The Map of Heaven: How Science, Religion, and Ordinary People Are Proving the Afterlife

In the follow-up to his bestselling memoir Proof of Heaven, neurosurgeon Alexander takes up the topic of near death experiences (NDEs). Here he calls on philosophers, scientists, and reader correspondents to paint a fuller picture of heaven. Of these, the fan mail is the most plentiful, as many readers were eager to share their NDEs with an author who seemed to understand them. Those looking to continue that personal connection, however, will be disappointed by Alexander's cursory survey of thinkers, from Aristotle to Swedenborg. Those seeking greater scientific rigor than the first book provided will not find that, either. The connections between Alexander's examples and conclusions are tenuous, as when he suggests that communication after death can be demonstrated by a bereaved husband who sees butterflies%E2%80%94his wife's obsession%E2%80%94after she dies. The most practical portion is an appendix in which Alexander describes how he has used meditation as a portal to the unseen world. (Nov.)