It’s difficult to put this book down. Like a thriller, one unbelievable hair-raising adventure after another introduces us to Swami – formerly Richard Slavin, who at 19 leaves his home in a Chicago suburb initially headed for a summer in Europe that extends to seeking a life devoted to God. Over the course of two years, he finds his path to God and a guru in India, where he lives today. He practices Bhakti, a devotional yoga tradition that maintains that people who become aware of their spiritual identity share an imperative to reduce suffering in the world.

That simplicity of life Radhanath Swami sought and still follows is awesome; even the term minimalist contains too much stuff to describe his way of being in the world. Forsaking all for God, Swami travels lightly and has few needs. Someone gave him a computer to write the book, but he didn’t even know how to type.