Chapters from a Charmed Life — Personal Encounters with Spiritual Mavericks, Remarkable Seekers, and the World's Great Religious Leaders
July 9, 2012
At 92, Smith is the closest thing religious studies has to a rock star. A lifelong Christian, he has also danced with Sufi mystics, meditated with Tibetan monks, and taken LSD with Timothy Leary and Ram Dass. He has written eloquently and deeply about his many experiences and encounters in 11 books and appeared in numerous television programs. It is difficult, then, to report that this is a faint echo of his earlier works, a string of loosely connected anecdotes, many of them without apparent point. A chapter, for example, on cute things his children said feels like it belongs in a book by Art Linkletter, not by one of the world’s greatest interpreters of faith. However,, this book is not without its charms, not the least of them Smith’s voice, cheerful as always, and the breadth of his knowledge of world religions, which is not just encyclopedic but nuanced. This book is best for the greatest of Smith’s fans, who will welcome one more chance to sit at the feet of the master. For those less familiar with him, such books as Tales of Wonder (2009) and his watershed The World’s Religions (1991, revised from the 1958 original) are better introductions.
February 1, 2013
This memoiristic volume, while perhaps less thoughtful and thought-provoking than much of Smith's prior work on world religions, is an affecting set of recollections from a man of tireless curiosity and openness. The stories included take place in settings ranging from the American Midwest to Tibet and Africa, and feature cameos by the likes of Joseph Campbell and Pete Seeger. VERDICT A joyful volume from the mind and experience of a fortunate and gifted scholar of religions; a pleasure for the general reader and seeker.Advice & Self-Help
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