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The Holy Man
They came from far and wide to see the Holy Man, to find new direction in their lives. They walked away freed from everyday anxiety and forever changed by simple words of wisdom so powerful, yet so universal, that their stories are an inspiration to us all. The Holy Man , an acclaimed national bestseller and beautiful piece of inspirational fiction, is a warm and witty collection of modern fables reflecting on the human search for happiness.
192 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 238 reviews
December 5, 2017
Holy buckets. I started this book only 18 hours ago. And with 3 and a half hours of sleep, about 2 hours of eating food, 3 hours of hanging with family, I probably realistically read the book in a matter of 9 hours or so, and I must admit that The Holy Man has incredibly changed my life.
Oh my word. I was intrigued by the author's inspiration for this book, since I have also been a "connoisseur" of insomnia and wishing it would turn to creative thought. She "invented an alternative to counting sheep: she counted a line of people waiting to see a holy man." This was enough to push me to purchase it at a used book sale at a library.
This book taught so many lessons in just 173 short and quick pages. I truly believe that wherever you are at in life: content, variant, restless, loving, impatient, envious, resentful, violent, misleading, or anything else, this book can teach you something.
By displaying much wisdom by way of the holy man, it taught that a life of simplicity, solitude, and silence truly can quiet the insides of a man, no matter the suffering or pain that he endured previous. However, this book also taught much about the importance of viewing life as a journey and each person in contact truly as fellow pilgrims that could always always teach you a lesson in love and living in humility and grace.
From a war assassin to a emotionally-hurt grandmother who doesn't receive correspondence from her grandchildren, each person in this book is met with some beautiful solution to questions that even they might not have known that they had.
I am sitting here, experiencing real, physical hunger for lunch, but I feel wholly and completely spiritually satisfied, so in such a weird way, my physical hunger doesn't matter. That is the power of this story.
I would recommend this book to anyone. Really. But especially to those who, I guess, are looking for a bit more meaning and feel like they are truly on a path to try and treat others in life (strangers and enemies included) with kindness, humility, love, and overall, like they are holy people.
Oh my word. I was intrigued by the author's inspiration for this book, since I have also been a "connoisseur" of insomnia and wishing it would turn to creative thought. She "invented an alternative to counting sheep: she counted a line of people waiting to see a holy man." This was enough to push me to purchase it at a used book sale at a library.
This book taught so many lessons in just 173 short and quick pages. I truly believe that wherever you are at in life: content, variant, restless, loving, impatient, envious, resentful, violent, misleading, or anything else, this book can teach you something.
By displaying much wisdom by way of the holy man, it taught that a life of simplicity, solitude, and silence truly can quiet the insides of a man, no matter the suffering or pain that he endured previous. However, this book also taught much about the importance of viewing life as a journey and each person in contact truly as fellow pilgrims that could always always teach you a lesson in love and living in humility and grace.
From a war assassin to a emotionally-hurt grandmother who doesn't receive correspondence from her grandchildren, each person in this book is met with some beautiful solution to questions that even they might not have known that they had.
I am sitting here, experiencing real, physical hunger for lunch, but I feel wholly and completely spiritually satisfied, so in such a weird way, my physical hunger doesn't matter. That is the power of this story.
I would recommend this book to anyone. Really. But especially to those who, I guess, are looking for a bit more meaning and feel like they are truly on a path to try and treat others in life (strangers and enemies included) with kindness, humility, love, and overall, like they are holy people.
July 31, 2009
This book is a metaphor (in the tradition of the Canterbury Tales) for the various journeys each of us take to find wisdom. Often we feel that someone or a place will give us the results we seek in life, but eventually the realization grows on us that the answers are already programmed in ourselves.
The basic story: A line of pilgrims snakes up a mountain to see the Holy Man in the small house at the top. Each chapter stands alone as a vignette, telling the tale of a different character, yet the story also builds. Though the images and circumstances are Buddhist, the nature of the story is broader in its appeal, illuminating without any heavy morality lessons.
