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The Secret Life of Uri Geller: CIA Masterspy?
New Biography Shows Celebrity Spoon Bender, Uri Geller, Secretly Worked for U.S. Intelligence Agencies
This authorized biography of Uri Geller tells his life story and explores recent claims about his clandestine work with the CIA and the Israeli intelligence agency, the Mossad, during and after the Cold War. Geller is best-known for his Vegas-style act where he bends spoons, describes hidden drawings, and performs other paranormal feats.
Technology journalist and former Time magazine correspondent, Jonathan Margolis, worked alongside Geller and Oscar-winning filmmaker Vikram Jayanti on the book, to be published October 15th
Jayanti debuted a documentary at the Sheffield (UK) Film Festival commissioned by the BBC and entitled, The Secret Life of Uri Psychic Spy? Jayanti directed the Muhammad Ali documentary, When We Were Kings.
“Now there is the internet and the NSA's ability to monitor massive amounts of chatter around the world,” says Margolis. “40 years ago, however, intelligence agencies needed to explore way-out ways of monitoring the bad guys. The people I interviewed on-the-record for the book were adamant that Uri Geller wasn’t only able to gather secret information remotely and perform other espionage tasks, but was extremely good at it.”
Throughout his career, Uri Geller has courted controversy. He is known globally as an entertainer and friend of pop star, Michael Jackson, who was best man at the renewal of Geller’s wedding vows. He also made millions as a psychic adviser to the oil industry, but as a paranormalist was humiliated in a 1974 appearance on ‘The Tonight Show’ with Johnny Carson.
And yet there are photographs from 1987 of Geller together with Al Gore, Yuli M. Vorontsov, First Deputy Foreign Minister of the Soviet Union, and several other high ranking US officials at nuclear arms limitation talks between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. What was Geller doing in these pictures? Margolis brings proof that Geller was there at the invitation of the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations committee to influence Vorontsov‘s to sign the treaty.
There is also new testimony from a living senior former CIA official and others who worked for the Agency confirming that Geller was exhaustively laboratory tested on behalf of the CIA, and was used as an intelligence asset of the CIA and Defense Intelligence Agency – and that under President Carter’s presidency, using psychics in intelligence matters was known about and accepted at the White House.
Michael Mann, publisher at large for Watkins, “Uri is world-famous for mind reading and spoon bending but his work with the CIA and Mossad during the 60s and 70s as well as, it seems, in post 9/11 times, has until now remained secret. The Secret Life of Uri Geller tells the real story of his extraordinary life and his alleged continuing undercover work for the West’s major spy agencies.”
This authorized biography of Uri Geller tells his life story and explores recent claims about his clandestine work with the CIA and the Israeli intelligence agency, the Mossad, during and after the Cold War. Geller is best-known for his Vegas-style act where he bends spoons, describes hidden drawings, and performs other paranormal feats.
Technology journalist and former Time magazine correspondent, Jonathan Margolis, worked alongside Geller and Oscar-winning filmmaker Vikram Jayanti on the book, to be published October 15th
Jayanti debuted a documentary at the Sheffield (UK) Film Festival commissioned by the BBC and entitled, The Secret Life of Uri Psychic Spy? Jayanti directed the Muhammad Ali documentary, When We Were Kings.
“Now there is the internet and the NSA's ability to monitor massive amounts of chatter around the world,” says Margolis. “40 years ago, however, intelligence agencies needed to explore way-out ways of monitoring the bad guys. The people I interviewed on-the-record for the book were adamant that Uri Geller wasn’t only able to gather secret information remotely and perform other espionage tasks, but was extremely good at it.”
Throughout his career, Uri Geller has courted controversy. He is known globally as an entertainer and friend of pop star, Michael Jackson, who was best man at the renewal of Geller’s wedding vows. He also made millions as a psychic adviser to the oil industry, but as a paranormalist was humiliated in a 1974 appearance on ‘The Tonight Show’ with Johnny Carson.
