India Books

This is an excellent book to understand the theoretical basis of Ayurvedic medicine. The complexity of Ayurveda's theory is often overlooked for its knowledge of herbs and diet. Vasant Lad's "The Science of Self-Healing: A Practical Guide..." is very useful for such practical information; anyone wanting a quick perusal of what Ayurveda can offer should consult his book.
For those already familiar with Ayurveda or medicine, however, this book opens your mind. His writing style is excellent (certainly a higher level than Vasant Lad's books), but very engaging and easy to read. I do not know how to describe his style (you should look at excepts), but he takes you through every aspect of Ayurvedic medicine, starting with the fundamentals. Almost like a narrative, he tells the story of the Ayurvedic view of the human being and the universe, thus illustrating what the Ayurvedic philosophy means.
One criticism I have is that he does not cite his references. This is particularly problematic when he refers to "recent discoveries" or what "modern science" says; he has a bibliography, but that mostly contains books pertinent to Ayurveda. Also, some of the comparisons he makes to allopathic medicine and anatomy are questionable, such as the existence of a deposit of magnetic metal in the frontal bone of the skull. As a student at a US medical school, I would advise to take some of these comparisons with a grain of salt. Nonetheless, he is familiar with the ideas and theory behind allopathic medicine, and he makes thought-provoking comparisons to the Ayurvedic system.

I highly recommend this book to those who want a further understanding of the philosophy that is Ayurveda.

Excellent introduction to the subject by one of the foremost practitioners and teachers of Ayurveda in the western world. highly recommended

If you want to understand the history of Ayurveda and the basic concepts of this science of life, read this book. I'm presently reading several ayurveda books and this one has impress me very much with its clarity and Dr. Svoboda way of writing. There are other great books on this subject by Dr. Vasant Lad.

This is indispensable for serious students.

Just wanted to say I've had this book for 8 years now and it is still one of the greatest treasures in my library. Thanks to the author for writing it. I just recommended it yesterday to another great writer of things Indian - pass it on. This book's a keeper.

Richard Lannoy's "Benaras Seen from Within" is a passionately insightful spiritual/aesthetic inquiry on the holy city of Kashi (Benaras). It is more a work of ardent love than a work of curiosity. It is more a work of the seeking spirit than a work of art. Teeming with the elusive cosmic energy that has pervaded the city of Kashi since times immemorial, his photographs and his insightful writings in this book are testament to his seeking soul, his acute eye and his brilliant mind that have fueled the creation of this monumental body of work.

Inspite of several scholarly and scientific studies undertaken of this holy city, Mr. Lannoy's work stands out as a unique and exhaustive seeking of its kind. For one, it is the result of a passionate dedication of a lifetime of love, energy and effort by this acclaimed Indologist. (It has taken him about five decades to accomplish this work). Being a trained artist, a scholar and a deeply insightful writer, his love for the country of India and his sincere reverence for the city of Kashi have all contributed effectively to create this spiritually rich and inwardly seeking work. His lengthy span of over five decades to research and document this book has been a boon to reflect on the ever-changing yet never-changing cosmic landscape of Kashi. (This is paramount to the unique quality of this work). Besides, it takes a deeply dedicated and spiritually aware soul to see through the distracting and distorted layers of the teeming microcosmic city of Benaras and to reveal the transcendental cosmic city of Kashi. It is amply clear through this book that Mr. Lannoy seems to be all that in addition to being a master photographer.

Through the lens, he has succeeded in capturing the elusively spiritual; the hauntingly mythic. (This, I think, is the most difficult and worthy achievement of a photographer.) His works in entirety are wrapped around this theme and are reflected all over in secret cues. His visual vocabulary effuses the language of the mysterious and taunts the viewer to search his pictures. Like Henri Cartier Bresson, he is the master of the moment, but very unlike Bresson, he is concerned with the spiritual exuberance of the picture than the merely aesthetic. His pictures are more felt than seen. Some of his successes enjoy a brilliant quality of aesthetic, insightful and the inwardly. Mr. Lannoy is also kind and reverent to the subject of his study. In his pictures, he seeks for deeper moments with the grace and expectancy of an earnest and seeking student. Pictures of the people and the abundant petite bourgeoisie are not pictures of the materially poor, but the spiritually rich. Some of his captured moments are events of everyday life : ceremonies, ablutions, prayers, journeys....yet moments that celebrate metaphysical insight and inquiry.

