A Book of Miracles: Inspiring True Stories of Healing, Gratitude, and Love

Siegel sold millions of Love, Medicine, & Miracles (1986). Twenty-five years later, he, and miracles, are still around, and he offers a collection of short stories grouped into themed chapters (“Holiday Miracles,” “Animal Inspirations,” etc.) that recount miraculous moments—“God’s redirections”—that are not always healing moments. He draws from his own experiences as well as accounts others have shared with him and also comments on the stories. None of this is very deep, which is fine, but neither are these stories very persuasive or even comforting. They’re so brief and general as to feel generic and sentimental rather than authentically moving (“[Fritz] grew with us and watched us to the end, always loving”). The chapter titled “Bernie as a Miracle” is over the adulatory edge. This may well have an audience among people who don’t know what to say or do when someone they know is gravely ill. But it’s disappointing. (Sept.)