And yet there are photographs from 1987 of Geller together with Al Gore, Yuli M. Vorontsov, First Deputy Foreign Minister of the Soviet Union, and several other high ranking US officials at nuclear arms limitation talks between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. What was Geller doing in these pictures? Margolis brings proof that Geller was there at the invitation of the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations committee to influence Vorontsov‘s to sign the treaty.
There is also new testimony from a living senior former CIA official and others who worked for the Agency confirming that Geller was exhaustively laboratory tested on behalf of the CIA, and was used as an intelligence asset of the CIA and Defense Intelligence Agency – and that under President Carter’s presidency, using psychics in intelligence matters was known about and accepted at the White House.
Michael Mann, publisher at large for Watkins, “Uri is world-famous for mind reading and spoon bending but his work with the CIA and Mossad during the 60s and 70s as well as, it seems, in post 9/11 times, has until now remained secret. The Secret Life of Uri Geller tells the real story of his extraordinary life and his alleged continuing undercover work for the West’s major spy agencies.”
- GenresBiographyNonfiction
272 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1998
10 people are currently reading
230 people want to read
About the author
Jonathan Margolis
22 books5 followersJonathan Margolis is a journalist for The Financial Times, The Guardian and The Sunday Times (UK). He has been a contributor to Time as well as several other online magazines. He has written several celebrity biographies including ones on John Cleese, Uri Geller and the orgasm.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
April 8, 2025
I am a bit (no, mightily) abashed to say that my reading of this book - and me as well - were both sucked right in by its glitz and glam. It’s all show, and has no new revelations that disprove Geller’s naysayers.
We readers, we dreamers are surrounded by gainsayers now, and they are the clear winners, this mob. The mob of our detractors is winning the Misinformation Wars! I don't mind.
They are woke, and their nonstop irony shuts us up. Every time. But I don't worry overmuch. I'm a Cartesian Christian. Cartesians believe the world is a duality, body and spirit forever separate.
If you think they’ve scuttled our bateaux ivres you’re right, but we had to wake up sooner or later.
***
I was on one such drunken boat in 1982, the year I grew up big time… that year I finally stopped believing in Mind Over Matter, as Mom did - and as Geller does.
My Mom was dying of cancer, but none of us (including her) knew that. I was searching for an escape from her awful coughing, which was a sign of it. I found one.
It was Abba’s late album, The Visitors. That disc, if you don’t know it, was not their typical ditziness.
It was dark, dark, dark.
The band played on their ironic androgynous image to no end.
Dumb me. I played it over and over. It had more scratches than one of Count Dracula’s femmes fatales inflicted on him, since I was still trying to wake up from the nightmare of losing Mom.
By then it was too late. That music had multiplied in my brain like a hypnogogic nuclear reaction… it had a half-life of its own - a magic mushroom cloud.
I reverted back to an affective schizoid pattern, putty in the devil’s claws.
I was committed to the psych ward a week before she was put into the cancer ward.
***
The scene changed. Though it was the same dull psych ward, the players kept changing. My drunken boat then degenerated to a Season in Hell.
It looped through my (by then automatically reflexive) imagination.
My sane, mourning mind told me my Mom was now close to the end.
It was right.
My escapist attempt was being medically trashed. No escape worked. I could no longer avoid tragedy.
My mind could no longer have the slightest influence over events.
***
By January 1983 I knew that my escapist dreams were about to expire. I was right.
For when we were told my Mom had passed, so did my manic grandiosity.
The death of hope was an overture to the temporary death of all my delusions:
Which lifted and scudded off like a black cloud, bringing me to the sunlight of healthy ordinariness again!
Kids, DON'T believe that your mind can overcome all adversity. Life's a Huge Struggle of Goodness and Evil. You'll need every tool in your toolbox to see it through to a happy ending -
Sain et sauf.
