By Joan Wester Anderson
Hodder & Stoughton
£5.99 193 pages
ISBN 0 340 64215 7
Angels seem to be in fashion at present as images and icons in the world of advertising not least. Perhaps it is in seeking to catch the mood of this fad that this book has appeared.
The son of the American authoress of this little volume was mysteriously rescued from a dangerous breakdown of his vehicle in the midst of a great blizzard. After the tow-truck had gone it seemed to have left no tracks. Could it have been an intervention of angels in answer to a mother's prayer?
This event got Joan Wester Anderson interested. She began to collect stories of angels from Christian history and advertised to see if other people had had similar experiences to that of her son. This book is the resulting collection of such mainly contemporary episodes. It makes an interesting, light read and readers must come to their own conclusions as to the validity of the various accounts. Very broad ecumenicity pervades the book, with stories ranging from those of John G. Paton to various Catholic priests. Some stories are homely and uplifting. Others seem plain bizarre.
Also, in our day when the New Age is on the move a spirit-guide may be easily confused with an angel and the book gives no insight here as to distinguishing between such things. For such reasons the book has to be viewed as interesting but potentially dangerous.
