Broken People
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-06-08 07:50:56
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Sam Lansky
- ISBN：1335900993
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
“He fixes everything that’s wrong with you in three days。”
This is the alluring promise that first hooks Sam when he overhears it at a party in the Hollywood Hills: the story of a globe-trotting master healer who claims to perform “open-soul surgery” on the emotionally damaged。 And the shaman seems convincing—enough for neurotic， depressed Sam to sign up for a weekend under his care。 But as Sam begins his slippery descent into the seductive world of modern mysticism， he’ll be forced to reckon with his troubled past， his self-delusions and the very nature of what it means to be well。
At turns tender and acid， bracing and wise， Broken People is a dazzling modern parable about hope， faith and the stories we tell ourselves about who we are。
This is the alluring promise that first hooks Sam when he overhears it at a party in the Hollywood Hills: the story of a globe-trotting master healer who claims to perform “open-soul surgery” on the emotionally damaged。 And the shaman seems convincing—enough for neurotic， depressed Sam to sign up for a weekend under his care。 But as Sam begins his slippery descent into the seductive world of modern mysticism， he’ll be forced to reckon with his troubled past， his self-delusions and the very nature of what it means to be well。
At turns tender and acid， bracing and wise， Broken People is a dazzling modern parable about hope， faith and the stories we tell ourselves about who we are。
Reviews
Gabrielle
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3。5 Beautiful writing and interesting characters。 But in the end， I got bored and stopped reading even though I only had 25 pages to go。 The big insight of the ayahuasca trip was not exactly earth shattering， and reading about someone else's drug trip is about the same as hearing about someone else's dream -- not nearly as exciting as it was to one who experienced it。 Also， Sam's problems are those of a very young person， as is the seriousness with which he takes them。 But I look forward to read 3。5 Beautiful writing and interesting characters。 But in the end， I got bored and stopped reading even though I only had 25 pages to go。 The big insight of the ayahuasca trip was not exactly earth shattering， and reading about someone else's drug trip is about the same as hearing about someone else's dream -- not nearly as exciting as it was to one who experienced it。 Also， Sam's problems are those of a very young person， as is the seriousness with which he takes them。 But I look forward to reading more by Sam Lansky as he gets older。 。。。more
Petar
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The book could've been better。 It's more of a memoir than a psychological book; althought it is never advertised as such。 I just hope the main character got some real help， too。 It feels like he wrote the book only for himself， and somehow it got published。 I love all of the pop culture references， tho。 The book could've been better。 It's more of a memoir than a psychological book; althought it is never advertised as such。 I just hope the main character got some real help， too。 It feels like he wrote the book only for himself， and somehow it got published。 I love all of the pop culture references， tho。 。。。more
Bradley （AudioShelf）
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Broken People is a powerful story about paving your own path to inner happiness and self-forgiveness， as well as making peace with the fact that it’s okay to love yourself and allow yourself to heal from emotional wounds in the process。 Sam， an author， recovering drug addict， and self-identified overweight hottie， is realizing that the way he thinks about his body and his life choices are not exactly healthy。 With every failed relationship behind him， Sam wants to find out what happened in his l Broken People is a powerful story about paving your own path to inner happiness and self-forgiveness， as well as making peace with the fact that it’s okay to love yourself and allow yourself to heal from emotional wounds in the process。 Sam， an author， recovering drug addict， and self-identified overweight hottie， is realizing that the way he thinks about his body and his life choices are not exactly healthy。 With every failed relationship behind him， Sam wants to find out what happened in his life that led him to be lonely and depressed， not to mention full of self-loathing。 Sam attends an LA party and finds out that his older， gay friend Buck knows of a shaman that has the power to “heal you in three days。” Although he’s not 100% sold on this idea， Sam takes this journey with the shaman because。。。well， what else did he have to lose？ I found this book to be very powerful。 It was a quick read， wrought with nuance， and filled with heavy topics that made conversation between the characters extremely intriguing。 