Diana, Herself: An Allegory of Awakening (Bewilderment Chronicles) Hardcover – April 25, 2016

This is, hands down, one of the most phenomenal books I've ever read - of any genre. Like so many other readers, I literally couldn't put it down. I ended up being grateful that I had a terrible cold and stayed home from work the day it was released. I'm an avid reader, and I like to savor my books, because I know I'll be a bit sad when they're done. That being said, I read this book in two days (and I only took that long because I needed a teeny bit of time to assimilate the profound lessons). It was one of those books that made me feel like I didn't want to exist for even one more moment the way I had been, without knowing everything this book had to teach me. I've read so many books by so many "self-help" and spiritual authors, picking out and absorbing what resonated and tossing out the rest. But I didn't toss out one single word of this book. It touched me and, dare I say, changed me *as* I was reading it. And one of the most amazing subtleties of this book is that it doesn't contain any exercises (in a "how to", "do this homework" sort of sense) - it doesn't tell you to meditate two hours a day, and it doesn't insist you go vegan or gluten-free. It simply tells a story. And by the end, you *want* to meditate and change what you allow into your body and your mind, just because you want to share in the amazing experiences in the book. And once you've read it, you finally *know* that all those experiences are absolutely possible - for all of us. Thank you so, so much to Martha Beck for this profound and life-changing book!

I have never read a piece of fiction more than once. I've held onto beloved books with the dreamy intention of diving in again so I could float back to the place they took me. But, I've never actually gotten around to doing that.I read "Diana Herself..." twice in the first 72 hours I owned it.A 3rd reading may inspire me to live in Diana's forest for good.I could never understand why my girls read the Harry Potter books over and over. They said it was because JK Rowling's imagination forever changed the way they perceived reality. As 3rd graders, they would look out the window and ponder, "How would JK Rowling describe this tree? I wonder what kind of magical powers it would possess?"As they've gotten older, each reading revealed a deeper message about their own inner wisdom."Diana, Herself..." has done that for me.And, it will do it for my daughters (I just bought them copies).It will do it for you, too.I'll be waiting in line at the bookstore at midnight for Martha Beck's next novel in this trilogy to be released. She truly hit the bullseye with this amazing story.

