Official Review: IMMORTALITY: The Science of Forbidden Fr...

[Kendra M Parker]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "IMMORTALITY: The Science of Forbidden Fruit" by Michael A. Tewell.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Everyone dies. On some level, we all recognize that fact. As a result, we ask the question, “What happens when we die?” Religions around the world attempt to address that concern in various ways, typically with faith as the center. Michael A. Tewell tries a different tactic with his book IMMORTALITY: The Science Of Forbidden Fruit. Instead of approaching this question from a religious standpoint, he attempts to use science and his personal near-death experience to describe the process of death and what happens afterward.

Tewell spends the first half of his book using various scientific publications to express his theory, which he calls PhiAlpha. Using the laws of thermodynamics, quantum physics, and biophysics, Tewell proposes that the information we collect over our lives serves to form the basis of our personality. He classifies our personalities as a part of the information that must be preserved for the sake of continuing the process of evolution. Using these articles, Tewell proposes his theory that our personalities become encoded and transferred to a new host after death.

In the second half of Tewell’s book, he describes his own near-death experience and how that opened his eyes to his personal spirit guide. He also describes several other supernatural experiences in his life and uses them to bolster his theory of PhiAlpha.

I found Tewell’s book to be an interesting look at the processes of death from a scientific perspective. Tewell certainly managed to use scientific articles in an innovative way to explore a concept that has not been well studied. The fact that he also proposes some ideas for how to research and test his theory shows that he has put plenty of thought into his book.

Clearly, Tewell has done quite a bit of homework in looking for articles to support his ideas. Readers interested in Tewell’s book need a decent understanding of quantum physics and biology. Tewell’s writing becomes very technical at points, and readers with a limited or passing understanding of these concepts may find it very difficult to understand Tewell’s arguments. I would strongly recommend against this book, at least the first half, if a reader does not have some significant scientific knowledge in these areas. Even with my own scientific background, there were areas where some of Tewell’s ideas and supporting arguments became difficult to understand.

Part two of the book departs from the scientific realm and ventures into the realm of personal experience. Tewell describes his encounters with the spirit realm with a thoroughly enjoyable narrative. I felt that I was a part of the action, and I enjoyed reading about these experiences. On the other hand, Tewell seems to have a chip on his shoulder regarding religion, especially Christianity. These thoughts become more apparent in the second half of this book, and readers that might be offended by negative statements against their religion should avoid this book.

Tewell presents a well-edited book. There were only a few minor errors that I uncovered. Readers that want to explore death and the afterlife from a scientific perspective or readers that enjoy reading about encounters with the spiritual realm may really enjoy this book.

This is certainly a difficult topic that Tewell tackles with his book. There are areas where he is more successful in his argument than others. Still, the quality of his writing and the amount of research he uses to support his assertions earn him a fair amount of credit. I grant Tewell 3 out of 4 stars for his clear writing style about an interesting topic. Strengthening his arguments and connecting part two more thoroughly to part one would have gained him the final star. For readers interested in expanding their ideas, this may be an enjoyable excursion into a future area of scientific study.

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IMMORTALITY: The Science of Forbidden Fruit
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Like Kendra M Parker's review? Post a comment saying so!

[kandscreeley]

For those that value this kind of philosophical approach, this would probably be a good book. I tend to look at the Bible and what it tells me, so I don't really need a book like this. I'm glad that you were able to enjoy it, though. Thanks for the information.

[kdstrack]

The author's experience seems to have made a powerful impact on him. His thorough scientific research may have given him some of the answers he was hoping to find. I enjoyed your insights on this book. Thanks.

[Ellylion]

This book raises very interesting questions, still too pity that a reader will need some additional scientific background to understand it completely. But I believe it worth reading anyway. Thank you for this great review!

[DogoMulla]

Afterlife is quite a sensitive topic. I'm not sure whether there're facts on this issue. I hope Tewell is closer to the truth. Thank you for your review.

[Prisallen]

As I have no knowledge of quantum physics, I don't think this book is for me. But, it does pose an interesting concept. Thanks for a wonderful review!

[Feyisayo akande]

I think this is not for me since I don't have scientific knowledge but thanks for the review

[Kendra M Parker]

For those that value this kind of philosophical approach, this would probably be a good book. I tend to look at the Bible and what it tells me, so I don't really need a book like this. I'm glad that you were able to enjoy it, though. Thanks for the information.

I really side with you with the Bible as my primary authority. Still, I was curious about what science had to say on this topic. I like to know where science is going since many scientific advancements either confirm what I read in the Bible or further explain the nature of creation.

Tewell’s research was interesting, but I disagreed with some of his logic and the resulting conclusions. I think there are some interesting tidbits in there that actually support the Bible more than Tewell chose to see. Since I believe the book reviews are more about reviewing the quality of the book instead of arguing with the content, I mostly kept that out of the review itself, though.

[Espie]

A book that is able to go beyond the formulaic themes and direction could indeed be a breath of fresh air. It would have been better if the piece had been able to fully develop its premise for you, though. Thank you for your honest, well-written review.

[amjohnson13mommy]

Of course the information we collect over our lives forms our personality. I thought everyone knew that. But transferred a new host after our deaths I do not buy it.
Thank you .for sharing but I refuse to read such a story