1. how much credibility does he have?
2. what kind of words does he use to convince the reader that there is proof of heaven
3.what rheotorical questions does he use?
2. what kind of words does he use to convince the reader that there is proof of heaven
3.what rheotorical questions does he use?
4 how did the book affect you? were any previous ideas you had on the subject changed?, abandoned, or reinforced due to this book? how is the book related to your own experiences? what other books or movies came to mind as you read this one?
Book Review of Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon's Journey into the Afterlife
Proof of Heaven: A
Neurosurgeon’s Journey into the Afterlife is story about the near death
experience of the neurosurgeon and the author of the book Dr. Eben Alexander.
Since its release in 2012, the book has become a #1 New York Times Best Seller
list. Currently, the book has sold millions of copies both in the bookstores as
well as online.
One of the most interesting aspects of the book is the background of the
author. For many years, Alexander had dismissed the idea of God, heaven, let alone
near death experience as he believed that everything is explainable by science
and the wiring of the human brain. His professional career involves working as
a neurosurgeon at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital,
and Lynchburg General Hospital-Central Health among many others. He is
similarly a member of the American Medical Association as a former instructor
at Harvard Medical School and Duke University Medical Center. With such
training and background, it is understandable why he thinks that heaven is
“unscientific” and therefore, completely “unfounded”. But in 2008, Dr. Alexander has slipped into a
deep coma after contracting a type of bacterial meningitis. It is in this
context that he explained how his consciousness is entirely independent of
brain activities.
Although there have been thousands of accounts about
near-death experience, it is interesting how a very scientific person such as
the author is convinced that there is an after-life. At first glance it seems
quiet odd for the words “heaven” and “neurosurgeon” to be together in one
title. As one reads the book however, it becomes apparent how the author with
all his sophisticated medical training has accepted that there is indeed
heaven. His argument is sound primarily because he was in a deep coma in which his
higher brain function is inactivated. This then means that his experience of
heaven was something that even a man of rigorous academic and scientific
background could not explain.
Apart from the author’s credibility, the book by
itself is very amusing to read. Since it was written by a neurosurgeon, I have
some pre-conceptions that the book would be difficult to read and therefore
comprehend. Surprisingly, Alexander employed simple, direct, and honest words
that allowed his story to connect to the reader on a personal level. Instead of
some snobbish and highfaluting account, the author related his story as an
individual rather as a neurosurgeon.
On many levels, I resonated with the book primarily
because it is a story of faith rather than proof. Although the author possess a
rich professional background which makes him a credible figure to the
impossibility of brain activity, I felt that the book seemed to focus more on
his close encounter with heaven rather than his attempt to prove that his
claims are true. There were still many parts of the story which is questionable
in terms of being “scientific” and yet, this did not stop him from telling his
message of an unconditional and loving God. In fact, one of the best parts of
the book was how he was reminded that we “are loved and cherished dearly
forever” and that “there is nothing we can do wrong”. This sends out a
reassuring message of an ever loving supreme being. More than this, I feel that
the book speaks to its readers with its simplicity and honesty. It does not try
to impress nor does it try to persuade. Rather, the book simply recounts a
wonderful and mysterious experience which is unexplainable by science. And it
is through this, that the reader slowly is transformed to a believer.
Proof of Heaven
Alexander, E. Proof of Heaven:
A Neurosurgeon’s Journey into the Afterlife. NY: Simon &
Schuster, 2012
No comments:
Post a Comment