Brotherhood: Dharma, Destiny, and the American Dream:
Deepak Chopra, Sanjiv Chopra
4.3 out of 5 stars 293 customer reviews
--
Top Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Chopra
By Tom T VINE VOICE on April 17, 2013
I have read many of Deepak Chopra's books through the years with great enjoyment. I particularly read his books during the time that he was a spokesman for Transcendental Meditation. He is a great story teller and having heard him speak a couple of times, also a great inspirational speaker. Brotherhood by Deepak and his younger brother Sanjiv added another dimension to the Chopra story for me. This book was set up with each brother writing a chapter without the help or consultation of the other. The brothers write alternating chapters. At times they tell about the same people or experiences, but from a different perspective. At other times the chapters aren't related in subject at all.
Deepak has been publicly involved in more spiritual matters in his previous writing. Sanjiv appears to have a more scientific attitude. Both are medical doctors, though I do not believe Deepak is involved in medicine to a great degree, except perhaps Ayurveda. Sanjiv practiced a more traditional western medicine and is a professor and a dean at Harvard Medical school.
Being somewhat familiar with their backgrounds in India, I found Brotherhood a great addition to my knowledge of India, their families and what it was like to grow up in India. The stories in Brotherhood are extremely well written and very entertaining. They are humorous, moving, and at the same time historical. I found Sanjiv's writing to be particularly good, especially since it is Deepak who has been the one writing books for many years. In Brotherhood Deepak's writing gives the impression of being overwhelmed by the information that he is relaying and becomes somewhat scattered. On the other hand Sanjiv's writing is clear and more linear.
Perhaps, I have been a bit too analytical in this review. Overall the book is very enjoyable, and is a quick and easy read. When Sanjiv was asked how he might live his life differently if he had the chance, he described exactly what he had done and said he would do it again. These are two extremely intelligent and caring individuals who have added greatly to this country and to the world.
I would like to add, upon reflection, for those who wondered why and how the split occurred between Deepak and Maharishi, it is explained in this book.
---
5.0 out of 5 stars
DESTINED TO AWAKEN A SLUMBERING WORLD?
By Eric Chaffee VINE VOICE on May 7, 2013
There is a short incident in Walter Isaacson's biography, EINSTEIN, where, during the space race of the late 1950's, a member of the NY Board of Regents (responsible for public education) writes to ask Dr Einstein what they should have students study, expecting to hear a response mentioning math & science. Instead, the good professor writes back to say that it would be most beneficial to have them study the lives and biographies of the great ones. I don't know if Deepak Chopra would fit into that category if a vote were taken, but he certainly gets my vote. His writing has been stimulating me, and readers in the world around me, for decades. He has had over 20 titles on the NYTimes bestseller list. And he has helped to shape an awakening in spirituality and healthcare. This book furthers the learning he has fostered.
Meeting his brother and family in this book was delightful. Learning about the evolution of Deepak's thought and career stands splendidly in contrast with his younger brother's approach, also a major medical influence, but in the more conventional mode - parallel lives in a multiverse. The book is organized in alternating chapters written by each author. It traces their evolving thoughts, influence, and destiny. It includes many accounts of learning from a spectrum of challenges beginning in boyhood. Their father was a prominent cardiologist, and they find their way to continue in the medical field, in colorful fashion with considerable impact on medicine, education, spirituality, and society.
The thrust in history of treatment is fascinating, especially considering the evolution of mind-body medicine over the past 30 years. Here's a favorite quote from Deepak (p.274 in my uncorrected copy): "The real revolution in medicine would come about only through consciousness. People needed to see that matter was a mask for mind. A human being isn't a machine that learns to think; we are thoughts that learned to build a machine."
There is much in this book about destiny and questing to learn our purpose and assignment. Yet the science of it is never abandoned. While I prefer the writing of the elder brother, Deepak, both writers have provided much to stimulate thought in this volume. One brother becomes a prominent expert on a single organ, the liver, while the other treats the whole person, reshaping both medicine and spirituality in the process. Enlightening.
