A Book of Miracles

August 8, 2011
Siegel sold millions of Love, Medicine, & Miracles (1986). Twenty-five years later, he, and miracles, are still around, and he offers a collection of short stories grouped into themed chapters (“Holiday Miracles,” “Animal Inspirations,” etc.) that recount miraculous moments—“God’s redirections”—that are not always healing moments. He draws from his own experiences as well as accounts others have shared with him and also comments on the stories. None of this is very deep, which is fine, but neither are these stories very persuasive or even comforting. They’re so brief and general as to feel generic and sentimental rather than authentically moving (“ grew with us and watched us to the end, always loving”). The chapter titled “Bernie as a Miracle” is over the adulatory edge. This may well have an audience among people who don’t know what to say or do when someone they know is gravely ill. But it’s disappointing.

September 1, 2011
For a certain audience, it's hard not to like a book with the words miracle and Dr. Bernie S. Siegel on the cover. The beloved author of Love, Medicine & Miracles (1986) writes once more about topics that are soul-touchers: love, healing, and hope. This time Siegel has collected stories and reminiscences from patients and other people he has encountered. He categorizes the selections into 15 topics, among them everyday miracles, healings, angels, redirections, even miracles from beyond. The pieces are short and, of course, hopeful, as is Siegel's concluding commentary. The book as a whole converges on one point: the universe is there to help, and even when it seems to hinder, there is good to be found and learning to be had. While there is no shortage of scoffers when it comes to this brand of inspirational writing, it's hard not to be uplifted to read of a cancer patient who is healed or a grieving parent who finds the strength to let go. Those in pain or doubt will find this book a help, and those who aren't may need it even more.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)