When the Buddha Met Bubba (Paperback)

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