Book Review: Buddha in your Backpack, Franz Metcalf

Pravin, one the Intrepid tour guides in India told the group about this book: "Buddha in your Backpack" by Franz Metcalf. He was trying to explain some aspects of Buddhism (he's a buddhist) and said that he came across this book and said it explains things pretty well, even though it's written for teenagers.

Being stuck at the company condo a couple of weeks ago in Markham with no internet access or tv, I wandered over to the nearby Chapters and found the book. I decided to give it a read.

Again, it's wrtten for teens so the author's style is fairly simple with the usual humour that books for teens have. He does a job, though, of explaining the essence of buddhism and some of the key concepts (at least his version/interpretation). It's all very fluid and once you start to understand the concepts invlovled, everything else flows along from there.

I found the book insightfull. Even though it was written in a simple style, there are a couple of concepts that I had a hard time following.

In any case, even if your mildly interested in the topic, I recommend the book. It's a quick and interesting read.