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So Who Is The Real You?

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By KEVIN WALKER

The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 4, 2009

"You're Not Who You Think You Are," by Albert Clayton Gaulden (Atria, $22)

Don't know about you, but every so often I'll pick up something completely out of left field, just to see. And make no mistake: Albert Clayton Gaulden is definitely from way, way, way out in left.

The guy has some interesting ideas about how the world works, chief among them that we are all reincarnated souls, working on trying to change the mistakes that marred our past lives. He even addresses the old "bad things happen to good people" bit by saying it is possible they are simply paying the price for something done in a previous life. It's an interesting idea, maybe, although I'm sure some crime victims would find it a bit hard to swallow.

Like many who believe in a more Gnostic form of religion, Gaulden believes the spark of the divine lives in everyone and can only be reawakened through self-awareness. People are so caught up in the world, Gaulden writes, they cannot see the "big picture" that we are all linked together in a complex universe. Nothing new there - quite a few faiths around the world believe the same. But Gaulden has a down-to-earth style and an ability to break down these complex ideas into easily digestible bits.

Gaulden is not big on organized religion, but he is big on the golden rule and other precepts of the Christian faith. He'll come across as interesting or loony, depending on your tolerance for "alternative" forms of spirituality. I'll say this: It's hard to disagree with his idea that one of the major obstacles in many people's lives is themselves.

Kevin Walker oversees Friday Extra and the books pages.

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