GIFTS FROM EYKIS

by Wayne Dyer ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 4, 1982

For Dr. Wayne, fiction is an erroneous zone indeed: though billed as ""a novel of self-discovery,"" this numbing little book is merely a longwinded, repetitious seminar, re-stating the Dyer guidelines (half common-sense, half nonsense) for pulling your own strings and realizing your ""no-limit"" potential. The unnamed narrator magically transports himself to the planet Uranus, which looks just like Earth but is in fact utterly different--as he soon learns from Eykis, a garrulous resident. On Uranus, you see, there is no war and mucho happiness--because life is ""exclusively reality-based"": there are actual physical causes of anxiety, worry, jealousy, guilt, fears, etc. ""In contrast, I could never think of a reason rooted in reality for anyone on Earth to be neurotic or even unhappy."" So the narrator invites Eykis, ""the personification of an accepting human being,"" to visit Earth. She is appalled, of course: ""I've heard people blame their parents, their birth order, their ethnic background, their childhood, and on and on. Yet. . . it seems that even as very young children all Earthlings have. . . the ability to use their corner of freedom. . . ."" And Eykis offers ""to provide your people with an opportunity for direct contact with me and my unique reality-only approach to thinking""--which means that the book's second half consists of Eykis' inspirational lectures to Earth on business, education, medicine, government, parenting, marriage, religion (""people on your planet are afraid to be God""), and economics (""more is the sickness that keeps people from ever arriving at now""). Plus: ""the universal secrets""--from ""cultivate your own garden"" to ""It's never too late to have a happy childhood"" to ""You are perfect."" For those who think Dr. Wayne is perfect: more of the same. For all others: a painful, if occasionally hilarious, crash course in Dyer-style psychobabble. But don't underestimate the effects of extensive talk-show promotion.

Pub Date: March 4, 1982

ISBN: 006093834X

Page Count: -

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1982

Categories: FICTION