YOU ARE HERE FOR A REASON

The autobiography of a woman who claims to have had numerous psychic experiences.

Gianni begins her slim debut with her childhood in the 1960s and ’70s in a working-class suburb of Melbourne, Australia, where she went to school with her younger brother. She quickly realized that she was different from other kids; even at a young age, she says, she had infallible intuition about people and about the long-term consequences of impulsive actions, often serving as sounding board and unofficial counselor to her classmates. (At one point, she quips that she sometimes “felt more like a shrink than a kid.”) In short order, she says, her life was derailed by vaguely described “strange unexplainable illnesses” that no doctor was able to identify, much less treat. She also says that she started having a broad range of psychic experiences, including seeing ghosts, experiencing near-death episodes, and having premonitions. Her psychic visions, she says, began giving her specific clues about actual crimes. She includes a funny anecdote about calling a Crime Stoppers hotline to divulge one of these revelations, certain that police are laughing at her the whole time; however, her vision (of abductees in a multilevel house) turned out to be correct, she says. As she gradually grew more confident in her psychic abilities, she also became more assertive about taking control of her health care, as she was frustrated by hapless responses from medical professionals. In quick, fast-paced chapters written in highly readable and straightforward prose, Gianni combines these two narrative threads as a tale of personal validation: “I am not a victim, nor am I defenceless,” she writes at one point. “If anything, I am a bloody hero. I am now in control of my own life because I took back my power.” The book’s tales of psychic adventures seem to be intended for those who are already familiar with paranormal literature. However, her broader insights may appeal to any reader, as she clearly and effectively conveys her sense of stoicism toward life.

An intriguing story of physical and supernatural mysteries.