Customer Reviews

A Mountain in the Wind: An Exploration of the Spirituality of John Denver

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Who among us has not been touched in some way by the voice and words of at least one of John Denver's beautiful songs? John 's legacey to the world was his care and concern for the environment and the people who dwell here. His Rocky Mountain High's came from the heart and each recording he made was filled with love and passion for the universe that came from deep within his soul. Each time I hear his voice, I am reminded of his simple, easy-going manner as gentle as the wings of a butterfly, his incredible gift as an artist and his ability to evoke emotion in the listener.

"A Mountain in the Wind" is indeed how John lived his life and this wonderful book is filled with his love for humanity, his respect for nature, his own personal inner strength and his spiritual beliefs. His sudden, tragic death moved people around the world. Wherever John may be today, I hope he truly does have, "Sunshine on his Shoulder" and the peace and contentment he believed in. For fans of Denver, this is a five star book and highly recommended reading.

Christine Smith's book "A Mountain in the Wind - An Exploration of the Spirituality of John Denver" is a sensitive, comprehensive, intuitive and inspiring book delving deep into John's soul and spirituality. Her extensive research and keen insight of John's relationship to the universe and his place in it, how he evolved as a spiritual being, who his mentors were, and how he learned his belief in miracles and of hope are all written with utmost affection and in pure honesty by the author.

Throughout the book, Christine often refers to lyrics in John's songs to further witness his spirituality and to provide more indepth analysis of his message. She has also included 8 pages of color photos of John and ends the book with a series of moving essays comprising a beautiful memorial to John by the author herself.

I truly believe you have to be a spiritual person to fully appreciate John Denver - his music, his message - the man himself. So kudos to Christine for enlightening us about the inner John plus also for portraying a powerful blueprint for us to transform our own lives through spiritual discovery and growth.

Since I do not want to give the whole book away, I'll simply say you have to read it! Thank you, Christine, for your time and effort in writing "A Mountain in the Wind"! I know it was a labor of love for you. And thank you, John, for being her inspiration for the book. It's a treasure! Peace. Carole

John Denver was many things to many people, to some a happy camper whose view on the world was Far OUT! While to others Denver was a visionary, someone who inspired others to look more deeply into their values, their world and do something proactive about it. Although MS Smith attempts to explain Mr. Denver's spirituality, the book is more "her" take on spirituality than Mr. Denver's. It's also distracting to find out that Ms. Smith never knew Mr. Denver personally so how can she claim to represent his views? After reading it I wondered why I'd wasted my time reading this. Rather than read this book buy more of John Denver's later cds from the 80s onward and discover his spiritual beliefs through his lyrics for yourself.

Book review by Rob A. Clark of: A MOUNTAIN IN THE WIND BY CHRISTINE SMITH When I first learned Christine Smith was writing "A mountain in the Wind" I knew it was going to be a simple choice on my part to order it. One to support a special human being who I have been honoured to meet via the Internet, and also of course, like many of us, that anything new about John is a must for my collection. However, friends, as you will find out for your self when you sit down and read (with a John Denver CD or tape playing in background!) this is MORE than a book. The words make all kind of images in your head and some will for certain bring a tear to the eye. For example, the story of a 9 year little girl called Jessica Smith takes up over 7 pages of the book but is so moving it took me personally three attempts to read it from beginning to end. Also what comes over time after time after time in the book is the message that John Denver's work did not end that tragic day in October 1997 it is on going and you get the feeling within again while reading that "YES - I can make a difference!" After getting over their initial shock and grief of John Denver's death, thousands of people from the US, UK, Europe, Australia and others worldwide have come together (many never meeting apart from the Internet, mail and phone) with the sole purpose of carrying on his legacy. Christine Smith is one such person. She has dedicated her life to continuing John Denver's legacy of music, as well as environmental and humanitarian work. Christine lives in a cabin high in the Colorado Rocky Mountains; "coming home to a place" she'd never been before from North Carolina 15 years ago. She considers her living in the wilderness essential to 'keeping her feet on the ground' in the midst of the stress which comes with trying to make a difference in the world. As many in FOJD are aware, she is President of the charity Dreams of Freedom and host of the annual John Denver Celebration held in Colorado each October. And now her most recent contribution to ensuring John Denver's legacy is her book: "A Mountain in the Wind--An Exploration of the Spirituality of John Denver." The book is receiving worldwide acclaim with other reviews calling it "brilliant," "wonderful," and "inspirational." Within the book their is a part where Christine shares some of the thousands of letters she has received from all across the world from people sharing wonderful stories of how John's music had blessed their lives...sometimes miraculously. Several of those letters came from UK residents, and several FOJD members are acknowledged in the credits such as Tess Farrington, Christine Moon, and myself, Rob Clark. It is truly a book of truth about John from which you will learn much and will treasure. Of course it goes without saying the book is a must have for John Denver fans, but it is also aimed at peace activists, environmentalists, social justice activists and all who seek to raise their consciousness. I think anyone who believes in truth and love will benefit from it. The book's title, "A Mountain in the Wind" is spiritually significant to Christine Smith. Those words, "A Mountain in the wind" are a few words from a very long lyric in John Denver's poignant song The Wings That Fly Us Home." To Christine, John is both the mountain in the wind and the prophet he sang of, and Christine is dedicated to seeing the prophecy and message of world peace and unconditional love between all which John Denver sang of and worked toward become a reality. In this book, she explains how each of us can be part of doing that in our lives. The book also features 8 pages of colour photographs of John Denver taken worldwide. FOJD President Christine Moon took some of those photographs. It is a must-read for anyone who appreciates John Denver's music, message and life. As America television journalist and friend of JD, Rolland.G.Smith, put it "A Mountain in the wind" is an inspirational must read for all those that choose to make a difference". It will enhance your understanding of his music, his message, and his life. I highly recommend it! Rob A. Clark