Martha Beck has always been one of my favorite writers. Usually a non-fiction writer of self-help and life coaching books (and a regular contributor to O, The Oprah Magazine), this time she has written a fictional novel--Diana, Herself, An Allegory of Awakening that will very likely delight and transform anyone who decides to pick it up and read it.As a lifelong animal lover, I found Beck's vision of awakening utterly delightful, immersed as it is in woodland creatures. I, too, have been transfixed while quietly sitting in nature and watching its inhabitants unabashedly go on with their lives. Once or twice I've even fallen asleep in a chair, only to wake up and find a squirrel sitting upright inches away from my toes, nibbling away at something it has in its tiny paws. I have never considered wild animals--large or small--hostile, although I certainly do respect the large and poisonous among them sufficiently to allot sufficient space between us. (Physical space, that is; mentally and emotionally, I still cherish their existence).In a single sound bite, Diana is about discovering how to overcome a lifetime of "taming" (shaming, training, and defaming) so that our essential magnificence can illuminate our world.The protagonist, Diana, was abandoned in a dumpster at birth and subsequently raised in a series of unsettling foster homes only to be told that she is unfit to be loved, cared for, nurtured and respected. She has been categorized variously as insane, lazy, stupid, dangerous and irredeemable by these folks, the foster care system, and several teachers.Of course, she has believed all of it. She has even incorporated the continual shaming into her own self-talk. No one has to tell her anymore that she's crazy or unfit; she tells herself the same thing at least several times an hour.Despite having raised a decent, loving son and holding down responsible jobs, she continues to berate herself, always noticing where she falls short instead of where she shines. The bosses and lovers she serves treat her the way she assumes she deserves to be treated: as someone who's fit to have around only for as long as she serves their purposes and doesn't ask for much in return. If only they will condescend to tolerating her continued existence, she will take mere crumbs in exchange... and thank them for it.Whenever the overlords/abusers in her life threaten her or someone she loves (animal or human), she goes into what she calls a "fugue" and loses track of time, of what she does to cause the overlords/abusers to back off and allow her to escape or to come to the rescue of another. She considers these "blackout periods" a type of insanity. What they are, we come to find out, are moments of intense clarity, laser-like focus, and an accompanying activity that serves to insure her continued survival.When she falls in love with an enigmatic, world-renowned survival guru named Roy Richards, all seems hunky dory for a while until she disappoints him in some way (no spoilers, here). He immediately transforms into still another of the tyrannical, narcissistic, misogynist monsters she has encountered before in other guises, blaming her for his misfortunes and calling her callous, slut-shaming names.During an outdoor adventure, the two get separated in the wilderness for a period of months. During this time, Diana finds herself, discovers her magnificence and the magnificence of the animals and environment of which she has become a part, and she begins to rediscover how to undo the wounding that has been inflicted on her since she was a little girl.During their time apart, Diana discovers joy and beauty, universal love and oneness with the woodland creatures she meets and builds relationships with. (She discovers the animals can talk to her in English.)During the same time in the same environment, Roy discovers nothing at all lovable or trustworthy about his (similar) surroundings. No animals talk to him, or help him. All he encounters are fearsome beasts and imminent dangers.When they finally find each other again, Roy instantly proclaims Diana's experiences "fantasies" and "delusions" and considers his experiences the only ones worth believing. Her woodland friends are his mortal enemies. As he descends further into madness, Diana ascends further into magnificence.This is a perfect book for anyone whose lives and experiences have been "mansplained" away as "nutty", "insane", or "unbelievable" by other wounded people who think of people in terms of "me" and "them" instead of as "we universally" (animal, human and planet).I plan to read Diana once a month until it has become a part of my own path. Indeed, it has always been a part of my path--but until Martha Beck brought it into focus in this way, I never saw it as brilliantly exposed and spotlighted before.The book ends with a primer on the six things Diana needed to learn in order to lay claim to the divine miracle she has always been. Those who decide to practice them are likely reach the same destination: becoming fully alive and fearless to telegraph love to the rest of creation... without ego, without expectation, without fear of backlash or being proclaimed "crazy".Even better: Those who read this book and follow the six steps will help tip the scales and protect the planet from the fearful and ferocious in this world... the "deciders in chief" who are laying waste to the planet and to any possibility of fearless, all-consuming love.

I'm NOT a fantasy reader, but since this was by Martha Beck, I picked it up. I galloped through the pages the first time, riveted by the sheer propulsion of the storytelling; it's one of those wait-is-it-midnight-already-maybe-I'll-just-read-a-few-more-pages-wait-it's-3:00am-already books. Then I went back and re-read it for the sheer power of the prose, along with the graceful, compelling step-by-step instructions for waking up your soul. I wish there were 10 stars to recommend it!

A story that started off a bit fragmented and I almost bailed about three times in the first quarter of the book, but I really really like Martha Beck's work so I decided to stick it out. I was really really glad I did. I read it in chunks, taking time to absorb some of the things presented before moving on. I haven't read all her books, but she is terrifically smart and eloquent and has been through a lot of crap in life and keeps finding a way both to overcome challenges, or at least survive them, and then have the courage to share with readers. I both admire that and find it useful to examine her viewpoints.

I read Martha's last book and have done many of her e courses so I didn't think there was much more I could learn from her about awakening. I'm happily wrong. This is a book about abandoning our culture and socialised selves, to follow the wild part of ourselves. Reading it has somehow moved me much deeper into myself without my effort. I read it in a kind of trance. It also happens to be the heroine's journey so many of us have been longing for. Thanks for following your own wild self to write this Martha. Namaste.

Amazing, riveting, powerful story telling - the kind you just can't put down, the kind that's much more than just a 'story'.. .the kind that takes you beyond yourself and yet deeper into yourself and what we all know to be true, at a much more profound level than 'civilised' culture gives us. Loved it. I'm hungry for more, Martha, and can't wait for the next in this series. Your best book to date (and all the others were life changers).

Wow, Martha has a real talent for painting pictures with her words. I found myself deeply immersed in Diana's world and took the journey with her and as her. It appears no coincidence to me now that I had just finished reading 'The Little Prince' 10 minutes before I started this intoxicating interpretation of the relationship between our mortal experience and the infinite 'all that is'.

Phenomenal book by Martha Beck. I loved her North Star and this was a beautifully written addition of finding yourself.

love this book a real page turner.