by Kate Wheeler
First published 1993
Wheeler's collection follows Americans drawn to Buddhist meditation and Eastern philosophy. The stories move between meditation retreats and ordinary life, examining what happens when spiritual ideals meet human reality. Characters struggle with desire, doubt, and the gap between enlightenment teachings and daily experience. A woman questions her commitment during a silent retreat. A teacher faces his own limitations. Students discover that awakening involves more confusion than clarity. Wheeler writes from inside these spiritual communities, showing both the genuine search for meaning and the human complications that arise. The stories reveal how ancient practices translate into contemporary American lives, where spiritual seeking becomes another form of longing.
Genres: american-fiction, contemporary, 21st-century, buddhism
Vibes: intimate, lyrical, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Period: 21st-Century
298 pages · Paperback · Wisdom Pubns