Reviews & Interviews
Review by Bonnie Cehovet, November, 2006 [24KB PDF]
Review by Carol Haggas, March 2007 ForeWord Magazine [28KB PDF]
Review by Erin Gulden, © Mpls-St. Paul Magazine, April, 2007 [892KB PDF]
Interview with author Andris Baltins by Tim Miejan, © Edge Life Holistic Journal, November, 2007 [44KB PDF]
Review by Connie Mears in New Age Retailer: "Transmuting the Darkness" [840KB PDF]
“This beautiful book familiarizes us with the fact that our loved ones must die but they do not cease to exist. They are deeply alive in us, in others and around us. The book teaches us to appreciate our loved ones and express our appreciation of them before it is too late. This means to live in mindfulness every day of our lives.”
Thich Nhat Hanh—Zen master, poet, peace and human rights activist, author of over 100 books, including No Death to Fear.
“Love Letters is a masterpiece of warmth and fine-quality feeling—a tender and highly intelligent offering. It is profound nourishment of the soul to read Baltins’ words that reflect the splendor of God present in suffering, which sometimes comes before one has the strength to see it for what it is.”
Robert A. Johnson—Jungian analyst and lecturer, author of Inner Work, Owning Your Own Shadow, Balancing Heaven and Earth and many more, including the trilogy He, She, and We.
“A brave book that deals with life, love and death, Love Letters is affirming reading for anyone grieving the loss of a loved one.”
Kathleen Gavin—Executive director, Minnesota Ovarian Cancer Alliance (MOCA)
“Love Letters is not only a reflection of Andris Baltins on the strength and goodness of his wife, Nancy, but a tribute to her and all mothers who care so passionately about their families and draw upon their inner wisdom and strength to guide and support their children with disabilities.”
Paula Goldberg—executive director, PACER Center, a parent advocacy organization in Minneapolis that trains parents to make a difference
“For those who wish to accord with the resonance of all life, Andris Baltins’ Love Letters is a gift. With a heart and mind opened through intense encounters with impermanence—his own dire prognosis at age 37, and the death of his lifelong and beloved partner—Andris studies himself and the mysteries of life with inspiring honesty and uprightness. This intimacy is offered to us; one cannot help but be moved to receive it.”
Tenshin Reb Anderson Roshi—senior dharma teacher, San Francisco Zen Center
“Through these letters we also see that Andris and Nancy’s teenaged son, who has Down syndrome, knows intuitively the importance of grieving the loss of his mother and demonstrates how to do so effectively. His remarkable insights and wisdom show us that unconditional love easily trumps intellectual disability.”
Judy C. Martz—former president, National Down Syndrome Congress, Atlanta, GA
“Having recently lost my wife to ovarian cancer, I was apprehensive about reading another man’s grief journey caused by the same disease. But I found reading Love Letters to be a warm and comforting glimpse of Andris Baltins’ love, loss and grief relationship with his wife. This experience was so similar and yet so different from mine, but the similarities with another’s experience are what I find most helpful.”
John Zimmerman—Lakeville, MN