Things are as they are because in no other way can they "be." "Seeking Freedom and Joy in the Winding Path of Life: A Spiritual Journey of Learning and Self-discovery," the moving autobiography of author Antonietta Francini, MD, tells the doctor's story of surviving World War II, battling cancer, and finding the healing power of mystical and esoteric teachings during a trip to India.

Growing up in Rome, Dr. Francini experiences firsthand the cruelties of World War II, whose sights and sounds make her hate God for allowing such suffering. At the age of twenty, she leaves Italy to begin a...