Memoir of an Offbeat Upbringing

Just before the holidays I read Philip Smith's memoir Walking Through Walls. Today, I found time to give the book another quick browsing and now have my review of Walking Through Walls written. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Philip's book and imagine that anyone interested in metaphysics, natural healing, and spirituality will too.

There were plenty of reasons for me to relate to Philip's delightful and funny book. For one, Philip and I are from the same generation but there are also differences. He had a childhood that I could only fantasize about when I was a teenager. His parents were certainly odd, but definitely "hip" compared to mine (sorry Mom and Dad if you are reading this, but it is true that you guys were not "hip"). Philip grew up in Florida and hung out in Caribbean bars and socialite parties his mother hosted where many of the guests were often gays. I grew up in a Bible-belt region of the Midwest. My social activities centered around pot-luck dinners at the Methodist church. My parents were all about frugal living, family togetherness, and Christian ethics. My mother was a homemaker and my dad worked as a butcher at the supermarket. Whereas, Philip's parents were in the fashion scene, his dad was a prominent decorator dubbed the "King of Beads" in Miami for goodness sakes.

Philip's father was thoroughly entrenched in subjects about spirituality and metaphysics. Oh my gosh, I spent as much time as I could in the "occult" section at the library when I was in high school. I would read everything I could get my hands on about astrology, akashic records, reincarnation, mediumship, etc. What I wouldn't have given for a dad like Lew Smith at that time.

I believe that children "choose their parents" (see pre-birth contracts) so I'm not complaining. I love my parents. And, I must say, after reading Philip's memoir and the challenges he faced having eccentric parents I am so very grateful for the more rigid rules that my childhood experiences offered. I was a flighty and dreamy girl that obviously needed some normalcy tethers to ground her energies.

Anyway... obviously, I liked the book! It was enjoyable for me to get a few glimpses into a world that I could only dream about so very long ago.

_{Walking Through Walls book cover courtesy of FSB Associates}