I just had to find out how the story ended—which I did and I enjoyed it！ The only negative is that I did find some parts of the book exhausting and I just wanted the story to keep moving。 As for the audiobook， yes， it was lovely to hear Sam’s attractive voice; however， I’m not a big fan of authors narrating their own work。 Sam had a very monotonous tone to his narration， which often left me wanting to skip some scenes—but if I did that， then I wouldn’t have been able to grasp the story like I did in the end。 I also know that this book is fiction; however it reads like a bibliography and you can tell Sam Lansky put a lot of his own personal life into the story （rather， this parable）。 So it does make sense as to why he narrated the novel himself。 😍 。。。more
Kieran Watkins
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Deep and harrowing in parts， I found it really thought-provoking。 It belittles modern day culture so well that you’ll come away thinking you need to change your habits。 Only criticism for me is that it was too long。
Heather Caggiano
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A very inspirational journey of self worth。
Kristen
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I need a way to track where I'm reading about books that I end up really despising。 They seem to have the same themes of horrible characters， meh writing，and torturous plot lines。 I need a way to track where I'm reading about books that I end up really despising。 They seem to have the same themes of horrible characters， meh writing，and torturous plot lines。 。。。more
Bea
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I picked up this book because I have a family who believes in native medicine and was looking forward to reading it from a non-Latino perspective。 But as I was reading through and got to the last quarterish of the book， I was about to give up on it—-why do I want to keep reading about a character as neurotic as I am？ I won’t give spoilers， but as I was reaching the end of the book， I did not want it to end！ Thank you Sam Lansky。🌟
Bookclubbish
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CategoriesComing of Age Fiction， Literary Fiction， Gay
Nathan
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This was a solid 3 star book until the painfully didactic final chapter。 Literally had me rolling my eyes。 The main character and writing is self-important without being interesting。
Amanda Martinez
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I had to read this for a book club and it took forever for me to get through this。 The characters were pretentious and self-absorbed。 I can’t relate to rich white people problems。 It’s also full of cliches。 The character’s conversations felt like they were straight out of an ABC Family teen drama show。 It’s been a while since I disliked a book this much。
Gregory Tedesco
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i found this endearing and eye opening as young gay man nearing the end of his 20s。 at times the commentary about life in LA versus NYC is seriously laugh enduing。 1/4 life crisis as a book in a nutshell
Tanis G
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A fast read because I desperately wanted to know what his ayahuasca trip was going to be like。 Beginning， middle and end were all anticlimactic。 Dare I say。。。 predictable？
noah
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I don't know what to think。 I mean the writing was good。 I liked the metaphors。 I likes the narration etc。 But it was so predictable？ Like Sam said he knew what was wrong with him he just doesn't know how to fix it？ What did the ceremony do for him exactly？ Maybe it's because it was too abstract and I couldn't get into the whole ceremony thing。 I pretty much enjoyed it until the spirit visitation。ANYWAYS two stars for the trip down memory lane but other than that？ I don't know。。。 I don't know what to think。 I mean the writing was good。 I liked the metaphors。 I likes the narration etc。 But it was so predictable？ Like Sam said he knew what was wrong with him he just doesn't know how to fix it？ What did the ceremony do for him exactly？ Maybe it's because it was too abstract and I couldn't get into the whole ceremony thing。 I pretty much enjoyed it until the spirit visitation。ANYWAYS two stars for the trip down memory lane but other than that？ I don't know。。。 。。。more
Lina C。
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I needed some time to think about this before writing a review。 I really really enjoyed this book。 There's not a lot happening aside from him being at the shamanic ceremony and all the memories he goes through， but I love the authors writing style and how everything pieces together。 Even though I am not a sober gay man， I found so much to relate to in this book and was constantly highlighting poignant lines and things that resonated with me。Some parts dragged on too much and could have had much I needed some time to think about this before writing a review。 I really really enjoyed this book。 There's not a lot happening aside from him being at the shamanic ceremony and all the memories he goes through， but I love the authors writing style and how everything pieces together。 Even though I am not a sober gay man， I found so much to relate to in this book and was constantly highlighting poignant lines and things that resonated with me。Some parts dragged on too much and could have had much less detail， but still great。 。。。more