---
5.0 out of 5 stars
East Meets West to Benefit Us All
By Becca Chopra VINE VOICE on May 14, 2013
Having grown up in America, I didn't have the experience of growing up in my family's traditions in India. But, thanks to Deepak Chopra, I have been able to read and study the Eastern philosophy that has shaped my own views and teachings. In this book, I'm also happy to read the insightful writing of Sanjiv Chopra.
Both trained as doctors of allopathic medicine, like their father, a cardiologist in India, Deepak, however, leaves his career as an endocrinologist to teach mind-body healing and spiritual success, while Sanjiv continues as a Western-trained doctor to become a medical expert and professor at Harvard Medical School. Both have great success in their fields, and each write humbly and beautifully about their life journey. They explain how they discovered their own identities and, between the lines, we too learn how to discover our own life's meaning and truth.
Namaste!
Becca Chopra, author of the memoir, Chakra Secrets
---
2.0 out of 5 stars
More Gobbledegook by Deepak: Sanjiv's Chapters Good
By SanjeevP VINE VOICE on July 16, 2013
Having gone to the same medical school in India that these brothers went to, coming from the same area and cultural background, speaking the same language, I share some of the experiences with them and that's what made me order this book through Amazon.
I liked reading the chapters by Sanjiv in this book: his writing is more about personal, immediate and direct experiences. It is logical and straightforward. Of course, I had many of the same experiences and could relate to that. What many of the Indian immigrants, particularly the Indian doctors go through in US, is what Sanjiv's writing is about.
After reading Deepak Chopra's first book "Ageless Body, Timeless Mind", I could not stand reading another book by him. To me he is just a charlatan who has mastered the art turning gibberish into bestsellers. Jargon like "Quantum healing" sounds as if he is talking something profound, but is actually meaningless. There is not really much about his personal and direct experiences in this book. Deepak Chopra has basically recycled his mumbo-jumbo in this book, probably ghostwritten by David Fisher.
---
Deepak Chopra, Sanjiv Chopra
4.3 out of 5 stars 293 customer reviews
--
Top Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Chopra
By Tom T VINE VOICE on April 17, 2013
I have read many of Deepak Chopra's books through the years with great enjoyment. I particularly read his books during the time that he was a spokesman for Transcendental Meditation. He is a great story teller and having heard him speak a couple of times, also a great inspirational speaker. Brotherhood by Deepak and his younger brother Sanjiv added another dimension to the Chopra story for me. This book was set up with each brother writing a chapter without the help or consultation of the other. The brothers write alternating chapters. At times they tell about the same people or experiences, but from a different perspective. At other times the chapters aren't related in subject at all.
Deepak has been publicly involved in more spiritual matters in his previous writing. Sanjiv appears to have a more scientific attitude. Both are medical doctors, though I do not believe Deepak is involved in medicine to a great degree, except perhaps Ayurveda. Sanjiv practiced a more traditional western medicine and is a professor and a dean at Harvard Medical school.
Being somewhat familiar with their backgrounds in India, I found Brotherhood a great addition to my knowledge of India, their families and what it was like to grow up in India. The stories in Brotherhood are extremely well written and very entertaining. They are humorous, moving, and at the same time historical. I found Sanjiv's writing to be particularly good, especially since it is Deepak who has been the one writing books for many years. In Brotherhood Deepak's writing gives the impression of being overwhelmed by the information that he is relaying and becomes somewhat scattered. On the other hand Sanjiv's writing is clear and more linear.
Perhaps, I have been a bit too analytical in this review. Overall the book is very enjoyable, and is a quick and easy read. When Sanjiv was asked how he might live his life differently if he had the chance, he described exactly what he had done and said he would do it again. These are two extremely intelligent and caring individuals who have added greatly to this country and to the world.
I would like to add, upon reflection, for those who wondered why and how the split occurred between Deepak and Maharishi, it is explained in this book.
