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The 99th Monkey: A Spiritual Journalist's Misadventures with Gurus, Messiahs, Sex, Psychedelics, and Other Consciousness-Raising Experiments
Suffused with a unique brand of irreverent humor, this account recalls the autobiographical explorations of the most significant alternative communities, ashrams, gurus, shamans, and consciousness-raising seminars of the past 40 years. Serving as a human guinea pig for many of the most popular cutting-edge New Age, human potential, and spiritual experiments, Eliezer Sobel recounts intercontinental adventures in India, Israel, Brazil, and Haiti. From Primal Therapy to the Dalai Lama, this perceptively witty analysis includes brushes with cults, wild experiments with sex and psychedelics, and encounters with visionary gurus and contemporary madmen.
- GenresNonfictionReligionMemoir
314 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 1, 2008
7 people are currently reading
79 people want to read
About the author
Eliezer Sobel
21 books2 followersEliezer Sobel was the Editor-in-Chief of The New Sun Magazine in the '70s, and the Wild Heart Journal more recently. He is the author of a memoir, The 99th Monkey, a novel, Minyan, (winner of the Peter Taylor Prize for the Novel), Wild Heart Dancing and the Manual of Good Luck. HIs short story, Mordecai's Book, won the New Millennium Prize for Fiction, and his short stories and articles have appeared in TIKKUN Magazine, Yoga Journal, The New Age Journal, Quest Magazine, and numerous others. For many years Sobel led intensive creativity workshops and retreats at Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California and similar venues in the US. He lives in Richmond, Va. with his wife, Shari Cordon, and three cats. See also http://www.the99thmonkey.com and
http://www.eliezersobel.com
and his "Mostly Silent Blog" at
www.the99thmonkey.wordpress.com.
http://www.eliezersobel.com
and his "Mostly Silent Blog" at
www.the99thmonkey.wordpress.com.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
December 14, 2008
This book is a memoir of the author's 30-odd years on the path of personal growth and spiritual transformation. I was intrigued when I first heard about it for two reasons: first, it was supposed to be funny, which is a surprisingly rare quality in New Age literature, and second, because I've spent the last year and a half working on my own comic memoir of the same topic.
There is no question Sobel is well-qualified to write on this subject. He's studied at least briefly with most of the major names of the movement and dabbled in the full gamut of experiences on offer, from primal therapy to meditation to drugs to dancing to teaching himself. Though he began his journey with a profound experience during the est training and continued to have numerous peak experiences along the way, he claims that none of them stuck, and he is no more enlightened now than he was when he began.
While that may be, Sobel is unquestionably wiser for his journey and offers some exceedingly valuable insights throughout the book. My personal favorite was his comment that being on a spiritual path pretty much requires one to "continue to be miserably dissatisfied with virtually everything all the time." I found his wry honesty about the darker sides of that path to be particularly refreshing. Upon finishing the book, however, I was left with the impression that we have come to different conclusions about that path; Sobel appears to think he failed to get the spiritual Grand Prize, whereas I am pretty thoroughly convinced that prize never existed to begin with.
Though Sobel is a skilled writer and the book is quite funny in places, my enjoyment of it was tempered by certain stylistic choices. Each chapter is more of a personal essay covering a selection of topics than the sort of chronological, scene-based narrative I'm used to in memoir. The quick skimming over so many different subjects and the frequent jumping around in time kept me on the surface of the story and at times felt a little repetitive. Given the vast amount of experience he is covering, I understand why this is. But I would have enjoyed this book more if there was a more direct and focused narrative thread. That said, there is a lot on offer here for anyone who has spent time in the world Sobel inhabited or who would like to know more about it.
There is no question Sobel is well-qualified to write on this subject. He's studied at least briefly with most of the major names of the movement and dabbled in the full gamut of experiences on offer, from primal therapy to meditation to drugs to dancing to teaching himself. Though he began his journey with a profound experience during the est training and continued to have numerous peak experiences along the way, he claims that none of them stuck, and he is no more enlightened now than he was when he began.
While that may be, Sobel is unquestionably wiser for his journey and offers some exceedingly valuable insights throughout the book. My personal favorite was his comment that being on a spiritual path pretty much requires one to "continue to be miserably dissatisfied with virtually everything all the time." I found his wry honesty about the darker sides of that path to be particularly refreshing. Upon finishing the book, however, I was left with the impression that we have come to different conclusions about that path; Sobel appears to think he failed to get the spiritual Grand Prize, whereas I am pretty thoroughly convinced that prize never existed to begin with.
