My Life in Orange (Paperback)

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Review
Imagine growing up with 200 mothers and 200 fathers. What would it be like to live in a commune with daily chants, meditation and muesli on the menu? In 1981 Tim Guest was taken by his mother to a commune in a small village in Suffolk, modelled on the teachings of guru Bhagwan, who preached an eclectic doctrine of Eastern mysticism, chaotic therapy and sexual freedom. He spent the rest of his childhood in Bhagwan's various communes in England and abroad. While his mother meditated and chanted, Guest lived a life of unsupervised freedom, occasionally catching glimpses of the strange behaviour of the adults around him. Written in unsentimental prose, this is the funny, and sometimes poignant, story of a little boy alone in a house full of orange people.

British journalist Guest recalls the toll taken by his childhood in a commune devoted to the teachings of notorious Indian guru Bhagwan Rajneesh. Torn between her conflicting desires for ecstasy and paradise, the author's mother moved from devout Catholicism as a child to Marxism, feminism, and eventually a Bhagwan commune. She never married Guest's father, an academic who later relocated to teach in California, and was a loving but troubled mother. In 1979, when Tim was three, she heard a tape of the guru talking "about joy, about bliss, about an end to fear and pain." She became increasingly involved with Bhagwan's British acolytes, went to India to meet him, then took her six-year-old son with her when she joined an ashram outside Bombay. From then until the late 1980s (when Bhagwan fled an indictment in the US, and his followers fell apart), Guest's life was controlled by the cult. He poignantly describes a world turned upside down, a world in which the adults behaved like children, following their bliss with unlimited sex and drugs (until the Bhagwan became obsessed with AIDS) while their neglected offspring struggled to raise themselves and take care of one another. Guest movingly details a lonely childhood spent at communes in London, Devon, India, Oregon, and Germany. His mother moved frequently and performed exhausting manual work as she strove to obey the sect's increasingly draconian dictates. He missed having her come to say goodnight to him, cuddle him, or read to him. He wanted to be with a parent, not a group, and he resented the numerous rules: obligatory worship, restricted diet, confiscation of his books and stuffed animals. Adolescence was rocky, though by then his mother had grown disillusioned with the Bhagwan, who once owned 93 Rolls Royces, lots of expensive jewelry, and 21 assault rifles. A rightly disturbing record of malignant child neglect by people who sought a heaven, but made a hell. (Kirkus Reviews)

Time Out
' A sweet book...[creating] a shocking but affectionate image of the Orange people'

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I have photographs of my mother leading a commune parade down Fleet Street. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
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14 Reviews 5 star:  (9) 4 star:  (2) 3 star:  (1) 2 star:  (2) 1 star:    (0)           Average Customer Review 4.3 out of 5 stars (14 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Most Helpful Customer Reviews   13 of 14 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible!!!, 14 Feb 2004 By  Ele "Ele" (Warwickshire) - See all my reviews It's hard to write a review for this book: it's very different from anything I had read before (amd I am a bit of a bookworm!!). In fact, I don't normally go for authobiographies at all... However, I decided to buy this book as I was intrigued by its subject matter. It certainly looked like Tim Guest had one of the most bizarre childhood... Other Amazon reviewers seemed very impressed with the book so I bought it on impulse. And, I am so glad did. This book is amazing... The experiences and traumas that the young Tim went through are told with such sensitivity. And it's unbelievable how he can tackle what must have obviously been painful memories without any trace of a judgemental or self-pitying attitude. And this guy is approximately my own age... WOW! What an accomplishment... Well done Tim! Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)   16 of 18 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars what a great book, 3 Jan 2004 By A Customer I bought this book yesterday as a totally random choice, I just wanted to say that I thought this book was a great read, some parts made me feel sad but I think the authors sense of humour countered this beautifully. If you too have come upon this book by chance and are reading through the reveiws to try and decide whether it is worth a read, buy it! Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)   10 of 11 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars A great book, 3 Feb 2004 By  "digibeanie" - See all my reviews Set against a backdrop of the delirium of the early eighties--rebellion against "capitalism" and the "nuclear family", free love and corruption--the story follows his mother's own troubled quest for enlightenment at the price of her child. What's unusual about this poignant and incidentally hilarious search is that the story has a successful, hard-won resolution. This moving, funny and fascinating book is truly a remarkable debut. Guest writes with an articulate and deeply touching voice, weaving his personal story and photos with a thoroughly well researched account of the rise of this 'alternative' community. A must read for any parent, child or aspiring cult leader. Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this) Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review › See all 14 customer reviews...		Most Recent Customer Reviews 2.0 out of 5 stars An opportunity missed I grabbed this book with both hands and rushed to the till - couldnt get the money out of my hands fast enough. Read more Published on 25 Jul 2006 by William Oliver 4.0 out of 5 stars Heartbreaking evocation of loneliness A friend asked me to read this book to understand something of what it can be like to be raised by idealists. It broke my heart. Read more Published on 6 Oct 2005 by Mr. Richard E. Ashcroft 2.0 out of 5 stars A disappointment I feel rather mean writing a critical review - the author obviously had a difficult childhood - but my genuine reaction to this book is one of disappointment. Read more Published on 12 April 2005 by ianbrown8 4.0 out of 5 stars A nice study of a weird childhood One of the defining elements of this book is the neutral tone in which it is written. Judgements are left to the reader. Read more Published on 25 Oct 2004 by Mr. F. Ledwidge 5.0 out of 5 stars it's as orange as you like! Loved it. Read this one through from cover to cover in two days! Tim's story of growing up in a commune though somehow still growing up in isolation is very moving - there were... Read more Published on 18 Feb 2004 3.0 out of 5 stars There is more to this subject! there are more books on this subject like Delicate Frequencies- The life of a Sannyasin and Diamond days with Osho for those who are interested! check 'em out! Published on 1 Feb 2004 5.0 out of 5 stars What a book... A fascinating insight into commune life. I laughed, cried and at the end was seriously moved. This is a beautifully written unmissable read. Buy it! Published on 30 Jan 2004 by A Smith 5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful book on many levels This book is truly delightful. Yet also thought provoking and touching. The story of a young boy losing his home and mother and their rediscovery of each other is beautifully... Read more Published on 30 Jan 2004 5.0 out of 5 stars What a book... I laughed, cried and at the end was seriously moved. This is a beautifully written book and an unmissable read. Published on 30 Jan 2004 5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful and poignant story I have just finished My LIfe in Orange and wanted to pass on how fantastic I thought it was. Tim Guest writes beautifully about his childhood. Read more Published on 29 Jan 2004 by Paul Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews › See all 14 customer reviews...

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