We readers, we dreamers are surrounded by gainsayers now, and they are the clear winners, this mob. The mob of our detractors is winning the Misinformation Wars! I don't mind.
They are woke, and their nonstop irony shuts us up. Every time. But I don't worry overmuch. I'm a Cartesian Christian. Cartesians believe the world is a duality, body and spirit forever separate.
If you think they’ve scuttled our bateaux ivres you’re right, but we had to wake up sooner or later.
***
I was on one such drunken boat in 1982, the year I grew up big time… that year I finally stopped believing in Mind Over Matter, as Mom did - and as Geller does.
My Mom was dying of cancer, but none of us (including her) knew that. I was searching for an escape from her awful coughing, which was a sign of it. I found one.
It was Abba’s late album, The Visitors. That disc, if you don’t know it, was not their typical ditziness.
It was dark, dark, dark.
The band played on their ironic androgynous image to no end.
Dumb me. I played it over and over. It had more scratches than one of Count Dracula’s femmes fatales inflicted on him, since I was still trying to wake up from the nightmare of losing Mom.
By then it was too late. That music had multiplied in my brain like a hypnogogic nuclear reaction… it had a half-life of its own - a magic mushroom cloud.
I reverted back to an affective schizoid pattern, putty in the devil’s claws.
I was committed to the psych ward a week before she was put into the cancer ward.
***
The scene changed. Though it was the same dull psych ward, the players kept changing. My drunken boat then degenerated to a Season in Hell.
It looped through my (by then automatically reflexive) imagination.
My sane, mourning mind told me my Mom was now close to the end.
It was right.
My escapist attempt was being medically trashed. No escape worked. I could no longer avoid tragedy.
My mind could no longer have the slightest influence over events.
***
By January 1983 I knew that my escapist dreams were about to expire. I was right.
For when we were told my Mom had passed, so did my manic grandiosity.
The death of hope was an overture to the temporary death of all my delusions:
Which lifted and scudded off like a black cloud, bringing me to the sunlight of healthy ordinariness again!
Kids, DON'T believe that your mind can overcome all adversity. Life's a Huge Struggle of Goodness and Evil. You'll need every tool in your toolbox to see it through to a happy ending -
Sain et sauf.
September 14, 2011
I met Uri Geller as part of a group of officers of the Australian Federal Government Department of the Media some time in the late 1970s. We met up with him in his North Sydney hotel where he was staying. For some reason he chose me to demonstrate one of his mind-reading/transference acts. I was to draw an object, then 'transfer' my thought to him; he would pick this up and then draw the image I was transmitting to him. My first attempt was a drawing of an apple, with a twig and two leaves at the top. I seem to remember that at first he seemed to want to draw a heart-shaped object (something I would have more or less accepted for an apple) but he decided that this was not the case: so I suggested that I would try again with a simpler image (a + sign), which I again tried to transmit to him. This time, he came up with the goods. I still have the note page somewhere in my papers on which he drew this + sign and signed it.
He then proceeded to perform the act for which he is most famous: bending metal. He asked one of the group to give him one of their keys (one that they would not mind losing the use of) and this (a Yale key) was provided by one of the ladies in our group. Geller got up with the key and moved from the Living room area into the Kitchen area, which was simply another section of the same room, but separated from it by a jutting counter, over which one could see into the kitchen, and above which were cabinets. Geller explained that he did this to maximise his power because there was more metal in the counter and cabinets. We all stood on one side of the counter, with Geller on the other. He moved his finger over the key, willing it to bend, declared it was bending, (although at that precise moment I did not notice anything) and handed it to one of the officers. As we watched, it seemed to me that not only was the key bent, but it was continuing to bend while it was in the hands of our group. We were all suitably astounded, and unable to explain what we had just witnessed. Geller said he could not explain it either, but told us that he felt that in some way, the combined thoughts of all present were somehow making the metal bend. It was, apparently, an example of the potential powers of the human mind. We left, bemused.