Through his pen, he offers a penetrative and insightful documentation on the holy city of Benaras. Steeped in myth, religion and spirituality; Benaras is one of the last remaining living ancient cities where visitors, pilgrims and scholars throng; attracted by the enigmatic energy that radiates in this place. As a peculiar convergence between the present and the past, the sacred and the profane, this pervading dichotomy of sorts presents a very unique challenge to the inquirer and Mr. Lannoy acknowledges this very nature by interspersing his works between words and pictures. In a sense, what cannot be conveyed with words is reflected within his pictures and what fails to be seen is written with acuity and ardor. With this hard earned creation of a lifetime, he seems to have collected the ripest and the most mystically beautiful fruit from the sacred tree of Kashi.

Mr. Lannoy's book is a seminal and masterly work of an artist and intellect in search of the soul of a cosmic city. In many ways, his works are reminiscent of the scholarly undertakings of the pioneer Indian art historian and original thinker Mr. Ananda Coomaraswamy. Like him, Mr. Lannoy is intuitively gifted in his ability to grasp the metaphysical leanings of his subject and writes with a passion and an inwardly conviction that years of patient seeking and searching have granted him.

I highly recommend this book for any student of artistic and philosophical seeking. For those in proximity to New York City, there is an exhibition of his works on display till the 8th of April 2000 at Sepia International Inc. Galley, 148, W 24 Street, 11 Floor, NY.

-Lokesh Muthuramalingam, February 25 2000, lmuthura@att.com

This huge book about India's most holy city has two parts, either of which would be worth the journey through its beautifully produced pages. In the first, hundreds of photographs are cunningly arranged to lead us into the ancient, wonderful city where the Buddha first began his mission. The images take us along lanes and ways, up to rooftops, among pressing crowds, and down to the sacred ghats by the River Ganges; where Hindus have gone for millennia to cleanse their sins and burn their dead. In the second part, we get a lively description of the inner life of Benares--and by extension, all of India. This book should be read by anyone interested in Hindu art and religion, but also by city planners and would-be travelers.

Remarkably, the book spans over 40 years of thought and effort by Lannoy-- with a great caesura between the early 60's and the present. How this happened is that Lannoy began his project in the early 50's and worked at it for over 10 years during extended residences in the city. Then he struggled to find a publisher who would take the risk of printing so many rich photographs. Struggled and failed, and the photos crossed the oceans several times in steamer trunks, before finally coming sadly to rest. Until 1998, when the old sage, painter, and author of other books that are scholarly classics at last turns his eye again to this troublesome love of his youth. Now he takes up his camera for the first time in years and, armed with new possibilities for small press runs, returns to Benares for fresh photography, contracts a Hong Kong printer, works furiously, takes a huge financial risk, and at long last publishes this unique masterpiece, on his own, exactly as he wants it.

The fifties, for Americans anyway, are remembered as a time of great cultural certainty. We recall images--often in black and white--of an uncluttered land, at once carefree and supremely purposeful. India, we learn through these photographs, had a golden age of its own in this same era. But while America's purpose was transcendent materialism, Indians, newly independent, could at last strive for spiritual fulfillment in their own land. We sense this confidence, somehow, in the pictures and Lannoy is at pains to point out their psychological portent. It is as if he were an art critic analyzing the imagery Indians create by assembling, unselfconsciously, for their rituals and pageants--imagery which he is skillful enough to capture. For example, I might not have perceived the spiritual melding in crowds assembled for ritual bathing without the convincing captions Lannoy provides. Nor would I have seen the change wrought between the 50's and the present, when crowds have lost their unity of belief and become mere collections of individuals.

"Benares Seen From Within" works as a coffee table book. Many of the pictures are conventionally gorgeous and certainly exotic. But the collection is much, much more. Photographs are grouped, according to subject, in a more or less straightforward way. But within the groupings are subtle structures and by-plays with the captioning. For example, in one section shows a series of contact prints (miniature photographs are used to effect in several places). They show a mural painter drawing a devotional subject while a sahdu (holy man) regales a group of followers with a parable. At the climax of the story, the caption informs us, the muralist draws the pupil of the eye-the moment the image gains a soul. "Oh" one thinks and turns the page. There is a charming picture of the river side and a veranda. Turn another page and pow! A sahdu leans forward with burning eyes and points right into the lens. This moment, one realizes after paging back, was the climax of the story. Elsewhere, Lannoy describes the excitement and difficulty of photographing the Naga Baba, but without saying exactly what the Naga Baba are exactly. For this, and much more, we have to delve into the pages ourselves.

