Customer Reviews

Dear Echo: Answers to Your Questions about Ghosts, Hauntings, and Things That Go Bump in the Night

5 star:		(5)
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3 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have now read everything this author has written, and she never ceases to amaze me with her great writing style & genuine care to provide lay-persons with the info. they seek. Whether it's about intuition, the soul, psychic development, or ghosts, you can find what you need in Echo's books.

This particular book, "Dear Echo", contains EVERYTHING you ever wanted to know about ghosts. Have you ever wondered if a ghost can hurt you, or why there are any ghosts out there to begin with? You'll find the answer here. Or, have you ever wondered how you can "get rid of" a unwanted otherworldly guest? Echo provides specific steps to do just that.

If you are at all interested in the subject of ghosts, even if you're "scared to death" of them (or especially so if that's the case), then this is the book for you. It's easy to read & filled to the brim with great information - you can't go wrong with this one!

I'm going slightly against the grain with this review. I thought the book was interesting, but overall fairly simple and missing much in the realm of new information.

I will say that since the book is 8 years old, when it was written, it probably contained information that was considered more ground-breaking or surprising at the time. But, with all of the popular reality/popular TV shows and books available today either written, produced, or inspired by some of today's top psychics and/or ghost hunters, this book is starting to show its age.

I picked it up used, so wasn't disappointed to add it to my collection; however, I would have a problem paying full price knowing what's inside the two covers.

With the exception of an interesting theory on the difference between ghosts and spirits, this book wasn't very helpful, informative nor interesting. There is a definite commercial slant as all of her "answers" are set-ups for her to refer you to her other books, etc. Glad I checked it out from the local library instead of paying for it.

If you've ever read a book by Echo Bodine, then you know that her books are full of great information and this book is no exception. If you are interested in the paranormal or if you're having a problem with "strange happenings" in your home, this book is definitely for you. I would recommend reading "Relax, It's Only a Ghost" before reading this book as it is a sequel. Both are well worth reading!

Wow! I read this book in a day and I am pretty impressed. Everything that Echo talks about all seems to make sense. All my questions or thoughts that I might of had about ghosts and spirits were answered.

The 1st book Echo Bodine book I read was "Relax, It's Only a Ghost", and I completed a review of it. This book, "Dear Echo" is a slightly larger volume. At the end of "Relax", Echo asked readers to mail her their ghost experiences and questions. The format of "Dear Echo" has readers' letters, followed by Echo's responses to those letters. On one hand, this format is nice because you are reading about many people's ghost experiences. On the other hand, I just didn't appreciate the format as much as the simpler series of tales told in "Relax".

That said, though, I very much enjoyed the expanded information in "Dear Echo", compared to the slimmer 1st volume. And the things I liked about the 1st book are still here in the 2nd book, only more and better. The writing style is straightforward and accessible - Echo is not lording it over anybody with her abilities. And Echo is matter-of-fact about ghosts and spirits (not the same thing). That is, she makes it clear that they are not mystical mumbo-jumbo, but are part of the universe just as surely as our corporeal bodies are part of the universe.

I'd also like to mention one thing I had in my 1st review that is important to me - so I'm making a point of including it here. Echo often frames her understanding of ghosts and spirits in religious terms, "heaven", "praying", "soul", "angels", "God". However, though it is evident she has a strong faith herself, I don't feel Echo means to impose a specific religious view. For example, she writes about asking "God or the universe" to cleanse negativity.

The new information in the book is most welcome. She touches on astral projection, which is one "psychic" experience I've had. It is not the same as a ghost and is not the same as a dream and contrary to what you may think, your soul is always in control.

She also emphasizes that ghosts can be troublesome, and some may refuse to go over, but, in general, YOU are the one with the body and YOU are the one in control. As she advised one letter writer, "You are giving these experiences too much power". You may not be able to get them to go over, but you can keep them from bothering you, if you really want to.

And then there are the cases where people don't really want the ghost to leave, for whatever reason. Their choice!

One short paragraph was rather heartbreaking. In both books, Echo talks about how calling on, or talking about, a dead person can sometimes bring them back as a ghost, whether you welcome them or not. In this particular instance, a woman called in to a radio show where Echo was guesting, to say that she had recently lost a child and she was "praying to this child every day to help her get through life". The problem with that is that she may actually have hindered her child going over.

In short, I think what I really liked about Echo's books and about Echo's style is that the straightforwardness is believable. Her books, and her brother Michael's book, are the first books about ghostbusting which made me think that the process is real and not in someone's overactive imagination.

Echo Bodine's style of writing is comfortable, as if you were sitting across the room from her, sharing a cup of hot chocolate, and just conversing. This easy to read book of letters comes across as sincere and offers practical information and advice on every topic I can think of as it applies to ghosts.