Oprah sure knows how to pick them! With “A New Earth”, the Princess of Popularity has alerted the public to a thoroughly fascinating book about the coming enlightenment of humanity. Despite its flaws, Tolle’s book is a great read that deserves the attention it’s getting. The result is an thoughtful intertwining of Buddhism and Christianity in the hopes of spurring on this enlightenment, which promises to unite the species and make everything very flowery.

Aside from minor flaws like Tolle’s imprecision with regard to physics (gravity isn’t “non-existent” in water, it’s just countered by other buoyant forces) and his stretched connections (Jesus’ poor in spirit that will inherit the Earth are those who don’t identify with their mind?), the author presents some real gems. He shows how all ancient religions were pointing to the same thing: enlightenment and that “the truth, in any case, needs no defense”. He also shows how seeking happiness will never result in it and how most strife and turmoil in society today results from the core problem with identity.

That, in fact, is the core subject of “A New Earth”: how we identify ourselves based on material things as well as our thought and how we should alter that conception to be based on being. This Buddhism lite is interesting, but certainly leaves room for more discussion. Tolle’s explanation of how to attain peace of mind may appear to some to be reminiscent of a rich man telling a poor man that money isn’t everything, but his lessons are valid if the reader can open their mind to unique concepts. Once we achieve that, perhaps we can start picking books like Oprah!