BookPleasures.com - http://www.bookpleasures.com/websitepublisher
The Mirror Maze: A Norwegian Man’s True Story of Five Years in Mexican Prisons During the 1980s Reviewed By Lois Henderson of Bookpleasures.com
http://www.bookpleasures.com/websitepublisher/articles/2874/1/The-Mirror-Maze-A-Norwegian-Mans-True-Story-of-Five-Years-in-Mexican-Prisons-During-the-1980s-Reviewed-By-Lois-Henderson-of-Bookpleasurescom/Page1.html
Lois C. Henderson

Reviewer Lois C. Henderson: Lois is a freelance academic editor and back-of-book indexer, who spends most of her free time compiling word search puzzles for tourism and educative purposes. Her puzzles are available HERE and HERE Her Twitter account (@LoisCHenderson) mainly focusses on the toponymy of British place names. Please feel welcome to contact her with any feedback at LoisCourtenayHenderson@gmail.com.





 
By Lois C. Henderson
Published on October 8, 2010
 




Authors: Tom Brungar and Lisa Nicole Walker
ISBN: 1450584578
Publisher: CreateSpace


What is it that makes tales of drug addiction and prison incarceration so fascinating to the average reader?





Authors: Tom Brungar and Lisa Nicole Walker
ISBN: 1450584578
Publisher: CreateSpace

Click Here To Purchase The Mirror Maze: A Norwegian Man's True Story of Five Years in Mexican Prisons During the 1980s

What is it that makes tales of drug addiction and prison incarceration so fascinating to the average reader? Perhaps it is the fact that none of us wishes to go down that path, and we are plain curious about those who do. Or perhaps it is that we are inspired by a profound sense of compassion to learn more about those who have decided to dwell on the shadier side of life. Whichever motive it is, The Mirror Maze should satisfy both desires.

“I am sitting in a peaceful room telling you an intimate story, one I humbly try to explain accurately. Perhaps you know how difficult it is to tell a story through the pen. My drama from that point lasted six years. Now it is over and if this does not lead to anything but personal therapy, the effort is well spent energy. Also, I have an intense hope that you will understand, and feel a need to transmit this message. I am imagining you in front of me right now. We are friends. You have the time to listen and I the time to talk. We will stop the world for a while and live these images, as we go along.” Thus starts the core story of The Mirror Maze, which is the true story of Tom Brungar’s downward spiral into alcohol and drug addiction to ultimately becoming involved with a drug cartel. Once apprehended, in order to survive his incarceration, Brungar used his guitar playing and storytelling ability to enable him to endure dehumanizing conditions and prison torture, until his release six years later.

The account is multi-faceted, intertwining accounts of personal transformation, philosophical and spiritual revelations, against a background of sociopolitical issues. The mirror in the title signifies that in which Brungar considered himself, and the maze in the title signifies that through which he had to travel in order to arrive at the exit from his self-induced nightmare. Since cocaine is often served on a mirror, the significance of using such a symbol will, no doubt, not be lost. Ultimately, the transformation attained by Brungar comes in the form of his realization that “[d]uring an experience like this there is only one who can help you, and that is God.”

Although the style of this work is not as smooth-flowing as one might like it to be, the memoir is well worth reading, and should prove interesting reading for anyone who is interested in the lessons to be learned from drug addiction and the perils of an overly hectic and self-indulgent lifestyle.

Click Here To Purchase The Mirror Maze: A Norwegian Man's True Story of Five Years in Mexican Prisons During the 1980s