Small book, big wisdom.
The basic story: A line of pilgrims snakes up a mountain to see the Holy Man in the small house at the top. Each chapter stands alone as a vignette, telling the tale of a different character, yet the story also builds. Though the images and circumstances are Buddhist, the nature of the story is broader in its appeal, illuminating without any heavy morality lessons.
Small book, big wisdom.
June 15, 2019
This book is simple yet profound. Its messages are powerful. It says so much by using basic examples of events we encounter in real life. Susan Trott so beautifully captures how much a positive, altruistic, and motivated mindset can transform the lives around you. I'd recommend this to anyone, and I read it yearly like it's a religious text because of how much of an inspiring impact it has had on my own life. The other two books, The Holy Man's Journey and The Holy Woman, are just as enjoyable, but this particular one is life-changing.
August 8, 2010
It has a very zen vibe and as such it's not quite as preachy as it might otherwise have been. It's cheeky and sweet and about all these people who come to this one place but encounter enlightenment in unique ways. It is moralistic, but it's not too syrupy and it is very endearing.
April 19, 2018
Each short chapter a new character with a different human quality or emotion, some form of "suffering", things we all experience or can relate to. Lessons are administered and issues quickly resolved from I would say a loosely buddhist perspective. My favorite chapter was #22 Choice. Overall, a really sweet book and a great read for all ages.
January 25, 2009
This is one of my all time favorite books. I always have a few copies on my shelf for gifts. It is a short easy read about a line of pilgrims waiting to see the Holy Man and the lessons they learn while waiting in line.
January 31, 2019
A sequence of moralistic fables, it begins light and fluffy, but as you sit with it over a few days, you find yourself more and more charmed—and hopefully enlightened. You won't find much meat here but that isn't to say it gets much wrong. Joe (or Trott as the author) understands the simple truths of meaningful living.
It reads like a secular form of scripture: if one were to blend some Eastern philosophies with a broadly Christian ethos of compassion. Joe is an aged, warm, playful monk living in a non-descript hermitage using simple tricks to help others realize that "everyone you meet is holy." Including themselves.
The Holy Man was reminiscent of Oriah's The Invitation or Mitch Albom's Tuesdays with Morrie each helpful, light, and encouraging. This won't necessarily engage the mind, but then again, I suppose that's the point of literature like this.
It reads like a secular form of scripture: if one were to blend some Eastern philosophies with a broadly Christian ethos of compassion. Joe is an aged, warm, playful monk living in a non-descript hermitage using simple tricks to help others realize that "everyone you meet is holy." Including themselves.
The Holy Man was reminiscent of Oriah's The Invitation or Mitch Albom's Tuesdays with Morrie each helpful, light, and encouraging. This won't necessarily engage the mind, but then again, I suppose that's the point of literature like this.
April 16, 2009
Ok.
Very cute. Light.
Fast read ... read it the other night?
Not many high hopes for it,
It's one of many similar books?
Reminiscent of Grudas ... or was it Gibran?
But either way i did end up liking it
and thinking of the folks in the story,
the tales told.
Made me smile!
Will recommend it to folks I know :)
Thanks!!!
Very cute. Light.
Fast read ... read it the other night?
Not many high hopes for it,
It's one of many similar books?
Reminiscent of Grudas ... or was it Gibran?
But either way i did end up liking it
and thinking of the folks in the story,
the tales told.
Made me smile!
Will recommend it to folks I know :)
Thanks!!!
January 11, 2020
The Holy Man is full of morals that anyone can thrive from. This is an easy read about a village that visits a holy man every summer. The Holy Man tells different stories of the people who visit him with their questions and concerns. This book made me laugh, cry, and feel love for those around me. A super easy read, and I recommend it to anyone.
There is no inappropriate content in this book.
There is no inappropriate content in this book.
