COPY OF NY TIMES BOOK REVIEW. 'A CASE FOR PARAPSYCHOLOGY, MIND-REACH'.

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: STARGATE
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP96-00787R000500240023-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 9
• Document Creation Date: November 4, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 29, 2000
• Sequence Number: 23
• Publication Date: March 13, 1977
• Content Type: NSPR

W Y Fl mc- , 1 Sooe 1c c- v, r f..d
A case for
many, if people can influence action
and/or events at a distance greater
than the range of normal influence,
then perhaps we need dramatically to
revise our conception of human abil-
ities and/or conception of how events
are registered by people. Since the bur-
den of documentation, though, should
he on those who claim that these ca-
pacities exist, their interpretations of
the nature of their data should be ac-
cepted only after much evidence has
been accumulated.
There seems to be a persistent falla-
cy regarding the work of parapsy-
chologists that is based on a misunder-
standing of the nature of scientific
proof-an assumption that one demon-
stration, one example of a unique phe-
nomenon should be enough to con-
vince us that parapsychological or any
other sort of scientific phenomena
exist. William James expressed this
proposition when he said that the ap-
pearance of only one white crow
would dispel forever the idea that all
crows are black. But that is true only
in an extremely idealistic universe. We
need much more evidence than one
isolated instance to overthrow an ac-
.epted world-view. The existence of
William James's white crow could
well be dismissed by our statistics de-
partment as statistically insignificant.
One bit of evidence ought to be enough
but it.is not.
"Every man is an exception," as
Soren Kirkegaard wrote. We are all
4 billion-to-one shots and as scientists
Mind-Reach
Scientists Look at Psychic Ability.
By Russell Targ and Harold Puthoff.
230 pp. New York: {
G. P. Putnam's Sons. $8.95.
The scientific study of parapsycholo-
gy has been with us for almost a cen-
tury now, with little in the way of
definitive results. One of the major
problems in our acceptance of para-
psychology, of course, is that we are
quite resistant to new information and
phenomena which we consider a priori
to be impossible. We do not normally
pursue scientific inquiry, for instance,
into these areas. If I were to propose.
an experiment in training elephants to
become peach trees I do not think
much financial support would appear
nor could I enlist anyone's enthusiastic
help. People simply do not inform
themselves about things they do not
believe to be possible.
Such was the case within more con-
ventional science with Copernicus's
proposition of a universe that differed
fundamentally from that of Ptolemy,
with Harvey's discovery of the circula-
tion of blood and even in the reporting
of the Wright brothers' first air flight.
Many, newspapers, including The New
York Times, simply refused Ito cover
possible --
In parapsychology, we?,.' find - this
rejection to an extreme, 'unmatched.
perhaps.; in any area, Even the great
siologist Hermann Helm-
areas of optics, physics and
thestudy of perception
wrote, "Neither the evi-
dence of my own senses
nor the testimony of all the
fellows of the Royal Soci-
ety!' ' would convince him
of the truth of parapsychological data.
of Russell Targ and Harold Puthoff, au
.thors of "Mind-Reach," an `anonymous
reviewer in The Journal :of 'Electrical'
Is the kind of thing I wouldn't believe
in even if It were true."
One of the basic difficulties in un-
derstanding parapsychology is that its
claims are a distinct challenge to our
contemporary world-view. If some
people can perceive events'before they
"happen," if there are modes of inter-
Mind-Reach
U."- ki. u, YYI9w1{ Luc
Israeli psychic Uri Geller at-
tempted to draw pictures like
those previously sealed in en-
velopes and kept in a different
room. All of these experiments
are reported as successes by
the authors but they provide
very little evidence either in
their book or in published jour-
nal articles that any of them
can be repeated. Nor has any-
one else reported' similar re-
Here is the difficulty: If the
experiments cannot be repeated
by others we have the situation
of the one white crow. It may
be theoretically true (assuming
we take his word that he saw
one) that all crows are not
black, but that is irrelevant un-
less he can produce another
white one as proof. Again, para-
psychologists labor under a
fundamental misconception of
the importance of the idea of
chance, of the idea of science,
and of the necessity for the
verification.
