Joseph Levy Escapes Death

I had a wierd experience reading this book. I tend to read several books at once on my Kindle and while reading 'Joseph Levy Escapes Death' I was also dipping into 'Enlightenment Now' by Steven Pinker which is all about how such things as synchronicities are an illusion and extolling all that is rational and scientific in human life. But here I am reading Rick Strassman's novel while one of my own teeth is needing to get a crown put on it and I'm thinking, uh-oh, maybe my own life is on some parallel track with Joseph's. I wonder if anything is about to go wrong in my life? Then while I go through the various dental visits needed to get my new crown the COVID-19 story out of Wuhan. China starts to break and by the time I am done with the whole procedure the world has entered lockdown and quarantine. Gotta wonder how the universe works. Steven Pinker seems a great guy (I especially like his hair) and admirably eloquent, but I think he's way off trying to convince us that such things as sychronicities don't exist.I highly recommend this book for its unsettling honesty. Well done Dr Strassman for switching to the novel form from non-fiction and really nailing it.BTW Rick's interview with Greg Carlwood on thehighersidechats.com is recommended for those wanting more backstory on why he wrote this novel.

A few months ago, I purchased this book from Dr. Strassman at a book signing. He told me that everything depicted happened to him. So I was curious how this spiritual leader maintained patience, faith, and optimism when experiencing a series of misfortunes.Reading this book completely blew apart that assumption. It’s far from a classic hero’s story (AKA Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey) typically put forth by modern day spiritual leaders. Joseph Levy isn’t a saintly character. He’s not even a likable character most of the time. But ... he’s honest. He’s vulnerable. He’s interesting. He’s relatable. He’s real. He’s the anti-hero.It reminded me of Catcher in the Rye and the Book of Job.Through his honesty, Dr. Strassman shows us that an unwavering state of enlightenment doesn’t exist. And that even after a spiritual awakening, we aren’t alone in our feelings of frustration and fear during adversities.KEYWORDS: autobiographical fiction, anti-hero, Book of Job, theodicy, adversity, suffering, angst, isolation, perseverance, courage, Catcher in the Rye, honesty, vulnerability, dark humor, hamartia, Psalm 118:17

Joseph Levy Escapes Death is an autobiographical novel by Rick Strassman, MD. It is a fun and engaging read, i frankly could not put it down and interrupted 3 other books i was reading to finish it! It is on the surface the sad tale of what can go wrong will wrong in a physician's private life. But deeper currents examine the role of health, wellness, relationships and friendship in the desert towns where Rick resides. As the research psychiatrist Dr Strassman, Rick did one of the most important studies of the DMT experience ever done, and he grapples with integrating his knowledge of the great inner beyond of the mind with the realities of everyday life. The book has echoes of Phillip Roth, (Portnoy's Complaint}, Heller (Catch 22), and other great comic reflective novels, but is informed by Rick's real knowledge of medicine, psychiatric, psychedelia, and psychoanalysis in profound ways. The result is a rare glimpse into the struggles of a physician to manage his personal life surrounded by the chaosof mismanaged hospitals, crazy dating adventures but buffered by loyal friendships, honest self examination and reflection, and a willingness to take risks in his life. It is a journey worth reading about, both entertaining and informative about coping in the modern world. Highly recommended!!!!

Once again Rick Strassman contributes to humanity, this time in a short but fun book with a much deeper message. Strassman, in my view, is one of the most creative thinkers that in time, will be discovered for the depth of his questions. I can not recommend this book highly enough for readers of the somewhat esoteric. For that matter, I think everyone should take a shot at reading this - it has a way of opening the mind to new ideas and concepts.

On the surface, this first novel by Rick Strassman appears to follow the foibles of a successfully retired baby boomer who, upon completing his final tome, is ready for a life of reflection. He’s ready for it, but life has other plans. Our hero is tossed into a series of challenges: a pesky tooth, an internet romance, a noxious hospital stay, that turn his life upside down. He may seem hapless, but Strassman reveals a rich tragicomic inner dialog that Woody Allen would be proud of. Being a child of the sixties and seventies, our hero’s sword and armor is that he has had a peek under the rug. As he putters about bouncing off walls of doubt and outrage, he finds solace in ancient words and wisdom gained from personal investigations into his inner life.

Great book