Rebirth

December 1, 2016

Walking the Camino de Santiago, the ancient pilgrimage route from France to Santiago de Compostela, Spain, Amit feels lost. He's not sure how long he'll spend hiking, why he's really there, or what he'll do back in the States. His relationships are in disarray, too; his girlfriend may have moved on and his estranged alcoholic father has just died. Lonely and sad, Amit finds that many on the trail are in similar situations, but they prop one another up and share solace, wisdom, and lots of wine, with the camaraderie and kindness creating a new Amit by the end of the tale. While the writing is sometimes pedestrian and a main character who is English speaks in a way that is rarely heard outside of Buckingham Palace, Ravikant offers the odd shard of wisdom that will stay with readers. VERDICT Not an essential purchase, but nonfiction author Ravikant's (Love Yourself Like Your Life Depends on It; Live Your Truth) story of spiritual seeking while hiking will resonate with those who enjoyed Cheryl Strayed's Wild. Readers who are after a glimpse of the Camino--the details seem plucked from the ancient route--should also try David Downie's Paris to the Pyrenees.--Henrietta Verma, National Information Standards Organization, Baltimore

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2017
Best-selling self-help writer Ravikant (Love Yourself Like Your Life Depends on It, 2012) offers a thoughtful novel about a young man, Amit, whose estranged father has died a terrible death from cancer. This affects Amit profoundly, causing him to question the choices he has made in his own life and the meaning of any of it. After traveling to India to fulfill his father's dying wish of having his ashes scattered in the Ganges and rather ironically failing to find enlightenment in a place where so many others have, Amit decides on a whim to make a pilgrimage on the legendary Camino de Santiago Compostela. Along the way in Spain, his fellow pilgrimswine-guzzling, charismatic Frenchman Loic, sage Englishwoman Kat, and soulful Roseangela from Brazilhelp him work through his inner demons while battling their own. Amit's hardships are purely spiritual, his Spanish hosts are kind and wise, and his hike is genuinely life changing. With this charming tale, Ravikant, who has made this same pilgrimage, adds a welcome contribution to the rich tradition of enlightenment stories.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)