THE AFTERLIFE REVOLUTION

The author sent me an autographed copy of his book to read and review:

Not for nothing, Whitley Strieber has lived a remarkable life. Not only is he a best selling writer (many of his books have also been adapted into movies), but he also has experienced an alleged alien encounter in his upstate NY cabin. That Incident can be found in Whitley’s 1987 best selling book, Communion: A true story, which later was adapted into a movie starring Christopher Walken as Whitley Strieber. And lately Whitley is in perpetual touch with his recently deceased (love of his life) wife, Anne Strieber, who basically is teaching him the ins and outs of the spiritual world, thus the title of this book. The conversations between Whitley and Anne occur in his mind, but are augmented by Anne contacting friends (after her death), who in turn, let Whitley know that they have heard from her in order to prove to Whitley that what he hears from her is real. Do I believe what Whitley and Anne (the co-writer) are saying about the afterlife? What do I gain by disbelieving? I and millions of others want it to be true. Is it possible that Whitley hears what he wants to hear while he is lamenting the loss of his partner? Absolutely, but I want to believe him. In my review, we will touch on some of the highlights of the book. But in order to get a true understanding of their revolution, the reader must read the full 277 pages like a fine wine. Savor it very slowly. You want it to be true...if not, death is the end...total blackness. If so, I coulda robbed a bank! I coulda been a crook! I coulda been a contender! (Marlon Brando in the 1954 movie, On the Waterfront) Haha, just kidding.

“In August of 2015, at the age of 69 and after 45 years of marriage, my wife Anne died. For two years, she had been struggling with a catastrophic brain tumor and I had been trying with increasing desperation to save her. The dark pit of grief I fell into when I looked upon her still form was the greatest pain I had ever known.” You see, since they were so close, it’s possible that Whitley is imagining talking to his wife. But you will learn that other people have also heard from her. And the author understands that some readers will have doubt, “While I don’t expect our story to be accepted uncritically, I do want you to know that I feel sure that our book is being written by two people, one physical and one nonphysical. I am not talking to my imagination. My wife set out to do this and she has accomplished steady, reliable communication between us, and as I think will become clear, many of the new ideas that are discussed between us in these pages emerge out of a very different perspective than we are used to in physical life.” Whitley and Anne believed that, “nonphysical humanity very much wants contact with physical humanity.” But, they had to prove their theory. All the amazing things that happened to them during the 1990s caused them to focus on the question of afterlife. Can they accomplish something that even the great Harry Houdini couldn’t? If one of them died...could the nonphysical contact the physical?

On page 28, Whitley writes, “We began to think that communication must be possible, and so started discussing what might happen when one of us died. We decided that whichever one of us moved on first we attempt contact, but not directly. We were both skeptical to accept something like that uncritically. So we decided that initial contacts had to be with other people who had no idea of our plan, which we never discussed with anybody.” Then Anne died. “After she died, I lay beside her with my hand still on her chest. I was unable to move. I fought for breath. Then I heard her say...Get up, go on.” The next day, Whitley received a email from friends in Florida. They said that there was a brilliant flash in their home when they emailed back to Whitley, thanking him for letting them know that Anne passed away peacefully. They said, “We think it was Anne making her presence known.” Whitley thought, “It was about that time that I remembered our plan from so many years ago. The one to die first would initiate communication through friends, not directly.” I think Whitley was being totally honest with the public when he said, “One of the hardest things about being in contact with the dead is believing that it is real. This is because we determine reality based on physical cues, and they are totally absent in this type of communication. So we want signs, sign after sign.” One has to wonder if the closeness of the couple brought on things he wanted to hear. I don’t know, I tend to believe the man. Before I end my review, I want you to read what Whitley said on page 66, “I would say that my relationship with Anne is deeper now than it was when we were both in the physical. I was her companion in life. Now I am in communion with her.” Was this book a tad eerie? Yes, but also very thought-provoking.

RATING: 5 out of 5 stars

Comment: As you get older you start to think about death...Is it final, or is there something else? During the talks that Whitley had with Anne after her death, heaven and hell were not discussed. She also didn’t use the word reincarnation. Instead she says, “some ascend as she has, others enter the light, others linger nearby and get reborn. Maybe some even go to physical realities or other worlds and species entirely. Some also seem to descend into densities greater than this one.” It’s a lot to chew on.

On page 35, Whitley writes,”The great human question is ‘will I live after death?’ It is simple, universal and haunts us all, everyone, all the time. Science, by insisting with such compelling authority that we are mortal flesh and no more, reinforces our fear of annihilation. At the same time, the increasingly complex and vivid material world makes it harder and harder for us to hear the soul’s subtle inner voice.”

As you get older, I think you also get wishy washy. What I mean by that is your attitude changes. For instance, when I was younger, I was aggressive and a Republican. The hell with those freeloaders! This is a laissez-faire capitalistic country and that’s that. Now that I’m older, I vote Democratic because I want all the freebies that I’m entitled to. So if you don’t believe in the afterlife when you are young...you might now.