Sarah Macdonald (1) (1966–)

[Holy Cow: An Indian Adventure] by Sarah MacDonald
-1★'s

From The Book:
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 show more 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.

[Holy Cow] 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.

My Thoughts:
I read this to complete a challenge and the cover looked interesting. Both bad reasons to read a book. Shame on me! I found her entire approach to "investigating" the people and beliefs of this country to be obnoxious and condescending. No one forced her to return to India and I'm sure the people of India were more than happy to see her backside getting on the plane. The author's attitude toward India and Indians combines the worst of both the old and the new west by patronizingly sneering at a culture she doesn't understand and obviously has no desire to, much less offer any sign of respect. I've guess I've read worse books but I can't remember when. show less

Macdonald worked as a journalist in radio in her native Australia until making the decision to move to New Dehli to be with her boyfriend. Since he was also a journalist covering wars and disasters in the region, Macdonald found that she had so much time alone to travel the country and explore the different ethnic groups, religions, gender roles, world views, entertainments and food. Coming to the country an atheist, Macdonald eventually began attending workshops and religious events, some show more extremely intense, in hopes of learning why a certain belief would draw someone from another life. Along the way she moved from cynic to falling into the trap of wanting to belong, something I had hoped wasn't what the book was about. But the journalist and storyteller in her always beat out the latest religious attachments and her story is fascinating because she befriends so many people, from the high caste to servants, hangs with famous Bollywood stars, loses her hair and runs from lepers. I could never spend two years in the heat and dust and deprivation she describes in much of her travels but I recommend this book. show less

I enjoyed this vivid account by an Australian woman who lived in India for a few years. She’s a journalist with a snappy writing style and an eye for detail. She’s cheeky, irreverent, honest about both India’s dreadful bits and its wonderful bits. She’s intellectually curious, but she’s also on a sincere quest for a little spiritual sustenance. So she covers a lot of ground, sampling the wide variety of religions India has to offer. From the gurus to the Parsis, she finds something show more to admire and respect in each one. show less

Sarah does a great job bringing the smells and sights to life. Although she loves her adopted country, we mostly get the dirty, smoggy, putrid descriptions. I get it that the people are what make India so lovable, but her details in sh** and bugs and sewage keep me away. I do, however, like her descriptions on religion and her journey through faith.