Anna in the Afterlife (Library of Modern Jewish Literature)

Customer Reviews:

A Secular Life Gone Bad.......2007-09-01

author of Cooking Jewish: 532 Great Recipes from the Rabinowitz Family

from the Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles
June 28, 2002

It's the ultimate fantasy: You have a seat at your own funeral. Now imagine that while hovering in limbo between your death and burial, you have the power not only to witness the preparations and critique the eulogies, but also to eavesdrop on critical moments in your past for a reality check.

Such is the premise of Merrill Joan Gerber's latest, "Anna in the Afterlife," which chronicles Anna's four-day journey between her grueling death at 90 and her burial.

When last we left Anna in "Anna in Chains," she was lying helpless in a nursing home, paralyzed in one arm, feeding tube gurgling, begging for death. Not exactly the stuff of comedy. Yet in "Anna in the Afterlife," after seven agonizing years chained to her bed, Anna finally nears that "famous tunnel she'd heard about on Oprah," and what would have turned maudlin from a lesser writer is at once poignant, riveting, even amusing in Gerber's capable hands.

"Anna warned [her daughters] constantly: they mustn't do anything illegal and end up in jail. Neither one was familiar with firearms, neither one had access to heavy barbiturates and no one could figure out how to get her to a bridge railing. Ropes, razors and drinking drain cleaner did not appeal to Anna, nor did a plastic bag over her head."

At last "the great and famous moment" arrives, and Anna relinquishes "the spark every tiny ant and worm wants to keep hold of, the force that makes flies evade the swatter and convulses fish off their baited hooks." In death, she is free to revisit her past, and memorable characters materialize: her mother's bigamist first husband; her jealous 86-year-old sister, Gert, attempting suicide in a red peignoir; and her half-brother, Sam, who she learns had molested her and her sister. ("I thought it was his thumb," claims an unperturbed Gert.)

Loosed in death from the shackles of physical suffering, she is free to unlock her family's many secrets and long forgotten mysteries: Did her brother really drown while fishing on erev Yom Kippur? ("Who needed fish that fresh"?) Did Anna really win her husband by parading in front of her sister's date in a negligee?

For the first time Anna confronts her own racial prejudice, her sexual reluctance, her stinginess. "`Nothing but the best" was not a phrase Anna had thought her children should live by. Now she was feeling the consequences of her philosophy -- she'd have third-rate corned beef at her funeral reception, seedless Christian rye bread and prune Danish made with lard, with not a single salty black olive or a plate of pickled herring in sour cream on the table."

Now this feisty woman, whose raison d'être had been indignation, experiences doubt. "Should she have been kinder? And to whom?"

Gerber knows only too well the degradation and suffering of the elderly, kept alive beyond their time in "a holding pen for dying animals." She had watched helplessly as her own mother begged for death.

"But Anna is not my mother at all," says the prize-winning author. "She didn't have that irony, that speed of retort. She is a combination of what I knew about her life, what I imagined a certain voice in her head would sound like -- which is a combination of me and her -- and my invention."

A fiction-writing instructor at California Institute of Technology, Gerber is a careful observer of those thousands of details that forge family dynamics and skillfully transforms life's ordinary and gut-wrenching moments into compelling prose.

We see Anna as a young mother in "The Kingdom of Brooklyn," even more strident from a child's point of view. Nearly 80 in "Anna in Chains," she shuffles, still independent, through her Fairfax neighborhood, then sinks into ever descending circles of hell: retirement home, nursing home, utter dependence. In the end, Gerber tells us: "Anna accepted her fate."

With Anna gone, Gerber wastes no time with idle retrospection. Look in November for "Botticelli Blue Skies," the saga of her sojourn in Italy, and a book of essays, "Gut Feelings: A Writer's Truths and Minute Inventions," due in Spring 2003.

LA Times: "One of the best novels of 2002".......2003-07-05

The LA Times chose this novel as one of the best of 2002.

December 8, 2002
LOS ANGELES TIMES
BEST BOOKS OF 2002

Fiction

Anna in the Afterlife

Merrill Joan Gerber

Syracuse University Press / Library of Modern Jewish

Literature: 124 pp., ...paper

Merrill Joan Gerber is not only one of our most underrated contemporary writers, she also may well be our least pretentious. Her utter lack of pretense is a major source of her raw power as a writer. In her latest novel, a tough little gem called "Anna in the Afterlife," Gerber returns to one of her most memorable characters, Anna Goldman, the forceful, discontented mother of the young heroine in "An Antique Man," more recently glimpsed in her 80s lying immobile, resentful and furious in a nursing home in the story collection "Anna in Chains." Now, after seven years in the chains of her illness, Anna finally dies. The opening whisks us into the world-weary mind-set of its heroine: "Once her dying got underway, Anna could not really complain about how the process moved along." Like Saul Bellow, Gerber has a genius for the irritable, the acrid and the embittered: The visitor from another planet who doesn't know what it means to kvetch would need to look no further than Gerber's fiction for superb illustrations of the phenomenon. Unlike Bellow, she does not venture far beyond the personal. Her eyes are trained on the quotidian, but the acuity and intensity of her vision are no less extraordinary...

