Old Souls: The Scientific Evidence for Past Lives

This is a great book that opens one's eyes to the possibility of reincarnation. It tells of possibilities in other countries with children who grow up talking about another life altogether from the one they are living. It's a fascinating read.

Although Tom Shroder's stated purpose for writing "OldSouls" was to bring Dr. Ian Stevenson's work to life,making it approachable by the lay audience, there is adeeper purpose to it. The only rational (note I stressrational) argument against Stevenson's findings is toattack Stevenson's credibility. One must assume thateither he is fraudulent, that his methods are sloppy,or that somehow he is not really getting the evidencehe's reporting.This is where Tom Shroder steps in and puts the finalseal on Stevenson's work. Because, what he's done isto act as a *professional witness*, i.e., ahighly-credentialled, objective journalist,to confirm the credibility of Stevenson's research.The book "Old Souls" fulfills this mission faithfully,and the results of Shroder's investigation areaffirmative--Stevenson is, in fact, getting theresults he claims to be getting, and he is using the rigorousmethods he claims to be using.The point is not whether the cases provided in "Old Souls" are convincing in and of themselves. The point is that Shroder'sconclusion means that the *other* cases Stevensonreports--as in "20 Cases Suggestive ofReincarnation"--are *also* credible, and hence evenmore convincing.And if Stevenson's credibility holds, then hisconclusions hold. And if his conclusions hold, thenthe philosophical bases for about 90% of our predominant Westernculture--our science, religion, philosophy, relationships, everything--will have to be seriously revisited. Turned upside-down, actually.No wonder it's met with so much resistance.

I've gone through several copies of this book. Everytime it finds a comfy space on my shelf, a friend gets a hold of it and away it goes. Suffice to say, it changes those who read it. Fundamentalist christians and athiests alike find the research of Dr. Stevenson deeply disconcerting and for good reason. When people think of reincarnation evidence it's usually the hypnotic-regression fantasies which share the bed with alien abduction. But Dr. Stevenson's research is as far away from that as you can get. Imagine if your 4 year-old suddenly mentioned that he liked you better than his old parents and told you that he lived on a ranch in New Mexico. You would probably think his imagination was getting the better of him. But if he provided details which you later verified, how would you react? This scenario has indeed occurred in reality and has done so many times as the research of Dr. Stevenson shows. When reading this book remember a few things. Dr. Stevenson has outstanding credentials. He never jumps from point A to point C. If there is no B he admits so. And all of these cases involve deceased persons. No child has reported being someone who is still living or from the future(which weakens psychic ability as being a cause of this phenomena). And lastly, if reincarnation exists, and I believe Dr. Stevenson's research suggests so, what does that say about human consciousness and our place in the universe?

I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in adventure stories. A man sets out against incredible odds, traveling through perilous lands and braving endless tests of faith to deliver Truth to the masses. Is reincarnation a reality? No one can prove it, not definitively. But no one seems to be looking for concrete proof either way. With the exception of Dr. Ian Stevenson and a small handful of other researchers he has inspired to believe in his work. "Old Souls" is a fascinating portrait of one of the last true heroes: the scientist. Dr. Stevenson has dedicated his life to investigating children's claims of past-life memories, claims the majority of modern science has turned it's back on. The book, filled with descriptions so vivid you feel as if you can smell, taste and touch the surroundings, takes the reader on a colorful journey to Beirut, India and Middle America. We are following the 79 year-old scientist on what may be his last interviews with the families, past and present, of the children who have memories of another life. These spontaneous memories are not the grand, theatrical "I was Cleopatra"-type claims that have become old hat in New Age philosophy. They are not a product of regression-hypnosis. The past life memories in Stevenson's research are simple, plain and out of the mouths of babes--often with enough details and names to identify the adress and family of the person they claim to have been. In almost all of the cases covered in the book, the families of the past personality support the cliams of the child, believing, despite any descrepancies, that they have regained their departed relative. Stevenson has fought to keep his records accurate, copious and, most of all, sane. His research is unquestionably thorough, which you'll find is quite an accomplishment when you read about the daunting odds he is up against--travels all across the globe to conduct interviews with subjects who are sometimes unwilling, often surly and occasionally downright dangerous. "Old Souls" seves as testimony to the doctor's relentless dedication to accuracy. In places that have been too busy trying to survive multiple wars to keep exact records of anything beyond the past month, Stevenson has spent days searching for 20 year-old documents helpful only to verify a small portion of a child's claim. I found the studies conducted to be fascinating and the book to be extraordinary in it's ability to make feild research seem thrilling. Although I was not fully convinced, by the end of the book, that reincarnation was the only explanation for these children's stories, author Tom Shroder did convince me that this research can no longer be ignored. If any part of these cases of past-life awareness, numbering over 3,000 documented cases to date, can be proven beyond a shadow of a doubt, the implications could be revolutionary. These investigations cannot end with Stevenson's retirement. As I've said, Stevenson, by

Tom Shroder's OLD SOULS is a well-written and compelling book dealing with a still mysterious and controversial subject: children who believe they have lived before. Far from being a dry academic research project documenting cases textbook fashion, this book draws the reader along with the author on a fascinating adventure.Shroder's descriptions of the cultural flavor of both Lebanon and India, his vivid impressions and sometimes alarming experiences, keep the reader well-involved and continually questioning the evidence. At no point is the reader led to believe Shroder has any agenda except to report on his experiences as he accompanies Ian Stevenson, a professor from the University of Virginia, for what is perhaps Stevenson's last visit to Lebanon and India to reinvestigate claimants of reincarnation.There are varying degrees of how convincing each case is, but even for one who does not subscribe to the belief of reincarnation, there are other cases that are exceptionally compelling. Photographs lend added credibility to some individual cases.No matter where one stands on the subject, OLD SOULS is a thought-provoking and thoroughly digestible inquiry into an unsettling phenomenon. Tom Shroder did a very masterful job on this book.