One of my favorite authors, E.L. Doctorow, once said, “There is no longer any such thing as fiction or nonfiction; there’s only narrative.” Whether one accepts the ancient Sanskrit histories such as the Battle of Kurukshetra (where the famed Bhagavad Gita was spoken) as metaphor or factual history (as followers of the Bhakti culture do), there is no denying the power of the Gita’s narrative. My favorite books, both fiction and non-fiction, evoke aromas, shapes, flavors, and colors. Good writing engages not just our eyes but all our senses, and challenges our assumptions about what is possible. My own books are about people who wanted to do the impossible. They usually succeeded, but rarely did success look anything like what they expected.
Recommended Reading
Anyone interested in starting a Bhakti book club? For adults, here are a few choices to stimulate discussion. For children, here are books that bring to life stories from long ago and far away.
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Editorials
Armed conflict, elections, climate change, rights of underrepresented communities, poverty, healthcare, death and taxes—the issues that concern us are not divorced from yoga and contemplative practices.
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