Karma and Kismet: A Spiritual Quest Across Continents, Cultures, and Consciousness

Evoking Paul Theroux’s travel novels in directness, color, and observations, Karma and Kismet catapults the reader into an international and cross-cultural journey, an authentic sixties and seventies quest for meaning and place. Filled with real characters, deep human conflicts, pathos, and passion, this memoir tells a unique yet universal story about overcoming bad karma and the role of kismet, or fate, in shaping life and destiny.

A deeply honest, courageous, and inspiring account, Karma and Kismet challenges readers to go beyond their comfort zones, resonating with anyone who has ever questioned their identity or their place in the world and how they might find connection and belonging. With a vivid and immersive style, Shandler effortlessly draws readers into his story, inviting them to reflect on their own life paths.

Pages: 326
Pub Date: 07-20-2024
Softcover: 19.95 979-8-88824-382-4
Hardcover: 26.95 979-8-88824-384-8

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The reviews are in…

“A beautifully balanced blend of heartfelt storytelling, serene narration, and meaningful dialogues . . . encouragement for self-reflection, and a celebration of acceptance . . . a heartwarming read that leaves readers with a sense of joy and introspection.”

––Literary Titan Five Star Gold Award
“. . . a skillful writer who bring readers directly into his experiences as a young man searching for a sense of belonging. . . . he vividly writes of his first psychedelic trip in 1968: ‘The Mescaline journey . . . has blasted me into a profound new awareness of inner space, of being, of potential for healing, of psychological and spiritual growth.” He’s also a meticulous chronicler of the times and places in which he lived, from South Africa under apartheid to an ashram in Canada where he studied yogic teachings.

Shandler paints a detailed portrait of his pain due to his father’s rejection, his fear and anger when he faced antisemitism, his disappointment with the political wranglings in yogic factions, and finding his path to psychological peace and financial success.

A thoughtful, emotionally forthright, and engaging retrospective.”

—Kirkus Reviews
“Sometimes wry, sometimes sad, Shandler’s excellent memoir illustrates the power of persistence in overcoming childhood adversity in an engaging narrative that readers won’t want to put down.”

—Laurie Pearlman, PhD, trauma specialist, 2019 Lifetime Achievement recipient, trauma division, American Psychological Association

Award-winning author, life coach, and organization development consultant, Dr. Michael Shandler’s boyhood in a dysfunctional family during the apartheid era in South Africa provided powerful grist for his transformational personal journey. Michael is the coauthor with Nina Shandler of four books, including The Marriage and Family Book: A Spiritual Guide, and Ways of Being Together. Shandler is a former principal and partner at Arthur D. Little and holds a master’s in counseling and a doctorate in leadership and group studies from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA. Michael lives in western Massachusetts, where he continues writing, coaching, cycling, and being a husband, a dad, and a grandpa of five incredible grandchildren.

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