May 20, 2008

Embraced by the Light

by Betty Eadie

I read this book out of pure curiosity after being told not to. Now I can't recall who warned me against reading it, or why they did so. In Embraced by the Light, Betty Eadie recounts a near-death experience she had when dying on a operating table, then being revived. Most of the book is about her experience visiting "heaven" and all the questions she had answered there, told in lots of details. I was rather surprised to find that a lot of concepts were very close to those taught in the LDS church, is she Mormon? The book is written in a very simplistic style, so it's a pretty quick read. There's a lot of internal contradictions, and although the main message seems to be one of acceptance and unconditional love, overall it came across as being rather cheesy and unbelievable. I rate it a "2" because at least I finished it, and at the time it made me think about some religious ideas. I remember discussing it some with A. But now I can't remember most of the details. It was pretty forgettable. I categorize it here under "Inspirational" books because well, that's the topic and I know lots of people have found it inspiring. But I didn't. Oh, and I really dislike the cover image. Something about it just makes me cringe.

Rating: 2/5               147 pages, 1992

7 comments:

  1. I'm with you on the cover. As for the content, it definitely doesn't sound like one for me either.

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  2. Ah, le barf. I just finished 'The Shack,' and same deal. Made me think about some religious stuff, but altogether too squelchy-sweet.

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  3. Oh, Jeane....I thought I had completely blocked this book out of my mind. Excuse me...must go scour it out.

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  4. I'm with you, Jeane. I don't think this book is for me either.

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  6. Strangely I owned this book at one time (was it controversial when it came out?), but I ended up giving it to the Salvation Army. It's not really something I would read, so I wonder how I ended up with it in the first place. Curiosity I suppose.

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  7. Anonymous7/18/2008

    My parents have this book and I think I may have read it in high school but have no recollection of any of it. I see it ALL the time in thrift shops (in Utah) but I've never had a desire to buy it, although I wouldn't say no to it altogether.

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