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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good Read!, May 20, 2008
This review is from: Beyond My Wildest Dreams: Diary of a UFO Abductee (Paperback)
I had watched a talk show over ten years ago, where the author was detailing her abduction experiences. I was fasinated. She had said then that she was in the process of having a book published, and I had never forgotten what the title was. I finally got the book, and it's a great read. The illustration is a bit child-like, so don't let that throw you off. It's fast paced reading that goes over alot of her many abductions. It's really made me sit up and take note of the fact that there is so much more going on in our "reality", than I had ever considered. I find myself being able to put myself "in her shoes" and feel her horror as she goes through all that the "Greys" have put her through. I mean really, this is out-of-this-world stuff in the most literal sense. If you are an open-minded person, that can think outside of your comfort zone, this book will fasinate you. I've always believed that we are not alone, and I believe that even more now. A well done book!
C.C.
~Nebraska
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
First class book from a deep-thinking humanitarian writer, superbly illustrated too, May 27, 2011
This review is from: Beyond My Wildest Dreams: Diary of a UFO Abductee (Paperback)
Kim Carlsberg's book about her abduction experiences, how she explored this complex phenomenon and came to terms with it in her life, is a rare gem in a sea of mediocrity where abductees frequently write books about their experience with the best intentions, but which too often fail to engross the reader or offer any new perspectives.
`Beyond My Wildest Dreams' is a 20cm-square (8 inches) softcover book, beautifully written and presented and lavishly illustrated by the obviously talented Darryl Anka. The illustrations are mostly in full-page colour, cartoon-like, sometimes poignant and often witty, and bring to life Carlsberg's thoughtful, literate and easy-to-read text to perfection, making the book a special experience for the reader. Carlsberg relates the gradual uncovering of her abductions, most recalled consciously in vivid detail, complete with the bag of complex side-effects - body scarring, implants, gynaecological problems, nausea, migraines and a load of psychic and paranormal happenings - with a clear-headed honesty and directness which is rare in this field.
For most of the time this stuff was happening to her, Carlsberg was working as the professional stills-photographer on the 1990s TV series `Baywatch' which was filmed near her southern California home and for which her then-boyfriend, Greg, was a leading creative writer. It might come as a surprise to many readers to learn that the entire cast and crew of that series, with no known exception, was supportive of Kim in her attempt to come to terms with it all (she `came out' in TV interviews during this time) and acknowledged the abduction issue to be real: one of the photos in the book shows the `Bay Watch' cast posing in a group with Kim, all wearing baseball caps emblazoned with `UFO' in her honour, and a `Bay Watch' episode was even commissioned and filmed on the ET-abduction theme.
Carlsberg writes about this subject with great humanity and intelligence with no trace of narcissism or self-indulgence; for her it's about the abductors and what they cause in us, not about Kim Carlsberg. She is, ultimately, an optimistic and positive soul despite the difficulties brought about by the abductions. Like other abductees with good recall, she reports encounters with mantis-like beings as well as the smaller and larger sub-species of almond-eyed `grey' and like others, she has repeated encounters with one or two specifically identifiable individuals who seem to be personally responsible for her `medical program'. She also, like almost all other abductees, encounters `hybrid' children, has interactions with hybrid adults of various stages and encounters other abductees she recognises from the `real world.' Her observations about the ignorance of debunkers, for example blaming it all on hypnotists, are priceless. The author does describe how, with diligence and practice and some development of self-awareness, it is (according to her account) possible to be alert to the abductors' imminent arrival and in some cases to successfully resist them. They persist, of course, and always return: they have schedules to keep, it seems.
The chapters are mainly short, some only a couple of pages, and you could read the book in one long day. It's very well edited and written in a lively style with nothing unnecessary or extraneous. Some truly astounding observations and ideas fill these pages, and anyone genuinely interested in this pervasive abduction phenomenon in all its frustrating complexity should definitely place BMWD on their shortlist of essential reading. The book would be worth the asking price for Darryl Anka's superb illustrations alone.
This is a five star book, Ms. Carlsberg, and one of the very best on this important subject. How about another one?
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Makes the "Impossible" Personal and Accessable, July 11, 2010
This review is from: Beyond My Wildest Dreams: Diary of a UFO Abductee (Paperback)
A Review of Beyond My Wildest Dreams by Kim Carlsberg; Illustrated by Darryl Anka
Beyond My Wildest Dreams is like serendipitously finding a rare gem you didn't know to dig for. It is the true story of a secret part of author Kim Carlsberg's life, taken against her will by nonhuman beings, helpless to prevent these intruders, these abductors, from simply removing her from her life. She makes her points in interesting and varying ways. To talk about them too much would be taking away some of the experience of this book. But let me offer just one:
"Most fish will probably reject the tale of the unfortunate fish who speaks of being ripped from his home by some large, curved metallic object. They will scoff when he complains he was squeezed until he bled, went unconscious, and woke up back in the water. To the fish it may be the most traumatic moment of his existence, even though he was one of the lucky ones; he was thrown back. To the fisherman it was a moment forgotten five minutes later." (p. 26)
Heartfelt and straightforward, the author makes no attempt to put together a "convincer" book for those who believe in the nonexistence of the possibility of extraterrestrial visitation or abduction phenomenon. Describing in both detail and broad strokes, she paints the emotional rollercoaster of her experiences, allowing the reader to feel like an invisible confidant. Stirring in its shattering effect on her life, jarring in how everyday she makes it all sound, Beyond My Wildest Dreams is not a book you are likely to put down, certainly not one you will ever forget.
Though published in 1995, I didn't discover Kim Carlsberg's work (and that of the talented illustrator, Darryl Anka) until ten years later, and that was happenstance. And I don't know why it stayed hidden so long. At well over fifty years old, I've been separating chaff from grain for many years in my reading on similar topics. So, when I finished Beyond My Wildest Dreams my very first thought was, "Where has this book been?" The second was," Why didn't I know about it" and lastly, "What happened to her afterward--Where is she now?"
The answer to question one is, of course, it's still in print and you found it. Buy it while that's true. It is a definite keeper.
Why didn't I know about it? Why did it not come up along with Strieber, Hopkins, Jacobs, and others? I think it must be because it was her first (and as yet only) book--certainly not ill-speaking the other authors (all of whom are in my "grain" category, btw). Can't explain it. She has another book coming out in the near future.
What happened to her afterward? You can find her. She is well. Look for her on FaceBook.
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