Mother of the Unseen World: The Mystery of Mother Meera

Journalist Matousek (Sex, Death, Enlightenment) tells the life story of Mother Meera, an Indian mystic believed by her followers to be an incarnation of the Divine Mother. Born Kamala Reddy in a small south Indian village in 1960, Mother Meera underwent an open-eyed samadhi (a trance state said to be an encounter with the divine) at age 6 and became famous throughout India at age 14 after well-known mystics and ashram leaders corroborated her claims. Matousek chronicles her travels as a spiritual guide, from the residence for orphans she founded in India to her eventual home in Thalheim, Germany, receiving pilgrims such as Matousek himself. Mother Meera’s story is incredible, but the book itself is more heartfelt than hard-hitting. Matousek begins his story with the spiritual awakening he underwent upon first meeting Mother Meera, and he openly, passionately describes her appeal: “This woman was unlike anyone I’d seen before—qualitatively different—as if she belonged to another species.” Matousek is a lively guide, but those not already interested in Mother Meera’s story will find this book most valuable as an introduction to the presence of avatars in Hindu spirituality. Agent: Joy Harris, Joy Harris Literary. (Nov.)