---
5.0 out of 5 stars
DESTINED TO AWAKEN A SLUMBERING WORLD?
By Eric Chaffee VINE VOICE on May 7, 2013
There is a short incident in Walter Isaacson's biography, EINSTEIN, where, during the space race of the late 1950's, a member of the NY Board of Regents (responsible for public education) writes to ask Dr Einstein what they should have students study, expecting to hear a response mentioning math & science. Instead, the good professor writes back to say that it would be most beneficial to have them study the lives and biographies of the great ones. I don't know if Deepak Chopra would fit into that category if a vote were taken, but he certainly gets my vote. His writing has been stimulating me, and readers in the world around me, for decades. He has had over 20 titles on the NYTimes bestseller list. And he has helped to shape an awakening in spirituality and healthcare. This book furthers the learning he has fostered.
Meeting his brother and family in this book was delightful. Learning about the evolution of Deepak's thought and career stands splendidly in contrast with his younger brother's approach, also a major medical influence, but in the more conventional mode - parallel lives in a multiverse. The book is organized in alternating chapters written by each author. It traces their evolving thoughts, influence, and destiny. It includes many accounts of learning from a spectrum of challenges beginning in boyhood. Their father was a prominent cardiologist, and they find their way to continue in the medical field, in colorful fashion with considerable impact on medicine, education, spirituality, and society.
The thrust in history of treatment is fascinating, especially considering the evolution of mind-body medicine over the past 30 years. Here's a favorite quote from Deepak (p.274 in my uncorrected copy): "The real revolution in medicine would come about only through consciousness. People needed to see that matter was a mask for mind. A human being isn't a machine that learns to think; we are thoughts that learned to build a machine."
There is much in this book about destiny and questing to learn our purpose and assignment. Yet the science of it is never abandoned. While I prefer the writing of the elder brother, Deepak, both writers have provided much to stimulate thought in this volume. One brother becomes a prominent expert on a single organ, the liver, while the other treats the whole person, reshaping both medicine and spirituality in the process. Enlightening.
---
5.0 out of 5 stars
East Meets West to Benefit Us All
By Becca Chopra VINE VOICE on May 14, 2013
Having grown up in America, I didn't have the experience of growing up in my family's traditions in India. But, thanks to Deepak Chopra, I have been able to read and study the Eastern philosophy that has shaped my own views and teachings. In this book, I'm also happy to read the insightful writing of Sanjiv Chopra.
Both trained as doctors of allopathic medicine, like their father, a cardiologist in India, Deepak, however, leaves his career as an endocrinologist to teach mind-body healing and spiritual success, while Sanjiv continues as a Western-trained doctor to become a medical expert and professor at Harvard Medical School. Both have great success in their fields, and each write humbly and beautifully about their life journey. They explain how they discovered their own identities and, between the lines, we too learn how to discover our own life's meaning and truth.
Namaste!
Becca Chopra, author of the memoir, Chakra Secrets
---
2.0 out of 5 stars
More Gobbledegook by Deepak: Sanjiv's Chapters Good
By SanjeevP VINE VOICE on July 16, 2013
Having gone to the same medical school in India that these brothers went to, coming from the same area and cultural background, speaking the same language, I share some of the experiences with them and that's what made me order this book through Amazon.
I liked reading the chapters by Sanjiv in this book: his writing is more about personal, immediate and direct experiences. It is logical and straightforward. Of course, I had many of the same experiences and could relate to that. What many of the Indian immigrants, particularly the Indian doctors go through in US, is what Sanjiv's writing is about.
After reading Deepak Chopra's first book "Ageless Body, Timeless Mind", I could not stand reading another book by him. To me he is just a charlatan who has mastered the art turning gibberish into bestsellers. Jargon like "Quantum healing" sounds as if he is talking something profound, but is actually meaningless. There is not really much about his personal and direct experiences in this book. Deepak Chopra has basically recycled his mumbo-jumbo in this book, probably ghostwritten by David Fisher.
---
