100 books like Unfinished Business

Tyson’s Gift: How an 8-Pound K9 Became a Man’s Greatest Spiritual Guide by police officer Brandon Wainwright is the story this country needs to hear, especially now. From beginning to end, the author brings the reader into his personal life and the ups and downs of his relationships with an openness that appeals to mother, father, sister, or brother. Anyone who has ever loved or been loved by an animal will find healing and hope for the future, that we never really have to say goodbye when our hearts are open.

For those with a religious upbringing like mine, Elizabeth Clare Prophet’s book, Reincarnation: The Missing Link in Christianity, may prove a fascinating read. And for those many brought up in the Southern Baptist culture of fear and punishment like I was, the idea of living other lives can be a frightening one or a welcome one, particularly when seen as a second chance, instead of through the lens of the Biblical concepts of judgment and Hell. It is a scholarly read, in that the more you know about the Bible, the more you will get out of reading it.

On a much lighter note, The Zack Files Great Grandpa’s in the Litter Box by Dan Greenburg is a children’s chapter book with a big message, using humor to sum up what reincarnation really is (at least when souls reincarnate as pets). In a nutshell, the titular cat reincarnates to clear up unfinished business with his loved ones who survived him. This book manages to simplify in less than sixty pages what could take a scholar a lifetime to disseminate.

Finally, Repetition: Past Lives, Life, and Rebirth written by clinical psychologist and psychotherapist, Doris Eliana Cohen, Ph.D. is a book focused on healing. Whether the reader is interested in learning how to heal from past-life traumas that are hindering their growth or move on from dysfunctional relationships, this book offers professional help and support. It also illuminates the nuts and bolts of different ways a soul can reincarnate. Most surprising of all may be how much free will is involved in the process, not at all the never-ending cycle of death and rebirth or the mislabeled karma of punishment for previous wrong-doings. This book offers the hope of taking responsibility for one’s life and the possibility of healing many past lives in one’s own current lifetime.

A few years ago when my wife suddenly died, on the second day I spoke to a dear friend who also happens to be a longtime monk on my spiritual path. He mentioned a book by a psychologist who took people to see the greater arc of their soul’s journey—their ‘lives between lives’. That doctor was Dr. Michael Newton, and this is my favorite of his series.

At the time, reading it had a profound effect on my growing understanding of the greater arc of the human soul and provided an immense sense of peace. Above all, it soothed my tattered mind at a moment when life felt incomprehensible and helped me make sense of our larger purpose for being here even while still grieving. Through 70 case histories of real people who were regressed into their ‘lives between lives,’ Dr. Newton reveals life continuing on the other side, ways… show more.

The information in this book is in a whole new realm, literally! I have never read anything quite like this, and it was fascinating to delve into the human brain under the trance that Dolores Cannon was able to induce. The level of detail in each subject was described in the afterlife, soul contracts, and heaven was mind-blowing.

This was a book I could not put down. I turned the pages to hear what the next person had to say. It was one of the most interesting books I have ever read. 

In October 2004, I tuned the television to the series, Unsolved Mysteries, to provide background noise while I had lunch.

When George Anderson’s story was featured, I was riveted, and ordered We Don’t Die as soon as the show ended. That led me to a myriad of other metaphysical books and experiences, and a fascination that has not waned in the nearly two decades since I first heard of George and his ability to speak with those who have passed from physical life.

As I have learned over the years, it was not by accident that I saw that TV show. It was a soul signal that I’d set for myself before birth, to guide me to a new phase of my life.

As part of my metaphysical quest, I had several readings through a medium my sister-in-law recommended.

In the second reading, my late husband came through loud and clear, and I was given a recommendation to read Echoes of the Soul. When I read it, it was as if I remembered it, rather than reading it for the first time. I understand this book, too, was a soul signal I set before birth that kept me moving toward my destiny.

My wife and I had the opportunity several years later to attend a seminar Echo Bodine conducted in Atlanta, and Echo was as impressive in person as on the pages of Echoes of the Soul.

This book is the OG of academic Spiritualism books. Braude was groundbreaking when she linked Spiritualism and the early women’s rights movement. At a time when women were barred, for the most part, from speaking in public or in the church, Spiritualism offered them a means to channel their spirit and speak in front of large audiences.

This paved the way for more women’s rights advocates to demand more space and attention in the realm of political rights. I’ve read this book so many times I’ve lost count. One, because it’s awesome. Two, because I learn something new every time I open it up. 

Although Herman Melville is considered the most canonical US writer today, after the muddled reception of Moby-Dick (1851) his critical and commercial acclaim had waned. In response, he wrote the much-maligned Pierre, a sensational gothic novel about a young man discovering his half-sister and endeavoring to rescue her from poverty. Both sublime and ridiculous, this overly-wrought novel features spiritualism, incest, and diatribes against the literary marketplace, but most pressingly it probes the roles and responsibilities of young independent men in the mid-19th century. If you can find it, the 1995 Kraken edition features bold and brilliant illustrations by Maurice Sendak.