Customer Reviews

Growing Up Psychic: From Skeptic to Believer

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(1)
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This is an autobiography with no bombast whatsoever. It can be very funny (1) and very sad (2). But most of all, it is very interesting. Without histrionics, Michael states how his normal upper-class family discovered that most of them had psychic abilities. Reactions varied, from enthusiasm to denial to disgust (his father left the family when a salt shaker moved across the table without aid). To let you know where I'm coming from, I believe in extrasensory abilities of many kinds, but I frankly don't believe everyone has them or can learn them, and I have no touchy-feely reverence for psychic abilities. They are abilities, period, like being able to sink a 3-pointer under pressure or understand quantum mechanics with one hand tied behind your back.

And as Michael points out, there aren't just fake psychics, there are real psychics who endanger their abilities when they start to believe their own press and let the ego take over.

That said, I ended this book believing that Michael and his sister, Echo, just may be the real thing (I've never met them or employed them). The book isn't a tell-all about his Hollywood customers, its a story of how he nearly destroyed himself discovering what he wanted to be when he grew up, and the persons, dead and alive, who helped and hindered him along the way. I really enjoyed it, and found it immensely informative about the psychic mileau (yes, psychics get together and help, teach, support just like any other occupation), of which I've never been a part. I've already bought a 2nd copy of the book to give as a gift, and am considering who else would be openminded enough to enjoy this look at an unusual life.

(1) Good storytelling, such as when his Mom first introduces him to a powerful psychic. His Mom told Michael how the first time SHE met the psychic, the psychic knew what she was thinking. So the 10 year old Michael is determined to not think anything stupid when he meets this woman. Turns out she's homely and he ends up (I'm paraphrasing) repeating to himself under his breath, "Don't think about a sea hag, don't think about a sea hag." To his embarassment, the psychic leans over to whisper in his ear, "A sea hag has more teeth!"
(2) Michael's form of denial results in trying to drown everything psychic out. He is an alcoholic by the time he's 13 and spends his teen years in a fog of drugs.

Very highly recommended. If I made this sound like a heavy tale, I didn't mean too. It is engaging and fast-paced.

I loved this book. Wasn't sure what to expect as I already read books written by Echo (Michael's sister). I have had the pleasure of meeting Echo and now I can't wait to meet Michael. I loved to laugh while reading books and so this was fun to read. Very interesting to read about the same story with a different point of view. Thank you so much for sharing your story and at the same time teaching me new tools to share with others. Take care and keep up the great work.

This book could just have easily been named: I Was Psychic Before it was Cool and It's Not All About Knowing What The Lottery Ticket Number Will Be. If you are interested in learning about ghostly phenomena and natural psychic ability, and who isn't on some level, you have to weed through a lot of conflicting material from experts. I became interested after I lost my mother. I wish this book had been available. I guess no one has all the answers. Refreshingly, Mr. Bodine admits this freely and does not purport to have the answers; but he has some real insight and presents this in a way that makes it hard to put that book down. It is personal and often hilarious, but most important, credible. The biggest surprise for me was how this world dovetails so nicely with spirituality. An epic yet realistic journey through the life of a gifted psychic. So well worth the read!

I watched Michael struggle for years with a deep commitment to write this book. "My guides said I have to," he said. "But I'm not a writer." "Yes you are," I said. "You just haven't written a book yet."

GROWING UP PSYCHIC is funny, educational, and entertaining. But most of all -- unlike many other books on the subject -- this one is true. It's been my honor to watch his journey unfold. I confess to visiting psychics and of all I've seen, Michael's predictions have the highest accuracy rate of any I've visited. If he says it's going to happen, it's true.

It's refreshing to meet a psychic who's not impressed with himself, who's truly humble, and wants a normal life. It's also been refreshing to know a psychic who through the many years I've known him has been an honest and real friend. I can't think of a better deal for the money than what you'll get for this book -- unless it's the next book he needs to write. If he could teach the world what he's taught me, people would truly be able to trust life and they'd know -- really know they're not alone.

Congratulations, Michael. You got the job done.