November 11, 2024
it’s my grandma’s favorite book and she told me to read it. so i read it and i was so pleasantly surprised to find that it was not religious propaganda and in fact a mostly secular/spiritual book of fables with wit and humor. i did cry and i did give it 5 stars but also my grandma said it was her dying wish that i read it so like i could have bias here.
February 21, 2018
Sweet, thoughtful, easy read.
July 30, 2019
Story about Joe, a man who, for the last 25 years, has lived on top of a mountain and the people who line up each year to see him and find answers to their questions of life.
Short, sweet and gives many points to ponder and reflect on.
This is a good one folks. I will be revisiting this one many times in the future.
Short, sweet and gives many points to ponder and reflect on.
This is a good one folks. I will be revisiting this one many times in the future.
October 16, 2019
Short parables revoking around a holy man who built a heritage on a mountain above a town. People came from all over to see him. What they learned of themselves had more to do with what they already knew but had to recognize in their journey up and down to get to see the Holy Man.
February 20, 2024
The simple writing style belies some fairly deep insight into the profound complications of being a human. I was told that I might see myself in one of the characters who seeks The Holy Man…and I believe I saw myself in a few of them. A definite re-read.
June 8, 2023
A speedy read and full of so much wisdom - one of those books that just blissed me out 🥲❤️
June 11, 2024
3.5
Makes you reflect on things.
Makes you reflect on things.
February 17, 2019
I really enjoyed the audible version. I felt inspired and perhaps a better person from spending time with Joe and his gentle teaching.
February 18, 2024
Light hearted little journeys of people from different walks of life. Had some good lessons in there. My favorite is: “Nothing you have is yours.” -The Holy Man
December 10, 2018
This book is sometimes classified in self-help or inspirational. It's an interesting take on each of this. It brings some cool insights and ideas but does so in an intriguing way. Apparently, the idea for this book grew out of the pre-sleep practices of the author during bouts of insomnia (or at least, times of difficulties falling asleep). She imagined a long line of individuals winding up a mountain path to visit a Holy Man.
Exploring the idea of turning it into a story, she includes the expected anecdotes and Confucius-style quips of advice but goes beyond that. About half of the focus in the book is spent following specific individuals as they slowly traverse the long line up the mountain. The trek up the mountain usually takes a number of days and thus each would-be-visitor spends hours and days introspectively preparing for the visit, dealing with their own individual demons (alcohol withdrawal, impatience, sense of entitlement, etc) such that by the time they reach the home of the Holy Man, they have often come to their own solution to their problem and merely thank the Holy Man and go on their way.
The other half of the focus naturally focuses on the Holy Man himself. His own introspections. His interactions with the various individuals. Those who visit take three basic forms: 1) Those who don't even recognize him for who he is and move on quickly. 2) Those who have solved their problems on the way up the path. and 3) Those who he sits and talks to either to gain insight in how their problem was solved or how it could be solved.
The methods and advice of the Holy Man are simple and easy to understand, but (as sometimes indicated by the complaining visitors) are either too simple (and thus they don't think they'll work) or too hard to the extent that the visitor doesn't actually want to undertake the required effort.
The Holy Man refers occasionally to different tenets of various religions but his advice and comments are non-denominational. The most detail I noticed were some references to New Testament comments from Christ. But there were also references to other non-Christian religions and even some general comments that could almost be taken as atheistic. The Holy Man indicates that while religion can be helpful to an individual, it can only truly work if the individual has a true sense of self and understanding of why they need the religion and how it applies to them individually. Just accepting a religion won't help anybody if they don't also have an understanding of who they are, their own needs, their own strengths/weaknesses, and their own scope in life and the eternities.
I really enjoyed this book. It's a simple read. Many of the individual stories are compartmentalized such that a single chapter (or sometimes two or three chapters) can be used as exemplar for a specific topic.of advice and insight. Each chapter has a title that corresponds to its general theme. So the book can be used for quick nuggets of inspirational advice. Reading the story as a whole (or just the first and last chapters) provides a higher level story of the Holy Man and his trajectory.
