History Lesson," and, regarding reincarnation, it is just that-brief. Again, it gives a novice the overview, although it might have been backed up with a more extensive bibliography. One who gets hooked on the study from this book should be aware that much further research will be required-and credit the author, he makes this point in the introduction, "This is a reincarnation `primer' if you will; designed not to provide a complete and comprehensive understanding of the subject...but instead provide a base for intelligent discussion." But it is in Part II, "The Mechanics of Reincarnation," in my opinion, that Danelek hits a stride vigorous enough to engage the veteran also. Here he offers thought-provoking views about how reincarnation might actually work, why we reincarnate, how beings relate to each other across lifetimes, and how we might have a choice in the form and frequency of rebirth. His chapter, "A New Perspective on Karma," as applied to reincarnation, is indeed innovative, inviting a fresh look at this ancient concept, which, in New Age speak, has become the hackneyed answer for everything that is not right with us. We live in an era where it is fashionable to tout ourselves as independent thinkers. Yet, we as a nation can be led into mischief, even cruel wars, on the mere word of authorities when a few prob