On the bookshelf– Seventeen Ways to Eat a Mango

This is a quirky little book– but amazing.  Written by Joshua Kadison (who also happens to be a musician of moderate fame in the early 1990’s), the book is in the form of a “discovered journal” about the experience of a young man sent to scout an island for a canning company.  Once there, the young man, J, frequently encounters a native elder (Katchumo) who imparts wisdom in Zen-like fashion (my favorite being when J gets drenched in a rainstorm and Katchumo says, “Perhaps you are trying to dodge the raindrops.  Walk through the space between them.”)  It is a delightful and thoughtful story of self-discovery and simplicity.  And you’ll never think of mangoes the same way again.

Disclaimer: These recommendations are purely my own. I am in no way reimbursed or compensated for this book review by any of the entities mentioned in this blog post, and I receive no commission or payment of any kind from writing this recommendation or from any purchases that may be made as a result of an individual reading it.