Life After Death

Shishir Kurup is a fine choice for narrating this wide-ranging book. This exploration of life after death grapples with everything from the nature of the soul to the multiple levels of existence, and Chopra approaches these topics with equally varied tools, including sharing a parable, sketching an anecdote from his youth, and quoting from a host of people who have been through near-death experiences. The result wanders a bit, but through it all Kurup's narration is fitting. He sounds approachable but learned when speaking as Chopra, and he emphasizes quotes by making shifts that depict the varying accents and socioeconomic levels of the speakers. Overall, the discussion is easy on the ears, even when Chopra moves past concepts too quickly. G.T.B. (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine

India's rich history of parables about the afterlife is the basis for this poetic audio on how life flows from one reality or type of awareness to the next. Fortified by his grasp of science as much as his spirituality, Chopra sounds eloquent as he explains these subtle ideas in a musical stream of rich and flowing sentences. Big ideas and unforgettable imagery from a variety of realms cut across the limits of traditional religious thought and are made more powerful by Chopra's deeply satisfying voice--a voice that still bubbles with the surprise of a young artist's discovery. His bottom line: The afterlife is less a reward or punishment than a continuation of the beliefs, expectations, and quality of awareness we adopt during our lifetimes. T.W. (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine