View source for Angels in My Hair by Lorna Byrne

{{infobox1
|title= Angels in My Hair
|author= Lorna Byrne
|reviewer= Sharon Hall
|genre=Autobiography 
|summary= Growing up in Dublin in the 1950s, Lorna Byrne’s private world is populated with angels. The angels advise and support her in difficult times as she goes to school, starts work, marries and has children, and they play an increasingly important part in her life, helping her to become a healer. An enjoyable read if you believe in the angelic realm or are willing to entertain the idea.
|rating=3 
|buy= Maybe
|borrow= Yes
|pages=336 
|publisher= Century 
|date= May 2008
|isbn=978-1846051777 
|cover=0099551462
|aznuk=0099551462
|aznus=1846051770
}}

Growing up in a poor family in Dublin in the 1950s, Lorna Byrne seemed to be in a world of her own. When she was two years old, a doctor interpreted her behaviour, in the language of the time, as "retarded". However, as Lorna confides later, her world was full of light beings, later to be called angels. She communicated with them without language, but by thought. She was also aware of the spirits of people who had died, including her brother Christopher who had died as a baby, many years before.

Lorna had a difficult time as school, being considered slow to learn, but took comfort from angels which appeared to help her through the difficult times. She believes we all have a guardian angel, assigned to us before birth and remaining with us, to protect and teach us.

She speaks of her life, growing up in poverty and being made homeless after the family home and workshop collapsed. The family move to live with a cousin in another part of Dublin, and Lorna continues to see and communicate with angels and learns to call upon their help for herself, her family and others, in times of need. The angels give Lorna visions, including of the man she will marry, but with the warning that he will become ill and die at a comparatively young age.

Lorna starts her working life in a garage, with her father, and then moves to a department store. The angels in her life play a particularly important part during the difficult times when Dublin was bombed in the 1970s. She meets Joe, whom she has already seen in a vision, and plans to marry him. She tells him about the visions she has and he confides later that he believed that the angels came between Lorna and himself. Lorna also states, somewhat sadly, that the angels never allowed her to make close friends outside of the family, as it was necessary for her to remain solitary. 

Eventually, Lorna acknowledges that she is a healer, with the help of the angels, and people find their way to her for comfort and support. Alas, there comes a point when she can no longer help Joe, who becomes increasingly frail and dies, as she has been warned. 

Whether or not you enjoy the book depends very largely where you are on the spiritual and religious spectrum. I am sure that many readers would take comfort from the idea of angels who protect and advise, and would be interested to read about someone who has regular encounters with this world. The book has a lot of detail about Lorna's early life, holidays in the country, a new rented house, and the struggles of finding work and bringing up a large family, but as it is interwoven with her encounters and conversations with angels, the book would not appeal to someone looking for pure autobiography.

If you liked this book, [[Mixed Blessings: My Psychic Life by Diane Lazarus]] would also appeal.

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[[Category:Spirituality and Religion]]