These are the best books about reincarnation and past lives.
Best Books about Reincarnation || Photo of me showing off some of my favorites from my collection of reincarnation books.
These are the best books on reincarnation, in my opinion, because they are as informative as they are fascinating. I have divided them into 3 main categories:
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(Click the titles to see more information on each book. These are affiliate links, which I have provided for your convenience, but it does mean that I will receive a small commission if you happen to buy any of them. This comes at no extra cost to you or anything. Some of these books may be available for free at your local library or on Kindle Unlimited or thru Audible.)
Best Books about Reincarnation that Include Scientific Evidence
Children Who Remember Previous Lives: A Question of Reincarnation by Ian Stevenson, M.D. - Professor Stevenson is one of the most respected individuals in this field, period. He researched reincarnation for decades, starting in the early 1960s. What makes him most notable is that he approached the subject in a purely scientific way, investigating reincarnation from many angles. He provides a lot of interesting stories in this particular book, but the primary reason I suggest it is because he does such a great job discussing the science behind it. He's very open about its weaknesses, as well, and handles the whole subject with utmost honesty.
Old Souls by Tom Shroder - An award-winning journalist details his experiences as he follows the legendary reincarnation researcher Ian Stevenson, M.D. They travel through multiple countries to interview children who remember previous lives (and their family members and other witnesses). Shroder starts out blatantly skeptical, which makes it all the more interesting to keep reading and see how his beliefs and perspectives change. While Dr. Stevenson maintains a scientific detachment in his writings about reincarnation, Shroder is able to give us behind-the-scenes insight as he brings emotions and more human elements to the factual information he presents.
Life Before Life: A Scientific Investigation of Children's Memories of Previous Lives by Jim B. Tucker, MD - Dr. Tucker is a child psychiatrist who worked with Dr. Stevenson at the University of Virginia. In this book, he shares many stories of children who remembered previous lives, including a lot of American cases. Most significantly, he addresses the common questions about reincarnation and breaks down the answers in great depth, using a logical and scientific approach. He has another reincarnation book called Return to Life.
Some nonfiction books about reincarnation
More Scientific Books from Dr. Stevenson
Reincarnation and Biology Volume I and Volume II are featured in the photo above. I recommend them to anyone who is serious about learning about Dr. Stevenson's reincarnation research, but they're not easy to get your hands on. You're probably better off grabbing Where Reincarnation and Biology Intersect.
These academic books are a whole lot pricier than the other ones on this list, but that's because they were published for scientific purposes. (For a long time, you could only get his books if you purchased them from the University of Virginia where Dr. Stevenson was a professor, director, and chairman.) These books are a collection of cases that have birthmarks and birth defects that correlate to previous personalities, making them much more difficult to dismiss. If you want detailed, legitimate evidence of reincarnation, these books are worth the investment.
Dr. Stevenson has an additional book called European Cases of the Reincarnation Type that is inexpensive and readily available on Amazon as well as other bookstores. If you think people only report past life memories in countries where the culture teaches reincarnation, this book will help prove otherwise.
Best Reincarnation Books that Include Spiritual Insights
Between Death and Life by Dolores Cannon - I enjoyed this book so much and highly recommend it to anyone interested in past lives and reincarnation. Important to know in advance, Dolores Cannon is a regressionist. Whereas Dr. Stevenson has a highly scientific approach and deals with children who consciously have past life memories, Dolores works with adults and uses hypnotism to help the recall and/or get clarity on past lives. Another fascinating element that sets her apart from many is that she often talks to the clients in between lives when they are in spirit form.
Children's Past Lives: How Past Life Memories Affect Your Child by Carol Bowman - This book specifically focuses on the healing potential of remembering past lives. While it primarily focuses on how phobias can be cured, it also contains a lot of fascinating stories. I think most readers will appreciate Bowman's style of writing and will enjoy going on the journey with her as she describes her own experience with learning about and embracing reincarnation.
Journey of Souls by Michael Newton, PhD - In this reincarnation book, a doctor shares insights from over 29 different cases of clients he personally regressed. This book focuses specifically on what happens during the time after a person dies and before they're reborn.
Seth Speaks by Jane Roberts - You will find this book on pretty much any list I create, ever. It doesn't exclusively focus on reincarnation, but it has the best information on the subject in my opinion.
Many Lives, Many Masters by Brian L. Weiss, MD - This was the first nonfiction book I ever read about reincarnation. It immediately sucked me in and I finished the whole thing in less than a day. I think that is why this books appeals to so many readers - it's fascinating and easy to read. That said, this book has a lot of critics because it provides a lot less science-backed information than other books on the subject.
