In My Own Way - by Alan Watts (Paperback)

About the Book

Originally published: Pantheon Books, 1972.

Book Synopsis

In this new edition of his acclaimed autobiography -- long out of print and rare until now -- Alan Watts tracks his spiritual and philosophical evolution from a child of religious conservatives in rural England to a freewheeling spiritual teacher who challenged Westerners to defy convention and think for themselves. From early in this intellectual life, Watts shows himself to be a philosophical renegade and wide-ranging autodidact who came to Buddhism through the teachings of Christmas Humphreys and D. T. Suzuki. Told in a nonlinear style, In My Own Way wonderfully combines Watts' own brand of unconventional philosophy and often hilarious accounts of gurus, celebrities, psychedelic drug experiences, and wry observations of Western culture. A charming foreword written by Watts' father sets the tone of this warm, funny, and beautifully written story of a compelling figure who encouraged readers to "follow your own weird" -- something he always did himself, as his remarkable account of his life shows.

Review Quotes

"Enthralling . . . a most engrossing autobiography . . . unlike anything you've ever read . . . Those who like myself have found the solution to at least one momentous riddle of the universe inside each of Mr. Watts's memorable books will be enlightened beyond expectations by this chronicle of the web of interlacing experiences and ideas which have constituted his inner life."
-- Henry A. Murray, MD, Harvard University

"Exuberant . . . It is possible to categorize Watts's autobiography as merely a diverting, candid, brilliantly written egocentric memoir of one's man's expeditious use of philosophy, religion, even science and the arts, to achieve name, fame, a good living and a secure niche in the current cultural scene. Actually In My Own Way cannot be dismissed in quite such simplistic terms, for it is the account of an exceptional man's search for the basic truth of his own nature. . ."
-- Nancy Wilson Ross, New York Times Book Review

"A beautiful presentation as only the old master could do it." -- John C. Lilly

"A thoroughly entertaining book." -- Publisher's Weekly