Earlier books by the Lannoy (Speaking Tree, The Eye of Love) have established his credentials as a scholar of Indian art and culture. Here, we get a more personal statement, informed by the passage of time, and insightful of the disturbing changes underway. The text is rich and lively-and illustrated with additional photographs. Where the detail is overmuch for a first reading, the layout allows one to skip ahead; and meticulous indexing refers one to the photographs for fresh examination. It is rare to get a book of photographs that contains such easy scholarship and it is even more unusual to get art and religious history enlivened with photographs that are art in their own right.

For all the pleasure, we are never far from a grim sense that Benares is under threat. Due to pollution, the Ganges is now extremely unsafe for even the most stalwart bathers. Urban blight and traffic has savaged the ancient city plan. Lannoy looks at this unflinchingly. Indeed the photography often acts as a time-series showing decay and loss.

At this point, I should confess that I have known Richard Lannoy for many years-since he was my tutor at college in England over 20 years ago. I can recall him showing us students some of the photographs now published. Tarot-like, he would deal pictures out onto a cloth laid on the floor, intone on their meaning, then whisk them away for a fresh set. They created a spell then that still enchants. In the truest way, this book is a gift from Richard-a giving back and a sharing about a place at once loved and mourned. Lucky us that he was able finally to not only show the beauty of Benares, but sound an alarm for the future.

This landmark book is a life's work and sings a soul song of one of the most deeply beloved spiritual places, a place where religious life is still the center.

Lannoy's photographs have all too rarely been published, and this book would be a visual feast if only for the chance to see a master photographer at work, composing foreground and background moments simultaneously so that they breathe life and a story in a complete message.

The text is also the best piece of writing about Benares that I've read. So many books describe only the obvious and most prurient sites of Benares (the burning ghats, the naga babas) and miss the true depth and richness of the city. From this text and photographs, the reader looks at the numerous facets of this multilayered city.

I, too, must confess to having met and now knowing Richard Lannoy, as a fellow traveler in Benares, where I had the extreme good fortune to meet him and to accompany him on photographic jaunts throughout the city and its outskirts.

His running dialog about things Benarsi is a gift of the gods...For anyone who is interested in India, I would say this is the first and best book you should buy. You can learn more about the country, and a great city, from this book. An incomparable experience and hours of absorbing reading and looking...

An excellent book filled with huge amount of photographs which are made by different authors in different times including Avinash Pasricha and S.Anwar.
It contains interesting articles about the history, spiritual background of bharata nataym, musicians and their genealogy.
Good part about nritta, i.e. detailed and accurate adavu classification is made by Padma Subramanyam.
And for dessert is a section about contemporary exponents. This part is a little bit outdated, because the last edition of the book was in 1997, though it could be called outdated only because of the phorographs made more than 10 years ago, but the master's names are still remaining same.

The book is very well-written, and gives lots of explanations on a host of topics that are likely to baffle any foreigner trying to start her Bharata Natyam classes.

Most of the pictures quality is very good, although I would have appreciated it if there were provided any references to what major styles of Bharata Natyam a particular picture represents. True, it would be valuable for the advanced learners of Bharata Natyam, but would confuse the beginners.

The author should remember that a still picture is not as adequate illustration for a dance book as a complimentary DVD (like the ones by Medha Hari) would be. Maybe the next edition would include one? It would be a perfect combination!

All in all, the book is a perfect gift, and a fantastic cofee-table book. Definitely worth the money.

Sunil Kothari is an outstanding scholar in the realm of dance. And this book is a precious gift that has been written for anyone passionate about their art! Beautiful colour pictures. Detailed descriptions and it inspires you to strive for greater achievement in dance....

I am a beginner in Bharata Natyam and this book have help me alot to understand the history and the various postures. I feel very comfortable when I attend my classes as I know what my teacher is talking about. This book have been very helpful to me especially as I am not a South Indian and do not speak the language either. A very good book for anyone who wants to learn Bharata Natyam.

i was reading this book when i achieved enlightenment.the very line was something about hunger being the greatest evil.then it hit me like a ton of philisophical bricks.since everything wordly must be let go of,the one thing that would attatch you to this world would be the one thing you have to do to srat alive."bodies demand great evil .to know this truly is to nirvana.the highest happiness".that was the line.so im not guaranteeing enlightenment or anything but this is the book that did it for me after many many hours of searching for enlightenment,it all happened for me here.

