Bag of Meat on Ball of Dirt

by Mara Altman

Every day, hundreds of human beings board long-haul flights to India on an extended break from their everyday lives, in search of something seemingly easy to find: themselves. That quixotic quest for understanding has drawn much of the world’s population eastward ever since Buddha first assumed the lotus position, and writer Mara Altman needed to know why. So she flew around the world in search of an answer not only to that mystery, but also to the deeper questions that plague all who yearn to define the meaning of life. What Altman found in her wild, comic 18-day reporting trek across India – a journey that took her on a laborious, 37-hour cross-country train trip, onto a mystical flat rock by the ocean in Pondicherry, and eventually into the emergency room of a cut-rate Bangalore hospital – will make you laugh, learn and ponder. By the end of her epic odyssey, it will also take you unexpectedly and thrillingly close to the pulsing heart of human existence.

After graduating from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism, Mara Altman worked as a staff writer for The Village Voice. In 2009, HarperCollins published Altman's first book, Thanks For Coming: A Young Woman's Quest for an Orgasm, which was optioned as a comedy series by HBO. She has published seven bestselling Kindle Singles, including the #1 bestseller Bearded Lady, and has also written for New York Magazine and The New York Times.

Cover design by Adil Dara

Genres: India, Nonfiction, Travel

55 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 21, 2016

Reviews

[Amanda]

A Mini-Adventure Read

This book is a fun and charming read. This isn't a book to take too seriously or to expect a moral to the story. Instead, just explore with the author the thoughts and personalities. I left off a star simply because of personal taste, not because it's poorly written.

[Eileen Cunliffe]

Terrible. Don’t waste your time.

[Carianne Carleo-Evangelist]

I didn't like this as much as Bearded LadyBearded Lady. I think maybe I was just closer to that subject so her humor came through more clearly? I also don't particularly identify with people trying to find themselves: it just seems so pretentious. I think I'd be running away from people who are stoned beyond belief, not trying to have a conversation with them. That said, if the topic interests you it's well written.

[Sachi Sabella]

I've been having a strong desire to shave my head, change my name to Fearless Stardust Spirit, wear oversized breathable garments and travel to India to find enlightenment. Why? I am not sure. But this book is about a woman who is curious and in search of those who are in search of this wisdom and self-understanding.

I'm not sure what the conclusion was, but the book was still pretty interesting.

[Julie T]

Easy to Read

The book itself was easy to read. However, it didn’t transform me to India nor did I feel like I knew any of the characters, no one stood out, even the main character. I really didn’t even figure out what she figured out or what the whole purpose of the book was.

[David R]

Waste of her life and my time.

Self indulgence with no merit as a writer. Avoid at all costs. Tried twenty different times to find a nugget of interest or veracity.

[Aimee McDaniel]

Interesting

makes you think if you took a journey where would you go to find yourself, India, the Badlands who knows first time reading this author like her writes well keeps you interested in her quest

[Sara]

A quick read, but well worth it. It was nothing like Eat, Pray, Love, but she goes to India not to find her enlightenment but why others go to find theirs. But in the end does she truly find hers?

[Tom Hailand]

As a fellow meat puppet

...Bravo! I will now use some of my green energy (money), and purchase more Mara. Remember,, be here now. Om

[Arjun]

A short read about a westerner traveling to India to interview people who visit India to find themselves. Overall a decent read and a little funny.