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An Obese White Gentleman in No Apparent Distress Paperback – January 20, 2009

by Riki Moss (Author), Terry Dobson (Author)

13 customer reviews

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Based on the life of unconventional aikido master Terry Dobson, this novel by his partner Riki Moss is the story of two souls meeting at a mutually calamitous turning point in their lives. Fatherless and pushed by his tyrannical mother to the edge of violence, Dobson turns to aikido to save his life. Twenty-five years later, he returns to the wreckage of his ancestral summer home on Lake Champlain feeling too tainted to train, too blocked to write, and too dispirited to deal with his declining health. He seriously considers disappearing into the icy waters, but instead drives through an ice storm and hits a cow in a cornfield where an artist is chasing her dog . . .

Told through two interwoven timelines—one following his life through Park Avenue and the Bowery, Vermont, Japan, and California; the other tracking his relationship with the artist—this profoundly entertaining novel features a memorable assortment of seekers and gurus (real and fictional), spiritual dogs, performance artists, psychic plumbers, New Age healers, suicidal parents, old lovers; Ronald Reagan, Robert Bly, Leonard Cohen, Ram Dass; and the land itself, as compelling as any character.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"I never stopped being astonished at Terry Dobson's passion, his happy ruthlessness, and his compassionate joy. Anything he asked me to do, I did, and I would have been glad to give him my car and my horse if he had asked."
—Robert Bly, author of Iron John: A Book About Men

"Riki Moss debuts with a wonderfully original comic novel about art both fine and martial, about self-betrayal and redemption through love, beautifully written and full of memorable characters. Her louche, bohemian Vermont is captured in full color, like Anne Tyler's Baltimore and Richard Russo's upstate New York."
—Michael Gruber, New York Times bestselling author of The Forgery of Venus
and The Book of Air and Shadows

"Our fantasy of a martial artist is usually of an exotic warrior: impeccably controlled, shifting between poles of cryptic wisdom and profound silence. Riki Moss gives us an only slightly fictionalized account of a real martial artist—a giant Falstaff of a man, his flaws as enormous as his gifts. Aikido is a martial art that purports to reconcile others, to establish peace. How much more illuminating to read of a man who, rather than one of those blow-dried fighting sages, actually needed the teaching himself."
—Ellis Amdur, author of Dueling with O-sensei

"Read the stories of two 'warriors'—an extraordinary and charismatic man and the feisty woman who loves him—open-hearted characters who meet toward the end of his life and live these years together passionately and as richly as possible. Powerful, earthy, funny and spiritual."
—Jane Pincus, co-author of Our Bodies, Ourselves

About the Author

Riki Moss is an accomplished artist who studied at the University of Chicago and the San Francisco Art Institute; never a formal student of aikido, she nevertheless learned the heart of the discipline through her seven-year relationship with the legendary Terry Dobson.

Dobson (1937-1992) was a pioneering American aikido teacher and writer and one of the few Western practitioners who studied directly under the founder of aikido, Morihei Ueshiba (1883-1969). This memoir draws upon Dobson's extensive body of tape recordings and unpublished writings. He is the author of Aikido in Everyday Life and It's a Lot Like Dancing, published by North Atlantic/Blue Snake Books.

Product details

Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: Blue Snake Books (January 20, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 158394270X
ISBN-13: 978-1583942703
Product Dimensions: 6 x 1 x 9 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
Average Customer Review: 13 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,987,328 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #817 in Sports Journalism
- #3775 in Sports Fiction (Books)
- #4981 in Biographical Fiction (Books)

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Scott Masterton

"Dreamus interruptus...Perfect!"

March 9, 2009

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

"An Obese White Gentleman in No Apparent Distress" is the fictionalized version of Aikido Sensei Terry Dobsons life. It is a life that can only be described as paradoxical; filled with mirth, madnes and of course boundless love. Max (Dobson's fictional doppelganger) proudly wears his flaws like ketchup stains on his heavy white Gi; he drinks too much, takes too many drugs, eats to much red meat, while at the same time teaches conflict resolution via the Aikido principles of love and blending. He poo-poos tradition while at the same time shows a deep reverence for all things historical from both the East and the West. "What saved me was what saves all Martial men: martial men are filled with love". Dobson's undying love for Lena (Moss' doppelganger) drips from these pages.

