Rating: 
Summary: About the Book...
Review: Awakening Spirits: A Native American Path to Inner Peace, Healing and Spiritual Growth
ANNOTATION
One of America's most acclaimed outdoorsmen shares the meditation exercises and spiritual skills taught to students in his Tracker classes. Based on the wisdom of his greatest teacher, the Native American known as Grandfather, Awakeneing Spiritssets forth techniques that foster insight, intuition, and healing.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
For the first time, Tom Brown, Jr. - America's most acclaimed outdoorsman - shares the unique meditation exercises used by students of his personal Tracker classes. These techniques for finding inner peace and harmony with nature are based on the wisdom of his greatest teacher, a Native American called Grandfather. Now all of us can learn these spiritual lessons of life through the earth around us - and deep within ourselves... Awakening Spirits
FROM THE CRITICS
Library Journal
A tracker, outdoorsman, and survival school founder, Brown shares some of the insights he gained from his Native American teacher named Grandfather. The book explains how Grandfather gained his wisdom, how Brown learned these intuitive skills of spirit, and how the reader can translate them into everyday life through a meditative process called Sacred Silence. It requires basic relaxation and comfort of body, freedom from distraction, and concentration of mind and spirit. Readers interested in shamanistic teaching, Native American traditions, spiritual healing, development of intuition, and sensitivity to external nature may find this book absorbing and useful as a guide. Recommended for public libraries.
Rating: 
Summary: Could have been better.
Review: I enjoyed Tom Brown's "Grandfather" immensely, in fact I was swept away by it. So, eager for more I purchased two other of his books. What can I say? I have rarely been that disappointed in my entire life. In "Grandfather" the presence of Tom Brown is reduced to that of narrator, not so in the other two book that I read, "The Tracker" and this one. In those two books he puts himself in the spotlight, a most unfortunate thing.
What became painfully obvious is Tom Brown's self-importance issue. So often that he beats on his own chest, advertising his own superiority compared to those who did not enjoy the teachings of Grandfather and as such lack the wilderness survival skills that Tom has. At first I was convinced that this was just me and I kept silent. Yet, later my girlfriend and next my best friend pointed out the same observations that I had made. Too much to ignore.
Besides Tom's habit to bang his own drum, the reader also has to put up with his habit of repeating himself, both to the point of ad nausea. And when I say "repeating himself" then you better take that literally! I can't tell you how often I've read the sentence: "The evils of the flesh."
Funny thing is that while Tom advertises his own greatness as a wilderness expert, which I have no doubt of, and shows pity bordering on contempt for everyone who lacks those skills, painting them off as being weak, he forgets to mention that he is a chain smoker himself. Kind of puts things into perspective, doesn't it? Just an ordinary man with some exceptional skills who is posing as something that he clearly isn't; a copy of Grandfather, who clearly was a much greater man then he is.
Still, in "Awakening Spirits" Tom does offer some good techniques to expand your awareness, at least they worked for me and my girlfriend. It is for this that I give the book 3 stars.
Rating:
Summary: Possibly THE best book Tom Brown has written
Review: I must say that the meditations, the experiences, and the insights Tom writes about in this book (especially in the 2nd half) are definitely true, and attainable. I can say that for a fact, as I have had many of the same experiences myself. Should anyone wish to question me on this, feel free to email me.This was the book that first got me interested in Tom Brown, and his coyote teachings from "Awakening Spirits" remain with me to this day. There is so much I could say about this book that is impossible to limit to a review of a mere 1000 words, so all I will say is read the book. It is indeed an eye opener!
Rating:
Summary: Possibly THE best book Tom Brown has written
Review: I must say that the meditations, the experiences, and the insights Tom writes about in this book (especially in the 2nd half) are definitely true, and attainable. I can say that for a fact, as I have had many of the same experiences myself. Should anyone wish to question me on this, feel free to email me. This was the book that first got me interested in Tom Brown, and his coyote teachings from "Awakening Spirits" remain with me to this day. There is so much I could say about this book that is impossible to limit to a review of a mere 1000 words, so all I will say is read the book. It is indeed an eye opener!
Rating:
Summary: Great way of life - marginal reading
Review: I whole-heartedly agree with "Tom's" perspective - not new to ME, but could be of great help to someone looking for that missing something in their life - a very healthy, beautiful way of getting connected with life, the world, and the "higher power". The writing on the other hand, put me off. I was somewhat annoyed by "Grandfather's" voice in the book - did he really talk like an Indian you'd see in a prehistoric John Wayne movie or was that just for a special 'authentic indian' effect? Obviously Tom can't remember Grandfather's stories word for word so I have to wonder why Tom chose to portray Grandfather this way (perhaps he really did talk this way! ). Also, towards the end of this short book there was a "broken record effect". I started getting the feeling the publisher requested a specific number of pages and Tom ran out of things to say long before he reached that number! A bit annoying... sorry Tom (and Tom fans) - but this was my experience with the book!
Rating:
Summary: Great way of life - marginal reading
Review: I whole-heartedly agree with "Tom's" perspective - not new to ME, but could be of great help to someone looking for that missing something in their life - a very healthy, beautiful way of getting connected with life, the world, and the "higher power". The writing on the other hand, put me off. I was somewhat annoyed by "Grandfather's" voice in the book - did he really talk like an Indian you'd see in a prehistoric John Wayne movie or was that just for a special 'authentic indian' effect? Obviously Tom can't remember Grandfather's stories word for word so I have to wonder why Tom chose to portray Grandfather this way (perhaps he really did talk this way! ). Also, towards the end of this short book there was a "broken record effect". I started getting the feeling the publisher requested a specific number of pages and Tom ran out of things to say long before he reached that number! A bit annoying... sorry Tom (and Tom fans) - but this was my experience with the book!
Rating: 
Summary: "the simple truth"
Review: I've read a number of the Tom Brown books, and this one is one of the most profound in terms of getting to the core beliefs, and explaining Grandfather's transcendance of religion and the material world. Some problems were that there was much left out(more than likely on purpose), or left unclarified, and also that the information was presented in a somewhat disjointed fashion. These were miniscule annoyances compared to the value and substance of the included information. Also, as stated in the beginning of the book, this type of knowledge does not translate well to the written word, but despite the minor problems, this is one of the most profound books you're likely to read.
Rating:
Summary: Okay, but not the greatest...
Review: Overall, the book has been pretty interesting, but I recognized a lot of stuff from other books I'd read that predated this one. I will say, though, that this book presents much of what is written in "How to Meditate" in a much simpler fashion.
Rating:
Summary: Philosophy I
Review: The book is worth getting for the meditation exercises. ...
Rating:
Summary: "the simple truth"
Review: This has to be the best ten bucks I ever spent ! Based on Grandfather Stalking Wolf's vision to isolate and purify the common truths present in every religon, the result is a knowledge that will greatly benefit anyone, regardless of religion, creed, or belief system. Using this book, one can unlock the secret to "being in the zone", and discover a spiritual existance - even if one does not consider oneself to be religious. Heck, even a game of golf can be a spiritual victory ! Good medicene begins here.
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