Book Reviews (May 2009)

Lombardo, Tom. (ed.)  After Shocks: The Poetry of Recovery for Life-Shattering Events.  Atlanta, GA: Sante Lucia Books, 2008.  387 pp.  Contributors’ bios 53 pp.  $19.95 

What an accomplishment for the editor Tom Lombardo, who put together this anthology in which 115 poets from 15 nations come together to share their poems of recovery!  Indeed, the theme of recovery with a focus on acceptance, hope and healing, however strong or faint it may be, runs through the entire collection that comprises twelve sections.  These include the Recovery from Death of a Spouse, from War, Exile, Abuse, Addiction, Bigotry, Loss of a Child, Divorce or Loss of Lover, Loss of Innocence, Illness or Injury, Death of Family or Friends, and Stresses of Living. This diversity surprised me initially.  The editor clearly shows the personal and  subjective experience of life-shattering events and manages, through his clever selection of poems and their arrangement in the anthology, to validate precisely those experiences.  No loss or devastating event is considered more or less important than any other.  That alone offers a place for healing and comfort to the reader - at least we know we are not alone, regardless of the circumstances. 

(Read more in IJHC May, 2009)

Rajan Sankaran. The Soul of Remedies, Mumbai: Homeopathic Medical Publishers 1997, 2006. www.thespiritofhomeopathy.com  spirit@vsnl.com HB 227 pp plus tables and index

This book conveys Rajan Sankaran's personal experience with 100 remedies and his style of practice.

Rajan Sankaran. The Spirit of Homeopathy, 3rd ed. Mumbai: Homeopathic Medical Publishers 2000, 2006. www.thespiritofhomeopathy.com  spirit@vsnl.com  HB 357 pp plus index

Rajan Sankaran focuses on psychological states as the primary issue to address with homeopathy.  He emphasizes that a person's total being is to be understood from their understanding of and beliefs about the situation in which they find themselves, and that this situation will be multi-faceted, relating in complex ways to the present and to the past history.

(Read more in IJHC May, 2009)