Filled with the very compassion of The Buddha's teaching, this accessible book is not only a must for any student of Eastern thought, but for strangers to The Buddha. This is a great start! I recommend this book highly to all those who wish to explore for the first time, as students of religious studies, mythology,or those in need of a novel approach to how the Perfect One taught the Dharma. R.A.Mitchell's style is full of the liveliness and humor sometimes lacking in many modern versions.

This is a history written with a great sensitivity, based on ancient texts, but told as a modern script (almost a hollywood script). I can't imagine a buddha nearer to us. Only a question: ¿When the movie? (Excuse my english)

I highly recommend this book to anyone beginning to study the Buddha's life or to the merely curious. Mr. Mitchell's portrayl of the Buddha is one of the most vibrant and real I have ever encountered; and I have read many books on the subject. While not highly scholarly it brings this most compassionate of humanity's teachers to life right before your eyes. It has wide range in that it covers the scope of Siddharta Gautama's life. From the miraculous stories of his birth to his 45 year ministry. I highly recommend this book to Buddhists and Non-Buddhists alike.

I savor my time to read "Buddhist Goddesses of India". The energy it brings me is very specific to the Goddess I am reading about. It must have been quite a journey writing it, connecting so deeply with each Goddess. Reading the book helps me stay centered in myself in what feels like a masculine world. Anyone like myself, who is sensitive to the many currents of energy in the world, or who would like to experience the energy of the Goddess, will have a good time with this book. It is also very useful for practitioners of Buddhism.

This book is more than worth it for the pictures alone. The images of Buddhist goddesses are simply gorgeous--whether clear black and white, or glorious color. Representing architectural elements, reliefs, gates, sculptures, painted cloth, and more, these images provide an invaluable visual document of the female images of divinity populating Buddhist history.

Even so, the book offers far more. Shaw not only gathers these visual images for us, she helps us understand them--why they exist, why they appear as they do, and what they teach us about Buddhist thought and practice. For each goddess, Shaw considers the visual representations alongside the goddess's appearances in literature, history, ritual practices, and other Hindu and folk traditions. Moving among these various representations, Shaw creates compelling accounts of each deity's religious significance. She also documents change over time, charting the ascension of goddess figures through three stages of Buddhist history, early, Mahayana, and Tantra. The female Buddhas of Tantra occupy the third section of the book. And all along the way, Shaw deftly moves from persuasively engaging issues in Buddhist scholarship to telling vivid stories about the goddesses themselves.

This comprehensive, accomplished book is for everyone and anyone who is interested in Buddhism, India, goddesses, South East Asia, Indian art and architecture, comparative religions, or the religious significance of art in general. Its stories and pictures engage and delight. At the same time, it is a must-read for scholars in all these fields for the ways in which it stretches and prunes our understanding of Buddhism. As Shaw persuasively documents, there is far more to the tradition than teachings of renunciation. Equally integral to the tradition are life-affirming, female-celebrating expressions of wisdom, creativity, and devotion.

This magnum opus will remain a serious resource for information about Buddhist Goddesses of India for decades. The scholarship is impeccable. Not only does it bring numerous texts and information into English for the first time, it explicates vast amounts of material loaded with insightful interpretations that only an expert authority can provide. This text will also reward those seeking inspiration from the Buddhist pantheon of goddesses. The prose is lyrical, compelling, and transports the reader into the powerful and colorful worlds of these ancient goddesses.

Ms. Shaw is an impeccable scholar whose transcendent writing captures the imagination. This inspired text is a compilation of unparalled research on an amazing array of Buddhist deities. Beautiful book.

This is beautiful poetry from ancient India. It is rich and sensual, evocative and erotic, and not always in the overtly sexual way of the Kama Sutra. It engages life, society, and importantly, nature in all its lost beauty in India, the fragrant jasmine vines, the kadamba and ankota tree, the thunderstorm that releases a sudden coolness on a warm summer evening, the white cranes that cross the darkening sky. Then there is the secret rendezvous, the furtive gesture, the passionate love-making, the loss of youth, the immortal desire for fulfillment, the traveller and his betrayals, the gods engaged in their own love-making, Shiva and Parvati as the divine couple. These are timeless themes made more poignant by our desire for them today.

