First published 2009
Award-winning NPR religion correspondent Barbara Bradley Hagerty tackles the question that has challenged humanity for centuries: Can science explain spiritual experience? Hagerty interviews leading scientists to explore what their research reveals about faith's physical and emotional effects. She examines brain scans of Buddhist monks and Carmelite nuns, investigates healing through prayer, and analyzes near-death experiences for clues about the afterlife. The book weaves together scientific discovery with Hagerty's personal spiritual journey. Raised as a Christian Scientist, she followed that faith devotedly until an adult moment sparked her to reconsider everything she believed. This led her toward new ways of understanding God and faith. The result combines rigorous scientific inquiry with intimate personal reflection, offering readers both cutting-edge research on belief and one woman's moving search for connection with something greater than herself.
Genres: science, religion, non-fiction, biography-memoir, christianity, academic
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: personal-journey, spiritual-exploration
336 pages · Hardcover · Riverhead Hardcover