"Mind-Reach," then, is a
hook slim in hard evidence. It
is pleasantly written, and it is
amusing to follow the thought
of the authors as they work
out their research and some-
times horrifying to see what
their opposition has been. But
it is ultimately an unsatisfying
book lacking any.indication of
iii ti C. i
need much more than occasional innn. the solidity of tfe findings. and
h
e ability of anyone, else
shots to convince us. t
Many publicizers of parapsychology to repeat them.
Indeed, I have attempted, in
have sought to counter their skeptics collab
r
ti
ith th
o
a
on w
ese au-
by Proclamation. They claim-and -thors
to re
eat one of their ex-
,
p
Targ and Puthoff are no exception- that there is a significant amount of and periments
was unable e to d (published
do s so though
gh
incontrovertible, scientific evidence In. I spent a large amount of time
favor of the existence of parapsycho- trying and had the same subject
logical phenomena. And, the only rea- they used and the full coopera-
son these phenomena are not more tion of the authors. Instead of
widely accepted is because of hostile any real evidence'that accords
prejudices, because of preconceptions with the accepted standards of
in the minds of readers and,reviewers,_.contemporary psychophysiolog-
and because of blindness ical research, what we have in
"Mind - Reach" .fairly stralghtfor- this book are a few minor,
wardly describes the ' experiments
carried out at the Stanford Research
Institute in Menlo Park, Calif., on so-
called paranormal phenomena by Targ
authors outline several of their own
experiments in the book: One of these
experiments involved "remote view-
ing " in which a person sequestered
sketchy suggestions of how re-
search in this area ought to
proceed. The authors do make
some useful points. We should
stick to conditions which mimic
those of everyday life, not use-
less, trivial situations (although
they ignore their own advice
in one of their experiments).
in a room is asked to describe a place' Further, even if it is granted
chosen at random and not revealed that they have demonstrated
to the subject where two other people ..remote, viewing," the phe-
have gone. These descriptions are then "remotremot n has been studied only
on a very few people. When
matched with "objective" descriptions tho mahnra of o mnt to "tirlh"
Kotler[ urnstein teaches at a um- tilt muces, v.1L6jWqA' ne li -
versity of California Modica do ,A7
and is the director of Human Nature, a which people were asked to guess a
magazine to nppear in the fall Continued on Page 24
._.
i , t , qw, V23-8
random event on a machine and
book claims that they have
documented that "some degree
of psychic ability is universal"
-they' are engaging in"' the
same sort of unjustified propa-
ganddzing they decry in their
opponents. It is one thing to
say that "here we demonstrate
a minor finding in a few sub-
jects which might be used by
others," but it is ridiculous to
ask 'us to believe that their
minor, preliminary experiments
prove anything about psychic
abilities in the general popula-
tion. .
Throughout the book the au-
thors state their hope that the
study of parapsychology will
become primarily a scientific
one in, which speculations are
firmly grounded in the evi-
dence. In their own writing,
'however, Targ and Puthoff al-
most always go beyond evi-
dence and claim they have
proven their case when they
have done nothing of the sort.
In writing this book, the au-
thors have done more harm,
perhaps, to their own position
 C A-
March
r. ' Shapiro:
Mr.'T(arvey Shapiro, Editor
The :flew'York Times Book Review
229 flest 1t3rd Street'
flew York, New York ' ..1006...
'Far'Ornrtein to state that,;there has .been no replication is an
.inexcusahle faux pas .for 'a scientist supposedly know] edgeable
in the? .field he is reviewing.
Curexp rim nf.sat Stonf'ord Research Institute; nre among thc most, 00
severely monitored `in, the history of science. 7 I,i t.e.rally dozens of. J
glinliflcci conaul f..'+nts and judges tiere involved in ,creating a_nd t ~ ?
ev.du iting the rce,ults-descrik'.ed';in'the book. 1 ie"'-.r',vidence acC'1a11u
1 was solid to' impress some of s 'iE nc^'sz mos t.' respcnsit le:?
,author.i Lv' i, `1nc].udinfr Dr, T"irs' fret len-d, ho rot the Introduct~ Un.