This seemed to be at a time when there was a lot of interest in these phenomena. The Cold War war also still on, and there had been books on Soviet persons who were also deemed to possess similar powers; the influence and power of the occult and the paranormal were strong. The years passed, and the interest in these topics died; soon there was little to be heard of anything from whatever source. Consequently I was pleased when I noticed this book in a local second-hand bookshop. It was published in 1999, so I thought It would be interesting to read up on Geller and try to find out what happened to him.
What a disappointment this book turned out to be! The author adopts a 'tell all' approach which promises to be objective and authoritative… but instead it reads more like an extended article like one would find in some populist magazine. Claims to unusual activity are made; some people affirm certain things, others remember slightly different things; some emphatically stated their belief; others doubted. When scientific studies are referred to, the fact that many times the results were neutral or negative is provided, but then this is juxtaposed with even more mysterious and amazing events were happening elsewhere in the laboratory, all attributed to the Geller 'influence', but this only serves to confuse the matter. This results in a sort of scatter-gun approach which proceeds more or less like this throughout the book. The author 'deals' with those who opposed as well as those who backed the Geller phenomenon, but the ultimate effect is more obscurantist rather than enlightening. One ends up not knowing anything much about anybody (including Geller) in the book.
For some reason the author wants to make us believe that Uri Geller is quite normal and fun-loving (more like a cheeky teenager who has never quite grown up), and a little bit 'naughty': his heterosexual pursuits are documented — in itself something neither here nor there, but I must admit that when the author writes (p 148) that "In Uri Geller, the Munich newspaper *Bild Zeitung*, the first in Germany to go big on him, found a fascinating story of the paranormal in a character of a tabloid editor's dreams: young, handsome, heterosexual, earnest, and even from a favoured country — Israel …" I was surprised that heterosexuality was one of the qualities desired by a tabloid editor… If Geller's normality was the objective, and to a certain extent the author succeeds in this, then his conclusion (p 282) that Geller might just simply be paranormal appears ridiculous to me.
The author also seems to be biased in his treatment of certain figures: despite later being classified as decidedly loopy, confirmed devotee Dr Andrija Puharich, who eventually believed that Geller was chosen and being used by Nine Supreme Alien beings from the planet Hoova to introduce humanity onto higher planes, is kindly treated. Not so Geller's nemesis James Randi, who comes across as a kind of rabid madman determined to destroy Geller… (it is only much later in the book when the author reveals that Geller was involved in lawsuits against Randi, that one might suspect something other than simple one-sided animosity was going on at the time…)
The so-called 'paranormal' is a fascinating area, and there is much that is mysterious and puzzling about it. Nothing, so far, has ever been presented or provided to give us any satisfactory explanation to reported paranormal activity: more often than not the opposite is the case; but still the 'unexplained' remain. But when the author states on p 281 "If it should turn out in the future that Uri Geller was, indeed, a Jesus figure, I should be a little surprised, but delighted. It will have meant, for one thing, that I have accidentally written the New Testament." my only response is 'No, Jonathan Margolis. No.'
For anyone actually interested in the paranormal, this book is a waste of time.
He then proceeded to perform the act for which he is most famous: bending metal. He asked one of the group to give him one of their keys (one that they would not mind losing the use of) and this (a Yale key) was provided by one of the ladies in our group. Geller got up with the key and moved from the Living room area into the Kitchen area, which was simply another section of the same room, but separated from it by a jutting counter, over which one could see into the kitchen, and above which were cabinets. Geller explained that he did this to maximise his power because there was more metal in the counter and cabinets. We all stood on one side of the counter, with Geller on the other. He moved his finger over the key, willing it to bend, declared it was bending, (although at that precise moment I did not notice anything) and handed it to one of the officers. As we watched, it seemed to me that not only was the key bent, but it was continuing to bend while it was in the hands of our group. We were all suitably astounded, and unable to explain what we had just witnessed. Geller said he could not explain it either, but told us that he felt that in some way, the combined thoughts of all present were somehow making the metal bend. It was, apparently, an example of the potential powers of the human mind. We left, bemused.