One of the key pieces of advice that the Holy Man gives to everyone is that "we are all Holy. I am Holy and you are Holy. And we should treat everyone with this understanding in mind." As we apply this to ourselves, it not only gives a new perspective on life and the people around us, but it also allows the entire book and the story of the Holy Man to act as an allegory for our own life. If we are all Holy, then surely, the thoughts/path/advice/trajectory within his life apply to us just as well.
If you're interested in a quick, creative, fun, inspiration read, I can recommend this book. The style is simple and accessible while also being insightful. It's delightful and profound without being presumptuous or pretentious.
*****
4.5 out of 5 stars
Exploring the idea of turning it into a story, she includes the expected anecdotes and Confucius-style quips of advice but goes beyond that. About half of the focus in the book is spent following specific individuals as they slowly traverse the long line up the mountain. The trek up the mountain usually takes a number of days and thus each would-be-visitor spends hours and days introspectively preparing for the visit, dealing with their own individual demons (alcohol withdrawal, impatience, sense of entitlement, etc) such that by the time they reach the home of the Holy Man, they have often come to their own solution to their problem and merely thank the Holy Man and go on their way.
The other half of the focus naturally focuses on the Holy Man himself. His own introspections. His interactions with the various individuals. Those who visit take three basic forms: 1) Those who don't even recognize him for who he is and move on quickly. 2) Those who have solved their problems on the way up the path. and 3) Those who he sits and talks to either to gain insight in how their problem was solved or how it could be solved.
The methods and advice of the Holy Man are simple and easy to understand, but (as sometimes indicated by the complaining visitors) are either too simple (and thus they don't think they'll work) or too hard to the extent that the visitor doesn't actually want to undertake the required effort.
The Holy Man refers occasionally to different tenets of various religions but his advice and comments are non-denominational. The most detail I noticed were some references to New Testament comments from Christ. But there were also references to other non-Christian religions and even some general comments that could almost be taken as atheistic. The Holy Man indicates that while religion can be helpful to an individual, it can only truly work if the individual has a true sense of self and understanding of why they need the religion and how it applies to them individually. Just accepting a religion won't help anybody if they don't also have an understanding of who they are, their own needs, their own strengths/weaknesses, and their own scope in life and the eternities.
I really enjoyed this book. It's a simple read. Many of the individual stories are compartmentalized such that a single chapter (or sometimes two or three chapters) can be used as exemplar for a specific topic.of advice and insight. Each chapter has a title that corresponds to its general theme. So the book can be used for quick nuggets of inspirational advice. Reading the story as a whole (or just the first and last chapters) provides a higher level story of the Holy Man and his trajectory.
One of the key pieces of advice that the Holy Man gives to everyone is that "we are all Holy. I am Holy and you are Holy. And we should treat everyone with this understanding in mind." As we apply this to ourselves, it not only gives a new perspective on life and the people around us, but it also allows the entire book and the story of the Holy Man to act as an allegory for our own life. If we are all Holy, then surely, the thoughts/path/advice/trajectory within his life apply to us just as well.
If you're interested in a quick, creative, fun, inspiration read, I can recommend this book. The style is simple and accessible while also being insightful. It's delightful and profound without being presumptuous or pretentious.
*****
4.5 out of 5 stars
May 22, 2021
Fun little book that points to treating all people as holy.
January 23, 2008
The Holy Man is a collection of short stories (each only 4 pages or so) about - wait for it - a Holy Man and the people seek him out. It's set in the modern world, but setting it in the modern world doesn't change the fable-like quality of the stories -- everyone's problems, doubts, and insecurities have a universal, timeless quality.
The Holy Man is a regular person, but he channels qualities of all the holy men in human history, and as such, his answers and responses to people's concerns also have a universal, timeless quality. You can appreciate these stories regardless of your faith, or lack thereof.
