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Searching for Grasshopper: A Martial Artist's Quest for Peace
In an emotional, inspiring memoir, Cathy Chapaty recounts how a 1970s TV series gave her a reprieve from chaos in a dysfunctional home and spurred a zig-zag search for peace through martial arts. Her path is long and arduous; events and lessons challenge her sobriety, sanity, and old beliefs. But what’s a good journey without a few hundred miles of doubt through a vast spiritual desert?
183 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 27, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
March 2, 2019
Full disclosure: I know Cathy Chapaty. I state that at the outset since friends' reviews are notoriously unreliable, flattery for the sake of good relations. Please know I understand that. You just want to see if the book is worth the money and/or the time and you don't need a pal posse trying to lull you with song.
Still, it won't surprise you if I say that it is -- that it's worth it. Of course I'd say that. But hear me out.
I was an admirer of Cathy's writing well before we were friends. Mutual friends shared insights she'd had, things she'd taught them in tae kwon do class. I saw her thoughtful, empathetic comments on others' social media posts. I read her essays whenever anyone linked to them. Only after years of enjoying Cathy's writing from a distance did I venture a friend request.
So here we are with a memoir from someone I went out of my way to meet mainly for the quality of her thought. What a boon. Cathy's a gifted writer but she doesn't gussy things up. The stories here are more like stories you hear in the rooms of Twelve Step meetings, and I mean that in the best way. They're not told to make the writer look special. She describes her journeys forthrightly, depicts her faults and fears frankly. She shares her struggles and her successes in the unassuming way of a devoted Twelve Stepper simply sharing what's worked for them.
Full disclosure: I know Cathy Chapaty. And knowing her -- and reading her -- improves my quality of life. There's a strong chance reading her could do the same for you.
Still, it won't surprise you if I say that it is -- that it's worth it. Of course I'd say that. But hear me out.
I was an admirer of Cathy's writing well before we were friends. Mutual friends shared insights she'd had, things she'd taught them in tae kwon do class. I saw her thoughtful, empathetic comments on others' social media posts. I read her essays whenever anyone linked to them. Only after years of enjoying Cathy's writing from a distance did I venture a friend request.
So here we are with a memoir from someone I went out of my way to meet mainly for the quality of her thought. What a boon. Cathy's a gifted writer but she doesn't gussy things up. The stories here are more like stories you hear in the rooms of Twelve Step meetings, and I mean that in the best way. They're not told to make the writer look special. She describes her journeys forthrightly, depicts her faults and fears frankly. She shares her struggles and her successes in the unassuming way of a devoted Twelve Stepper simply sharing what's worked for them.
Full disclosure: I know Cathy Chapaty. And knowing her -- and reading her -- improves my quality of life. There's a strong chance reading her could do the same for you.
September 18, 2019
Not only does this book encourage a person in the study of Martial arts, it a reminders reader "Don't Quit" something worthwhile. Cathy's writing flows smoothly and is fast moving: I did not want to put the book down.
July 29, 2022
Although I am her niece I have to say this book really hit home. 😃
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews