Devotion

A Memoir

By: Dani Shapiro

Narrated by: Dani Shapiro

Length: 7 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's summary

In her midforties and settled into the responsibilities and routines of adulthood, Dani Shapiro found herself with more questions than answers. Was this all life was - a hodgepodge of errands, dinner dates, e-mails, meetings, to-do lists? What did it all mean?

Having grown up in a deeply religious and traditional family, Shapiro had no personal sense of faith, despite repeated attempts to create a connection to something greater. Feeling as if she was plunging headlong into what Carl Jung termed "the afternoon of life," she wrestled with self-doubt and a searing disquietude that would awaken her in the middle of the night. Set adrift by loss - her father's early death; the life-threatening illness of her infant son; her troubled relationship with her mother - she had become edgy and uncertain. At the heart of this anxiety, she realized, was a challenge: What did she believe? Spurred on by the big questions her young son began to raise, Shapiro embarked upon a surprisingly joyful quest to find meaning in a constantly changing world. The result is Devotion: a literary excavation to the core of a life.

In this spiritual detective story, Shapiro explores the varieties of experience she has pursued - from the rituals of her black hat Orthodox Jewish relatives to yoga shalas and meditation retreats. A reckoning of the choices she has made and the knowledge she has gained, Devotion is the story of a woman whose search for meaning ultimately leads her home. Her journey is at once poignant and funny, intensely personal - and completely universal.

©2010 Dani Shapiro (P)2013 HarperCollins Publishers

Overall interesting

It is well written and she shares her story well. I was just hoping for more and how she found more of her spiritual walk. Not sure that she is any closer to understanding and I certainly am not. I was looking for some insight and didn't glean that from this book. I heard her interview on Oprah's podcast and expected more from this book. More my error for she does just say it is a memoir. She narrates well, easy to listen to, just personally wanted more so it would help me on my spiritual journey

Not for me

It felt like endless whining about why she wasn't happy, how she couldn't find what she needed spiritually. I guess I'm old and jaded. You can have a happy life without finding the perfect spiritual path. It's OK to not have all the answers. Get over yourself and go out and take care of others and make yourself useful in the world.

Personal Spiritual Constructs

Dani illustrates how she came to, and how most free thinkers come to, constructing our own personal spiritualism. It's seldom what we were fed as childen or what those outside our inner circle expect, but it's authentic, and unique to us. So, you get to see that Dani's title, "Devotion" is more than appropriate for what she conveys in this book.

Beautifully written, beautifully spoken

Another amazing story by Dani Shapiro



I thoroughly enjoyed every chapter. Dani is a masterful storyteller.

Absolutely Amazing!!

Dani Shapiro is so real and authentic and such an amazing narrator. I could not love this book more! Thank you Dani for writing this book!!

Superb

Piercing truthfulness. One of those books that I had to pull over on the side of the road 12 times to record ideas. Artful, deep, authentic.

Tremendous

Wow . . . I don't know how I stumbled onto this but sure glad I did. The author's POV and experiences resonated with me. This is not "easy" content . . . it is contemplative and honest and it hit home deep within me. Thank you, Dani.

Loved everything about this book!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I first heard about her from a recent Oprah Super Soul Podcast I listened to the other day. I was not familiar with her work before. I inhaled her book -- a page turner and I didn't want it to end. I found it interesting that last year I also had come across and listened to Deborah Feldman's "Unorthodox" & got glimpses into the world of Hassidic Judaism and the Orthodox religion. Both books have deep stories about the strong need to belong -- even though they have left their communities for their identity preservation -- but have come back to include some tradition because they were raising their sons and wanted them to appreciate their Jewish roots --but not in the way they were raised. Their strong sense of self to live their life in a way that feels authentic -- but also takes those steep traditions and turns them upside down. Both have raw stories and are told with a deep need for spiritual seeking. I think Dani is an amazing story teller and I can't wait to listen to another book! Her non stop questioning and seeking the truth and her need to quiet her monkey mind chatter so spoke to me. I also practice Iyengar Yoga so I enjoyed and related to her yoga practice and trying to quiet and restore the meditative mind. It made my meditations easier to do.

What do you think your next listen will be?

Another of her books.

What about Dani Shapiro’s performance did you like?

Her voice, her non-emotional delivery, and her contemplation of her words while she was speaking -- to make sure what she was thinking and had written was actually still her truth.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Looking for "GOD" in all the wrong places...

Can’t believe I didn’t read until now

As a Jewish yogi whose son began his life in the NICU, I couldn’t have related more to this beautiful book. Made me want to read everything else the author had written.

Universality in Discerning a Faith for Oneself

I liked that Dani shared a lot about her experiences and tied it all in to the theme of her work. One might think on first glance this work might be some new age/wishy washy story, but Ms Shapiro is really a down to earth realist in this book who shares how she found a way that made sense to her for how to be a good person and be good to others for a reason. I am not Jewish or Buddhist or Atheist or Agnostic, which are all addressed in Devotion, but I still got a lot out of it, and I am thankful she read it to me too so I had time to take it in - great voice for rhythmic words!