I met Hilton Obenzinger at a Stanford University Special gathering for authors in April of 2009. I had read Busy Dying as part of the research for my own book. His book has chapters and portions that are about the student riots during the Vietnam War. And, interesting enough, we look at the war and our past lives, in a somewhat similar, yet different ways.
I found Hilton to be extremely interesting, brilliant, creative, imaginative, superbly communicative, and extremely well informed. I also noticed that the same refreshing sense of humor present in whatever he said, was everywhere in his book.
By the way the picture on the cover of book is a picture of him. Of course, he does look somewhat different these days.
What captured my imagination about this book was that he had done the same thing that I and many other people do. We keep trying to relive past as if we can somehow change history.
In his attempts to try to relive the past, or change it somehow, just like all of us do, he finds that what happens today in prestigious Stanford University somehow is in some way similar to what happened in day that he as a student leader occupied President's office at Columbia University as an act of protest. He finds that sunny California is somehow similar to that New York City, and that what remains constant is change itself. In fact, it is true that Palo Alto, CA does look exactly like New York City in terms of cultural richness and liveliness.
But, then, this book like any other superbly written book captures imagination, attention, and thought. It might read like a story, a novel, but it is history coming alive between Columbia day and Stanford days. It is like time machine, yet it has humor and is exciting to read.
If you want to indulge in yet one more attempt to change, redefine, recreate, relive, or even remember the past, get this book and re-start your time machine imagination engine. You will enjoy it!
Notice, I have not told you where the title of Busy Dying came from. I guess, for that you might need to read the book yourself.
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