More Books from Dr. Weiss
Only Love Is Real - This book is about a psychiatrist (Dr. Weiss) who realized two of his patients, who'd never met before in this lifetime, were having shared/complementary past life memories. If you're specifically interested in soulmates, definitely get this one! You can read my detailed post on this book by clicking here.
Same Soul, Many Bodies - This book has a very interesting angle as it discusses future lives instead of just past lives.
Messages from the Masters - Deep truths shared from people while undergoing hypnotherapy.
Miracles Happen - This book discusses the healing properties of remembering past life memories.
More Books from Dolores Cannon
Five Lives Remembered - In this book, the author walks through her first experience with a client who had past life memories, long before Cannon actually believed in reincarnation. I like this book because it shows the detailed procession of one soul through many lives, as well as the time between lives (on the spiritual plane).
Keepers of the Garden - A client remembers past lives that didn't happen on Earth, making this a book you definitely need to read. That's right, reincarnation meets aliens.
The Custodians - This one won't be for everyone, but this book was extremely fascinating to me. In addition to past life regressions, Dolores started using hypnotherapy on people who had suspected alien abduction experiences. This book details that research.
The Convoluted Universe - If you can mentally and emotionally handle the other books Dolores Cannon has written, check out this intense series. It'll make your brain hurt... in a good way.
Best Books about Reincarnation that Are Mostly Just a Collection of True Stories
The following books are mostly just anecdotal. If you're not particularly looking for scientific explanations or spiritual insights about reincarnation, and you just want to read about fascinating cases that will give you chills, these reincarnation books are for you. I would venture to say these are the easiest and most fun to read for most people.
The Children that Time Forgot by Peter and Mary Harrison - This book is full of anecdotes more than hard evidence, but this is what makes it one of the easier and more enjoyable books to read. If you're already convinced, or at least open to the idea, of reincarnation, this would be a fun and fascinating book for you. If you're looking for a more factual approach with cold hard scientific evidence, look for one of the books by Ian Stevenson, M.D. or Tom Shroder.
Children Who Have Lived Before: Reincarnation Today by Trutz Hardo -- This book reads fairly easy, which I think most readers appreciate. There are plenty of details, such as names and dates, listed for most of the stories, but this information is lacking in some of the stories. I think a lot of people consider that suspect. Hardo also puts a lot of his personal beliefs into the mix, and while I agree with a lot of it, there are some elements that don't line up with my own thoughts and beliefs on the subject. It is still absolutely worth the read though. Some of the stories will blow your mind!
Reincarnation: Remarkable Stories of People Who Recall Past Lives by Paul Roland — This is a great book for a lot of people to start with because it is a “light read” in comparison to some of the heavy academic books on this list. Roland gives background information on the history of the belief in reincarnation in addition to sharing many incredible true stories of people who recall past lives.
The Limitless Soul: Hypno-Regression Case Studies into Past, Present, and Future Lives by Bryn Blankinship - I'm including this because it definitely has some interesting stories and a few concepts that I find particularly fascinating. I love that the author considers it "all lives" instead of "past lives" because she recognizes that linear time isn't real. (I believe this, but it's still a struggle to grasp sometimes haha). I will say, however, that this is not a great book for anyone looking for concrete evidence or a more scientific approach to reincarnation. It's a quick, easy read, though, which I think a lot of people will appreciate.
Memoirs / Autobiographies about Reincarnation
Far Memory by Joan Grant
Across Time and Death: A Mother's Search for Her Past Life Children by Jenny Cockell
The Search for Bridey Murphy by Morey Bernstein
Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda
Other books about reincarnation I intend to read:
These are reincarnation books I haven't personally read yet but intend to get to soon.
Beyond Death by Sharon Hewitt Rawlette, PhD
Reincarnation: The Missing Link in Christianity by Elizabeth Clare Prophet and Erin L. Prophet
Reliving Past Lives: The Evidence under Hypnosis by Helen Wambach
Life After Life by Raymond A. Moody, Jr, MD
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Hi Jenn, I would like to see my book here some day. Some of the strongest evidence ever brought forth on the reality of Past Lives (not involving hypnosis). Birthmarks, scars and photographic evidence. A Civil War general’s reincarnation, plus a great story of a young boy, 9/11 and the reincarnation of a New York City firefighter who perished in one of the Twin Towers. The full story as told by the boy’s mother on (and to me off) a popular Reincarnation Forum starting in 2007 up to the present day. The book is titled, Fire in the Soul: Reincarnation from Antietam to Ground Zero.