Amazon.com Review
New Yorkers occasionally suffer from a unique and unlikely loneliness, despite the frenzy of cultural activity that surrounds them. Call it "center-of-the-world ennui." Attempting to combat his own bout of the Gotham blues, author Oliver Broudy is looking for an escape when a routine journalism gig lands him the project of his life: namely, one James Otis, idea man, collector of Gandhi-related memorabilia, and wealthy devotee of the great Mahatma. So begins a truly great adventure that drags Broudy halfway around the world and through a whiplashing gauntlet of emotional crests and troughs, forcing him to play friend, protector, fixer, PR agent, and a host of other duties on Otis's behalf. Luckily for readers, Broudy maintains an intelligent open-mindedness--if not throughout, at least in the recall--in the face of lies, danger, and significant self-discovery. (He also assembles as rich a working definition of sainthood as any I've comes across outside of canonical hagiography.) The Saint succeeds on all levels: as profile, as travelogue, as a tale of true adventure. Highly, highly recommended. --Jason Kirk
Product Description
“This is going to be an adventure,” James says presciently. “I have a feeling both of us are going to be very different after this.” And so it proves, as one jaded New Yorker is swept by a spiritually radiant revolutionary on a journey of transformation, from the narcissistic bubble of New York City to the sweeping vistas of the Dhauladhar mountains in northern India. Along the way the mismatched duo cross paths with rogue Chinese agents, the incensed descendents of Mahatma Gandhi, and ultimately the Dalai Lama himself. A gripping blend of action, intelligence, and insight.
"This small, extraordinary book has more to say about life, disappointment, New York, Tibet, India, the holy, and the profane, than most other books could say in ten times as many pages. Oliver Broudy's astounding, funny, harrowing, and finally quite sad experience with a millionaire philanthropist and arch eccentric--a man as saintly as he is demonic--is conveyed in prose as startling as cold water. This is a book I deeply envy, a book I will read again--probably immediately."
—Tom Bissell, author of Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter
"With the intrepidity of a classic explorer, Broudy journeys to the border between India and Tibet to demarcate the fine line between saintliness and selfishness. 'The Saint' abounds with intelligence and insight, mapping a uniquely memorable route on the never ending quest for personal fulfillment."
—Myla Goldberg, author of Bee Season
"This small, extraordinary book has more to say about life, disappointment, New York, Tibet, India, the holy, and the profane, than most other books could say in ten times as many pages. Oliver Broudy's astounding, funny, harrowing, and finally quite sad experience with a millionaire philanthropist and arch eccentric--a man as saintly as he is demonic--is conveyed in prose as startling as cold water. This is a book I deeply envy, a book I will read again--probably immediately."
—Tom Bissell, author of Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter
"With the intrepidity of a classic explorer, Broudy journeys to the border between India and Tibet to demarcate the fine line between saintliness and selfishness. 'The Saint' abounds with intelligence and insight, mapping a uniquely memorable route on the never ending quest for personal fulfillment."
—Myla Goldberg, author of Bee Season
