Return to Life: Extraordinary Cases of Children Who Remember Past Lives
by Jim B. Tucker
St. Martin’s Press, 2013
This book has been on my shelf for a while, purchased after I read the author’s previous book on the subject, Life Before Life, which I discussed here. As I noted then, I’ve long been interested in the subject of reincarnation although I don’t believe that it’s possible. The case studies are difficult to explain away, though, and so I keep reading.
What prompted me to finally read this book was that I just read a novel that incorporates Dr. Tucker’s research into a story about a child who has memories of a past life. (My discussion of that book, The Forgetting Time, by Sharon Guskin, is here.) Anticipating a discussion with the author at the Virginia Festival of the Book, I wanted to get the whole story.
While I’m glad I read the book, Tucker’s previous book contains more case studies, and those are what really appeal to me. In this book Tucker attempts to explain, using quantum physics and other theories, how reincarnation is possible. The cases are fascinating. The physics is unconvincing. Still, how to explain these “children who remember past lives?”
If you’re interested in reincarnation, I recommend both of Tucker’s books as well as Sharon Guskin’s novel.