This seemed to be at a time when there was a lot of interest in these phenomena. The Cold War war also still on, and there had been books on Soviet persons who were also deemed to possess similar powers; the influence and power of the occult and the paranormal were strong. The years passed, and the interest in these topics died; soon there was little to be heard of anything from whatever source. Consequently I was pleased when I noticed this book in a local second-hand bookshop. It was published in 1999, so I thought It would be interesting to read up on Geller and try to find out what happened to him.
What a disappointment this book turned out to be! The author adopts a 'tell all' approach which promises to be objective and authoritative… but instead it reads more like an extended article like one would find in some populist magazine. Claims to unusual activity are made; some people affirm certain things, others remember slightly different things; some emphatically stated their belief; others doubted. When scientific studies are referred to, the fact that many times the results were neutral or negative is provided, but then this is juxtaposed with even more mysterious and amazing events were happening elsewhere in the laboratory, all attributed to the Geller 'influence', but this only serves to confuse the matter. This results in a sort of scatter-gun approach which proceeds more or less like this throughout the book. The author 'deals' with those who opposed as well as those who backed the Geller phenomenon, but the ultimate effect is more obscurantist rather than enlightening. One ends up not knowing anything much about anybody (including Geller) in the book.
For some reason the author wants to make us believe that Uri Geller is quite normal and fun-loving (more like a cheeky teenager who has never quite grown up), and a little bit 'naughty': his heterosexual pursuits are documented — in itself something neither here nor there, but I must admit that when the author writes (p 148) that "In Uri Geller, the Munich newspaper *Bild Zeitung*, the first in Germany to go big on him, found a fascinating story of the paranormal in a character of a tabloid editor's dreams: young, handsome, heterosexual, earnest, and even from a favoured country — Israel …" I was surprised that heterosexuality was one of the qualities desired by a tabloid editor… If Geller's normality was the objective, and to a certain extent the author succeeds in this, then his conclusion (p 282) that Geller might just simply be paranormal appears ridiculous to me.
The author also seems to be biased in his treatment of certain figures: despite later being classified as decidedly loopy, confirmed devotee Dr Andrija Puharich, who eventually believed that Geller was chosen and being used by Nine Supreme Alien beings from the planet Hoova to introduce humanity onto higher planes, is kindly treated. Not so Geller's nemesis James Randi, who comes across as a kind of rabid madman determined to destroy Geller… (it is only much later in the book when the author reveals that Geller was involved in lawsuits against Randi, that one might suspect something other than simple one-sided animosity was going on at the time…)
The so-called 'paranormal' is a fascinating area, and there is much that is mysterious and puzzling about it. Nothing, so far, has ever been presented or provided to give us any satisfactory explanation to reported paranormal activity: more often than not the opposite is the case; but still the 'unexplained' remain. But when the author states on p 281 "If it should turn out in the future that Uri Geller was, indeed, a Jesus figure, I should be a little surprised, but delighted. It will have meant, for one thing, that I have accidentally written the New Testament." my only response is 'No, Jonathan Margolis. No.'
For anyone actually interested in the paranormal, this book is a waste of time.
July 30, 2016
I received a copy in a Giveaway.
I had two main thoughts about this book. On the one hand is the interesting life of Uri Geller himself and on the other the writer's skill. The former was pretty much lost on me by the lack of the latter.
Page 57 before it even got out of a long list of experiments, page 128 or so before the one fascinating insight into his childhood is even mentioned? An introduction peppered with '(as we shall see later)' type brackets - I mean surely you stop doing that in A Level English essays?
The writer is obviously an excellent journalist but what is a good style for 2,000 words falls apart over 200 pages.
