shopping cart
Powell's 2010 Puddly Awards
Call us:  800-878-7323 HELP
McAfee SECURE helps keep you safe from identity theft, credit card fraud, spyware, spam, viruses and online scams.
Guests | December 29, 2009

Alex Lemon: IMG Everyone Called Me "Happy"



I have nystagmus and diplopia and chronic pain and ataxia, and I can tell that I'm nervous and excited that my new book is out today because all of... Continue »
  1. $17.50 Sale Hardcover add to wish list

    Happy: A Memoir

    Alex Lemon

Ships free on qualified orders.
Add to Cart
$13.99
New Trade Paper
Ships in 1 to 3 days
Add to Wishlist
Qty Store Section
1 Beaverton Religion Eastern- Buddhism
7 Burnside Religion Eastern- Buddhism
5 Hawthorne Religion Eastern- Buddhism
25 Local Warehouse Biography- Religious
13 Remote Warehouse Biography- General

Dharma Punx

by Noah Levine

Dharma Punx Cover

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

Fueled by the music of revolution, anger, fear, and despair, we dyed our hair or shaved our heads ... Eating acid like it was candy and chasing speed with cheap vodka, smoking truckloads of weed, all in a vain attempt to get numb and stay numb.

This is the story of a young man and a generation of angry youths who rebelled against their parents and the unfulfilled promise of the sixties. As with many self-destructive kids, Noah Levine's search for meaning led him first to punk rock, drugs, drinking, and dissatisfaction. But the search didn't end there. Having clearly seen the uselessness of drugs and violence, Noah looked for positive ways to channel his rebellion against what he saw as the lies of society. Fueled by his anger at so much injustice and suffering, Levine now uses that energy and the practice of Buddhism to awaken his natural wisdom and compassion.

While Levine comes to embrace the same spiritual tradition as his father, bestselling author Stephen Levine, he finds his most authentic expression in connecting the seemingly opposed worlds of punk and Buddhism. As Noah Levine delved deeper into Buddhism, he chose not to reject the punk scene, instead integrating the two worlds as a catalyst for transformation. Ultimately, this is an inspiring story about maturing, and how a hostile and lost generation is finally finding its footing. This provocative report takes us deep inside the punk scene and moves from anger, rebellion, and self-destruction, to health, service to others, and genuine spiritual growth.

Review:

"Fierce and disarming in its honesty, raw and true in its expression...This is not your average spiritual autobiography!" Norman Fischer, Zen priest and poet, and founder of the Everyday Zen Foundation

Review:

"An entry point for many others into a potentially life-saving practice...an empathic and moving offering." Jon Kabat-Zinn, author of Full Catastrophe Living and Wherever You Go, There You Are

Review:

"Honesty and wildness that become transformed and inspiring." Jack Kornfield, author of A Path With Heart

Review:

"This book is a great success story that shows that violence, negativity and self destruction doesn?t accomplish anything." Mike Ness, lead singer of Social Distortion

Review:

"Noah takes us through his own personal genocide in this honest and at times unbearably painful account of his journey." Sothira, lead singer of Crucifix/Proudflesh

About the Author

Noah Levine, the author of the national bestseller Dharma Punx, is a Buddhist teacher, counselor, and writer. He has been practicing Buddhist meditation since 1988, was trained to teach by Jack Kornfield, and leads meditation groups and workshops nationally as well as in juvenile halls and prisons. Levine holds a master's degree in counseling psychology and has studied with many well-known and respected teachers in both the Theravada and Mahayana traditions. Levine lives in Los Angeles.

What Our Readers Are Saying

Add a comment for a chance to win!
Average customer rating based on 1 comment:
Shoshana, January 11, 2008 (view all comments by Shoshana)
Noah Levine (son of author and spiritual teacher Stephen Levine) describes his chaotic childhood and journey toward moderation and purpose. Crime and drugs are liberally intermixed with Noah's discovery of and deep identification with punk. After much alienation, anger, and despair, he recounts gradually moving to a primarily Buddhist perspective, incorporating spiritual practice into his life, and reintegrating himself internally and in his community and intimate relationships.

As I understood it, the book's promise was to describe the integration of the punk ethos with Buddhism, but this was discussed only superficially. Why punk was meaningful to Noah and how he saw (and sees) himself as a punk in relation to society and culture is named but not well-articulated. To put it another way, it's told but not adequately shown, so it remains an assertion rather than something the reader can really engage with. Similarly, there are many points of convergence between punk and Buddhism, and Noah names some (e.g., seeing much of life as illusory), but without exploring them or identifying points of divergence as well.

Nonetheless, the book is interesting and sometimes moving. It provides a terrific contrast to something like Eat, Love, Pray's vapid spiritual tourism that so easily removes itself from the context of the people who populate the country in which one's resort-like retreat is situated.
Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No
(4 of 8 readers found this comment helpful)

Product Details

ISBN:
9780060008956
Author:
Levine, Noah
Publisher:
HarperOne
Author:
by Noah Levine
Subject:
General
Subject:
Religious
Subject:
Popular Culture - Counter Culture
Subject:
Social values
Subject:
Punk culture
Subject:
Buddhism - General
Subject:
General Biography
Subject:
United States Social conditions 1980-
Subject:
Social values -- United States.
Publication Date:
May 2004
Binding:
Paperback
Grade Level:
General/trade
Language:
English
Pages:
272
Dimensions:
7.98x5.38x.68 in. .52 lbs.

Other books you might like

  1. $12.95 New Trade Paper add to wish list
  2. $9.50 Used Trade Paper add to wish list
  3. $10.50 Used Trade Paper add to wish list
  4. $9.95 Used Trade Paper add to wish list
  5. $10.50 Used Trade Paper add to wish list
  6. $8.95 Used Trade Paper add to wish list

    Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind

    Shunryu Suzuki

Related Aisles

  • back to top

Powell's City of Books is an independent bookstore in Portland, Oregon, that fills a whole city block with more than a million new, used, and out of print books. Shop those shelves — plus literally millions more books, DVDs, and eBooks — here at Powells.com.