In her twenties, journalist Sarah Macdonald backpacked around India and came away with a lasting impression of heat, pollution and poverty. So when an airport beggar read her palm and told her she would return to India—and for love—she screamed, “Never!” and gave the country, and him, the finger.
But eleven years later, the prophecy comes true. When the love of Sarah’s life is posted to India, she quits her dream job to move to the most polluted city on earth, New Delhi. For Sarah this seems like the ultimate sacrifice for love, and it almost kills her, literally. Just settled, she falls dangerously ill with double pneumonia, an experience that compels her to face some serious questions about her own fragile mortality and inner spiritual void. “I must find peace in the only place possible in India,” she concludes. “Within.” Thus begins her journey of discovery through India in search of the meaning of life and death.
is Macdonald’s often hilarious chronicle of her adventures in a land of chaos and contradiction, of encounters with Hinduism, Islam and Jainism, Sufis, Sikhs, Parsis and Christians and a kaleidoscope of yogis, swamis and Bollywood stars. From spiritual retreats and crumbling nirvanas to war zones and New Delhi nightclubs, it is a journey that only a woman on a mission to save her soul, her love life—and her sanity—can survive.
Customer Reviews
Average Customer Review
Exaggerated Satirical Whining, September 24, 2008
By
Bombay Girl (San Diego, USA)
I picked this book because the front cover looked colorful (read funky) and the review on the back said it was hilarious account an Ozzie's journey.
Sarah definitely has a flair for humor, but unfortunately wastes all her talent making satirical remarks. She is too inflexible to adjust to anything different from her cozy comfortable life in Sydney. So she completely failed to enjoy the enthusiasm and vibrancy of the country and could only see the poverty, population, pollution and garbage. It is not that those things do not exist or that no one should write a book about them, but this book could have been a lot more enjoyable without Sarah McDonald's constant whining.
Terrorists Don't Meditate For Peace, September 15, 2008
By
Jay L. GoldmanSarah Macdonalds Holy Cow was generally an enjoyable read particularly as she reported her experience with
her spiritual journey and the adventures she encountered. Her descriptions of the events, people and environment were colorful, witty and powerful. I thought that she ran into trouble when she gave her commentary on the aftermath of 9/11. She took a decidedly naive opinion as she expressed disappointment that the US reactions was not that of "forgiveness and compassion". She also some unflattering remarks about
President Bush referring to him as the cowboy in the White House. Perhaps Sarah would have preferred that the President first conferred with one of her swamis before he decided to take action.
Escaping First Impressions, September 10, 2008
By
Gunjan Bagla (Los Angeles, California, USA)
Sarah Macdonald, author of Holy Cow: An Indian Adventure, starts out her book describing how she hated living in India and would much prefer to return to her native Australia. But then, after discovering India below the surface, the authorfalls in love with the country.
The value of Holy Cow, then, is that it takes the reader beyond the first impressions most tourists see and smell to the richness and greatness India offers to those who make an effort to discover this hard-to-get-acquainted-with country.
Macdonald has produced a refreshing and fascinating travelogue on India. But her book also is a memoir offering up a Westerner's perspective on an Eastern culture that is hard to come to grips with without effort. Her discovery of religion in India took her beyond Buddhism and Hinduism to the spiritual lives of the Jains, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Jews and Parsees.
While some Indians may find the book and its cover offensive, Holy Cow's humor is affectionate and not uppity. In my trips to India, I see the title selling freely and displayed prominently at bookstores.
MacDonald makes an observation that I also embrace -- "India is beyond statement, for anything you say, the opposite is also true." The author also stands as a good example of the fact that you cannot travel to India and spend much time there without being personally changed in significant ways.
By Gunjan Bagla
Author of Doing Business in 21st Century India
An Inside Look, August 11, 2008
By
Ron BrownI've made many trips to India. In that context, I quickly came to see that most books on India tend to be superficial: see this, see that, perhaps some history. In general there is little depth, and if anything spiritual is involved, little objectivity. It's the check your mind at the door thing that Westerners seem to do so well.
I have found two books very useful for introducing visitors to the real India. One is "Holy Cow" and the other is "The Spiritual Tourist". Not surprisingly, both books are by seasoned journalists, so there is both a spirit of investigation and a professionalism that seeks to set aside biases and to genuinely be objective.
Having extensively visited India, I know for certain the Holy Cow author, Sarah MacDonald, is one courageous lady. In her two years living in India, most of it with her husband absent, she somehow manages to boldly put in a lifetime's worth of spiritual experience across the country.
As with both of the books I mention here, Sarah's conclusion, if there can be such a thing, revolves around love. India made her relationship with her Creator and with her fellow human beings come to life, and she realizes this across many of the religions and spiritual paths India offers. The book is an objective account of a spiritual journey. It just happens to occur as she travels across the Indian subcontinent.
The unexpected plus with Holy Cow is that Sarah is a great writer, entertaining, humorous, and starkly honest. You get to know her personally as you get to know India, and that kind of writing is rare. Few authors expose their hearts in their work and stay objective at the same time.
To go to India with no understanding of the spiritual dynamics there is like coming to the US and visiting Orlando or Las Vegas and returning home thinking one now understands America. India is vastly more than the sum of its parts and this is one of the few books where that is lucidly shown. I continue to give these two books to friends who visit India for the first time. I can think of no better way to help visitors truly understand the real India. Enjoy.
Honest & Hilarious! , July 15, 2008
By
J. Bluhm (Flint, MI, USA)
In the beginning of the book, I was shocked at the harsh words that the author used to talk about India. In fact, I couldn't believe that one of my Indian friends, who is from Punjab (wait until you read how she feels about them) actually made it through the book without throwing it away. When we talked about this, he told me to give it a chance. He said that MacDonald's adventure in India is actually very beautiful and entertaining and that her initial culture shock (coming from Australia) goes away.
And--he was right! Not only was the story hilarious, but it was honest, and descriptive. I could see the colors of the women's sari's and could almost smell the dust and smog in Delhi. Not only that, I think that Sarah captured the beauty of the people of India and the variety of cultures, religions and beliefs that thrive there.
This book is a must read for anyone who is interested in India, has been there, or who would like a good laugh. But be prepared to be shocked at times, to feel scared for Sarah & Jonathon and to miss India when they leave.
The authors initial obervations of India are a little harsh, and a bit offensive, but give it time. As she grows and the story grows you will fall in love with her adventure!