Though Sobel is a skilled writer and the book is quite funny in places, my enjoyment of it was tempered by certain stylistic choices. Each chapter is more of a personal essay covering a selection of topics than the sort of chronological, scene-based narrative I'm used to in memoir. The quick skimming over so many different subjects and the frequent jumping around in time kept me on the surface of the story and at times felt a little repetitive. Given the vast amount of experience he is covering, I understand why this is. But I would have enjoyed this book more if there was a more direct and focused narrative thread. That said, there is a lot on offer here for anyone who has spent time in the world Sobel inhabited or who would like to know more about it.
January 24, 2009
Some of these essays are truly hilarious. Sobel (I know him) has what I imagine in a rare quality in the consciousness-raising crowd (though I could be wrong about this), the ability to laugh at himself. The final lines of the book, in which he prints up business cards for himself listing his occupation as Human Being, and his wife Shari tells someone "He only does it part-time," are classic.
In every one of these essays there's enough material for a novel or two. My only regret is that he hasn't written them.
In every one of these essays there's enough material for a novel or two. My only regret is that he hasn't written them.
April 13, 2010
An amusing read that may have saved me years of spiritual wanderlust. Sobel narrates in a way that is unassuming, self-effacing and grounded -- I can so relate.
Simply, I was engrossed in Sobel's journey and I found myself rooting for him, and laughing with him, and really hoping for whatever it was he was looking for.
I mean, that much primal therapy should be karmic payment enough.
And it boils down to kindness? Aw, see? Now I like that.
Simply, I was engrossed in Sobel's journey and I found myself rooting for him, and laughing with him, and really hoping for whatever it was he was looking for.
I mean, that much primal therapy should be karmic payment enough.
And it boils down to kindness? Aw, see? Now I like that.
Read
October 6, 2011Not as funny as I had imagined based on several friends' recommendations, and it did not really catch my interest until nearly halfway through. However, this turned out to be a perfect complement to my concurrent reading of Tolle's "The Power of Now" and an incredibly endearing insight into Eliezer Sobel himself. He successfully brings home a similar message to Tolle without any heavy language or mind-blowing sentence structure, and introduces each of his would-be gurus with a respect that remains even as their human foibles are revealed. No skewering of false shamans here.
February 10, 2017
Hillarous. If you've ever indulged in the new age, looked for enlightenment in whatever form that took, this is the guy who climbed its peak as far as he could, questioning it as he went, but ever ready to again try something odd for a change of heart chakra--it didn't really happen, then again it most likely did. You can tell Eliezer is a little crazy and traumatized and it seeked healing of this coming at best to a sort of accpetance that he wouldn't be enlightened and that existential angst is a privilege of the leisure class.
December 30, 2023
Man, what a ride, and well worth going along for if you're at all interested in one man's search for meaning and what's on offer for the spiritual seeker. I'm glad I read it, relieved to be spared of spiritual shemozzle, while entertained and enlightened from beginning to end of his 40 year search. Eliezer Sobel, you made me laugh, and you made me think. Eliza's parting words, "May all beings be free of suffering (especially me)". I couldn't help but laugh out loud, knowing now how it all ends. There is light at the end of the tunnel afterall.
November 23, 2009
The author pokes fun at himself as he describes his lifelong search for enlightenment without achieving his goals. He certainly has been around the block a few times judging by all the various guru types he has met and befriended and by all the places he has visited, from Esalen ti India to Brazil to Haiti. This book was both humorous and informative. One key truth emerged from the book: practice kindness! http://www.eliezersobel.com/
November 7, 2013
This was a fun read. The author reminds me of an older version of myself. It was fun getting his take on lots of experiences I've had myself (Christopher Titmuss's India retreat, meeting gurus and seeing the burning ghats in India, meeting the Dalai Lama, Kopan in Nepal, ayahuasca, 5 rhythms, etc.) - but he has about 25 years on me, so it was cool to learn more about the spiritual-seeker scene from the days before I was involved.
July 6, 2008
So far so great! I have been laughing out loud very often while reading this book, while also remembering all the crazy things I have done to find God, my Self and Love, with a capital L.
Such a relief to see, yet again, the simplicity of just being, even when the journey is full the craving for experiences. Glad to have company in the search for bliss!
Such a relief to see, yet again, the simplicity of just being, even when the journey is full the craving for experiences. Glad to have company in the search for bliss!
March 7, 2009
Absolutely fascinating insider's view of various new age movements. I felt Sobel's disappointments, enthrallments, and illuminations throughout the book. This could easily have devolved into a cynical account of spirit junkies, but it instead lends an understanding of why people follow these movements decade after decade.
July 10, 2009
Written with humour. Can relate to some of his views.
June 9, 2011
It had some funny parts to it. What an crazy life he has led.
April 13, 2013
Sobel is the twisted love child of Woody Allen and Oprah and this memoir is some of his finest work. **** 4 Funny Stars
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews