When the Buddha Met Bubba [Paperback]

Richard Hartwell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2009

When the Buddha Met Bubba is the heart-warming story of Billy Bob (Bubba) Coker, a redneck who reached rock bottom, until a freak head injury results in the appearance of his own personal Buddha. From that moment forward, Bubba is led on a humorous journey of introspection through the backwoods of the deep South and through his own flawed preconceptions and relationships. Recipient of the 2010 National Indie Excellence Award for best book in the New Age Fiction Category.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Hartwell, aka John Lee (The Flying Boy: Healing the Wounded Man), has penned an odd yet humorous novella set in Alabama about a redneck slacker who is mysteriously visited by Pu Tai, a pajama-wearing fat man nicknamed Pooh who just may be the Buddha. Pooh's been sent to Earth to rehabilitate Bubba because [h]e's more concerned with things than with people. His mind is closed.... He worries about what he's going to get and not what he can give. With little education and exposure to outside cultures, Bubba doesn't quite understand what Pooh is philosophizing about or why he puts his forefinger to his thumb and closes his eyes for long periods of times. Bubba has never heard of meditation, but surmises it is analogous to fishing. With his persistent modal Trust me, Pooh easily convinces Bubba to go on a journey to a nearby town with a few strange stops along the way. Telling the story from Bubba's point of view, with his ungrammatical English and Southern speak, establishes a solid sense of character and place, and funny anecdotes woven throughout add charm. (Sept.)
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Review

Hartwell, aka John Lee (The Flying Boy: Healing the Wounded Man), has penned an odd yet humorous novella set in Alabama about a redneck slacker who is mysteriously visited by Pu Tai, a pajama-wearing fat man nicknamed Pooh who just may be the Buddha. Pooh's been sent to Earth to rehabilitate Bubba because [h]e's more concerned with things than with people. His mind is closed.... He worries about what he's going to get and not what he can give. With little education and exposure to outside cultures, Bubba doesn't quite understand what Pooh is philosophizing about or why he puts his forefinger to his thumb and closes his eyes for long periods of times. Bubba has never heard of meditation, but surmises it is analogous to fishing. With his persistent modal Trust me, Pooh easily convinces Bubba to go on a journey to a nearby town with a few strange stops along the way. Telling the story from Bubba's point of view, with his ungrammatical English and Southern speak, establishes a solid sense of character and place, and funny anecdotes woven throughout add charm. Publishers Weekly

“When the Buddha Met Bubba" is not fiction in the conventional sense, although this genre goes way back. Think of John Bunyan's "The Pilgrim's Progress," 1678, in which the Pilgrim Christian has to get through the Slough of Despond and resist the temptations of the Vanity Fair in order to get, finally, to The Celestial City. Or, even further back, think of the fables of Aesop created in Greece in the 6th century B.C., in which the speedy hare may set the pace, but slow and steady wins the race. "When the Buddha Met Bubba" is then a kind of allegory or fable, with lessons to be learned and a whole lot of amusing sugar to help the medicine go down. Alabama Public Radio

Buddha takes Bubba on a surprising trip filled with grace and redemption. And couldn't all of us use a little of both every now and then? Sam Cooke

Dixie Hartwell is the only fellow I know who can get away with a line like, ‘I opened my eyes to see if I was dead.’  Bubba is a grubbier-than-all-getout south Alabama Everyman; the mystic Pooh is his enlightened counterpart. I loved meeting them both, and witnessing the discovery of the common ground in which they exist. I will not soon forget the colorful crowd who populate this novel, nor the timeless truths their story embodies. I LOVED the book. Couldn’t stop until I’d read it all. Ceci Miller, Seattle, WA

Just finished reading When the Buddha Met Bubba. As I stacked up the last thirty or so pages with the ones I'd printed and left on the desk earlier I couldn't help but feel as if part of it belonged to me now. This book was a joy for me. Now that you have given to it to me I will never be without it again. I have enjoyed every one of John Lee’s books, but not like this one. I read the others and I learned from them. I took this one in. It's almost like I watched it instead of read it. The pictures were real. The themes are close and the lessons are important. The imagery is fantastic…I'll send a copy to each of my boys. God help them they grew up with me before I'd had a chance to meet Pooh or John Lee. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart for sharing Bubba and Pooh with me and the rest of those who struggle to free themselves from the bondage of their upbringing. You have written a beautiful story and a book that will always live in my mind as an event. It is as much a part of my experience as anything I've ever read. Terry Allen

