The author presents a coming-of-age story of the influence of celebrated mystic Paul Brunton on his family, describing how, at Brunton's bidding, his family moved to Montevideo and he left home to study Sanskrit at Harvard
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
As a child growing up in the Hollywood Hills during the 1950s, Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson thought it was perfectly normal that a guru named Paul Brunton lived with his family and dictated everything about their daily rituals, from their diet to their travel plans to his parents? sex life. But in this extraordinary memoir, Masson reflects on just how bizarre everything about his childhood was?especially the relationship between his father and the elusive, eminent mystic he revered (and supported) for years.
Writing with candor and charm, Masson describes how his father became convinced that Paul Brunton?P.B. to his familiars?was a living God who would fill his life with enlightenment and wonder. As the Masson family?s personal guru, Brunton freely discussed his life on other planets, laid down strict rules on fasting and meditation, and warned them all of the imminence of World War III. For years, young Jeffrey was as ardent a disciple as his father?but with the onset of adolescence, he staged a dramatic revolt against this domestic deity and everything he stood for.
Filled with absurdist humor and intimate confessions, My Father?s Guru is the spellbinding coming-of-age story of one of our most brilliant writers.
Praise for MY FATHER’S GURU
“An uncompromising yet compassionate book . . . A coming-of-age memoir unlike any other.”
–The Toronto Star
“AN EXTRAORDINARY CAUTIONARY TALE .... about the enduring human impulse to imbue charismatic individuals with superhuman attributes.”
–San Francisco Chronicle
“Told with a mixture of humor and compassion. . . . Throughout this confessional book a grown man tells of an unusual, even weird childhood and the blind submission that consumed his family’s life.”
–ROBERT COLES
The New York Times Book Review
“My Father’s Guru is an interesting account of a warped upbringing made fascinating by the insight it provides into Masson’s adult life. He makes no excuses: in initially revering Freud and other authority figures, Masson realizes he was seeking new and better gurus that Brunton–and was fated to reject them pitilessly when they showed themselves, like Brunton, to be merely human.”
–Los Angeles Times Book Review
“Beneath the guru-bashing, the book is Masson’s poignant and loving indictment of his parents, worth reading for his psychological portrait of coming-of-age disillusionment.”
–Seattle Weekly
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Shipping:
US$ 6.66
From United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Seller: AwesomeBooks, Wallingford, United Kingdom
Paperback. Condition: Very Good. My Father's Guru: A Journey Through Spirituality and Disillusion This book is in very good condition and will be shipped within 24 hours of ordering. The cover may have some limited signs of wear but the pages are clean, intact and the spine remains undamaged. This book has clearly been well maintained and looked after thus far. Money back guarantee if you are not satisfied. See all our books here, order more than 1 book and get discounted shipping. Seller Inventory # 7719-9780006381068
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: WorldofBooks, Goring-By-Sea, WS, United Kingdom
Paperback. Condition: Very Good. Promised untold wisdom and power, acclaimed the chosen heir to a spiritual kingdom, Jeffrey Masson was guided down a path of self-denial and mysticism from the age of five by a man claiming extraordinary powers of space travel, telepathy and levitation. To someone from the outside world his teacher was a charlatan; to the young Masson he was his family's closest friend, a man who knew all things, his father's guru. Affectionate and funny, but ultimately tragic, this book is a journey through youth and innocence into a critical understanding of the roots of power and powerlessness. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged. Seller Inventory # GOR001884536
Quantity: 3 available
Seller: WeBuyBooks 2, Rossendale, LANCS, United Kingdom
Condition: VeryGood. Most items will be dispatched the same or the next working day. A copy that has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged. Seller Inventory # wbs4513251545
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Bahamut Media, Reading, United Kingdom
Paperback. Condition: Very Good. This book is in very good condition and will be shipped within 24 hours of ordering. The cover may have some limited signs of wear but the pages are clean, intact and the spine remains undamaged. This book has clearly been well maintained and looked after thus far. Money back guarantee if you are not satisfied. See all our books here, order more than 1 book and get discounted shipping. Seller Inventory # 6545-9780006381068
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Greener Books, London, United Kingdom
Paperback. Condition: Used; Very Good. **SHIPPED FROM UK** We believe you will be completely satisfied with our quick and reliable service. All orders are dispatched as swiftly as possible! Buy with confidence! Greener Books. Seller Inventory # 4636219
Quantity: 2 available