Walking Through Walls

I read it within two days, and I had a hard time dragging it out that long! Having spent several years living in the Keys, I immediately connected with Philip's surroundings in his memoir. He tells the story of his beautiful, classy mother, and his father, a prominent Miami decorator, who was best known for creating the beaded curtain of the 60's, and of himself, a young boy growing up with highly unusual parents. In the beginning, it seems they live the idyllic life, being successful in business and moving in exciting social circles. One day, his father comes home convinced he has a disorder called sanpaku, starts a vegetarian macrobiotic diet, and with that, everything changes. It doesn't take long before he has a spiritual awakening, and finds he has the gift to heal others. All this is very stressful on the family. Philip's father, Lew Smith, wants to pursue his gift, refine and develop it, and his mother has a hard time supporting him, or even in time showing any interest in his gifts whatsoever.She has her own interests which include sleeping in, unfiltered Camel cigarettes, diet pills, glamour and fashion. The main part of this memoir is about the struggle Philip goes through alternating between resentment, embarrassment, and finally acceptance of his father's new way of life. He has to learn to fend for himself because at times, his parents seem to forget that he even exists, but, eventually his father keeps tabs on him like no other father ever could. Philip never has any privacy because his father can see what he's doing at all times, either through his spirit guides or through the use of his pendulum. He must endure other embarrassments as well. Just going grocery shopping becomes a public spectacle as his father holds his pendulum above the melons, asking his spirit guides which one is the ripest and has the least amount of pesticides. Philip's father brings him along on exorcisms and healings, all which have become everyday occurences in their lives, and then he must attend school and pretend to be just an average kid to fit in. To try and define his own life, Philip rebels, and describes his experiences with great detail; smoking "mellow yellow", experimenting sexually, and disappearing to Ecuador, among other things. Eventually, he comes to the realization that even though his father has his faults, he loves him and is proud of him as he sees how others have come to view his father, as a selfless healer. All in all, this was a fascinating book that I didn't want to end. Whether you believe in the metaphysical or not, it's a great read that brings back lots of those 60's memories!

Walking Through Walls: A Memoir Walking Through Walls is a poignant memoir about psychic healer, exorcist, visionary and interior designer of the fifties and sixties, Lew Smith, written by his son Philip. It's the story of a wacky family with glimpses into the cocktail and design set of Miami, told with wit and a touch of pathos. Young Philip recounts the world of fast cars, fast people and a young boy's coming of age in an era when Miami was at the edge of nowhere and the design jobs were for Caribbean dictators and such. Born to parents who couldn't have been more different, Philip's world suddenly veers into the bizarre when his father embraces psychic healing, macrobiotics, past life regression, exorcism and much more. Smith tell his tale with verve and a tongue-in-cheek manner that keep you turning pages. He is a master at metaphor and simile; at the same time he manages to make the most outlandish seem commonplace. The book takes the reader on a journey, not only of Philip's coming of age and of his father's curious psychic healing adventures, but a story of a father who watched over his son, even when the son didn't want to be looked after. Walking Through Walls gives an exciting glimpse into the Miami of the fifties and sixties, of the hippie and acid generation, but also of a rare time to grow up and an even rarer man who was years ahead of his time. The book was written from countless tape recordings, letters and other documented evidence of Smith's father's case experiences. Recommended.

I could not put this book down - a truly compelling memoir of a truly unique life. Be prepared to open your mind to Philip Smith's unusual upbringing and appreciate the amazing and often mind-boggling experiences that formed his world (how many fathers can "spy" on you via their army of spirit friends? how many dads cure cancer in their free time?). For those of us who can only wish to experience even one small part of what Philip Smith did, you may find yourself frustrated with his continued resistance and rebellion to his father's gift. But ultimately, no matter how "normal" or "abnormal" our childhoods might have been, the lessons and examples set by our parents indelibly imprint themselves on us; and clarity is often only achieved with age and time. Philip Smith recounts this process in a beautiful, readable manner. Even those who will find themselves distracted by skepticism about the metaphysical can enjoy this memoir for the more universal themes of growing up, rebelling, and ultimately reaching peace with one's parents.

This book contains two stories: one, the account of Lew Smith's metamorphosis from society decorator to psychic healer and two, the author's pathway from embarrassment, to acceptance and finally to admiration for his father's talents. We are able to follow Lew Smith's metaphysical pathway and growth, as well as the hurdles and derision he must overcome in practicing his healing. For those who have a firm belief in the superiority of allopathic medicine, the recounting of Lew Smith's use of healing energies, discussion of the etheric body and use of a pendulum to diagnosis disease will probably have a few eyes rolling. For those who share Smith's view of modern medicine ("You know what your wonderful doctors do? They give you some pills that make you sicker than when you walked in the door. Then they give you more pills to counteract the first pills..."), you'll wish he could have taught in a medical school and been given the latitude to introduce an entirely new aspect to the teaching of medical care. Instead, Lew Smith had to contend with visits from FDA inspectors, confrontations with arrogant doctors and being hauled away by police when he tries to help an accident victim. Being "normal" is the life wish of most kids and we see the author's struggle for normal in statements such as "At the age of ten, I was not about to sit down and simply be the only acid-balanced, nontoxic macrobiotic kid in all of Miami." The dualism of his growing up - "out of necessity I developed a dual personality. During school hours I needed to appear as normal as possible, in order to avoid being beaten up or laughed out of class...", and his desire for a 'normal' father - "What I really wanted was a father who mowed the lawn, drank beer, and fell asleep in front of the TV." Fortunately for all who read this book, Philip does take in his father's lessons ("I didn't want to tell my father, but since that first lesson, I had been practicing the pendulum a lot...") because this acceptance of his father's teachings allows for a better and more insightful retelling of his father's talents. The culmination of the author's coming full circle and fully appreciating what a remarkable man his father was comes with his eulogy at his father's funeral: "...my father devoted his life to creating the future of medicine. He struggled against official ignorance and prejudice...We may not begin to even understand what he did until the next century...I know he would want his work to live on...". Lew Smith's son has ensured his story and work will live on in this wonderful book.

This engaging memoir is so readable that I could hardly put it down. It is the story of a family living in Florida, with the author growing up in the 1950's and coming of age during the '60s. His mother is a wonderful, lovely woman. It sounds patronizing to say she is "colorful," and I don't mean it like that. She is a beautiful, interesting person who walks to her own music. His father is a successful interior decorator and there is a great story of him being kidnapped to work in a palace in Haiti during the 1950's. The idyllic life changes, however, when the father begins to acquire a "spiritual healing power." Soon there is talk of reading the Akashic record, using pendulums to discern truth, psychic healings, etc. A large part of the book is about the strain this puts on the marriage, and how difficult, yet also magical, it was to grow up around all of this. I don't want to say too much more, since I am borderline spoiler already. But this is a worthwhile read, and I hope it makes bestseller. On a personal note, I also grew up with a family member who claimed this kind of ability. I felt happy, in a bittersweet way, that it wasn't so bad for the author. For me, I felt like I lived in a Stephen King book sometimes. I usually hate this sort of thing (imagine growing up in Rose Red or the Overlook!). I state this to show how compelling and well written this book is!