And in this mess we have to gauge what may be an evolutionary movement in the human brain. We are even told of 'others' like Uri. Now there's a story. What we do learn is that over all the things Uri did, he never felt he had any control.
Neither does the writer.
I had two main thoughts about this book. On the one hand is the interesting life of Uri Geller himself and on the other the writer's skill. The former was pretty much lost on me by the lack of the latter.
Page 57 before it even got out of a long list of experiments, page 128 or so before the one fascinating insight into his childhood is even mentioned? An introduction peppered with '(as we shall see later)' type brackets - I mean surely you stop doing that in A Level English essays?
The writer is obviously an excellent journalist but what is a good style for 2,000 words falls apart over 200 pages.
And in this mess we have to gauge what may be an evolutionary movement in the human brain. We are even told of 'others' like Uri. Now there's a story. What we do learn is that over all the things Uri did, he never felt he had any control.
Neither does the writer.
March 27, 2018
An Interesting Insight
I began to read this book as a person who admittedly has always doubted there was anything truly magical or mystical about Uri Geller. My reason for reading it was because of a friend that recommended it; someone who is very much in the other court as it were, who said he would be interested to hear my thoughts on it. Well, here they are!
It took me perhaps a fortnight or more to read this, because it was quite heavy at times but also incredibly interesting to me. I found that I would keep breaking from reading to search the internet for facts, to learn more about some of the incidents quoted and the fascinating people that are written about as well as Uri and all in all, it has been a bit of an education for me by all accounts. It was certainly an interesting insight into the man himself and contains some incredible stories of things people have witnessed him do. It also paints an altogether diffeerent picture of Uri Geller than the one I had in my head. So, I'm no ESP expert. That established, if you were to ask me after reading all of this, do I believe Uri has special powers, I am afraid I still would have to say it is something I would need to see in person to decide for myself. What I did get from the book was the image of a kind, generous and charitable man who has nothing but good intentions at his heart. There is no doubt that Uri Geller is a much underappreciated (these days) entertainer and a very clever man who has so much to give to us. He is a bright light, happy, and very motivational to listen to and read. And yes, he has a magical quality that I find myself wanting to believe is something of another world. Whether it is or not, we may one day know. With regards to other reviews I did not get a sense at all of this being any kind of a biaised account, I did feel a little creeped out during some sections - especially while reading late into the night as I often do and yes, the Kindle edition is, I'm afraid, littered with editing errors that were off-putting at times. Which was a shame, because all in all this was a fascinating and enjoyable read.
I began to read this book as a person who admittedly has always doubted there was anything truly magical or mystical about Uri Geller. My reason for reading it was because of a friend that recommended it; someone who is very much in the other court as it were, who said he would be interested to hear my thoughts on it. Well, here they are!
It took me perhaps a fortnight or more to read this, because it was quite heavy at times but also incredibly interesting to me. I found that I would keep breaking from reading to search the internet for facts, to learn more about some of the incidents quoted and the fascinating people that are written about as well as Uri and all in all, it has been a bit of an education for me by all accounts. It was certainly an interesting insight into the man himself and contains some incredible stories of things people have witnessed him do. It also paints an altogether diffeerent picture of Uri Geller than the one I had in my head. So, I'm no ESP expert. That established, if you were to ask me after reading all of this, do I believe Uri has special powers, I am afraid I still would have to say it is something I would need to see in person to decide for myself. What I did get from the book was the image of a kind, generous and charitable man who has nothing but good intentions at his heart. There is no doubt that Uri Geller is a much underappreciated (these days) entertainer and a very clever man who has so much to give to us. He is a bright light, happy, and very motivational to listen to and read. And yes, he has a magical quality that I find myself wanting to believe is something of another world. Whether it is or not, we may one day know. With regards to other reviews I did not get a sense at all of this being any kind of a biaised account, I did feel a little creeped out during some sections - especially while reading late into the night as I often do and yes, the Kindle edition is, I'm afraid, littered with editing errors that were off-putting at times. Which was a shame, because all in all this was a fascinating and enjoyable read.
