A BRANCH OF WISDOM

This book is like no other. In the 1980s it is said that not a single while South African family was unaffected by the Angolan war. After an horrific stint in Angola as a national serviceman, the incipient split within Christopher cracked open into full-blown paranoid schizophrenia. He spent months in One Military Hospital, Pretoria, where he was kept powerfully sedated and subjected to shock treatment. ......I could not put it down
- ODYSSEY MAGAZINE April 2003 see full review

"A Branch of Wisdom is simultaneously an autobiography, a fictional personal odyssey, a portfolio of computer generated conceptual art, and a philosophical treatise. Integrating all these elements into a text that is comprehensible to general readers is a daunting task for any author. Christopher, the author without a surname, certainly succeeds. The result is an engaging and accessible meditation on the unity that underlies the apparent division of the world around and inside of us..."see full review
- Gavin Ivey (Ph.D.)
Senior Lecturer
Department of Psychology
University of the Witwatersrand

"Your book meant more to me than an enjoyable story, I found it deeply profound with respect to my daily health practice. In so many of todays "dis-eases", the aching of the soul or the torment of the mind is at the centre of the problem. If we can all access our deeper selves, and be comfortable with who we find, we could all relate to our environments so much better, and hence live in better balance and harmony. "A Branch of Wisdom" revealed this balance, the appreciation that the dark is an important part of the light. It has great therapeutic value, and I am lending it out to patients."
- Dr Jon Morley Medical Doctor

"Congratulations on turning your experience into something so creative and helpful to others - we live in the age of the Wounded Healer"
- Rob Nairn International meditation teacher and author of "Living, Dreaming, Dying"

"Editor's Pick"
- Exclusive Books 15 November 2002

"My friend bought your book and borrowed it to me - it's wonderful. She is very intersted in your writing so as I."
- Thandi Mngoma Johannesburg

"This book had a profound affect on me. I picked it up and could not put it down. It is not an easy read because of the thought patterns and references, but is the story of one mans journey to make sense out of life and find meaning and healing. The story starts fifteen years ago with a young man in the psychiatric ward of a South African military hospital after returning from military duty in Angola. It then traces him in midlife and mid career as events of the past return to haunt him and depression sets in. This is a book for thinkers as it deals with the greater questions of life and the ultimate need to know why we are here. Much to be recommended and beautifully produced with amazing conceptual art."
- Renaissance Magazine December 2002

" I was blown away"
- Dianne Lang Prominent Aids activist and author of "Freedom for your Soul"

"Everyone has a story to tell, although not everyone has the intelligence or ability to tell it. This book, by Christopher, is a well told story and one does not need to know that the author is a member of MENSA to know that he is highly intelligent. His intelligence and creativity bursts from every page and apart from the moving and interesting story about his breakdown into psychosis and his recovery from this breakdown, there is the playful look at the meaning of words. This is a book that should be read by all South Africans in the health care profession who deal with mental health problems in their daily life."
- Dr Chris Rees Clinical Psychologist

Exceptional, engaging ! Two thumbs up!
-Syd Jere A reader from Pretoria

"I want to thank you and tell you how very meaningful reading your book has been for me, not only a reading-of but a discourse-with. Like visiting Bhutan and finding, amazingly, that one can understand the language. I find too that your journey has visited many places that I've visited and that I recognise the terrain, feel the climate. I salute your integrity in the "being" of this book of the coming together (along one branch) of what you feel, think, say and do."
- Clare Wilson Social Worker

"A Branch of Wisdom is a superb narration of a person`s journey in search of many unanswered questions throughout his life. Christopher has managed to give the reader a highly humourous, blow-by-blow account of his mission in a manner that enabled the reader to laugh & at the same time actually have a small idea of what a person suffering from this condition goes through...." see full review
- www.bodyandmind.co.za

Thank you so much for sharing your book with me. Firstly, I must say what an easy and enjoyable read it was - your style is clear and personal and very engaging - felt like you were talking just to me. I also admire the way you have successfully combined a completely personal experience and journey with something that can be so meaningful and inspiring to others. It is real, unpretentious and from the heart, unlike most of the inflated nonsense produced by self-important gurus! Thank you, and I hope you will continue to inspire and enlighten others through your journey to self-knowledge.
- Rod Suskin Well known South African media personality and author of "The Time of Your Life"

I found it really well written and easy to read. I was drawn onwards by the suspense of the quest, and even over the outcome of the relationship! Your thesis I found intriguing and tricksterish. I love the letter diagrams, and very much agree about the "ends" meeting in a loop - that is an image I use when countering those, like Wilber, who see the transliminal as hierarchical.
-Isabel Clarke, Clinical Psychologist and author of "Spirituality and Psychosis", England

An enjoyable and an eye opening read leading the reader on a journey of vicarious discovery. A valid contribution."
- Nick Fulford - A reader from Canada

"Christopher's writing style is lively and conversational, sparkling with irony and humour. Although he delves into the esoteric, most of his quest remains rooted within the tradition of Western philosophy. Accompanying the journey is a playful and fascinating exploration into the interconnectedness of words, images, puns and paradoxes, together with a provocative array of illustrations."
- Donve Langhan Well-known South African artist and author of "The Unfolding Man"

"I thoroughly enjoyed it - I think it is great!"
-Marietjie Venter Universal Spirituality Counsellor

MYSTICAL QUEST FULL OF RIDDLES
The index is preceded by a mandala. The chapters have titles such as "Divination", "Pilgrimage" and "An Egyptian God", and for the greater part of this reading experience one is unaware what part of this autobiography is factual... ...The book reads easily, is gripping and has an interactive introduction at www.thewordproject.com.
- DIE BURGER Johannes de Villiers, Editorial Staff see full review

"The story was well written - I imagined myself on the path of the writer. I feel that the read challenged the way that I see my life. Thank you for the opportunity to read your book."
- Amalia Cristoforou Editor "Hello Johannesburg"

"I have been intrigued and fascinated by your research and insights, and horrified by your Ward 24 experiences. In fact, I have been thoroughly entertained by the whole novel."
- Adrienne Richardson A reader from Durban, South Africa

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