Product Description

In 1981 Tim Guest was taken by his mother to a commune in a small village in Suffolk. It was modelled on the teachings of the famous Indian "guru", Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, who preached an eclectic doctrine of Eastern mysticism, chaotic therapy and sexual freedom. Both were given Sanskrit names, dressed entirely in orange and instructed to completely abandon their former identities. Tim - or Yogesh, as he was now known - spent the rest of his childhood in Bhagwan's various communes in England, Oregon, Pune and Cologne. While his mother meditated, chanted and ran therapy groups, Yogesh lived a life of unsupervised freedom, occasionally catching glimpses of the strange behaviour of the adults around him. In 1985 the movement collapsed after Bhagwan's arrest and Yogesh was once again Tim, about to start life at a secondary school in North London, alone with the secret of his extraordinary childhood. In his first book, Guest describes the other-worldly experience of growing up in a environment of unsupervised freedom and often disturbing adult behaviour.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #266768 in Books
• Published on: 2004-01-15
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 301 pages

Review
Imagine growing up with 200 mothers and 200 fathers. What would it be like to live in a commune with daily chants, meditation and muesli on the menu? In 1981 Tim Guest was taken by his mother to a commune in a small village in Suffolk, modelled on the teachings of guru Bhagwan, who preached an eclectic doctrine of Eastern mysticism, chaotic therapy and sexual freedom. He spent the rest of his childhood in Bhagwan's various communes in England and abroad. While his mother meditated and chanted, Guest lived a life of unsupervised freedom, occasionally catching glimpses of the strange behaviour of the adults around him. Written in unsentimental prose, this is the funny, and sometimes poignant, story of a little boy alone in a house full of orange people.

Time Out
' A sweet book...[creating] a shocking but affectionate image of the Orange people'

Marie-Claire
‘A book to make you thankful for your boring childhood’

Customer Reviews

Incredible!!!
It's hard to write a review for this book: it's very different from anything I had read before (amd I am a bit of a bookworm!!). In fact, I don't normally go for authobiographies at all... However, I decided to buy this book as I was intrigued by its subject matter. It certainly looked like Tim Guest had one of the most bizarre childhood... Other Amazon reviewers seemed very impressed with the book so I bought it on impulse. And, I am so glad did. This book is amazing... The experiences and traumas that the young Tim went through are told with such sensitivity. And it's unbelievable how he can tackle what must have obviously been painful memories without any trace of a judgemental or self-pitying attitude. And this guy is approximately my own age... WOW! What an accomplishment... Well done Tim!

what a great book
I bought this book yesterday as a totally random choice, I just wanted to say that I thought this book was a great read, some parts made me feel sad but I think the authors sense of humour countered this beautifully. If you too have come upon this book by chance and are reading through the reveiws to try and decide whether it is worth a read, buy it!

A great book
Set against a backdrop of the delirium of the early eighties--rebellion against "capitalism" and the "nuclear family", free love and corruption--the story follows his mother's own troubled quest for enlightenment at the price of her child. What's unusual about this poignant and incidentally hilarious search is that the story has a successful, hard-won resolution. This moving, funny and fascinating book is truly a remarkable debut. Guest writes with an articulate and deeply touching voice, weaving his personal story and photos with a thoroughly well researched account of the rise of this 'alternative' community. A must read for any parent, child or aspiring cult leader.