Breakfast with Buddha

Enjoy Americana on a spiritual journey across the Midwest

Otto Ringling, is a “successful” editor of books about food and fine dining.  He lives in New York with his wife and two teenaged children.  Cecilia, his eccentric sister with whom he is deeply resentful, lives in New Jersey and has taken what he considers to be a nontraditional, irresponsible path in life.  After their parents perish in a fatal car crash, the two are compelled to travel together back to their childhood home in North Dakota to settle the estate.  However, just before they leave, Cecilia refuses to go and cons her brother into making the trip with her monk-like spiritual guru instead.  Deeply annoyed with situation, the two men embark on a road trip across the Midwest that forces Otto to rethink his priorities in life.  I enjoyed this book because I like stories involving the road trip trope as means to ponder larger issues.  In this case, readers will be challenged to reflect on how we live in modern day America and what is the real definition of success.  I would especially recommend this book for those who liked reading The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.