Dobson's life partner Riki Moss writes with a simple and yet profound style that instantly pulls the reader into the story; her spiritual insights into the life of her man and her own life are inspiring. There is what can only be described as a brutal honesty to this book as Moss shows no compunctions about exposing this man and herself as flawed and so very human. Most of us spend our lives switching masks, only rarely allowing our real image to be revealed and even then only for brief glances before we snap them back into place. Rarely do we take them off and let the world look upon our naked souls. Riki Moss does that in this book with unabashed courage. Bravo.

There are lots of books that are entertaining, but only a few that have the power to turn our perceptions inward; few that encourage us to look at ourselves, warts and all. This is one of those books. A definite must read for anyone not afraid to look at their own diabolical nature to fully see the light that shines within. This is a great book that has the potential to shift the way you see the world.Pick this one up...you won't regret it.

18 people found this helpful

Comment

He is Heavy.....

June 25, 2009

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

The book is very full, and gets very heavy twds the end. It it is very emotionally charged, and somehow succeeded at completely entangling me into that emotional context, which is basically that of Terry Dobson's diverse dualism, through which emerged his unshakable love for his woman (who i think is the author) and with it for the whole world - with or without it. It is interesting to note, how an aikido master (or not), reckless and inobstinate in his mundane life, gets almost automatically purified and tuned up at the hour of his death approaching, which is a story in and of itself. Overall, i give it a firm 5.

One person found this helpful

Comment

Terry rides again

April 8, 2010

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Terry Dobson was one of the great Aikido teachers of the end of the last century. This thinly-disguised story recalls a lot of what he was like as a person as well as a teacher. There is no attempt to hide or cover up aspects of his life that may, to some people, be less than palatable. Anyone interested in a personal look at a martial arts teacher should take a look at this book. Hamlet, when speaking of his father, says "He was a man for all that, and we shall not soon see his like again." I believe that the same could be said about Terry Dobson.

3 people found this helpful

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Compelling tale of meeting one's death

January 1, 2012

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

I bought this hoping it would be largely about Aikido and Terry Dobson's experience about studying with the founder of Aikiko, O'Sensei. Relatively little of the book is about martial arts, but it turned out to be the compelling tale of a man's death - a real, "warts and all" portrayal, and we come to see that his view of himself is much more limited than that of his friends, students, and partner. I read the entire book in two sittings.

2 people found this helpful

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May 19, 2016

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Great book, makes a good gift for the aikidoka in your life.

There are some typos, but don't let that stop you from reading it over and over. The publisher has been made aware and was receptive :)

Comment

October 19, 2011

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

I was fascinated to read a story somewhat true, but fictionalized account of one of the few people outside of Japan to train with the founder of Aikido. I liked the setup, with first parts of each chapter a story by "Max" about his life and how martial arts played a big role in it. I was impressed with the "warts and all" openness about the character of Max, and curious, as I'm sure other readers are, about how close a description this was to Terry Dobson. It must also be kind of a hoot for those that actually knew the authors. An interesting love story as well. Excellent read.

One person found this helpful

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I never had the chance to take an Aikido class ...

September 16, 2017

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

I never had the chance to take an Aikido class with Terry Dobson but heard a lot about him through other students and from some cassette tapes that someone copies for me. This is a very interesting and entertaining book which gives an idea of his personality, lifestyle and philosophy through a first-hand experience.

Comment

Characters and a story you'll never forget

February 7, 2009

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

The title should be a clue: This is a work of extreme creativity, humor and deep human connection. Moss has done something very difficult--sidestepped the flawed and overwrought memoir genre and moved the story of extraordinary lives in an extraordinary time into a work of fiction. It is a credit to Moss' gifts (Is this really her first novel? She's just way too good to be a rookie) that she can merge fiction and "real life" with such skill that the reader does not feel manipulated or maligned in the process.

And these characters. You care about them immediately, and you want to find out what happens to them. This will be a book you will want to finish and will find hard to put down. The warmth, the comic turns, the engaging dialogue and commentary are all part of what makes this an unforgettable read.

4 people found this helpful

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