Indie spiritualist A no bullshit exploration of spirituality

Review by Booklist Review

Grosso, who contributes to Huffington Post and other media outlets, also hosts a website for those who share or are interested in exploring his spiritual aesthetic. This volume draws both its title and much of its content from that site (theindiespiritualist.com). As a member of the indie culture that has matured around skateboarding, a la Tony Hawk, and the self-taught musicianship of the indie rock variety, Grosso also has been influenced by his experiences with drug-abuse and substance-abuse rehabilitation programs, and he developed his approach to spiritual matters with the same independent, sampling-weighted approach he brings to his other cultural pursuits. The book is broken into brief and often breezy chapters, many with links to Grosso's own music. This isn't a text for a reader who has developed spiritual or theological questions but, rather, for readers who want to look over the shoulder of a fellow who explores the nature of his soul by mixing up individuality and spirituality.--Goldsmith, Francisca Copyright 2014 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.

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Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

It may seem paradoxical that the author is a tattooed, punk/grunge, skateboarding, freelance musician and writer. Paradoxical because who would imagine such a social rebel to have any affinity for spirituality as it is commonly perceived; yet not so surprising, because this is not your typical book extolling fashionable spirituality. Grosso, now 35, has always been a free-thinker blazing his own path. He has known both ecstatic moments and years of addiction, rehab, and recovery, which he exposes in this collection of essays and musings. He writes with refreshing wit and candor, deeply and broadly reflecting on what it means to be human, personally and collectively. Grosso's life experiences are unique, sometimes gritty and perhaps countercultural, but his book shows spirituality is universal-no matter how people get there, all roads lead to essential insights and awakening, beginning with self-love, self-acceptance, and mindful living. Grosso has a fresh and unconventional voice of truth-seeking, notable for persistence, humility, and wisdom. Agent: Michele Martin, MDM Management. (Mar. 4) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

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Review by Library Journal Review

Written in short chapters peppered with advice, perfect for the blog reader and Twitter follower, Grosso (creator, indiespiritualist.com, musician, and a regular contributor to the radio show Where Is My Guru) somehow embraces a loving God, Hindu meditation, and hard-core rock, adding advice and favorites lists that are perfect for young spiritual seekers. It is too easy to assume that America's young rockers and hipsters are all casually nihilistic, but Grosso taps into the deep yearning for authentic spirituality-questions allowed. VERDICT Not suitable for family reading, but this off-the-cuff volume should speak to a broad spectrum of readers under age 30. (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

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Review by Kirkus Book Review

In a mixed bag of introspective insights and navel-gazing, Grosso tells the story of how he finally entered recovery after years of drug and alcohol abuse, which set him on the path of investigating his spiritual side far outside of organized religion. It's a bit like mid-1990s MTV meets New-Age mysticism, and they have a tattooed hipster baby. To give the author credit, it sounds like he was truly messed up before he got his act together, and his explorations may appeal to Daily Show viewers who feel like they need a shot of new-time religion. The book is composed of short, easily consumed chapters kicked off with quotes from usual suspects like Hunter S. Thompson, Aldous Huxley and Charles Bukowski and carrying titles like "The Tao of Checking Yourself" and "Jesus, Hitler, Bieber, Slayer God." It's a collection that's likely to cause mixed reactions, much like the work of journalist Neal Pollack, who retired from his own celebrated superstardom to study yogaat which Grosso makes a few good-natured swipes (the yoga, not Pollack). There are good moments, like the way Grosso describes reaching a state of meditative bliss during an Eddie Van Halen guitar solo. How you feel about the pseudo-advice in lines like, "You were born to be real, not to be perfect," will probably depend on your own spiritual sense of well-being at the time, though more cynical readers are likely to raise an eyebrow or two here and there. That's even truer of Grosso's postmodern experiences, littered with self-promotional links, like discovering the meaning of life while scrolling Facebook. For the record, the meaning of life is "Be cool" and "Don't be an asshole." It's an artifice, sure, but compared to nonsense like The Secret, indie spiritualism has a lot going for itmaybe even some actual sincerity.]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

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