Stumbling Toward the Buddha

Stories about Tripping over My Principles on the Road to Transformation

Non-Fiction - Memoir
184 Pages
Reviewed on 09/05/2015
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    Book Review

Reviewed by Janelle Fila for Readers' Favorite

I appreciated the humor in Stumbling Toward the Buddha: Stories about Tripping over My Principles on the Road to Transformation by Dawn Downey. I am on a spiritual journey and was intrigued to read what was suggested in the pages of this book. I wasn't prepared for the humor and the fact that the book basically made fun of all of the aspects that make us human, aspects that so many spiritual books tell us to get rid of. Like the compulsion to shop. Or that we feel better if we own nice things. Our jealous tendencies. The fact that we really don't want nice things to happen to other people (because we want them to happen to us, instead). Reading all of this and having someone say it in a loud, honest, in your face kind of way was very refreshing and surprising, but in a very nice way.

I also loved the personalized stories within this book. I think other readers will really relate to the stories the author shares about her own issues in giving up what so many self help books say we have to give up in order to achieve bliss, peace and long term happiness. The fact that she can so honestly admit that she was jealous, and wanted to shop and buy things, and not love her neighbor made me feel like I am not the only person struggling with some of these issues and I think readers will appreciate that.