February 9, 2014
Spent a wet Sunday afternoon reading this. It's fairly fascinating although these revelations were largely broadcast in the recent documentary about Uri Geller so nothing was a surprise. This is the second book Margolis has written about Geller but I haven't read the first. Personally, I often felt bogged down by information designed to reassure the reader that the account is true and I didn't much enjoy the writing style. The grammar was fairly random and oddly placed commas led to confusing sentences. If you haven't seen the documentary, this is an interesting read. If you have, it's less so.
January 1, 2021
I read this for balance, following Randi’s book.
If you are already skeptical about Geller’s powers, this book won’t change your mind. The author is firmly convinced of Uri’s paranormal powers and captivated by his charisma but he doesn’t shirk away from Geller’s negative aspects.
However, the book does give you pause for thought about Randi’s part in the Geller affair. Randi is depicted as becoming caught up in an increasingly personal vendetta. Obviously this book is intended to take the opposing view to that of Randi, but it’s hard not to see Randi’s feet of clay here.
The first third of the book describes Geller’s early years and although a sound character background, it is a bit of a chore to slog through.
Once we get on to Geller’s rise to fame we soon see how much of his public persona was shaped by the random eccentrics he attracted and carried along with him. The Hoova thing, for example, is portrayed as having come directly from the fantasies of one very oddball impresario.
It does make you wonder what our perception of Uri would be without all these characters.
But probably without them, we would never have heard of either Geller or Randi. We would never have had that little bit of uplifting wonder on our TV screens in the 1970s, and the skeptic movement would have been all the poorer without the larger-than-life character of Randi.
If you are already skeptical about Geller’s powers, this book won’t change your mind. The author is firmly convinced of Uri’s paranormal powers and captivated by his charisma but he doesn’t shirk away from Geller’s negative aspects.
However, the book does give you pause for thought about Randi’s part in the Geller affair. Randi is depicted as becoming caught up in an increasingly personal vendetta. Obviously this book is intended to take the opposing view to that of Randi, but it’s hard not to see Randi’s feet of clay here.
The first third of the book describes Geller’s early years and although a sound character background, it is a bit of a chore to slog through.
Once we get on to Geller’s rise to fame we soon see how much of his public persona was shaped by the random eccentrics he attracted and carried along with him. The Hoova thing, for example, is portrayed as having come directly from the fantasies of one very oddball impresario.
It does make you wonder what our perception of Uri would be without all these characters.
But probably without them, we would never have heard of either Geller or Randi. We would never have had that little bit of uplifting wonder on our TV screens in the 1970s, and the skeptic movement would have been all the poorer without the larger-than-life character of Randi.
May 23, 2020
Fascinating Read!
This is a balanced exploration of Uri Geller's life and career - full of adventure and controversy and carefully examined in both a scientific and journalistic sense, weighing all sides of the evidence fairly. The author's conclusion: Uri Geller is a genuine psychic phenomenon, and always has been. The world's highest military and intelligence agencies would agree.
This is a balanced exploration of Uri Geller's life and career - full of adventure and controversy and carefully examined in both a scientific and journalistic sense, weighing all sides of the evidence fairly. The author's conclusion: Uri Geller is a genuine psychic phenomenon, and always has been. The world's highest military and intelligence agencies would agree.
March 5, 2018
Interesting enough. I have always been interested in parapsychology and this book documents the scientific evidence on his powers.
However it could do with a better editor. The sentences are too long and then when you have to read them again to get any sense out of it, it is frustrating. One sentence was a whole paragraph long.
Nonetheless very worthwhile.
However it could do with a better editor. The sentences are too long and then when you have to read them again to get any sense out of it, it is frustrating. One sentence was a whole paragraph long.
Nonetheless very worthwhile.