We are ?aware Ghat Mind-Reach doves into.a subject: sensitivc,'`::in
science. `: Xn the r. s~ of ',his- revi.ew, it 'turned out' to be so `mindf
beri)i.nry ' .FZat ;~r!vet n!:' t .cSic facts normally noted in any di] if*ent
cri.t.igue'weremisstntg. "`that thebcok'is Illustrated (with "hW,.,.draw
nr s "`n i:f''rihoi.oeraphs ), .that it ,includes the ?lead introduction 'and
`Foreword try Richard Pach. 3 You even gave it to the `wrong publisher
Mi nri-Rr?nch: was published, wi th' pride we : area assured, t y,'f elacorte
Pre' t"1 c anor b'riede, not bythe publisher,, you `credit d. Th q.
ti
4PW
b, ? a ?~, ? ,
rr~R'nrd n~seds setting straight
Russell 'f'arg F!iarolcj Putho
Stanford`R search Institute
uenlo ;Park,, California
Rol-ert"Crnstein Tin his review of our book' Mind-Reach in the'
.1~ arch 13th Paolo Review implies that our experiments' in.RemoteP
RViewing `the main concern of the book lack "solidity" and
cannon t e repeated by anyone. asks ~w g ~~~<
pr+t t ~`*s0t~ q ~s x f r ,1 Ix fir? qtr
it t'+?~'r x.1111$ iS simplV not true. '.
.,TMr A Cur experiments, in Remote Viewing have been widely replicated
half a dozen lat oratories across the country. - Three of these were put fished in the Proceedings of; the l'l ectrical and Llectrona.c,
T nfri.n?ers (October 1976) - a journal Ornstein refers to - .and a " ;=d
fourth ?aas pre rented at the Alifus t.,1976 annual m,7efinf; of the '
arnpsychnl~gicd Association, =a]1 'well bin yadvancc of the ] ook~s1r
 ENS 3
THE CITY COLLEGE
OF
THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK
NEW YORK, N. Y. 10031
DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY
Dear itussell and fial:
January 1, 1977
Happy ;ew Year! And many thanks for arranging to have me sent a
copy of your book!
I con,,ratulate you on it. It's beautifully written, in such an easy
style that I couldn't stop it once it was bemun -- finished it in a
sin;le sitting. And it presents impressively so much that's impor'ant
and. interestin, that the content is a pleasure as well as the style.
I should think it would bowl over the readers who didn't know about
your work beforehand -- and ani sure that parapsycholoists will be
grateful for it, because it puts all together in one place the corpus
of work you've done.
I'he timiri; was particularly good for me. It came the same day as
the galleys for my ms. for Wolman's Handbook, and I revised them to
give two citations to the bokk.
Thanks a.:ra.in, and, hopes that you'll carry on with all your bright
ideas for what needs do4in !
Cordially,
'~41
i~Gp cveaFdr F to e 20a3'LU 11' `: brA p96-bfl781F UpOv?:a
 SG1I
Targ, Russell &
Harold Puthoff
MIND-REACH: Scientists
look at Psychic Ability
Delacorte $8.95
1/? SBN: 440-05688-7
rNC
in Clli tl l? ~r r.x ^-i'tF!!1^ rInnsf. ref-:w to
1,a ,E'YIWS.
Superficially it would seem that physicists and engineers would he the least likely
supporters of extrasensory phenomena. But here we have two physicists at the dis-
tinguished Stanford Research Institute who have been doing rigorous experiments
and conclude that There is Something There and it is something that probably ex-
ists in everyman, That something is remote viewing: the ability of a subject at X
to describe in words or drawings the details of a locale chosen by an experimenter
miles away. They report on a number of experienced subjects, including Uri Geller,
as well as some willing volunteers. All did better than chance would predict-even
better in terms of drawings alone rather than verbal descriptions. Targ and Put-
hoff speculate that there may be some right hemisphere perceptual ability here that
has gone unnoticed or shoved'under the table in our rationalist analytic era. They
also suggest that extremely low frequency electromagnetic waves may be involved,
so that the phenomena need not remain beyond scientific ken. There is something
very likeable about the pair: their attitude; their sophistication with regard to True
Believers, to the possibilities of fraud and deception; and their understanding of
the "loyal opposition" (e.g., Martin Gardner and others who wouldn't believe in
ESP even if it were true). Margaret Mead has written an encouraging introduction
showing she's ready to move with a shifting paradigm. Others, up to this point un-
convinced, may be shaken up a bit (experience "cognitive dissonance" as the psy-
chologists say). In any case, the results reported, confined to a small sample but
with decent rigor, lob the ball squarely in the court of the nay-sayers. It will be
interesting to watch the play that follows.