A friend gave me a copy of this book, as I was looking for some poetry to set to music. I was inspired by the Barbara Stoller Miller translation of the Gita Govinda, pub by Columbia Univ., and my friend thought that this book pushed the envelope just a litte bit further.

The forward and introduction are very informative and make this centuries old poetry come alive in a relevant and contemporary way. The poems themselves are very, very old and Schelling's translations make them shimmer with life. If you've ever researched or read other translations of Sanskrit poetry, you will be thrilled with these translations.

As it turns out, I've received permission to use three of the poems in the book to set to music (in their original Sanskrit language).

This book offer a potent and eggshell fragile look at the range of emotions relating to love, romance and romantic longing.

Highly recommended.

This is a wonderful little book of poetry. The poems of love, physical intimacy, desire, melancholy, longing and rejection in this collection date back over a millennia. A thousand years make these poem as poignant as ever. The poems in this collection are fleeting intimate glimpes into who we are as humans.

There has been for several years a readily available book of Tamil erotic poetry The Interior Landscape which made the poetry of Southern India accessible. Now Andrew Schelling has provided a readily available text for Northern India. While the vast majority of these lyric poems are written in strictly metered quartrains, Schelling does a marvelous job of rendering the poems in free form - depending upon the images and sounds rather than the meter to translate the poetry into English (as opposed to the early stiff quatrain translations that encouraged no one to read Sanskrit/Prakrit poetry).

The selection of poetry is not "representative" of the anthologies but represent the translator's personal choice around the theme of eroticism. The translator's affinity for the selected poems shows in the excellent translations - faithful to the original text [yes I have read them in their original form] yet solid as English poetry.

Kevin Rushby has traveled extensively, and has written about his journeys with insight and tremendous empathy for people he has met. Children of Kali concerns his search for knowledge on the current state of the thug cult (murderous worshippers of the goddess Kali), and for one charismatic and well-known thug in particular. But the book does not read like some sort of true-crime or investigative work; rather, it takes the form of a travelogue, where Rushby learns about the parts of India he travels through, the types of people he meets. As such, although it develops at a slower or more leisurely pace, the work is deep and rich, and the reader feels he has learned not so much about the cult of Kali as gained somewhat of a new perspective on life. It was not exactly the type of book I was expecting, but I came to very much enjoy reading it.

This book deals with some very interesting, yet somewhat disparate topics. Rushby's travelogue/history was apparently inspired by his learning of the British colonial administrator Sleeman, who allegedly eliminated the thuggees from India. He travels across India to investigate the thuggees, but somehow mixes them up with Indian bandits, gangsters, and assorted mischief-makers. His biggest problem is his tendency to write in a stream-of-conscious style that is confusing. He jumps around from different places, to different topics, switches between travelogue, history, and commentary, without effectively transitioning and explaining himself. At times he refers to phenomena, places and people without any explanation of who or what they are. With just a little better writing and editing, this could have earned five stars.

I was expecting a much darker(creepy?) book from what I had read of the excerpt from the synopsis given by the bookstore. It turned out to be a very humorous travel log by Kevin Rushby's search of the Thug Cult. There are many entertaining encounters with the people in India, great descriptions of the food there, atrocious hotel rooms, the hustle and bustle of a very populated country - all a very informative and highly entertaining look of a Brit with a wonderful sense of humor travelling through ancient India. If you enjoy cooking or travel essays, this book's a keeper.

Anybody interested in Modern India, I urge you to read "Children of Kali" by Kevin Rushby from several points of views:

1. How we get what we seek:
Kevin went to India in search of thugs and decoits, while Maddy (a character in the book) went to India in quest of happiness. See what each one got, and how this simple concept of "we get what we seek" revealed to Kevin at Sangam.

2. Real history of modern times:
The history of north and central India during East India company, Raj and after wee hours of independence is not taught to us, Indians in schools as it should be. Read how Kevin unearths it.

3. Travelogue:
How we all have very similar experiences as Kevin had in India, except he logs it in a superb fashion.

4. Objectivity:
If you are from India (a non-resident Indian, like me), see the places you grew up from an objective eye. Not necessarily an English eye, but an eye of a just seeker, Kevin that is!

