The Secret Language Of Dolphins by Patricia St. John

From The Week of July 11, 2010

Though it's clear that Ms. St. John is something of a flake, sprinkling this memoir with vague hints of a troubled past, her love of animals and her passion for helping autistic children elevate her above the self-centeredness of her narrative and grant her somewhat spectacular claims, in The Secret Language Of Dolphins, a legitimacy they would have otherwise lacked.

After searching high and low for her true self and finding it nowhere, Ms. St. John seems at something of an impasse in her life. Then, a transformative encounter with a dolphin changes the trajectory of her life and sets her on course to make a difference in the lives of the disabled. Though her efforts are often frustrated by the vagaries of interspecies communication, Ms. St. John believes that, through trial and error, she has made an emotional and an intellectual connection with several dolphins, all of whom, according to her account, seem capable of both understanding and interacting with her on a coherent, logical level. In fact, Ms. St. John documents several instances in which the dolphins seem far more attuned to the emotions of the humans around her than even Ms. St. John seems to be. This startling revelation is never once shied away from. On the contrary, Ms. St. John embraces the intuitiveness of dolphins, finding that their particular acuity translates quite well to humans with autism, many of whom come away from their experiences with the dolphins moved in ways their parents find startlingly atypical. Ms. St. John claims, in this way, that, accorded the proper respect, dolphins can be healers of human damage. After all, she is a non-autistic example of their powers.

Though an uncomfortable cloud of mysticism hovers over this story of personal redemption through dolphins, I could not help but feel heartened by the peace Ms. St. John takes from these remarkable creatures. Her loving descriptions of them and their habits do not fail to delight. And though there's room for skepticism concerning her unscientific claims of their capacity to heal, the dolphins' interaction with the autistic adolescence of Ms. St. John's acquaintance stir up hope that, someday, there will be a remedy for a condition which must be difficult to live with. Yes, Ms. St. John is too often the star of her own show, but that does not doom an inspiring effort from a woman who transcends the selfish desire to heal herself to unselfishly embrace those around her who need help. And, in doing so, she seems to have done more good than harm which is more than can be said of many other humans on this planet. I have a feeling that this is just one of many methods to alternative healing which will be championed in the years to come. (3/5 Stars)