Rating: 
Summary: vicarious mysticism
Review: In Budapest, I met a man who wanted to walk to India as a trial-by-fire to the Eastern mystics who preach detachment from worldly comforts as a way to purify the spirit. In Arrow of the Blue-Skinned God, Blank retraces in modern India the steps of the epic Ramayana in a book which should be read by anyone developing an interest in India. The idea of India is powerful in the minds of many Westerners who are then shocked by the overwhelming poverty they encounter when they arrive and find thousands of people bathing, urinating, and washing in the same Ganges where corpses are floating a mile downstream. This book provides a balance between the allure of an ancient mysticism and the experience of a country which embraces a much more diverse reality than one might expect. Each chapter begins with a short synopsis and interpretation of a section of the Epic, followed by a modern-day exploration of where the events are supposed to have taken place (The Demon's island, for example, is believed to be Sri Lanka). It is an obviously directed reading of the Epic, made to fit the topic of the upcoming chapter. I would not recommend it as your only guide to the ancient work; but it is no less valid for being connected to daily life in modern day India. In fact, the Epic gives a firm structure to Blank's comments about India today, and show how Hindu philosophy translates into Indian reality.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing book.
Review: Jonah Blank's book deserves to be in print. I can't find it anywhere. I read it years ago and it spurred a great love for the Ramayana, and for India, but then I gave away my copy little suspecting it would be lost forever. Arrow of the Blue-skinned God is a classic. It is a book I will always remember, and hopefully someday I'll get to read it again.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing book.
Review: Jonah Blank's book deserves to be in print. I can't find it anywhere. I read it years ago and it spurred a great love for the Ramayana, and for India, but then I gave away my copy little suspecting it would be lost forever. Arrow of the Blue-skinned God is a classic. It is a book I will always remember, and hopefully someday I'll get to read it again.
Rating:
Summary: I HAVE NOT READ THIS BOOK. I want to read this book.
Review: Please have this book reprinted soon. Have a copy sent to me early
Rating:
Summary: The book reviews are very good.
Review: The book reviews are very good. I hope I get a chance to possess this book and read it. Why is it out of print for such a long time? Can you not get it reprinted soon? Do what ever possible; and get a copy for me.
Rating:
Summary: his uncle's colleague
Review: This book came serendipitously into my hands through Jonah Blank's uncle in San Diego. I read it a few years ago and have been looking for it so that I could give it to a friend. I have never been to India but am traveling around the world now, partly spurred on by Blank's great book and will surely get to India. Apparently, the author is/was in graduate school in (?)anthropology and might be in India. This book reminds me of Joseph Campell/mythology, history, culture, and travelogue melded beautifully together for a great read.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent book - a must read
Review: This book is a must read for all students of Hindu philosophy. I revised my opinion of the Ramayana - which I had previously thought of as less interesting and more simplistic than the Mahabharata. I also revised my opinion of Sita - from the symbol of the downtrodden Indian female to someone who was the other half (better?) of Lord Rama. The book also raises interesting questions about whether Hinduism is essentially a fatalistic faith or an action oriented one. The encounters that Jonah Blank had with all levels of Indian society ring true. Overall, I highly recommend this book - I could not put it down.
Rating:
Summary: India Below the Surface
Review: This is a guide book for someone who may never visit India. It is a journey through India's culture, history, myths, religion, art, sociology and psychology all in one neat, well edited package. Using the Ramayana as a mirror in which modern India is reflected, the author has given a roving picture of how he sees the vast concept of "India." There is so much here, it's almost as if several jigsaw puzzels were thrown up into the air and when they hit the ground the pieces connected to show an image. Although India is a vast and complex subject beyond any single book and perspective, I believe that this book provides a vision of it that reveals some deep truths about that country and its people.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent book on India - past and present
Review: This is a wonderful book about the travel experiences of a young Harvard scholar in South Asia and how they evoked or resonated with certain episodes of the Ramayana. In one way or another the Ramayana has had an immense influence on South Asian civilization (as well on that of S.E. Asia) so it was interesting to see how Blank brought together, and exposed as timeless, so many of the epic's themes. This is a excellent introduction to India. Highly recommended.
| 