The author really opens up to us with stories of what his life has been like, growing up in a psychic household and into his adult life. He shares a perspective not often seen, that of a child with psychic abilities. We learn about his feelings of fear, of just wanting to be "normal", his psychic teachers, and his ultimate acceptance of his gift.

The book is so exciting I couldn't put it down, and would read until I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore. The author's writing style is a refreshing change from the average grammatically perfect English teacher style of most books. He writes it like he would say it. It makes you feel comfortable and like you can relate to him, even though his stories are something you will probably never experience yourself. The book really gets you thinking and wondering about a world unknown to most.

I highly recommend this book to both skeptics and believers.

Let me say that this book stood out to me at Barnes and Nobles, I tried to avoid it but it kept showing up, and because I listen to guidance and don't believe in coincidence I got the book. I expected it to be sort of scary or strange, but it turns out it was funny (extremely funny) and light hearted too. Michael has a great sense of humor and I laughed a lot while reading this book. I am near the end now (the last chapter) and find myself wanting more, so I hope he writes more as he is a beautifully gifted and talented writer.
I highly suggest this book for anyone who is interested in knowing and learning and laughing a lot!
I loved it!!!

By now quite a few mediums have shared stories of their youth. As different as these stories are, most include the same three phases: how the writer first experienced her psychic perceptions; how uneasy she felt being different. especially during puberty; how she came to terms with and managed her psychic abilities as an adult. In one type of book such history serves as a prelude to an account of the writer's experiences as a practicing medium; in another, as an introduction to a didactic account of things psychic. In Michael Bodine's book the same pattern is evident, but here the story fills the whole volume. And because he's such a natural storyteller, that's a good thing.

His is a modern American fable of an upper middle-class kid from a broken home who watches a lot of TV, has a short attention span, and consumes quantities of alcohol and drugs during puberty. To quote Vonnegut: Hi ho. What gives the account its special edge is the tenacious honesty with which Bodine digs beneath the surface of the banal. By cutting through his personal BS, he succeeds in speaking on behalf of many. Also important to his story's success is its wealth of keenly observed characters. The Bodine household was, well, different. Finally, Bodine writes funny, stand-up comic funny, which makes the book an easy read, despite its earnest message.

Yes, this _is_ a message book, a cautionary tale. But not about alcohol and drugs per se. Bodine knows those begin as symptoms, even if later they become causes. His message, made evident through texture and nuance rather than preachiness, concerns how thoroughly our perception of ourselves shapes our experiences. In my opinion, this is an important message that bears repeating, especially by writers as sharp as Bodine.

If the book has a weakness, it's the time warp that occurs in the last two chapters. After 13 chapters on childhood, suddenly Bodine's fast forwarding to 40. In the book's defense, message and story come into full focus in the last chapter (especially pp. 272-73). That's no doubt because some themes from childhood can take years to resolve. Thematically, the last chapter works well. Threads get tied up -- and not in a tidy, formulaic way. When you get to the end, I think you'll agree: This book deserves a wide audience.

I just finished reading this book and I thought it was fantastic! It was full of information and I could not put it down. :) If you are on the search for information on ghosts, spirits, and everything in-between then you should pick this book up.

I've never heard of Michael Bodine until I read t his book and I
found it to be not just interesting but many funny spots as well.
Michael Bodine is a comedian with a natural flare for wwriting that kept
me interested.

This is a FANTASTIC book. Bodine only touches on ways of developing one's psychic abilities occassionally, when it's relevant to his story, because this book is not a tutorial. It's perhaps, in my opinion, more important than a tutorial. Before you go out and start summoning the souls of the dead, read this book, because it will give you a general idea of how you can expect the practice can affect someone's life, with all the annoyances and drawbacks. The occult comes with some serious risks, and if it's answers you seek, you might get enough of them from reading this very well-written, and hilarious account of Mr. Bodine's childhood, growing up with a mother who, upon finding that her house was haunted, decided to stop being an ordinary, stay-at-home soccer mom, and take her whole family on a rough quest for spiritual developement. I have trouble reading non-fiction without losing interest, but i couldn't put this one down. This story proves the adage "Truth is Stranger than Fiction." Definately check it out.