My mother gave me this book, with some of my old things, she sent after me after I moved from home last autumn.
It was the story of one woman's enlightenment and the search she went through before, Courtois' is writing about herself. I was able to assimilate with many of her feelings, but the melodramatic language sometimes threw me off. I found myself rolling my eyes at the chosen words - for me those things are normal, and she gives them so much emphasis.
I understand that she went through this crisis before the 70s, when there was no active information about things like meditation or enlightenment, maybe a mention in some courses in Eastern religions. There weren't books written about these things easily available, or maybe even written. Most of the time I just felt sorry for the woman, then a girl, because I never had to be that alone with my odd thoughts, I had a mother and a father who had books about these things, and who were themselves very spiritual - very odd in the 90s in the small places where I grew up in. I didn't have go through that kind of identity shift Courtois said she went through in puberty. I've never had an urge to try and fit in, to be popular, like she seemed to have. I either fit in or I didn't; most of the time I didn't, and was content.
It is very interesting to read about personal interests and notice how the world has changed since then. Now you can walk into any bookstore or library and there will be shelves full of books on self improvement, meditation, zen and all those things. There are courses in different meditation techniques all over the world.
I go away from that book a little richer, because her hidden hints about meditation she went through was something I'm personally interested in trying.
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Next up will be a thing about the Unknown Soldier by Väinö Linna. It'll be in Finnish and quite long, because it was originally a school assignment.