Approved For Release 2003/09/16 : CIA-RDP96-00787R000500240023-8
 m,( )0y
Ill t I .. Ii iN
n;tl tillaging Aplrroveid FtorlRelease 21
researche's' competent e.xperintertal and
technique and intpeccahle integrity, Iles
annhincd with the obviously positive grid
results Of thell' expCl'Ir11en ts, provide Gha
unquestionably powerful evidence for Iran
the reality of parascnsory perception. sihie
'I'arg and Puthotldemoristrate with this ever
work that given proper conditions, any- able
one can obtain perceptions 11adilional- Lld.
ly considered paranormal or inpos- 1 ('fhC
ty of a positive setting for poi allorntal in u
activity, and they denwnstratc again full(
and again the interference of the con- rangi
scions mind with p;u'ape'ception: only I and
when confidence was inspired and aria- lion
aInd Pitthull'do more Iban plescnl I;Ilio'
ratory observations. 'fhev describe the
uncanny elusiveness of psychic phe-
notncna,;ls again and again ;Illempts to
desihn controlled ex perinu?nls were
frustrated by unexpected, seemingly
miraculous coincidences. Yet Ihough
the most convincing events took place
outside the experiments, tile allthols
consistently regarded only controlled
expeiintellal results as valid scientific
(ata. 'T'heir hook is highly recommend-
'I v
rzc-ALIg!or)
Ian. 1977 469p, cd ht I'v;I tlri,chncr.
111114. ISHN 1) }{7114,)41) N 517 tit, p.,p,
poll the mc,lningof I Iit-
CMIaTquestions rased by the or-
niurtier of' six million .news, an
such unprecedented magnitude
ttorld prefers to tin gel it. ,\p-
1l;T tF liL4 .016cf-spective. it is plain Ih:tt neither
('ontay, .loon. 'I he 1Cchrett Kings. :ul Ca,v hope not ;In easy faith i, pus-
Morrow. 1977. Ih)p, illus, naps. indrt I l 'h slhte ally longer. Inn' Jett of ('hri .tu 111.
44hllh. ISBN 0-689-01139 0, 5) 95. I'll So acct I,Iors led hate rte heCnr e In till-
This well-written introduction to the Ience since Auscltwit,. Ih;tl Indill'icnce
I Ichrew kings ,puns the period he- is again Ifte cunuoun response. I his is
Itceen the election of Saul (c. III_'ll not a hook for (lie casual reader. I'm it
B.C.) :Ind the 1111l of Jcrus;peen to the is indispensable to and serious student
Babylonians (c. 587 IL.('.). 'I he test ill- of Holocaust history. I lie (Mires raised
eludes a short section dealing ttilh the lire often at odds. lint timer hear ttitume s
authorship of the Bible and a di,- it, the chief Counlcr-tesllillow, ul the
cussion of the nature oI'prophet:}..\Iso Ilolucausi; the preeiousltes?ntd rnigoe-
useful ;Ire neaps of time Holy I and illus- nes, ul every huminn being.' -Ildlfm
u';tting tribal :md enemy hourd:u ies: a Nola i'r. ,\'rn' York
chronology of, kings. prophets. ;mill gcn- O ''o
Cr;tl histor y: htack-and-%% bite r epr nnur. I{liiahrth.'I he N6$ ('nnum,-
ndue
lions ol'several historic ttol k, of u t dc- nit%.
,ieling the kings: IIILI I, holograph, 01' 11.aper. I'+'6 r.lp IIhi, 1! 'n.wr,1 I,Ir` II.
IM.-I M,h1 i'. S, p;tp. SS VS RI I
several of the archaeological sites pre,- ()'l'unnur has viriltrn :I Ihuughl-per
enlly known to he related to hihlie;I' vuking hook on the various aspects tit'
places of interest. ('ontry has vii lien ('hristirn Conurtunilvv as it is lived in her
other hooks ol'.tewush interest tontine, ('hnrrh t,l Itue S;Itinnr 11\a,hinclon.
Illeol Ihr Ienr/Ilr' of Jrrrnulrnr, IJ I I I) (.1. Chc shot(, that one r.lnnul sn'.
