The Cushion in the Road
Meditation and Wandering as the Whole World Awakens to Being in Harm's Way
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
The National Book Award– and Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Color Purple explores our modern world with “compassion, courage, and humor” (Booklist).
Alice Walker once ached for retirement, but in the turmoil of the Democratic primaries and the economic collapse of 2008, she realized she simply had a great deal more to say. Leaving her meditation cushion behind, she found herself traveling the world once again to speak of our intertwined personal, spiritual, and political destinies through ruminations, poems, essays, and letters.
At the height of her literary powers, this revered American novelist, poet, essayist, and activist invites readers on a journey of political awakening and spiritual insight. While visiting subjects she has addressed throughout her career—including racism, Africa, Palestinian solidarity, and Cuba—as well as addressing emergent issues, such as the presidency of Barack Obama and health care, Walker explores her conflicting impulses to retreat into inner contemplation and to remain deeply engaged with the world.
Rich with humor and wisdom, and informed by Walker’s unique eye for the details of human and natural experience, The Cushion in the Road is “a heartfelt response to a new generation’s yearning for public service” (Kirkus Reviews).
“Walker’s concern for the state of humanity and the planet comes through as impassioned and genuine.” —Publishers Weekly
“Quintessential Alice Walker: edgy, demanding, prayerful, loving, and aware. An essential companion for those who wish to be a force for positive change in our perpetually challenging world.” —ForeWord Magazine
“Infused with a quiet grace and gentle resolve to act responsibly.” —Kirkus Reviews
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In linking meditation to wandering, the distinguished and prolific Walker, whose books include the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award winning The Color Purple, produces a meandering assortment of her ideas and musings between 2008 and 2012 about matters spiritual, political, and personal. Figuring in her diverse and self-absorbed ruminations are, among others, Obama, Hilary Clinton, Dennis Banks, Cicely Tyson, Mumia Abu-Jamal, Julian Assange, Bradley Manning, and John Lennon. The m lange includes her reflections on her favorite films and audiobooks, her officiating at a gay marriage, her own "marriage" to her cat and dog, her imagining Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera's response to the drug cartels, along with her public letters to, among others, Aung San Suu Kyi and Nawal El Saadawi. She notes that her "mentor and teacher" include the Dalai Lama and Amma, Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Castro and Mandela. The section "On Palestine" where Walker recounts her journey to Gaza with Code Pink, her participation in the Freedom Flotilla, and argues for a "one-state settlement" will likely attract the most attention. Walker's concern for the state of humanity and the planet comes through as impassioned and genuine, as does her view of the place of meditation in her personal life.
