• A River Runs Through It and Other Stories, Twenty-fifth Anniversary Edition | | | |
• Gig: Americans Talk About Their Jobs | | | |
• The Undertaking: Life Studies from the Dismal Trade | | | |
• The Things They Carried | | | |
• A Grief Observed | | | |

The must-read for hyperactive thinkers
Review written by: M. Galusky From Midland, TX USA
This piece of literature was recommended to me by my soulmate. Beginning from page one I was glued to this quick-read simple philosophy and could not have been more emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually satisfied at the end. Siddhartha is the quintessential do-it-all who craves experience in order to learn life lessons. He lives several different lives, jumping back and forth from the active life to the contemplative life and at the end of it all comes to a conclusion that could only have been deriven from satiating his curiosity for the human condition--life. is. simple.

Masterpiece of western literature
Review written by: Kedar Deshpande From Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Siddhartha is both a western and eastern tale. Though it was written by a westerner, it has the soul and power of an ancient eastern myth. It is at once a timeless story and one that the reader will wish to continually revisit at different phases in his or her life.

Hesse does a remarkable job in capturing the tone, cadence and moral complexity of ancient Indian religious stories. His "revisionist" take on the life of Buddha is at once fresh and familiar to anyone who has read the sermons of the Buddha or who has studied ancient Hinduism and Buddhism. The themes of self-doubt, denial, asceticism and spiritual rejuvenation are both profoundly and cleverly handled in Hesse's superb narrative. In many ways, this is a book that serves as a summation, and improvement on, all of the religious texts one has read. The fictional aspect allows Hesse to interweave common literary devices, such as heroic journeys and coming-of-age revelations, to make the text, as a whole, much stronger and more impacting than a dry sermon.

Siddhartha's narrative works as a cycle, with each chapter offering commentary on the vices and victories of mankind and the ultimate futility of the material world. Like the river that Siddhartha comes to love, the book flows, and never missteps or hesitates in reaching remarkable insights into the nature and philosophy of humanity.

This is a book that will stay with the reader for a lifetime. Its simple structure belies a greater complexity; be sure that this book leaves the reader with no easy answers, but it is sure to inspire thought and joy.

*A note on translations:
-For readability, flow and consistency, I find the Joachim Neugroschel translation to be the best of the many options. It never feels forced or awkward and the introduction by Ralph Freedman is also a wonderful asset to understanding the importance of the story. Neugroschel seems to best capture the ebbing German of Hesse's original, while also capturing the tone of an Indian sermon.
-The Sherab Chodzin Kohn translation is also well-done, though I find it slightly overstated in certain parts.
-The oldest translation, by Hilda Rosner, is the most commonly available version, though I find it to be clunky, awkward and halting. Avoid it, if possible.
-A newer translation by Susan Bernofsky has received good reviews, but I have yet to read it.
-Finally, two low-grade translations by Applebaum and Edwards should be avoided.

Quite beautiful in its simplicity...
Review written by: Teacher and Book Lover From San Diego, CA
I really enjoyed Siddhartha's journey, especially the way in which he rejects being "told" the meaning of life, the secret of happiness, etc. One cannot learn by being lectured or taught; instead, it is important for all of us to find the message on our own through experience. It is only through exposure to the world -- the good, bad, and ugly -- that we can find what is truly important. I found this spiritual message pertinent and worthwhile. This is definitely a book that will appeal to a large audience, no matter what your religious or spiritual beliefs...

Lessons for life.
Review written by: Kathleen Martorano From Sterling, Colorado
This is an excellant book for people seeking answers to living life to its fullest. Siddhartha learned the lessons the hard way and through his journey we then learn those same lessons and find out just how simple they really are. I recommend reading this book again as most of us have probably read it years ago.

Come On
Review written by: Casey Meijer From Canada
People that say this book changed your life and that if you get it it is the best book and the only book you need, clearly didn't get the book. That is the antithesis of one of the main points of the book.The point is that "teaching" is wrong, striving to "learn" is wrong. You have to find the answers within yourself, you have to truly see and hear yourself without your ego clouding the truth. This is the way to happiness and "enlightenment" The point of this book is that you cannot learn what it shows/tells you. You must find it within yourself, you must experience it yourself. The point is that a book on enlightenment on spirituallity can never truly show you these things can never bring enlightenment to you, that is something that must be discovered within yourself. You must strive for it, go through hardships for it, it cannot be handed to you or it loses all value.