5. Style:
I absolutely love the modern style of story-telling that is weaved with real facts and ground-level research. Just to examine this aspect, the book is worth reading.

Anandam Kavoori's book, The Children of Shahida is an odd mix, at times compelling at times frustratingly amateurish with typos that an editor should have caught. Nonetheless, the author has created a book with sensitivity, humor and vivid imagery. Kavoori presents unique pockets of old world India, and modern America. He explores this juxtaposition with fresh characters that you want to follow. The book looks at loneliness and isolation from multiple perspectives and, along the way, delivers insights about the Indian soul, innocence and the universal need for belonging. There are moments of raw intimacy and little tender gems that stay with you. Despite its flaws it is well worth the read!

Kavoori's writing is tight, dense with structural and emotional pleasures. You savor his slices of old India, like lamb curries cooking all day long over a low kerosene flame. How effortlessly he shifts time, place and person from a childhood train voyage through post-colonial India to a twenties-something, BMW haul from Silicon Valley to Atlanta. Characters lovingly flawed, remain robust in heart despite major cultural transplants. So worth the read.

This beautifully written, evocative tale of 4 generations of an Indian family is a perfect book club selection. With memorable characters, detailed descriptions of India in the mid-to-late twentieth century, plainly-spoken realities of three major religious traditions struggling to co-exist, and life-changing events for all the characters, it lends itself well to discussion and reflection. While the three sections of the novel are written in the voice of each succeding generation's male character, the primary and most present "voice" thoughout, is Shahida's. She is the force whose life and example flow through the generations of this Christian-Muslim, Indian-American family. A unique perspective and an exquisitely told story.

Reviewed by Richard R. Blake for Reader Views (6/07)

Anandam Kavoori has written a fictional account of a unique family, living in India and immigrating to the United States. The story covers the lives of three generations of the Solomons, a Christian family with a Muslim name. Rashid, Bashir, and Tyab narrate the story from their point of view. Rashid begins by telling of the formative events of childhood in India. He talks about the games, his friends, and cousins. The stories are filled with the awe and innocence of childhood and are interwoven with the fun-filled pranks and the insensitivity of taunting remarks and bigotry. Rashid tells of the family becoming Christians in Muslim India two generations ago and how, as a result, the family moved into a second-class minority.

Although the book is considered historical fiction, I sensed a parallel of Kavoor's own experiences. He, too, was raised in a small village in India. His father was a rural development officer. He attended high school and college in Delhi before coming to the United States to study. Whether autobiographical or not, it certainly gives him insights into the progression of change and cultural background and the resultant issues faced in intercultural relationships, especially after moving America.

Of the three men, I especially enjoyed Bashir. His experiences in childhood portrayed a love for life and for his family. In college he developed a questioning attitude, preparing him for new experiences while trying to hold on to the traditions and culture of his beloved India. His arranged marriage was a disappointment.

Tyab's world is one filled with trials and loneliness. Born in the United States, his life was impacted by isolation. His early life revolved around the trials of his lesbian mother. Restless, he became a transient moving from his birthplace in New York to Georgia, and later to California where he found work in the computer industry.

Kavoori's characters are so genuinely real and the details of their lives and the transformative events are so simply told it is hard to remember that this is a work of fiction. "The Children of Shahida" is an incredible chronicle of the pleasures and pain of separation and the breakthrough of moving to a different culture and country.

Kavoori explores questions of identity, religion, politics and sex with humor and interesting imagery. In "The Children of Shahida" he shares insights into the parallels and differences of Americans and Indians. Kavoori is a sleeping giant among promising new authors. I am eagerly looking forward to more of his captivating stories.

Lou, a young GI left his newly-wed wife Lottie for battle fields of India and China. He kept her connected and informed through his mailbag of sharp observation in words and talented artistic sketch so vivid that people described almost popped out from the pages. His letter never had a dull moment and was loaded with concise interesting background information so that his wife understood what he observed and felt culturally, politically and historically. He witnessed the reality from a far away modern country to war-torn nations without the arrogant and superior attitude. He saw the good, the bad and the ugly. Readers would easily comprehend the devastated China and the suffering of the innocent and helpless victims assaulted by the invading Japanese.
His smiling helpful attitude won him many friends. After the war, he promoted the friendship between American and Chinese people. Should he work for State Department, Asia history would have a different outcome. I had the fortune of sharing my love and respect to him by email in 2004. He related his 60th Wedding Anniversary honeymoon trip to China with wife Lottie to refresh his memory before he passed away last year.
I treasure his friendship and I feel we became bosom comrades by reading his book with cheering "Gan Bay" drinking party. Lou belongs to the Greatest Generation. My recommendation is that Lou's book should be classified as a must-read literature for the American idol generation to learn and carry on the mission of humanity, freedom and justice.

