Review
`You can just see it - the tests, the diagnosis, the poignant memories. But it turns out the problem is not as serious as Parks thought. He's been sitting at a desk, typing, for decades. He's kisy as tense and anxious, physically and mentally. The thing is: how do you find a cure for that?' --The Evening Standard
`This is one of the most interesting and revealing testaments you will ever get from a writer. From one of Parks's calibre, it is remarkable, and I sometimes found myself wondering if he had given too much of himself away. But if he has, then we should just be grateful for his generosity. Peace be unto him' --The Guardian
`You do not need to sign up to a monotheistic dogma or believe in dream - catchers to have [`spiritual' experiences], he argues. Parks's book is a fascinating testimony to that assertion' --The Times
`It's a brilliant, brilliant book, funny, sharply intelligent, at times pleasingly grumpy, at others comfortably erudite, often all four at once'
--The Daily Mail
`Sharing his humbling and elevating story he thoughtfully explains how he found solace in the alternative, through breathing and meditation. A personal and spiritual journey.' --Daily Express
`Littered with literary and cultural allusions, this memoir is engrossing and surprising as Parks struggles against ingrained scepticism in his testimony to the positive impact of meditation' --Financial Times
`Parks's discoveries will fascinate not only writers but all citizens of an information age steeped in and propelled by language.' --The New Yorker
`A sophisticated, literary and colourful memoir of Parks's battle with chronic illness, and how he moved beyond conventional medicine to find relief in vipassana, a form of Buddhist meditation.' --The Daily Telegraph
`surprising, frequently funny' --Herald
`reading this book is like being privy to the case files of a patient undergoing psychoanalysis. The material is exploratory, an extended period of musing. It invites us to make our own individual reflections. More food for thought than a manual on better living. It's also more engaging than it sounds, thanks to a good dose of detached humour'
--thebookbag.co.uk
"Teach Us To Sit Still is mind-blowingly good" --Red Magazine
`This is one of the most interesting and revealing testaments you will ever get from a writer. From one of Parks's calibre, it is remarkable, and I sometimes found myself wondering if he had given too much of himself away. But if he has, then we should just be grateful for his generosity. Peace be unto him' --The Guardian
`You do not need to sign up to a monotheistic dogma or believe in dream - catchers to have [`spiritual' experiences], he argues. Parks's book is a fascinating testimony to that assertion' --The Times
`It's a brilliant, brilliant book, funny, sharply intelligent, at times pleasingly grumpy, at others comfortably erudite, often all four at once'
--The Daily Mail
`Sharing his humbling and elevating story he thoughtfully explains how he found solace in the alternative, through breathing and meditation. A personal and spiritual journey.' --Daily Express
`Littered with literary and cultural allusions, this memoir is engrossing and surprising as Parks struggles against ingrained scepticism in his testimony to the positive impact of meditation' --Financial Times
`Parks's discoveries will fascinate not only writers but all citizens of an information age steeped in and propelled by language.' --The New Yorker
`A sophisticated, literary and colourful memoir of Parks's battle with chronic illness, and how he moved beyond conventional medicine to find relief in vipassana, a form of Buddhist meditation.' --The Daily Telegraph
`surprising, frequently funny' --Herald
`reading this book is like being privy to the case files of a patient undergoing psychoanalysis. The material is exploratory, an extended period of musing. It invites us to make our own individual reflections. More food for thought than a manual on better living. It's also more engaging than it sounds, thanks to a good dose of detached humour'
--thebookbag.co.uk
"Teach Us To Sit Still is mind-blowingly good" --Red Magazine
Review
"A small triumph of narrative artistry, luxuriantly written and full of bone-dry humor." The Spectator "A searingly honest, viscerally vivid, darkly comic self-examination of the connections between writing, personality and health." David Lodge "A mystery story written with extraordinary nerve and eloquence...The result is harrowing, mordant, and unforgettable." David Shields
