Nonfiction

Better to Have Gone: Love, Death, and the Quest for Utopia in Auroville

Better to Have Gone: Love, Death, and the Quest for Utopia in Auroville

  • Downloads：7789
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-07-21 02:19:06
  • Update Date：2025-09-08
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Akash Kapur
  • ISBN：1501132512
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle

Reviews

Lisa of Troy ，

Better to Have Gone is a non-fiction book about a village in India called Auroville。 In 1968， the village was founded， and it was a barren land where people from around the world gathered in hopes to create a better society。 The Aurovilians are a hard working people with incredible grit and determination。 Working together and through much sacrifice， they transform the barren， parched earth into a flourishing forest complete with new animal wildlife。 The members work hard each day in the belief t Better to Have Gone is a non-fiction book about a village in India called Auroville。 In 1968， the village was founded， and it was a barren land where people from around the world gathered in hopes to create a better society。 The Aurovilians are a hard working people with incredible grit and determination。 Working together and through much sacrifice， they transform the barren， parched earth into a flourishing forest complete with new animal wildlife。 The members work hard each day in the belief that they are making the world a better place and dig deep spiritually through the practice of yoga。 However， all utopians are not perfect。 Two members of the community end up dead。 What led up to their deaths？ This book was extremely interesting especially as a non-fiction work which is bound by a certain set of facts。 It was like Dune， Jonestown， and a mystery all rolled into one！ It was written in a way which was really intriguing， and I wanted to know more。 It also spoke about the environment and working for a cause greater than oneself。 Especially in these turbulent times， it is easy to imagine how people would be attracted to a quest for deeper meaning and making a real difference in the world。 Previously， I had never heard about Auroville so this work was truly unique。 It is incredible how so much has been accomplished in terms of enhancing the environment as well as constructing the village。 The author was very articulate， and it was clear that he spent a great deal of time researching this book。 He also had a number of photographs in the book as well which were a real delight。 There were also some great quotes that I would love to share upon final publication。Overall， this is an amazing non-fiction book that you should read especially if you love Dune and/or Jonestown。*Thank you， NetGalley， for a free copy of this book in exchange for my fair and honest opinion。 。。。more

Sherry Brown ，

I had not read about Utopian preaching and the communities of which this book shares。 It was a very very interesting book to read！！！ It was definitely a page turner for me！I’m glad I won this from Goodreads！

Jk ，

I received a free advance reader's edition copy of this book via the Goodreads Giveaways program and would like to thank anyone who had a hand in that！I was drawn to this book because I have always found utopian communities and the people who create them fascinating。 I had never heard of Auroville before and really enjoyed learning about it。 The author presents the history of Auroville from the very beginning， highlighting the struggles and the evolution of the community as the backdrop of the t I received a free advance reader's edition copy of this book via the Goodreads Giveaways program and would like to thank anyone who had a hand in that！I was drawn to this book because I have always found utopian communities and the people who create them fascinating。 I had never heard of Auroville before and really enjoyed learning about it。 The author presents the history of Auroville from the very beginning， highlighting the struggles and the evolution of the community as the backdrop of the tragic personal story that is the beating heart of the book。 Engaging and meticulously researched！ 。。。more

Carl Leibniz ，

Very well written about how utopia is a perfect place that does not exist！

Janilyn Kocher ，

I am not a believer in utopian communities or their preachings。 However， I find some of them interesting to read about。 I had never heard of this community in India before reading this book。 I found the personal stories the most interesting。 I skimmed all the philosophy stuff and the gurus of the community， focusing instead on the stories of John and Diane。 I found it interesting that the author and his wife returned to live in the community and raise their family。 It was an interesting read。 Th I am not a believer in utopian communities or their preachings。 However， I find some of them interesting to read about。 I had never heard of this community in India before reading this book。 I found the personal stories the most interesting。 I skimmed all the philosophy stuff and the gurus of the community， focusing instead on the stories of John and Diane。 I found it interesting that the author and his wife returned to live in the community and raise their family。 It was an interesting read。 Thanks to Scribner and NetGalley for the early read。 。。。more