The PK Zone: A Cross-Cultural Review of Psychokinesis (PK)

Rating:
Summary: A note from the author
Review: "The PK Zone" is a project that was started many years ago as part of a personal quest to try to understand psychokinesis (PK). It took me on a long road, leading to my getting a doctorate degree in parapsychology. The basic idea for the format of "The PK Zone" came out of my dissertation. I discovered to my horror that no one had summarized the experimental literature since about 1976 - meaning I had to go through every journal article and book I could find since then and try to summarize them. Moreover, most academic books ignored stories about PK as unscientific, and no one had previously studied what the experience of performing PK is like for those who actually do it. This seemed like a mistake. How can you understand such a complex topic unless you really ground yourself in the material? The answer is simple. You can't.

It was not an easy task - nor one I particularly wanted to do - but it had to be done. And what I found was, when I finished putting together all the anecdotal, experimental, and experiential data, that for the first time I felt like I truly understood PK. It was deeply satisfying, but I also wanted to share what I had learned with others.

The next four years were spent rewriting, and updating The PK Zone to take it out of academic double talk and make it more understandable. I was helped in part by simultaneously working on a paranormal romance novel, called "Out of Nowhere." What I ended up with was a casual writing style that presents all that we currently know about this intriguing topic.

"The PK Zone" is set up to lead the reader on the same journey that I took. First, it looks at stories of PK from cultures around the world. Next, it reviews the experimental literature and what science has taught us about the phenomena. With this rich backdrop, the reader is then ready to appreciate the final section of the book - the complex, interactive nature of the experience.

"The PK Zone" was winner of the iUniverse Editor's Choice Award, receiving the maximum points possible. The reviewer wrote, "This book is a tour de force, examining not only the long and controversial history of PK, but ultimately challenging the reader to find out for himself whether every person might not actually have latent PK ability. Since the earliest days of levitating saints to the latest research being done in the PK field, this book covers it all, and is painstakingly documented every step of the way. It's a topic that is both timely and timeless, and the reader is hard pressed to put it down once they've started reading ... The hardest thing is not to sound too enthusiastic, when this may be the best written, researched and told book this reviewer has seen to date!"

I hope you enjoy the book.

Rating:
Summary: An amazing and comprehensive work
Review: I have read this book and I salute this author for her ambitious and remarkable undertaking. As far as I know, no one else has ever attempted or succeded in writing or publishing such a comprehensive and scientific compilation of what is known about psychokinesis. This is no fluff-bunny book, but a serious work that is both easy to read and worth your time. It belongs on the shelves of all who really wonder about the mysteries of this world and are tired of just a collection of second or third hand stories. After reading this volume I look forward to the next subject this author tackles. Buy it.

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding overview of PK
Review: This is by far the most comprehensive study of psychokinesis that I have come across. The author, despite being an academic, writes in an easy manner that makes the book a joy to read. The book starts with PK through the ages, covering such areas as levitation, stigmata, teleportation, bilocation, fire immunity, mediumship, psychic healing and poltergeists. She provides a wealth of examples, all of which are fully referenced. The first section covers anecdotal evidence. The second section covers the research that has been done in these areas over the last century, and the theory behind psychokinesis. The third section covers experiential research which is intended to explain the significance of PK. What I particularly liked about this section is that each topic is divided into three subsections: what the literature says, how it relates to the other constituents, and a summary. I found it helpful to read the summary first, as this gave me a clear idea as to what was going to be covered under the specific topic. The book contains a comprehensive glossary, references, and index.

I wish "The PK Zone" had been written twenty years ago, as it would have saved me an incredible amount of time and energy. Virtually everything that anyone would want to know about the subject is in this book. I recommend it to anyone with even the slightest interest in the subject. Beginners will gain a comprehensive picture of psychokinesis, and more knowledgeable readers will learn much that is new to them.