A Mountain in the Wind is a deep look into not only John Denver's spiritual life but it is also a challenge to look into our own spiritual life. How is God working in you life? I believe this book challenges the reader to have an open mind. Even if you do not agree with all of the philosophies described, it clearly shows another side of John Denver and spiritualism in general that you will not find in too many places. Christine Smith has obviously spent many hours studying not only John Denver but also the spiritual messages of many different faiths. This book was very hard to put down. Each chapter created a desire to read more and when finished, each reader will probably feel the need to go back and read it again. There is so much that a second time through will benefit all who read it.

Christine Smith's book "A Mountain In The Wind" Is a mirror of John's ideals. For those who love and miss John and his work, this book will be not just a five star book, but a galaxy of stars. This book touched me as I thought only John's music could. The focus in this book is very positive. Christine often mentions the spirit and thoughts behind many of the verses in John's songs. Who he is talking about and what his words ment to him. The people who he admired and was inspired by.

When reading this book, I reread many of the pages several times. The messages are so profound that I wanted to affirm them in my mind. It also made me realize that John is still alive in his music and the lessons he gave to us.

You'd have to be a pretty dedicated JD fan to like this book. It clearly has positive intent and there's no question the "Everyman" approach John Denver took to his own spirituality was appealing to a broad audience. This book just "misses" in so many ways that it's a difficult read.

The title of this book is a piece of false advertising. I expected to read a description of the spiritual and religious views and practices of someone whose music I enjoy. Instead, what I got was a 150-page essay on the author's personal new-agey definition of "love", sprinkled liberally with hero worship. The book puts John Denver on a pedestal and presents him as a transcendent and perfect being; I prefer to see those I admire as real people, with real human imperfections.

This book is more about idol worship then it is about John Denver. I had been looking forward to reading this, but unfortunately from the moment I began I only became more and more disappointed and uncomfortable. The author moves away from the humanness of the artist and focuses on creating a picture of someone that we seem to be expected to worship as a deity rather than appreciate as a humanitarian. John Denver was a committed and conscientious believer in the goodness of the human spirit. I think you will find his philosophy is best represented in the tableau of his own music. Truly, it would seem a much better place to go to understand his spirituality.

Christine Smith's "A Mountain in the Wind", is a wonderful piece of literature that finally comes along and unbiasly expresses the essence of what John Denver and his music were all about. It's not about the celebrity; it's not about the man; and it's not about his personal and daily habits, practices, or patterns of living. If that is what people are seeking then his autobiography would be a better place to start (entitled "Take Me Home", also available from Amazon.com). And, for those seeking to find a written, proverbial "signature" of John and his life, this is quite simply not a book for the "fans" but rather a book for the seeker and the believer of truth. This book takes a deep and serious glimpse into the essence of the spirit and the nature of all that encompassed John's beliefs, as we all should believe, about life and what is so about living. It's more than just getting up in the morning and going to work each day, or singing a song on stage, or doing a television show or political speech. It's more than a part time renewal or commitment. It's about "being", an inner lifestyle and mindset that radiates love and gratitude for all living things, and towards the world as a whole. It's about a lifelong process of development, growth and change that leads to the natural awareness of who and what we are. It's about the happiness of being human, the sharing of each other for the good of all, and it's about the success and failures of the heart. It's about silence and feeling, empathy and honesty. And, ultimately, it's about freedom; the freedom that means we are all one body, one song in the vastness of the cosmos, created in the image of God with nature as our example, our guide, and our nurturing life force. It is a narrative that enlightens and inspires, from the many examples of his music, his thoughts, and his actions, the deepest principles that took a lifetime for John Denver to discover about his fellow man (including himself), our world, and the meaning of life; things he was still learning even at the time of his tragic death. And, from John's examples, Christine marvelously captures a diversity of spirituality that characterizes the natural and unwritten language known only by the soul, which understands the ways and means of a higher order of awareness about existence. And, she translates this non-corporeal and timeless belief system quite eloquently into a language we can all relate to and understand. Finally, from the pages of this wonderful, philosophical and poetic narrative, we too can learn and/or put meaning to those feelings and beliefs within us all for which the end result will enable us to focus more distinctly on our own future and life in hopes that we too will foster the same marvelous paradigm that John Denver exemplified each and every day. With certainty, his music displayed it most giftedly. He was a man with deep convictions of love towards his fellow brothers and sisters and all that exists in the world, and was a wonderful inspiration to us all. We are all ONE", and all of us can believe as John did, and be called to action for change. We are not alone in our lives and wanderings, and we all possess the innate power to give of ourselves freely and unconditionally to each other, and to our world. As the superbly chosen title so eloquently testifies, "a mountain in the wind" means balancing adversity, individuality, and oneness with the struggles of life and the essence of existence that helps to maintain a togetherness as a family; like a mountain [range] in the wind -- strong and unwavering in spite of frailties. Thus, within each of us dwells, yet only a few ever choose to exercise, the intrinsic capacity to be, "A Mountain in the Wind."