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

Average customer rating:

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Reflecting the view of "A Course in Miracles" that "a universal theology is impossible, but a universal experience [love] is not only possible but necessary," this dialogue was held in the loving spirit of friends respecting their differences and agreeing to disagree. Dr. Wapnick and Rev. Clarke define the differences clearly, showing unequivocally that "A Course in Miracles" and the Bible are mutually exclusive theologies that can never be integrated into one coherent spirituality. Themes include the origin of the world, Jesus, the Eucharist, and daily life.

Customer Reviews:

A helpful contrast of two spiritual paths.......2002-11-29

A COURSE IN MIRACLES AND CHRISTIANITY: A DIALOGUE is a conversation between Kenneth Wapnick, Ph.D., and W. Norris Clarke, S.J., Ph.D. on the differences between A COURSE IN MIRACLES (a self-study book about spiritual psychotherapy) and Christianity. Such a dialogue is appropriate since A COURSE IN MIRACLES claims Jesus as its author. As the two men make quickly apparent, however, the "Course" and Christianity are mutually exclusive paths.

I found A COURSE IN MIRACLES AND CHRISTIANITY: A DIALOGUE very helpful because I come from a Catholic background, but left Catholicism for the Course. It is interesting that comparing and contrasting these two paths makes their respective positions even more clear and understandable. I learned things in this book about Catholicism that I had not known (it's interesting to note that Mr. Wapnick had, at one time, studied to become a Catholic priest). Another interesting thing is that it is thanks to W. Norris Clarke that Mr. Wapnick no longer describes A COURSE IN MIRACLES as being a "correction" of Catholicism; as Norris notes, in order for the Course to be a correction of Catholicism and Christianity, the Course would have to retain the same basic framework. A COURSE IN MIRACLES contradicts Christianity on almost every count: the Bible says God created the world; A COURSE IN MIRACLES says the world was made by the ego as an attack *on* God (and that God doesn't even know about the world because for God to know about the physical world would be to make it real). The Jesus of A COURSE IN MIRACLES teaches that death, the body, and suffering have no meaning, that there is no sin, and that his name and very identity is ultimately just symbolic (as is everyone else's); the Jesus of the Bible is a very real individual personal identity who teaches that pain is very real and that he suffered and died for our sins.

The extraordinary thing about A COURSE IN MIRACLES AND CHRISTIANITY: A DIALOGUE is that these two men are able to openly state that their paths are mutually exclusive and disagree on about every issue, and yet they never get hostile toward one another. They even come across as friends. The book buyer may be interested to know that A COURSE IN MIRACLES AND CHRISTIANITY: A DIALOGUE is a transcript of a conversation between the two authors (it had originally been intended to be an audio program). The conversation format provides this book with an accessibility that it may not have had otherwise, due to the fact that the theological points tackled are very, very "heady" at times.

Wapnick's theology and Christianity might be a better title........2002-06-24

There are some fine things in this book, but also some serious problems. Most of the latter stem from the fact that Clarke seems to have taken what he knows of the Course from Wapnick, in the form of a six-hour workshop. The result is that at times they discuss not so much the differences between Christianity and the Course as between Christianity and the idiosyncratic interpretations which Dr. Wapnick brings to the Course. This tends to make the teachings of the Course and of Christianity seem to differ more than they actually do. Since this suits both of them down to the ground, they are happy with the result, but it needs to be taken with a degree of skepticism.

For instance, they discuss the difference between what the Course says about the origin of the material world and what Christianity says, without acknowledgment that in the so-called Urtext we find a flat-footed statement that the material world was created by God as a means of undoing the separation. The whole question of what the Course actually teaches on this issue is a very difficult one, and hardly something we can oppose to traditional Christian thought quite so readily. Certainly, however, you will not find a collective ego as the creator of the world, since the Course knows nothing of that concept. It does not state that our various selves were created by a process like cellular mitosis, as the supposed "one false self" divided over and over. Rather, the Course teaches that each of us individually is a soul, spirit, or thought directly created by God.

The Course also does not teach that Jesus does not concern himself with our bodies or our behavior, and again, the original dictation proves the opposite to be the case. This supposed difference between Christianity and the Course is simply an aspect of Wapnick's theology, arrived at by a process of reasoning which he gives in this book, and not a teaching of the Course. The Course likewise does not teach that the disciples projected their inner experience of Jesus and thus hallucinated a bodily resurrection-and Dr. Wapnick really ought to know better than this, since he was there when Helen heard her Voice explain that Jesus did appear to them in a body as real as any body ever is.

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