When the Buddha Met Bubba was extremely entertaining and I can say I saw myself in several places. Richard “Dixie” Hartwell has a way with words which strike straight to the heart of things. I believe we can all take something from the ideas expressed. Maybe the one that its never too late to accept a new path is one that particularly calls to me. Jerry Wilson, Oakley, CA

When the Buddha Met Bubba was a hard read for me because it squeezed my mind and heart. Bubba expressed thoughts that were difficult to look at. But this good old boy gave me a new sense of in the moment, everyone and everything are just as they should be. Bubba showed me that in perceived chaos there usually lies a blessing. Gail Quigg, Long Island, NY

Great piece. I'm Caught! Tim Schaller, Asheville, NC 

...Seriously this is great! Inspired. I read it all and enjoyed it...Makes me think of home...Reading this, I had very clear pictures of the whole scene. Maybe this could be a movie...Hope to read more. Joseph Howard, Asheville, NC

Downloaded your book a couple of weeks ago - copied it to hard copy - started reading it week before last - got into a few chapters and then started reading it to my wife, Lil. For several evenings I read to her - the first time in our ten years together, that she would sit still for me reading to her. We had been there in Mentone in April - she had visited Mentone with me twice before as we were driving through - it was a great story - we both appreciated the story and the setting close to Mentone that we had become acquainted with. I think it is a great novel!! Thank you for making it available to us. Ed Phillips, Madison, WI 

I just read When The Buddha Met Bubba. It is so John Lee!! Well, speaking from the “female species” viewpoint, your book reminds me of the wagon wheel, many spokes all meeting in the middle and helping something much, much bigger proceed. It is different from what I have read by John but it is also very much speaking through him. I liked the book. Nancy Munsey, Virginia

I have read the first 6 chapters of your book and I am hooked.  What great read.  There are spices of myth, poetry, al-anon, AA, and plenty of red-neck - what combo. Ethan Davis, Durham, NC

Product Details

• Paperback: 166 pages
• Publisher: Turner (September 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1596525274
• ISBN-13: 978-1596525276
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #703,301 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

For most of my career I've been writing self-help and psychology books (17 published), but my new love is fiction writing. Richard "Dixie" Hartwell is my pen name for fiction. I write non-fiction under my real name, John Lee.

I have two books coming out in fall 2009: When the Buddha Met Bubba (a fantasy novel under my pen name, Richard "Dixie" Hartwell) and The Anger Solution (non-fiction).


In addition to writing I'm also a public speaker, teacher, consultant and life coach. My areas of expertise are recovery, relationships, men's issues, spirituality and creativity.


I've been fortunate enough to have been featured on Oprah 3 times and have also appeared on 20/20, The View, CNN, PBS, and NPR.


As a consultant and trainer I've worked with The Betty Ford Clinic, Guy's Hospital (London, England), The New York Open Center, South Pacific Hospital (Sydney, Australia), Mountain Area Health and Education Center (North Carolina), and numerous others.


Before becoming a writer I was a professor at the University of Texas and Alabama. I live in Alabama with my wife, Susan, and an ever-growing group of animals.


If you want more info, please visit my site at johnleebooks.com or whenthebuddhametbubba.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Transplanted Yankee Gives Book Five Stars, September 18, 2009

By 

Mark R. Hall - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: When the Buddha Met Bubba (Paperback)

I give "When the Bubba Met Budda" five stars, because I couldn't put it down. It kept me up at nights. I passed the book around to friends, and they all felt the same way. Buy this book if you want a humorous take on redemption, yours or anyone else's. This is a great read.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 'Trust Me." Brillaintly used...what a Hook!, October 20, 2009

By 

Tristan A. Vetter "Composer" (Connecticut) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: When the Buddha Met Bubba (Paperback)

What beautiful words come to tell this wonderful and moving story of the Buddha & Bubba. I laughed almost as much as I cried, and there was plenty on both accounts.

These characters are superbly steeped in the reality and richness and trials of what it means to be human. You won't find frivolous prose here. It can be both disturbingly and deliciously direct, however, the fruits that are offered are those of enlightnment and compassion, and Richard keeps wetting our appetite.

I sense this book is on a mission. May it continue to find itself in the hands and hearts of those it seeks to speak to. There is a little Bubba and a little Buddha in all of us.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a Lot of Heart, October 16, 2009

By 

Jeffrey M - See all my reviews

This review is from: When the Buddha Met Bubba (Paperback)

I was lucky enough to stumble across this book, and I really loved it. I was really touched by its humor and heart and its belief in the potential for redemption and personal growth that we all have. None of us are perfect, but we can all be better than we are!

Highly recommended.