Drowning in Now - by Alicia Jean Demetropolis (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

This memoir weaves together history with spirituality, exposes the author's fight against panic attacks and depression, and explores what it means to find oneself after becoming lost as she works to become a better person. Fifteen percent of the proceeds from the sale of each book goes to rescue homeless and abandoned elders around the world.

In 2017, Alicia Jean Demetropolis traveled to Nepal to spend three months volunteering at an elder care facility. While there, she experienced the clash of cultures and the horrors of certain practices: animal sacrifice, children putting elderly parents out into the street, and the scorn and neglect heaped upon the vulnerable and homeless. Fighting to make things better, she found herself also fighting her own personal demons, as she came to question her life and her spiritual beliefs. In this recounting of her odyssey, Alicia navigates bigotry and bullying, faces election violence, encounters the kindness of strangers, and discovers the love and grace of new-found family. With Nepal as its backdrop, the author explores the intersection of faith and humanity as she searches for God at the top of the world.

Review Quotes

"This marvelous tapestry of individuals, incidents and ideas is bound to enthrall readers who want to know Nepal - and those who think they already do."

Sanjay Upadhya, author of "Empowered and Imperiled: Nepal's Peace Puzzle in Bits and Pieces"

"This vivid, eloquent description of Nepalese daily life transported me beyond my wildest imaginings. It is a stunning narrative of the inestimable value of authentic kindness, trust, and compassion in an unkind world.

"This book magnetized me. Read it."

Mary M. Mitchell, former syndicated columnist and author of nine etiquette books, corporate trainer, and staunch advocate for kindness and gratitude