From bestselling author Michael Gurian comes a spiritual thriller
that will change the way you look at the world forever.
The car crash that killed Jeffrey, a child of prophecy, was a dreadful tragedy. But for the twelve witnesses to this terrible moment it was an incident that set off a string of spiritual awakenings and inexplicable miracles that would forever transform their lives. For Beth Carey and the others, including a serial murderer who calls himself the Light Killer, the events of that late-summer evening pulled back the veil that separates life and death. Though all witnessed the same doorway of light open over the dying boy's body, only Beth will discover the invisible world that binds all human life together. As she evolves into the "new human" forecast centuries ago by St. Teresa of Avila, and as the Light Killer confronts inner storms of human evil, forty-eight hours of miracles reveal the poignant faces of human vulnerability, and the hidden face of God.
Vivid, often breathtaking, The Miracle is part old-fashioned mystery, part new-age revelation. A fascinating and dramatic look at the subtle links between all life, it offers an answer to the greatest mystery of them all.
Psychotherapist Gurian, the bestselling author of numerous parenting and psychology books (The Wonder of Girls; The Soul of the Child), has written a riveting supernatural suspense novel that tracks the efforts of a psychic to find a serial killer in Spokane, Wash. The novel begins when a clairvoyant, cancer-stricken boy is run down by a car. At the accident scene where he dies, an otherworldly light hovers over his body and suffuses the neighborhood. Soon afterward, his nurse, Beth Carey, has visions of children being murdered. Her hallucinations turn out to be premonitions: a serial murderer who calls himself the Light Killer begins to terrorize Spokane, killing several children and sending letters to the local paper explaining his garbled philosophy ("The Creator inhales darkness and exhales light. This is how I feel when I hold the [dying] child in my arms, that I can breathe again, breathe Light again"). Beth, suspecting that the killer was influenced by the same mysterious light that gave her psychic powers, searches for him, hoping to forge a connection with this doppelg„nger and keep him from killing again. Gurian infuses the story with his own ideas about the nature of the divine and the dawning of a new kind of human being with spiritual intuition. Some may be turned off by the New Age tone, but even skeptics will find the murder mystery gripping. Gurian delicately ups the tension with each successive murder, and the climax is stunning enough to make the shaky spiritual conceit work. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
About the Author
Michael Gurian has published sixteen books in seven disciplines. He has authored four national bestsellers, translated into fourteen languages, including the ground-breaking The Wonder of Boys and The Wonder of Girls. The Miracle is his second novel. Michael lives in Spokane, Washington, with his wife, Gail, and their two daughters.
Michael Gurian is a social philosopher, family therapist, corporate consultant, and the New York Times bestselling author of twenty books published in fifteen languages. The Gurian Institute, which he co-founded, conducts research internationally, launches pilot programs and trains professionals. Michael has been called "the people's philosopher" for his ability to bring together people's ordinary lives and scientific ideas. As a social philosopher, he has pioneered efforts to bring neuro-biology and brain research into homes, workplaces, schools and public policy. A number of his ground-breaking books in child development, including THE WONDER OF BOYS, BOYS AND GIRLS LEARN DIFFERENTLY! THE WONDER OF GIRLS and WHAT COULD HE BE THINKING? have sparked national debate. His newest work, THE MINDS OF BOYS (September 2005) provides a revolutionary new framework, based in neuro-biology, by which to understand and care for the educational needs of our sons. Michael has served as a consultant to families, corporations, therapists, physicians, school districts, community agencies, churches, criminal justice personnel and other professionals, traveling to approximately 20 cities a year to keynote at conferences. His training videos (also available as DVDs) for parents and volunteers are used by Big Brother and Big Sister agencies in the U.S. and Canada. As an educator, Michael previously taught at Gonzaga University, Eastern Washington University, and Ankara University. His speaking engagements include Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University, Stanford University, Macalester College, University of Colorado, University of Missouri-Kansas City, and UCLA. His philosophy reflects the diverse cultures (European, Asian, Middle Eastern and American) in which he has lived, worked and studied. Michael's work has been featured in various media, including the New York Times, the Washington Post, USA Today, Newsweek, Time, People, Reader's Digest, the Wall Street Journal, Parenting, Good Housekeeping, Redbook, and on the Today Show, Good Morning America, CNN, PBS and National Public Radio. Michael can be reached on the worldwide web at www.michaelgurian.com
This review is from: The Miracle : A Visionary Novel (Paperback)
In northern Spokane, Washington lies a wildlife refuge and the subdivision, Lucia Court, a community in the truest sense of the world. Everyone loves six years old Jeffrey Roman who is dying of cancer. He is a remarkable little boy who communicates with spirits and knows things through a sixth sense. His life is tragically cut short when a car crashes into him as he sits in his wheelchair on the sidewalk.
A strong light emerges from the wreckage enveloping the whole community crossing the river to the home of Donnell Wight who is also dying from cancer. The Light affects everyone in different ways but Beth's psychic powers reemerge even stronger than anything she ever experienced, manifesting itself in ways that could only be Divine. Another person the Light touches is the serial killer known as "The Light killer". He and Beth connect in ways that shouldn't exist but there is a bond between them that makes her the ray of hope in stopping him from killing more children.
This book, labeled "A Visionary Novel", attempts to define the Divine in a way that is simultaneously mystical and scientific. The author contends that mankind is evolving into homo infiniens and will one day understand the spiritual mysteries of the universe. The people touched by the Light becomes believers in something bigger than what they once comprehended. The serial killer sub-plot is used to explain why good and evil must exist in the world. This is a very creative and spiritual tale, one that explains many of the leading religious systems. Reading THE MIRACLE is an experience not to be missed.
Harriet Klausner
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This review is from: The Miracle : A Visionary Novel (Paperback)
I read this not knowing anything about it except the synopsis. On the surface it was good - a story of a light that gives divine grace to certain towns-people, and confusion to a killer. It was an interesting mystery, but the writer seemed lost at points, and gave the killer too much psychobabble conversation - which proved too much for the story. I read it through to the end - but found the end lacking. It is an "okay" read - but too "intelligent" to be interesting.
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I had moderate hopes for this book after reading the good reviews here, but I have to say I was very disappointed. It started out pretty good, but rapidly went downhill. The dialogue seemed very artificial, and the whole plot involving the Light was confusing and strange. At times, it seemed touching, but mostly just strange. There are also odd sexual details that seem unnecessary to the story. I can't recommend this book.
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