Are We Not There Yet?: Travels in Nepal, North India, and Bhutan [Paperback]

Chuck Rosenthal (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2009

Literary Nonfiction. Travel Writing. South Asia Studies. "Irreverent is a good word to describe this chronicle of a four-month sojourn in North India and the Himalayas undertaken by a group of California college students, teacher and novelist Rosenthal, his poet wife, and their daughter. But it merely hints at the many dimensions of Rosenthal's roguish and frank travelogue, what with its thorny detail, skepticism, and chutzpah; complex philosophical, political, and spiritual conundrums; acid humor, mystical chaos, and cosmic surrealism. It helps that Rosenthal, hailed everywhere they go as 'Cowboy' thanks to his feathered hat, has been immersed in Buddhism for several decades, enabling him to extract lessons in the nature of illusion from every ludicrous, alarming, or gratifying episode within the cacophony and crush of Kolkata, the breathtaking beauty of Bhutan, the impossibilities of Sikkum, and the labyrinthine surprises of Kathmandu. Rosenthal vividly recounts time-warping complications, extreme discomfort and illness, suffocating train rides, terrifying maneuvers on crumbling mountain roads, the ferment of immense markets, bloody border conflicts, terrorism, spontaneous friendship, and glorious vistas. As he shares his affecting adventures swimming in the Ganges and visiting temples, monasteries, and a zoo without animals, Rosenthal contemplates epic suffering and transcendent beauty in a wry and transporting tale of both earthly and metaphysical journeys"--Donna Seaman, Booklist.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Irreverent is a good word to describe this chronicle of a four-month sojourn in North India and the Himalayas undertaken by a group of California college students, teacher and novelist Rosenthal, his poet wife, and their daughter. But it merely hints at the many dimensions of Rosenthal's roguish and frank travelogue, what with its thorny detail, skepticism, and chutzpah; complex philosophical, political, and spiritual conundrums; acid humor, mystical chaos, and cosmic surrealism. It helps that Rosenthal, hailed everywhere they go as "Cowboy" thanks to his feathered hat, has been immersed in Buddhism for several decades, enabling him to extract lessons in the nature of illusion from every ludicrous, alarming, or gratifying episode within the cacophony and crush of Kolkata, the breathtaking beauty of Bhutan, the impossibilities of Sikkum, and the labyrinthine surprises of Kathmandu. Rosenthal vividly recounts time-warping complications, extreme discomfort and illness, suffocating train rides, terrifying maneuvers on crumbling mountain roads, the ferment of immense markets, bloody border conflicts, terrorism, spontaneous friendship, and glorious vistas. As he shares his affecting adventures swimming in the Ganges and visiting temples, monasteries, and a zoo without animals, Rosenthal contemplates epic suffering and transcendent beauty in a wry and transporting tale of both earthly and metaphysical journeys. -- Donna Seaman --Booklist, September 15, 2009

From the Back Cover

Rosenthal takes aim and always hits. --New York Times Book Review

Rosenthal begs to be read aloud. --Los Angeles Times

Rosenthal's work is achingly and brutally beautiful. --Buzz

Roughly philosophical and memorable. --Publishers Weekly

Smartly rich, observant and vital. --William Gass

Chuck Rosenthal is bold and brawny, deft and original. --Boston Globe

One of the great American baroque voices. To read him once is to become an enthusiast. --Tom Keneally

Chuck Rosenthal writes courageously, lyrically, about everything in the world that matters most. --Pam Houston

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Product Details

• Paperback: 182 pages
• Publisher: What Books Press (October 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0982354207
• ISBN-13: 978-0982354209
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #902,138 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #33 in Books > Travel > Asia > Bhutan
  • #98 in Books > Travel > Asia > Tibet

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious!!!, November 4, 2009

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Yolanda S. "poeta" (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Are We Not There Yet?: Travels in Nepal, North India, and Bhutan (Paperback)

This book is funny and smart and moving and informative. The author describes his travels around the Himalayas with great good humor, a large heart, and a profound understanding of Indian religions and cultures. If you have been to India, read it! If you're planning to go, you must read it! If you're interested in the India that travel books most often don't describe, read it!