15/75, and l.vwrl, lJ (i!t5 ( i V ). ;unl ttas' l a i n ion lIf III III It ttilhout ht,llt lllltc,I, pet
an editor of Fnrtrlu/'edirr .lrrrhn, rr. sun;ll tr;utsfotm;ltiun lhlouglu nun:
I his short text ttoltld he Iu'selul in It rip ",,TIC" st;It, oh ;tetnt: ;nut hunk
ligions schools ;Mud in 1'.\ cnllr, Ill! old tans(' 11 nt;Iu,ut of Ih ' older
lions.--Alunhr //. .5/nrnl. .1rh ul 11' 'sit Id "- Ihlouch Iulning the hagglc of
plirrl ,Burin/ Stickers. ( ow Itr turn the oppressed hs pusitlsC .101011'.
obit'
Rv.trr?t'r (brit'.. (Yert'lund ;Is'uidinr: path r;ICisrtt ;nut con
dl',ei'll,lull. IItuph1.ISIsIs rill file heed to
at Ghat.;Ili, On the Dillies of illoille'- rontlnnntiale ;Intl till tl't? ttollh of ill of
hood. (iud's ch1lthc'n. Satiable Inc t:hutt tl :Intl
Ovi'ii ok, di,l by Viking 1477. 94p IF. from plthhi hhl;lu Ies. -.111drlll R. l n'r,rr'l.
Classical Arabic ht Ptuhl;u Holland 1I 'r? /.u,rtin[' /'.l.?. I/h It.
)1157. ISIIN It-)7451 04h1 5h.9s. uI ,
AI-(ihaiali ( k 1 . 1111) Was one of Isl;un's I Ilttell, lotnt II. \nd Sarah I mViie1:
most important theologians. His semi' the status ill' ttonten in the Ohl fesla-
nal Rrt'ilrrfi;rr)ioll u) rlru' /u'i'/i I'/rr'u'.1,i Irtel(tt
~y~y
,~i;l1IWilli ti.'II. IVCUt IVf`R l~as 1 ,l7t 'I,Ir.i,`l ~l 'tl (ill fl.'MITI iI~O QQ 5
Inter)
heir(.: ''thy' hruthcl's' spitttnal
tterial "keeper..': loth ideals ex'
the re;Itler nt his dad's life. AI-
Ili's lucid ,i\ lc aril the rcadahle
ttiorl render the contents ;ucccs-
despite difficult passages. Ilow-
the entire Reu'ituli;"utiun is avail-
i>' `h12. from Books on Islam.
240 W,' 72nd St., N.Y.('. 10(123.
?Mile company's Co1(dur;nr mild
to /3uoAS on /s/runt. (s8p,. Sl.' %.
ich Ri't'itah, otinn is listed, is it
rid thoughtful)} annotated, t~itlc-
g. extremely useful sales catalog
ihliogr-aphy which every collec-
,,----/)m'/rl W, Littlefield, 1,1-
,/' ('nnprr.l.c
athedral of St. John the Divine.
rrst'h11?Itz: beginning 111 a new
ections on (lie Ilolocansl.
roust.
1974.
clear r
Ktas
I) it.
5).95
Nc;lrl%
Yip
ganiil
evil in
that I
p ro; tn'
 jects-politics, charity. :art`. Go to tresses for a m: 1 .used in it South offerin no mailer what their faith or,
work forApert' wediiFv911cfiaeleiasier2OO3AQWr16rfiLGIArRQPr9AT0Q7$ZJ QUO 419M A the thrust behind the
and It;u?n at his feet-and so on. This
night have been a practical manual in
the go-go conglomerate years of the
1960s. but today it's whimsy. I.Iwuun;vI
MORTAL LESSONS:
Notes on the Art of Surgery. Rielrcrrd
Selzer. Simon and Schuster, $7.95
ISBN 0-671-2_2356-9
In this strange and remarkable hook,
Richard Selzer, a surgeon at Yale Medi-
cal Center, juxtaposes reflection with
information, anatomy with literature,
horror with humor and surgery with
poetry (just occasionally marred by
whimsy), all in language that's as sharp
as a scalpel. Ile takes us into the oper-
ating room and into the patient's very
innards; talks beguilingly about bones,
liver, kidneys, skin and other parts of
the body (skipping those much-touted
orga'ts the brain and the heat it: and
provides essay's on baldness. smoking,
Chinese :acupuncture and abortion, as
well as sonic lighter pieces on his youth
in Troy, New York. Ile ends. not as
inappropriately as might seem, with a
charming piece on hirdwatching. Even
Selzer's grisliest anecdotes are trans-
formed in the telling, by his belief that
the surgeon's function overlaps those
of the poet and the priest. Old draw-
ings. IJoItcrar.vl
III .\'i'. PRIVATE. :YE:
The Real World of'the Private Dcleclise.
eVic?hn/ns /'ile,c i. Playboy Press, $8.;
ISBN 0-87223-475-4
This slice of life is an honest t .4te of
what a private detective's ' t~rk is all
ahoul: it is revealing :ut1;iscinating.
