A GIFT OF REMEMBRANCE

Norman employs a fictional structure to recount stories of reincarnation.

To convey his thoughts and experiences involving reincarnation and past lives, Norman here presents the story of a character named Mike Molina, whose friend Jack, dying of pancreatic cancer, writes down the details of his reincarnation beliefs and arranges to have the manuscript delivered to Mike, who then reads all about his old friend’s past life in the Confederate Army in the U.S. Civil War. Mike learns of Jack’s friend Steve, who’d previously been Confederate Gen. Dick Garnett, killed while helping to lead Pickett’s Charge, the famous attack on Union guns that resulted in massive casualties for the South. The story gradually deepens as Jack, with the help of many hypnosis sessions, begins to suspect that not only was he also present at Pickett’s Charge, but that he himself was Gen. George Pickett. When Jack and his wife moved to Richmond, this identification only strengthened: “In no time,” Jack writes, “I was so immersed in the Civil War and felt so in tune with my feelings that I thought I would be able to gain insights by just relaxing and letting my intuition take over.” Mike’s account of his friend’s past-lives journey is lively and engaging, in part because it frankly addresses the skepticism that many readers will presumably feel in light of the fact that reincarnation and past lives have never been proven to be real. The narrative is full of engaging digressions about the war, the battle, and Pickett himself, who’s described in humorously modest terms: “George was not a great general, but he was a good and brave soldier,” readers are told. “He did as well with his talents and inherent nature as he could.” Whether they believe the supernatural claims or not, readers will learn a lot.

A sharp and refreshingly conversational account of a man’s mystical awakening to his past life.