September 21, 2020
I dropped a star only due to a lot of typos but this is an extraordinary story that served to change my opinion of Uri Geller. It certainly provides a convincing account of his gifts. A well researched, thought-provoking read.
October 3, 2017
I was pretty gripped by this. Made me question the notion that Geller is just a trickster.
April 28, 2020
It was so interesting for me and remind to read this book to my friends
April 3, 2021
Interesting guy.
May 29, 2023
Just felt very dry. I'm undecided either way, so this isn't the rating of a sceptic. A bit of a misleading title too
April 22, 2016
I picked this book up on sale because I thought 'Uri CIA? I'd like to see how this is explained'. I wish I hadn't. It's one of the most poorly-written books I've ever read.
The book is written in a nonsensical order and constantly references back and forth for no reason ('as previously seen', 'later in this book'). There is a massive overuse of commas and the word 'paradoxically'.
Here's an example from page 198:
'Was it a mistake for Geller to link up with Puharich?' pondered John Hasted, an atomic physicist, and retired Professor of Experimental Physics, at Birkbeck College, University of London, who, before his death in 2002, worked with Uri after he came to the UK in 1974. 'No, it wasn't,' he continued, at his home in Cornwall.
Yes, there are that many commas. And from the following page:
While the rest of the world was still struggling with trying to believe or not believe in Geller's powers, one could take the view that Puharich was managing to get Uri Geller to believe in a Uri Geller of his, Puharich's, most idealized imaginings: exit Svengali, enter Dr Frankenstein.
Like that example, many paragraphs had to be read multiple times to comprehend what the author was trying to say.
The author obviously did a lot of research and spoke to many people, but I can't really remember anything in it about Uri and the CIA because it was such a struggle to read.
I would not recommend this book.
The book is written in a nonsensical order and constantly references back and forth for no reason ('as previously seen', 'later in this book'). There is a massive overuse of commas and the word 'paradoxically'.
Here's an example from page 198:
'Was it a mistake for Geller to link up with Puharich?' pondered John Hasted, an atomic physicist, and retired Professor of Experimental Physics, at Birkbeck College, University of London, who, before his death in 2002, worked with Uri after he came to the UK in 1974. 'No, it wasn't,' he continued, at his home in Cornwall.
Yes, there are that many commas. And from the following page:
While the rest of the world was still struggling with trying to believe or not believe in Geller's powers, one could take the view that Puharich was managing to get Uri Geller to believe in a Uri Geller of his, Puharich's, most idealized imaginings: exit Svengali, enter Dr Frankenstein.
Like that example, many paragraphs had to be read multiple times to comprehend what the author was trying to say.
The author obviously did a lot of research and spoke to many people, but I can't really remember anything in it about Uri and the CIA because it was such a struggle to read.
I would not recommend this book.
March 30, 2014
I was fortunate to receive a copy of The Secret Life of Uri Geller.. from Goodreads - First Reads.
I was pleased to win what I hoped would be an interesting and informative read.
This was not to be the case! I felt 'bogged down' with the author's attempt to validate the Uri Geller phenomena and lost interest.
I'm sure that this book would be of interest to a number of people, alas I cannot count myself among this group.
I was pleased to win what I hoped would be an interesting and informative read.
This was not to be the case! I felt 'bogged down' with the author's attempt to validate the Uri Geller phenomena and lost interest.
I'm sure that this book would be of interest to a number of people, alas I cannot count myself among this group.
February 9, 2017
certainly an interesting life
another e book with a number of typos. I do find the lack of proofreading insulting. If I take the time to read a book, why can't it be proofed ? I start to wonder about the quality of the editing and fact checking. Anyway, we eventually find out that Geller does have some sort of power (I think) though no one seems to know what exactly what.
another e book with a number of typos. I do find the lack of proofreading insulting. If I take the time to read a book, why can't it be proofed ? I start to wonder about the quality of the editing and fact checking. Anyway, we eventually find out that Geller does have some sort of power (I think) though no one seems to know what exactly what.
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