MAKING MIRACLES

A somewhat self-aggrandizing prescription for finding secular salvation within crucifying life experiences. Best-selling author Pearsall (Superjoy, 1988, and The Power of the Family, 1989), himself recovering from two cancers, near-death experiences, and a bone-marrow transplant, here attempts to make sense out of the chaos in his and our lives. Although Pearsall claims to draw on the experiences of 17 others who successfully engineered extraordinary changes in their lives, he focuses almost exclusively on his own Job-like bouts with near-fatal illness. A neuropsychologist, he assures us that there are no coincidences in life and that every event holds a meaning that we must discover for ourselves. Pain and tragedy are seen as unavoidable facets of life that give human existence its meaning. Illness, along with the chaos that accompanies it, builds character. Only after experiencing life intensely, with the help of pain, can we recognize that we all share a consciousness with all living and nonliving things. When dutifully honoring our ``oneness with the cosmos,'' suggests the author, we can achieve curative ``miracles.'' The final chapter, ``Pearsall's Propaedeutics,'' ends with a ten-step prescription for making miracles. Though laden with pseudoscientific jargon and a dash of egomania, Pearsall's latest missive may provide inspiration and insight to many troubled people who seek meaning—and miracles—in their lives.