SOCIAL SCIENCES

The Hand on the Mirror: A True Story of Life Beyond Death

by Janis Heaphy Durham
Grand Central. Apr. 2015. 272p. ISBN 9781455531301. $26; ebk. ISBN 9781455531295. PARAPSYCH
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Durham, a former advertising executive at the Los Angeles Times and publisher of the Sacramento Bee, describes an emotional journey through the grief of losing her husband, Max, and the struggle to comprehend the unusual phenomena that followed his passing. The author seeks the expertise of an array of spiritual practitioners and scientists. This is by no means an objective or thorough exploration of perspectives on the existence of life after death—sometimes it's contradictory, not every authority is reliable, and some conclusions are a stretch. But it is an effective story about love, loss, and a universal search for meaning and understanding in life, and for that reason it may be appreciated by readers who enjoyed Joan Didion's Year of Magical Thinking.
VERDICT Spiritually curious readers who have lost loved ones will identify with the author's quest for answers and may appreciate learning new ideas about fringe science and parapsychology. It's similar but more investigative than books such as Eben Alexander's Proof of Heaven, one of the specialists Durham consults. Those looking for a more skeptical book that delves into theories of life after death would do better with Mary Roach's Spook.
Reviewed by Rachel Hoover, Thomas Ford Memorial Lib., Western Springs, IL , Apr 01, 2015
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