This book depicts life in China and India in such colorful and humorous ways. For a chinese-American who knows so little about China of the 1940s, it is a godsend. It helps me udnerstand the social, cultural, military, and economic aspects of life in China during that era. I feel very fortunate to have read and be in possession of this incredible book. It is without any doubt a collector's item for any WWII buffs.

China Mailbag: Uncensored, is a wonderful book. It drew me into the story because the book is made up of first person accounts of war, of the movements during WWII in China and India, and of the love an American GI had for his newlywed wife. The book is extremely interesting because it paints a detailed picture of what life was like for troops during WWII and contains a vast amount of entertaining anectodes, telling of funny meetings with chinese locals, and how difficult it was for soldiers to live the lives they were accustomed to in a foreign land. The book made me feel as though I too, had received letters from a GI abroad - the more of the book i read, the more i couldnt wait to turn to the next page. This is a book that any person, from young adults to fellow veterans of war would love to read. An entertaining, educational, overall lovely story is waiting for you! I encourage you to read it!

China Mailbag Uncensored-- a stunning book full of color, character, and the atmosphere of India, Burma, and China during World War 11. The story is told through the culture-shocked eyes of a young U.S. Army lieutenant as he writes illustrated letters to his bride at home. Punctuated with pictorial cartoons and picturesque art, this page-turning book takes the reader through experiences on a Jim Crow train as it races toward the Pacific to launch its soldiers on an adventure through submarine-infested waters to get to the China-India-Burma theater of war. The drama unfolds in the crowded streets of Calcutta, sweeps you across the Himalayan Mountains, and impresses upon you the scenes of war-torn China. Lou Glist, the artist-author, is there to join the Chinese in their fight against a Japanese foe who has conquered and occupied more than one-half of their country. Lou pictures starving soldiers, coolies carrying impossible loads, farmers working rice fields with oxen, Buddhist temples, hardships, disease, misfortunes, and life situations where there is no clean water, electricity, air conditioning, heating, and all the comforts of home. Imagine yourself in a strange land, living with people who have strange customs, a strange language, strange food, feeling the pain of anxiety, and laughing at yourself and your own reactions. If you do this, you will appreciate what this gifted , young soldier went through to give us a stream of human interest episodes on his odyssey of 18,000 miles. As you are drawn through this steady flow of observations, you will understand why these letters to Lottie are such an enduring treasure. You also will have a new appreciation for the sacrifice American soldiers, sailors, and marines made to give us global peace and prosperity today.

The book contains the entire spectrum of metaphysics and its origin. The book has the entire collection of all his speeches and his ideologies.

I was 7 years old when I heard the name Swami Vivekananda for the first time. And I never took interest to know more of him for the next 15 years. When I was 21, I started with a small book as big as a pocket telephone diary. It contained the important extracts from the The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda. And then I decided to buy this book. And I came to know that it is 8 volumes. I read all of them. This man has an answer for everything. The whole book is full of answers to any difficult question that exists in the world. I believe that, any problem that has no solution, makes us weak and discouraged. We become strong the moment we find the solution. I found many answers in this book and I am sure any person who reads this book will find his answers. And the consequence, we become strong. We become happy. I have been refering to this book for 7 years now. I could not find a better book. More than the Holy Bible, or the Bagavad Gita, this book seems to be more useful. The concept of Universal Religion is a terrific idea. The idea of religion, its real meaning, its need. The idea of God, the idea of work, everything is clearly explained. Finally, you will know the purpose of life on this earth: Knowledge!! Do you have any question that starts with 'Why', you'll find the answer in this book.

"Hinduism is the mother of all religions"- so wrote Swami Vivekananda. And so Hinduism recognizes and respects all religions. Swami Vivekananda was a mighty man who must be regarded as God. In this book you will find the words of God; and you will discover your inner strength. The greatest art is the art of being, and this is also the first step before trying to achieve anything. Read this book to find out.

The book contains the entire spectrum of metaphysics and its origin. The book has the entire collection of all his speeches and his ideologies.