Irwin Blve has been it private investiga-
tor for 20 years in and around New
Yui k. and lie is a good one. I lis job
consists not of chasing Maltese falcons
for sexy blondes, but of helping law-
yers shepherd people through a system
that is bureaucratized. hunglint, and in-
diflcre?nt. Here we follow him as lie
works on three cases: looking up wit-
Stop smoking.
Give Heart fund
AmMIcjo P-PI AR :OCid hog` f.
Approved
ascertain her bus Land's inconte in case
there is a divorce:, nncl working on an
instance of a liindloid',, negligence. The
rape case has an w ',:umc, but the other
two trail oil'. Icavaut~ loose ends. It all
has the ring ol'truth andPileggi does an
admirable job of telling the story.
[slits uw'y J
'1'l ll; CHRYSANTHEMUM '
AND 'I'llE BAT: Baseball Samurai
Style. Robert lVlritiu,r,'. Dodd, Mead,
$10 I S 13 N 0-396-07317-4
American baseball fans will find this
book irresistible. Whiting has clone an
outstanding job of showing how the
Japanese national character has shaped
the diamond game in that county. In
spring training, players arc put through
it regimen that would make a chain
gang seem like a vacation. Throughout
the 130-game season the two six-team
major le:agues demand from their team
ntctnbcrs a combination of' "fighting
spirit" (which does not include aggres-
sive bascrunning or beanball pitches)
and traditional respect for authority fig-
ures (apologies to coaches, managers
and fans are commonplace). Besuhoru
is truly the Jap:inese national game,
with severa[-tlaily papers devoted ex-
clusively,,-rig it and the TV networks
saturaLLeil with it. Of course the nation
looks' forward to the clay of vietory
t'cr the U.S. in a true World Series.
Photos. [./anuart' I
MIND-REACII: Scientists
Look at Psychic Ability. Rrr.vsell Targ
and Harold Prrrlrof. . Dclacorte Press
(An Eleanor Friede Book), $8.95 IS13N
0-440-05688-7
In it no-nonsense report to which Mar-
garet Mead has lent her scientific im-
primatur with a brief introduction,
physicists Targ and Puthoff describe a
series of parapsychology experiments
as dramatic as any ever undertaken.
That these experiments, conducted at
Stanford Research Institute, have gen-
erated much publicity is partly due to
the participation of psychic wizards Uri
Gcllcr and Ingo Swann. Yet most of the
participants were ordinary people who
were presumably able to accurately de-
scribe "target drawings" hidden from
view as well. it,, distant geographical
sites. The authors furnish transcripts of'
the experiments. hints for would-he
"remote viewers" and one or two new
hypotheses. Most striking are the pho-
tographs of the "targets" juxtaposed
with the volunteers' sketches so that
readers can form their own opinion.
Index, etc. [Junuur?'I
TILE IRRATIONAL SEASON.
Madeleine 1,'E,g,le. Crossroads/Sea-
hury Press, $8.95 ISBN 0-8164-0324-4
women's movement, the book is espe-
cially valuable, for it's an exploration
of L'Engle's life as a professional wom-
an, wife, mother and grandmother.
