I loved this series of books and this volume published a year before the 2016 election shows a deeply divided country, and possibly a way forward to heal some of that rift.

We used to be able to talk across that divide. Then for a while we used to be able to shout across it. Now we’re so far apart we just stand on one bank or the other and yell insults up into the air. It worries me, I have to say.”

an ice-hearted belief in the god of competition. Our success, always, depended on someone else’s failure.

Maybe the addictive hurry was all a kind of racing away from our existential predicament, as if we could outrun old age and death,

the American political scene was starting to resemble nothing so much as a circus performance in Rome’s dying days,

( )

Dinner with Buddha features Otto and Rinpoche taking another road trip through the West.They visit a few of the country's amazing national parks, and meet a number of remarkable people.

Each book in Merulo's series becomes more serious and profound. There have been some negative incidents at Rinpoche's retreat, and he and his wife, Otto's sister, feel its time to relocate.They believe their young daughter, Shelsa may be the next Buddha, or Jesus, or Messiah, and as as such needs protection.

Adding to Otto's concerns, his daughter, Natasha, shared that she is in love with a student of Rinpoche's, who happens to be years older, and had been in trouble with the law years earlier.

Natasha suggests her father has nothing keeping him in New York, and he should consider relocating. During their road trip Rinpoche in his unique but effective way continues to teach Otto spirituality. About prioritizing, and to quieting one's mind from petty, angry, mundane thoughts and feelings, how to reach higher.

Otto struggles considering whether he is ready to leave New York, and the comfortable life he knows, and to become more committed to a more focused, spiritual life.

Excellent read encouraging people to think deeply about life choices. To focus on doing good, become less dependent on material things, aim higher. Remarkably compelling.

3.5 stars. A few repetitive annoyances but otherwise the book I needed to read right now. I enjoyed it immensely. ( )

One of the more enjoyable road trip books I've read because of its blend of humor, spiritual insight, and vivid scenic imagery. Although the ending was a stretch (for me, at least), it was still a unifying outcome for all the other events in the book. ( )

Firstly, and unrelated to my review, I never received my copy of this book. I checked a copy out of the library, as perhaps mine got lost in the shuffle as I was moving in August.

I don't quite know what to say about this book. In contrast to other reviewers here, I didn't find it terribly well written. Merullo writes well about food, and so there is a lot of that scattered throughout the narrative. He also has a knack for creating parables related to Buddhism, which his characters share with one another. In terms of plot and character development, however, this book was not strong at all. To be fair, this pseudo-religious self-help-esque format is something I find rather patronizing and irritating. That said, it definitely resonates with some readers, and I won't take that away from Merullo. Finally, in terms of stirring my interest about Buddhism, it was a success. I won't be reading any other works by Merullo based on this work, but I will probably delve further into other works on the topic of this religion. ( )