A touching exploration of life’s possibilities which illustrates that death is not an end, but a part of the life cycle.
Inspirational afterlife memoir studded with messages for the living from a young man who has passed, as divined through his father.
Humans have long been fascinated by the possibility of communicating with spirits who have passed from the earthly realm. In Eternal Bonds, readers meet Ricardo Petrillo, a 20-year-old college student who fell to his death in 2005. Through two years of sporadic communication with his father, the co-author Claudio, the book details Ricardo’s experiences in the beyond. A year and a half after his death, Ricardo alerts Claudio and co-author Knoploch, his mother, that together they’ll be transforming all the communications into this book. Upon dying, Ricardo finds himself in a Plato-like land of forms, first in hospital surroundings and then soon undertaking training to comprehend his spiritual evolution. He also learns how to transmit what he’s learning to the living. Through written messages via Claudio–who would begin scribbling words both stream-of-consciously and unconsciously–and through direct verbal transmissions, Ricardo conveys his own spiritual growth and self-discovery, culling wisdom from all the great religions, but primarily the teachings of Christ. The book explains that spiritual energy is measured in levels of "vibration," with higher levels being more advanced–the purpose of the journey is awareness, which can be attained only through a process of "ego-reduction." Throughout the book, many words are sandwiched in quotations, alerting the reader to the duality of perceptions, both "living" and "dead." In his new post-life setting, being unattached and nonmaterialistic, Ricardo is free of life’s trappings. His messages, in both prose and verse, are geared toward helping the living understand their own spiritual multiplicity, with love as the ultimate answer to life’s trials.
A touching exploration of life’s possibilities which illustrates that death is not an end, but a part of the life cycle.Pub Date: May 9, 2008
ISBN: 978-1-4196-9305-2
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 27, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.
A compendium of charts, time lines, lists and illustrations to accompany study of the Bible.
This visually appealing resource provides a wide array of illustrative and textually concise references, beginning with three sets of charts covering the Bible as a whole, the Old Testament and the New Testament. These charts cover such topics as biblical weights and measures, feasts and holidays and the 12 disciples. Most of the charts use a variety of illustrative techniques to convey lessons and provide visual interest. A worthwhile example is “How We Got the Bible,” which provides a time line of translation history, comparisons of canons among faiths and portraits of important figures in biblical translation, such as Jerome and John Wycliffe. The book then presents a section of maps, followed by diagrams to conceptualize such structures as Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple. Finally, a section on Christianity, cults and other religions describes key aspects of history and doctrine for certain Christian sects and other faith traditions. Overall, the authors take a traditionalist, conservative approach. For instance, they list Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) without making mention of claims to the contrary. When comparing various Christian sects and world religions, the emphasis is on doctrine and orthodox theology. Some chapters, however, may not completely align with the needs of Catholic and Orthodox churches. But the authors’ leanings are muted enough and do not detract from the work’s usefulness. As a resource, it’s well organized, inviting and visually stimulating. Even the most seasoned reader will learn something while browsing.
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005
ISBN: 978-1-5963-6022-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
This a book of earlier, philosophical essays concerned with the essential "absurdity" of life and the concept that- to overcome the strong tendency to suicide in every thoughtful man-one must accept life on its own terms with its values of revolt, liberty and passion. A dreary thesis- derived from and distorting the beliefs of the founders of existentialism, Jaspers, Heldegger and Kierkegaard, etc., the point of view seems peculiarly outmoded. It is based on the experience of war and the resistance, liberally laced with Andre Gide's excessive intellectualism. The younger existentialists such as Sartre and Camus, with their gift for the terse novel or intense drama, seem to have omitted from their philosophy all the deep religiosity which permeates the work of the great existentialist thinkers. This contributes to a basic lack of vitality in themselves, in these essays, and ten years after the war Camus seems unaware that the life force has healed old wounds... Largely for avant garde aesthetes and his special coterie.
Pub Date: Sept. 26, 1955
ISBN: 0679733736
Page Count: 228
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Sept. 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1955
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