The Miracle of Anna: An Awakened Child

This anemic tale from Nelson (Transformations) tells the story of a transcendent Hindu child born to a white woman in California. In San Luis Obispo, Calif., elementary school art teacher and children’s book author Maggie Langford is told by her guru that she will give birth to a fully awakened daughter: the reincarnation of a Hindu guru and Tibetan Rinpoche. Anna, as Maggie names the baby, communicates with Maggie telepathically from the womb, and later, as a toddler, is able to heal the sick and enter trance states. Throughout Anna’s life, Maggie takes steps to shield her enlightened daughter from exploitation by both their ashram and the media. Trouble brews when an angry parent objects to adolescent Anna’s impromptu whisking of her friends to the celestial plane to meet her spirit guide, Joseph. Maggie then brings Anna to see her estranged father, Thomas, a yoga instructor living in India. Written in plain, matter-of-fact prose, the story is bizarrely devoid of wonder and spiritual contemplation. While Maggie’s love for Anna is evident, too often secondary characters accept Anna’s enlightenment without question. Readers with some knowledge of Hindu tenets may enjoy Maggie’s determination and faith, but the uninitiated will find the story stilted and uninspiring. (Feb.)