http://www.ncreview.com/ 94-351 http://www.ncreview.com/spirituality/the-return-of-the-prophet In reading this book, I couldn't figure out if it was trying to be fiction or non-fiction, biography, poem, or something else entirely. I found it difficult to engage with this book due to its lack of focus. For example, the book talks about some of the challenges Hajjar went through. But it doesn't go into enough detail to feel like we truly know the author... by trying to be poetic, the book ends up staying just on the surface of what are timeless wisdoms. Speaking of which, the wisdoms presented are timeless - but again due to the poetic nature, and the lack of focus, they are lost in a sea of missed messages. One bonus is that the book is short - but even then it took me much longer to finish this book than it takes me of books twice and three times as long. The book also seemed like it was trying to share timeless truths, but again the effort to be poetic overshadowed the truths in a way that makes everything sound good but difficult to really figure out what is being said. This book is probably best suited for somebody who enjoys reading poetic beautiful words and isn't necessarily concerned about "learning" something new. Now that I think about it, the previous sentence sums up my review pretty well: I like to learn stuff from spiritual books, and I like to enjoy the process. In this case, I didn't enjoy the book nor learn anything I could apply to my own spiritual path. On the bright side, the poetic nature of the book lends itself to some delightful quotes that are well-worth sharing. ]]> Wed, 24 Feb 2010 06:25:29 -0800 94-36 http://www.ncreview.com/spirituality/the-return-of-the-prophet It was a dark night of the soul that triggered a most fortunate collaboration – fortunate for Hajjar Gibran in that it set him on the spiritual path that became his life’s work, and fortunate for us in that it brings back in a modern context the same mellifluous poetry of the spirit that touched our hearts when we first read The Prophet by Khalil Gibran. Hajjar went into a tailspin of drugs and despair in the years following his brother’s tragic death. He began to have visions of a figure he later recognized on the cover of a book his mother gave him at his lowest ebb. It was his great uncle Khalil Gibran who became his mentor, inspiring Hajjar to discover his life’s purpose and explore the mysteries of existence. Hajjar’s candid narrative of his often-painful missteps and his triumphs is punctuated by the profound and loving words of his great-uncle. The inspired writing that flows from Hajjar’s pen has the same beauty, insight, and wisdom given form by his great-uncle 85 years ago – and even the same style. Hajjar’s story, presented with candor and grace, epitomizes the struggle of the human condition, while the reassuring words of his great-unclepoint beyond inner peace to the limitless potential that is our birthright, if we will but dare to grasp it. ]]> Thu, 11 Dec 2008 00:36:23 -0800