FURTHER ALONG THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED

Megawriter Peck, whose The Road Less Traveled continues as a smash bestseller more than a decade after publication, weighs in with additional down-to-earth counsel on psychological and religious matters, based this time on his talks and lectures. Peck's orientation is specifically Christian now, a result of a conversion and baptism that took place after Road appeared. Here, he addresses three stages of personal development— ``growing up,'' ``knowing yourself,'' and ``in search of a personal God''—explaining that all three entail the recognition that ``everything that happens to us has been designed for our spiritual growth.'' This process of maturation brings with it classic psychospiritual issues—such as the casting of blame, the meaning of death, and the mystery of existence—and Peck examines each with his trademark avuncular blend of friendly chat, tough advice, first-person experience (often drawn from his psychiatric practice), and literary citations. Chapters hop unexpectedly from one subject to another (presumably reflecting the various lectures): addiction, which he sees as a yearning for paradise; the New Age, castigated for promoting ``spiritual confusion'' and ignoring the problem of evil; the stages of spiritual growth, from ``chaotic/antisocial'' to ``mystical/communal''; Christian heresies; the danger of cults (Peck provides useful guidelines for recognizing fringe sects); and so on. The bottom line is our relation to God: Life's meaning—which Peck urges the psychiatric profession to take into account—lies in the growth of the soul. This is what Peck's zillions of fans have been waiting for, more sage Road talk from the master. It will hit the fast track fast, and keep on running and running and running.