Review of The Expanded View
Posted: 24 Mar 2022, 19:24
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Expanded View" by Laura A. Brusca.]
Have you ever wondered how to experience more joy in your life? Has happiness been elusive even though most of your goals have been achieved? The Expanded View: Exploring Sacred Wisdom and the Way to Lasting Joy by Laura A. Brusca attempts to address the reasons for this unhappiness and to offer advice on how to overcome these problems. She includes quotations from enlightened leaders throughout history (for example, Jesus and Buddha) to make her points. Numerous religions enjoy a lot more in common than one might think, and she demonstrates the commonalities amongst the teachings of multiple spiritual leaders. In addition, different forms of meditation are briefly described.
This is an 81-page book that consists of an introduction and seven chapters. Each chapter ends with questions that will cause the reader to put some thought into what they have read. According to the “Author Bio,” Ms. Brusca is “a graduate of the Southwest Institute of Healing Arts and the American Institute of Holistic Theology. She has also studied independently in areas of metaphysics, yoga, and sacred sound through the Florida Vedic Institute, Yogic Mystery School, Nithyananda University, and Self-Realization Fellowship.” Therefore, the author has put a lot of time and effort into studying spiritual matters, and this book is her way of sharing her knowledge with others.
The book is not a quick, easy read. One must take their time and let the information soak in. My favorite aspect is the use of quotations from various scriptures to show the leaders were teaching the same message. Although some of the conclusions may be up for debate, the overall message is inspiring and shows that religions that are thought to be very different have much in common. This information is illuminating and provocative. If the readers are open to the information, the text can lead them to expand their view about religion and spirituality or, at least, cause them to challenge their previous assumptions. It is definitely an uplifting message!
However, the narrative was sometimes difficult to follow and had to be reread several times for understanding. For example, when discussing about whether a person can lose their soul (page 9), part of the author's explanation is, “Soul, as a word defined, keeps it confined by specific attributes of a thing to which it is not. ‘Soul’ then appears to be something in which we further explain ourselves, rather than a state of aliveness to which we express life.”
In addition, I wanted more information in the book than was given. Since questions were listed at the end of each chapter, even less information was available in the text than first appeared to be. For instance, different meditations were mentioned, but none were described in much detail. (Suggestions were offered on where to follow up for more guidance.) It could be an appropriate book for someone just commencing their spiritual journey; however, for someone who wants to go into more depth, I believe there are simply not enough details.
Because of the aforementioned reasons, The Expanded View: Exploring Sacred Wisdom and the Way to Lasting Joy receives a rating of three out of four stars. It seems to have been professionally edited as I only discovered three errors; in addition, informative and uplifting material is provided in the book. That is why I am not giving it two stars. I recommend it to open-minded readers searching for joy in their lives, who are embarking on their spiritual journeys. Reincarnation is mentioned on several occasions. If the reader is not interested in learning about the author’s beliefs on the subject, then they should probably look elsewhere.
******
The Expanded View
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Have you ever wondered how to experience more joy in your life? Has happiness been elusive even though most of your goals have been achieved? The Expanded View: Exploring Sacred Wisdom and the Way to Lasting Joy by Laura A. Brusca attempts to address the reasons for this unhappiness and to offer advice on how to overcome these problems. She includes quotations from enlightened leaders throughout history (for example, Jesus and Buddha) to make her points. Numerous religions enjoy a lot more in common than one might think, and she demonstrates the commonalities amongst the teachings of multiple spiritual leaders. In addition, different forms of meditation are briefly described.
This is an 81-page book that consists of an introduction and seven chapters. Each chapter ends with questions that will cause the reader to put some thought into what they have read. According to the “Author Bio,” Ms. Brusca is “a graduate of the Southwest Institute of Healing Arts and the American Institute of Holistic Theology. She has also studied independently in areas of metaphysics, yoga, and sacred sound through the Florida Vedic Institute, Yogic Mystery School, Nithyananda University, and Self-Realization Fellowship.” Therefore, the author has put a lot of time and effort into studying spiritual matters, and this book is her way of sharing her knowledge with others.
The book is not a quick, easy read. One must take their time and let the information soak in. My favorite aspect is the use of quotations from various scriptures to show the leaders were teaching the same message. Although some of the conclusions may be up for debate, the overall message is inspiring and shows that religions that are thought to be very different have much in common. This information is illuminating and provocative. If the readers are open to the information, the text can lead them to expand their view about religion and spirituality or, at least, cause them to challenge their previous assumptions. It is definitely an uplifting message!
However, the narrative was sometimes difficult to follow and had to be reread several times for understanding. For example, when discussing about whether a person can lose their soul (page 9), part of the author's explanation is, “Soul, as a word defined, keeps it confined by specific attributes of a thing to which it is not. ‘Soul’ then appears to be something in which we further explain ourselves, rather than a state of aliveness to which we express life.”
In addition, I wanted more information in the book than was given. Since questions were listed at the end of each chapter, even less information was available in the text than first appeared to be. For instance, different meditations were mentioned, but none were described in much detail. (Suggestions were offered on where to follow up for more guidance.) It could be an appropriate book for someone just commencing their spiritual journey; however, for someone who wants to go into more depth, I believe there are simply not enough details.
Because of the aforementioned reasons, The Expanded View: Exploring Sacred Wisdom and the Way to Lasting Joy receives a rating of three out of four stars. It seems to have been professionally edited as I only discovered three errors; in addition, informative and uplifting material is provided in the book. That is why I am not giving it two stars. I recommend it to open-minded readers searching for joy in their lives, who are embarking on their spiritual journeys. Reincarnation is mentioned on several occasions. If the reader is not interested in learning about the author’s beliefs on the subject, then they should probably look elsewhere.
******
The Expanded View
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Thanks for a great review!