Combining anecdotes, poetry and a dis-
cussion of human relationships, the
text is infused with feelings humorous
and sad-sometimes tragic. Mostly the
author reaffirms her commitment to
Christianity, a faith which has fre-
quently been weakened by doubts for
solid reasons, not all personal. In fact,
the most compelling parts of this sensi-
tive book describe the author's periods
of atheism and her fight to recover from
"cold isolation," the terror of believing
in nothing. Sesthruq's Lenlen selection
for 1977. [Juwtcrry J
HONEY: The Life
and Loves of Lenny's Shady Lady. I/ou-
ev Bruce m'ilh 1)wtu Benenson. Playboy
Press, $9.95 ISBN 0-87223-435-3
Most readers won't know whether to
applaud the candor of this "true con-
fession" of the woman who was Lenny
Bruce's wife or he turned off by its
emphasis on matters sexual with every
i dotted and every i crossed. Those
whom it does not affect violently one
way or the other will find it the story of
a lower middle-class girl who became it
stripper, thought she had found love in
a lesbian affair and then met and mar-
ried the rising young comedian who
later became so controversial. The sec-
tions dealing with Honey's show busi-
ness career are so jejune that they
sound like parody; the passages dealing?
with Lenny and their stormy, drug-
obsessed life together are always inter-
esting and at times absorbing. Most
affecting is the picture of Bruce after
his busts for obscenity had started-a
paranoid, monomaniacal, frenetic
wreck. [January]
WITH a1ALICL TOWARD NONE:
The Life of Abraham Lincoln. Stephen
B. Dares. Harper & Row, $15.95 ISBN
0-06-013283-3
The blurb for Oates's highly readable,
dramatic life of President Lincoln sug-
gests that it's an expose of the "real"
Lincoln which emphasizes his disdain
for parental background. lust for politi-
cal power, etc. Such points are made
only fleetingly as the author is swept
along by the tide of epic events which
tried and tested Lincoln and bore him
to glory. '['his hook has the appeal of it
good novel with no distracting foot-
notes. But it's clear I'tont an appendage
of notes at the end that Orates has stud-
ied all sources-the flood of' biogra-
phies and memoirs on the Civil War
president with which his book will be
inevitably compared. Oates has done
For Release 1210101/Op9%19:tl l frgb(~ ~tt le~~,t~, 0_Lip8snl ~~~ Ju,~l character, the con-
 From
CHARLES PANATI
Dear Hal and Russ,
I just finished your book and think it is
wonderful. Beautifully done.
I'm filled with curiosity to see how it
is received--what with the impressive
data, the sober presentation, the intro-
duction by Margaret Plead, everything--
I particularly liked the chapter on the
"Loyal Opposition." You put the.facts
straight and put everyone in his place--
all the while be level-headed and gentle-
menly (more that can be said for the
Loyal Opposition).
Thank you for mentioning the Geller
Papers. I regard it an honor to have
my name in your book.- I wish you more
than luck, you both deserve it.
Best wishes for the New Year,
 ine mQvernt'nt, some institu-
:a'Hed by tho?te excluded from
,c:rident, enlightened, senslMrou
ciass` liberalism, like that sus
and controlling this book
has
,
~en as nothing less than a move-
)r institution-perhaps a com-
movement at that.
he point of -largest substance
restorations is the thing posi-
Idded, present now, absent be-
;:at which forces, by its star-
,,resence, a reconsideration of
end where you are. In ' letters
an authority that depends alto-
upon inwardness with the
character of the times, that-can
without winking. say-as a cur'
fashionable novel speaks--of
as "the ..most profound moral
of our -time." There's another
ity derived from an instinct for
tioning; in its books, regardless
times, sanity is a rule not - an
and shamelessness .invariably
ned shame. "Responses" recov-
outline of the 'latter kind of
ity, and it is, to repeat, a cleans-
in L911 (at the age of 48) when
nsformed the literal Alexandrian
of his poems into a "metaphor
," Keeley traces the evolution
poet's mythic `rnodel through
?ressive stages as "sensual city"
mythical Alexandria," which in
expands to embrace the entire
I of Hellenism"; from there the
inally attains a-. "universal, per
ie." Fortunately, Keeley under
. By Robert E. Ornstein.
128 pp. New Yorh: Grossman/Viking.
. $6.95..
By JEFFREY KLEIN
Laughs come easy nowadays to those
who never believed in the human
potential movement. Most students of
higher consciousness have either be-
.come zombies in some corporate
growth enterprise or themselves joined
the ranks of the disillusioned. As with
American polio'cal"radicalism, it is ex-
tremely difficult,to maintain a respon-
sible, forward course: Teachers, like
Robert Ornstein, who pointed out the
limits of the Western mind, have been
outflanked by cultists of all stripes,
united only by their mindlessness. It
is thus understandable why "Ttie Mind.