Some will find the moral/message of each story deep and insightful. Others will think the Holy Man's responses are predictable and too simplistic, or downright psychobabbly. I fall somewhere in between. There were times Joe (the Holy Man) sounded like a fortune cookie and I had to roll my eyes, but there were also times when I realized that pithy missives like treat others as you would wish to be treated contain good directions, no matter how many times you've heard (and ignored) them before.
This book took me longer to read than it should have, but it was fun, interesting, and I like Trott's simple writing style. I recommend it, especially as a purse book. It's the perfect size for slipping into your bag and reading during all those minutes we otherwise lose to standing in line, or staring at waiting room walls.
The Holy Man is a regular person, but he channels qualities of all the holy men in human history, and as such, his answers and responses to people's concerns also have a universal, timeless quality. You can appreciate these stories regardless of your faith, or lack thereof.
Some will find the moral/message of each story deep and insightful. Others will think the Holy Man's responses are predictable and too simplistic, or downright psychobabbly. I fall somewhere in between. There were times Joe (the Holy Man) sounded like a fortune cookie and I had to roll my eyes, but there were also times when I realized that pithy missives like treat others as you would wish to be treated contain good directions, no matter how many times you've heard (and ignored) them before.
This book took me longer to read than it should have, but it was fun, interesting, and I like Trott's simple writing style. I recommend it, especially as a purse book. It's the perfect size for slipping into your bag and reading during all those minutes we otherwise lose to standing in line, or staring at waiting room walls.
November 18, 2011
The Holy Man is a delightful collection of little stories about people waiting in line to get to speak to The Holy Man, a regular guy named Joe with a deep sense of humanity. He takes each problem, doubt and personality into hand and folds it back onto itself to give the perfect answer.
What we see throughout is how the line itself brings the answers to each person's problem, doubt, and insecurities with a universal, timeless touch.
The stories are short and sweet telling a simple moral tale that gives a spark of holiness to anyone with the patience to wait in line.
What we see throughout is how the line itself brings the answers to each person's problem, doubt, and insecurities with a universal, timeless touch.
The stories are short and sweet telling a simple moral tale that gives a spark of holiness to anyone with the patience to wait in line.
January 10, 2012
This little book is a gem. It tells the story of a holy man who lives high on a mountain and dispenses advice to the many travelers who line up for months out of the year to get a chance to see and speak to him. Trott is a charming writer and the moral parables she weaves through the story are uplifting and inspire the reader to live better and to treat everyone he or she encounters as holy.
February 18, 2012
I love this short, inspirational book! Each chapter is a vignette in its own right, highlighting the human search for happiness and the deeper meaning of life. The gently told stories explore how ego and our love of things over people often trips us up.
An absolutely delightful read! I gave my first copy to my mother and had to buy a second one to keep on my shelf for frequent quick reads!
An absolutely delightful read! I gave my first copy to my mother and had to buy a second one to keep on my shelf for frequent quick reads!
June 14, 2013
Very quick little read, not sure it's profound but I suppose it would be called so. I was hooked on page 24. You will certainly see yourself and others in the interwoven stories. A good read whether you are searching for something or not.
June 29, 2013
This book is a gentle and positive reminder of lessons we are here to practice. It has aided my honesty and openness. It relates to me on every level and if you want a lovely story to read, it is wonderful in it's simplicity.
October 13, 2015
One of my all time favorite books.
It is timeless and inspirational.
The profound impact hits me the same every time I read it.
Quiet. Peaceful. Thought provoking.
Top ten all time favorite books.
It is timeless and inspirational.
The profound impact hits me the same every time I read it.
Quiet. Peaceful. Thought provoking.
Top ten all time favorite books.
August 24, 2020
A very compelling book with several lessons to take to heart. I was so moved by this book that I heard it twice from start to finish and am reading it now for the third time, to take notes from this book. Highly recommend.
March 27, 2017
I just re-read this sweet, special little book in honor of my Mom, who loved this story. <3
December 12, 2010
This is a terrible book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 238 reviews