Uri Geller: Magician or Mystic?

1. First of all, like I said, it presents a balanced objective journalistic view of Geller and presents all the arguments for and against Geller that have been presented in the last 3 decades. Interviews with believers and critics are presented in the book. In fact, about 75 interviews were conducted as part of his research.

2. It is written by a journalist and skeptic who in the past has written articles debunking various paranormal phenomenon including psychics and hauntings. Jonathan Margolis makes it clear to us at the beginning of the book that he is not a paranormalist pretending to be a skeptic by citing articles and investigations he did where he debunked UFO's, fortune tellers, and hauntings. Skeptics, wouldn't you say that a proven skeptic, demonstrated by his past debunking articles, who concludes that there is a good possibility that Geller may have paranormal powers, is a much more remarkable testimony than from someone who is already a paranormalist believer?

3. It goes over what Randi says about Geller and even includes an interview with James Randi. It also discusses what happened on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson back in 1973 and points out something that you guys probably didn't know. When Geller failed the tests on the Carson show, (and Randi never bothered to mention this) there was one incident that was worth noting, which is described on page 262 of the book (UK version). Ricardo Montalban (the guy from the series "Fantasy Island" and who played Khan in Star Trek 2) who was sitting next to Geller on the show, says that the spoon in his hand (Ricardo's) did bend ON ITS OWN while Geller was trying to bend the spoons on the table.

In addition, the book also points out that the same controls that Johnny Carson used on Geller that evening were also used on Geller at the SRI tests, but Geller succeeded there and was able to do his feats despite being under the SAME controls.

Anyway, there are a lot of other interesting things in the book that you Skeptics probably don't know. I would love to share a lot more things I discovered in this book, but there are too many and it would take way too long. Therefore, I would recommend reading this book yourselves.

The book is a real eye opener. It just might make some of you guys rethink your position. A couple of other readers on the amazon.com book review said they started out as hardened skeptics but changed their mind after reading this book. And remember, this book was written by a Skeptic who has debunked paranormal phenomenon in the past, too!

Oh and one final thing. The book also lists some magicians who STILL believe in Geller as of 1998. So the skeptics were wrong when they said that pretty much all magicians who believed in Geller have changed their minds. For example, magicians like David Blaine, who is a celebrity magician and a close friend of Leonardo DiCaprio, still believes in Geller and says that Geller was always his childhood idol.

Anyway, that's all I'll say for now. The author of this book doesn't conclude that Geller is a proven psychic, but merely states that based on his years of investigation and exhaustive interviews, Geller is not the fraud that people like Randi made him out to be, and that there is a good possibility that Geller may have paranormal powers after all.

Thanks, Winston


Food for Thought, anyone?   June 7, 2000
 4 out of 8 found this review helpful

The title alone nearly kept me from picking this out of the freebie book pile at the office but it turned out to be a fun read. The reviews critical of Mr. Margolis for not remaining objective seem off base- it's a bio not a JAMA finding. Indeed, the author gives multiple accounts of Gellers failings, including the Tonight Show debacle. Still, at the conclusion of the book I could not bend kitchen utensils. Strangely, just after finishing the last chapter I descended into the subway and heard a clanking sound in front of me. There on the stairs lay a spoon. The man in front of me on the stairs stopped and turned. He looked at the spoon, looked at me, shrugged, and walked away. Coincidence perhaps, but also very weird.


Uri Geller and the Easter Bunny: Stranger Than Truth   April 17, 2000
 15 out of 17 found this review helpful

Margolis' book is just the latest example of the decline in objectivity in journalism. Had he prepared himself by researching his subject before meeting Geller and being "dazzled" by claimed "mystical powers" (like, say, reading "The Truth About Uri Geller" by James Randi) he would have found that every illusion that Geller performs has been used by magicians for years. The only difference between Geller and a stage mentalist is that Geller claims supernatural powers -- putting him squarely in league with faith-healing televangalists and other charlatans.

The JREF Foundation has offered Geller $1 million if he will subject his mystical gifts to scientific analysis. Geller has steadfastly refused -- as has every other psychic. When Geller was invited on to the Tonight Show, he failed every single attempt at a paranormal event. Every one! Why? Because James Randi was invited by Carson to ensure that none of the keys, cylinders, or spoons were tampered with prior to Gellers arrival on stage. Why didn't Margolis mention any of this in his book?


A bunch of wierd fun   March 17, 2000
I loved this book. It points out that reality is always a bit, or a lot, beyond our attempts to pin it down. Both the hard-core Skeptics and the True Believers should be baffled by this man. Geller is a trickster for sure, but I don't know if that makes him a fake. That's the beauty of this very readable, almost compulsively page-turning book- it pulls the rug out from our tendency to nail down reality with our beliefs- and I think it has the ability to make the hopelessly rational become a bit more open minded, and the hopelessly magical become a bit more skeptical. A tall order, but this book, like Uri Geller, surfs borders.


Brilliant, challenging; sure to be a classic   March 9, 2000
 2 out of 5 found this review helpful

Our family and I has enjoyed this book. I am Interested in learning more about Jonathan Margolis. He seems to understand Geller's phenomenal powers and has fun way of Inviting the reader to share amazing biography. I reall feel much more aware and knowledgable about paranormal. Eye opener.