Field" is inspired by utter dismay.
n fir:ntrl, ur tv' n 'onsr rvwl,' uk rr':rv-
ly set aside as an unreliable judge of
-RDH~S'~
23-8
l~
h m a Mmci
1While le eac each o
e Man Fie dcn-
tiques-of secret Gurdjieff groups,
mystical sport centers, Carlos Castane-
da, Uri Geller-is sensible, the continu-
al scolding tone becomes unpleasant.
The sighs of dismay. breathing
throughout this book collect into a
whine. Eventually Professor Ornstein
presents his choice of an esoteric psy-.
chology for all seasons: contemporary
Sufism. "The Mind Field's" final sec-
tion is a guided reading of 11 Sufi
tales selected from the recent antholo-
gies of Iridries Shah.
about intuitive wholistic understand-,
.ing, his map of the mind field is sur-
prisingly flat: it lacks any political
dimension. He never. considers that
there could be reasons particular to
America why our psychological.explo-
rations become desperate - personal -:?
quests or become reified into "con-
sciousness" for conspicuous consump-
tion. The frustrated yearnings for com-
munity behind such quests are never
.examined. Ornstein writes: "It is an
unfortunate accident of the 20th-cen-
tury that those most interested. in
personal knowledge and. in, an
extended conception of man tend to
be those least suited to gaining or - fi
using. them." An unfortunate accident?
Instead of analyzing why we produce
timid piofessionals' on the one hand
and unprincipled quacks on the other,
Professor O.rnsteiri. seems content. to
scold.
On the West Coast at least, Robert --?
Ornstein is justly. well-known for ex-
periments which show that intuition
or "right brain thinking' probably has
a physiological basis. Because he ? is
a respectable - scientist, he has been
looked to by many as a consciousr: ss
expert. "The Mind Field" seems born
out of too many lecture tours, 'too many dirmers and symposia and
parties full of curious strangers. It is'
as if., having been asked the same
grand questions too often, Professor.
Ornstein finally lost his temper and
said: "All right, you want to know
what I think of all these damn move-
ments, well let me tell you....
How-not-to guides rarely help .
beginners. Those readers who are just
now becoming curious about Yoga,
Zeta, biofeefibacic, parapsychology and ,
the like would be better off turning
to Ornstein's earlier book, "The Psy-
choicgy of Cansciousrr.,.ess." It is a corn-
prehensive and often graceful intro-
duction to esoteric psychology. Those
readers who already appreciate the
esrt&ric tradition will have to look be-
yond "The Mind Field" for mature
leadership. As yet we do not have a
Lrpiexad. ~
that what the critic reads as ' Professor Ornstein ? wants "to sepa-
sal qualities are less than con- rate the current lofty metaphysical in-
ly wrought by poets, and his Elation, the goofiness, the outright lies,
?riapter shows how the detached and the commercialism from the real
vision of some of the late poems possibility and discipline." ' Although
springs out of, is possible only he speaks from the platform of aca-
;e of, the poet's meticulous and demic. psychology, he is, not address-
nt working-out of his personal ing just his colleagues. The bogus
-ml -structure. ' The complex and scientific "validations" of Trarscen-
mnd integrity of Cavafy's model, dental Meditation upset him both be-
st produced by a modern poet, ? cause they are professionally sloppy
Baled by the demonstration of, ? and because they obscure the purpose.,
kt that each of its phases is sub- of spiritual pursuits. ,
. in its successors. Thus Keeley While Ornstein admits TM may have
3y shows how the eroticism of some beneficial relaxing effects, noth-
)ems of the "sensual city" not ing angers him. more than the use of.
-xists on the two planes 'of the the esoteric traditio,t as a form of
--t and modern worlds where psychotherapy. He believes that Freud-
-mrallelism denotes the continua- inn hycrrao1ics are not only a poor ex-
1L hedonistic ethic and the radical- piana't;on of human problems, but that
erent social status of its practi- attc liti' rt to personal problems now
but that it also joins with his leads us off the main evolutionary
major themes to contribute to ? trick. "In zn un4e-lnerated esoteric
J's final vision of the human tradition, the orct:nary :ell' is not to
^n under the aspect of eternity, __
lebrate it still for the passions Jeffrey l loin is an editor. of Mother
I. even as one sees the de:A.pr 'tib?pb
:s nics and the .yrs.
L: A) c