Customer Reviews

The World of Serendipity

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In his relatively short book(159 pages),Marcus Bach packs a surprising amount of information about his theme: "Unsought, unpredictable, valuable things can happen to you"(from the cover).
Each chapter is short, and therefore easily digestible. Themes covered include the credibility of the incredible,why did what happen, happen? and the fate makers(to name a few).
The author's passion for his subject is evident. My favorite passage in the book:

Apocatastasis: The serendipitous secret that in every seed of seeming tragedy is hidden the fruit of glory and reward. I call it "The Feed-Forward Formula," which is to say that in a moment of despair or seemingly irreversible circumstances we should send our thoughts on a shaft of faith into the tomorrow where the full meaning of today becomes apparent.

His anecdotes cover the lives of many people,known and unknown,from Sir Horace Walpole to his own aunt. Marcus Bach's picture on the back of the book shows his glinting eyes smiling with the secret he's trying to relate. If you read the clipboard that he's holding, you'll notice he has written Serendipity on it! I would read this book in a public area, and wait for the unexpected.

I have had a number of serendipitous events in my life which I could never explain and which make no sense whatsoever from a logical standpoint. Therefore, finding a book which addresses this magic in life was a validation of sorts for me personally. Dr. Bach explores this subject in a gentle way. He does not ascribe serendipity to anything other than the way life actually works. Once you are aware of this phenonema you will look at these events as being a natural part of what your life is supposed to be - and become. It also is quite fun to open yourself to accepting serendipity. I plan to read other books by this author as he has a knack for explaining concepts which never talks down to the reader but instead allows one to pause to think and say, "Yes, that IS what I have observed!" Also, this is a good book to keep with you while you stand in line waiting at the bank, etc. because the chapters are short and people are invariably interested in the topic and, who knows, maybe meeting one of them will be serendipitous for you.