Genre: Memoir
Description:
At age 27, the author bought a one-way ticket to India determined to
let intuition be his guide. If that sounds like the introduction to a
travelogue, you’d be right. But this book is indeed memoir, because the story
is less about Jason’s travels than it is about a spiritual journey he
undertakes as he strives to find meaning in his life.
Author:
Jason Kurtz is a psychoanalyst in private practice as well as the
Director of Training for the Training Institute for Mental Health. Follow the
Joy is his first book.
Appraisal:
I don’t read many memoirs. Perhaps I should, because I certainly
enjoyed this one.
I selected the story because I’ve always found Eastern religions—in
this instance, Buddhism and Hinduism—fascinating. They seem to embody the
concept of selfless love and a search for oneness with the infinite but without
the social, structural (and financial) trappings I associate with Christian
religions.
Jason’s trip started in a most inauspicious manner, and rapidly went
downhill from there. From the minute he landed, he was harassed by beggars and
hustled each time he attempted a financial transaction with the locals. His
failure to plan for or even anticipate what he was undertaking exposed him to a
raw edge of Indian society far removed from glossy tourist posters featuring
the Taj Mahal, or idealized Bollywood movie scenes.
Throughout, I admired his ability to look again, to challenge his
initial impression of each place, or each person he met. This patience often
enabled him to penetrate the superficial layers and gain a better understanding
of why a person behaved as they did, or why a cultural structure existed.
Jason started his journey in the hopeful belief that in India he would
find a purpose in his life. He was driven by a need to address certain
character weaknesses that he believed were holding him back from achieving
happiness.
Did he succeed?
Yes and no. Of course, everyone has their own route to happiness, but
through Jason’s experiences, I came away with a better understanding of what is
really involved in a search for inner-peace. His route would not be mine, but
I’m glad he shared his journey with me.
FYI:
Added for
Reprise Review: Follow The
Joy was a nominee in the Non-Fiction category for B&P 2015 Readers'
Choice Awards. Original review ran August 10, 2014
Format/Typo
Issues:
Too few to mention.
Rating:
***** Five Stars
Reviewed
by: Pete Barber
Approximate
word count: 75-80,000 words
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