Carrie Colvin
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Loved the honesty
Adam
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Broken People was a fascinating novel that spoke to me on a deeply personal level in so many ways。 This essentially just consists of the protagonist taking some hallucinogenic drugs in the presence of a "shaman" from Portland， and going on a trip back down and through his memories to attempt to understand himself。On its face it can seem a bit a trite， but Sam Lansky's willingness to truly go deep and expose his character （I'm assuming inspired by his own life） really put this over the top。 The t Broken People was a fascinating novel that spoke to me on a deeply personal level in so many ways。 This essentially just consists of the protagonist taking some hallucinogenic drugs in the presence of a "shaman" from Portland， and going on a trip back down and through his memories to attempt to understand himself。On its face it can seem a bit a trite， but Sam Lansky's willingness to truly go deep and expose his character （I'm assuming inspired by his own life） really put this over the top。 The themes of the novel are particularly relevant to the gay community， but also seemed pretty universal。 What are we worthy of？ Why do we do so many things that hurt the people we love most？ Why do I judge myself so much more harshly than I judge anyone else。To be sure， these questions aren't necessarily original or unique。 But weaved throughout an excellently written narrative， there is still deep meaning to be found in witnessing an imperfect， lovable character try to find some， any answer to any or all of the above。 。。。more
Laura Tracey
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2 1/2。。。 a good 50%。 I didn’t totally not like it， but didn’t like it a lot either。 I liked it enough that I didn’t want to not finish， because I wanted to see where the journey took Sam， but I wasn’t racing to finish it either。 For a 300 page book， I felt like it was three times it in length。 I read other reviews that it read like a therapy session， and I’d agree。 To me， it read as a memoir with a twist of fiction， so it was genuinely difficult for me to remind myself it was fiction。
Cynthia
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Beautiful interiority and emotional honesty。
Shadi Traish
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Imagine being trapped in the head of the world's most boring narcissist -pages upon pages of ruminating on being a little chubby， and the your relationship with a rich guy ended。 The books jacket successfully pulled me in by advertising the plot of someone who attempts a process that allows him to go through 10 years of therapy in 3 days -to dire results。 What follows is a white "shaman" pseudo scientist who administers ayahuasca。 Apparently the protagonist's trauma is messing up a relationship Imagine being trapped in the head of the world's most boring narcissist -pages upon pages of ruminating on being a little chubby， and the your relationship with a rich guy ended。 The books jacket successfully pulled me in by advertising the plot of someone who attempts a process that allows him to go through 10 years of therapy in 3 days -to dire results。 What follows is a white "shaman" pseudo scientist who administers ayahuasca。 Apparently the protagonist's trauma is messing up a relationship with a wealthy New York party boy and occasionally binging on junk food -that's literally it。 Not one well-developed character in the entire novel。 Readers are rewarded by the protagonist having "enlightenment" and by that he becomes self-congratulatory if he has a thought not about himself。 I honestly belive this book began as an unpublishable memoir （protagonist share name with the author， is a writer， and his agent tells him his memoir is directionless） that was repurposed as a novel to appeal to。。。 honestly I'm clueless as to who this would appeal too。。。 maybe emotional vampires who think their ability to burn out others out makes them interesting。 。。。more
Diane
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3。5 rounded down
Joel
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I actually thought this was a memoir for the first 200 pages or so。 It felt almost identical to the author's own experiences， which isn't to say it's not a heart-wrenching story， but it would be interesting to see the author stretch himself beyond this corner of literature。 The story was pretty simplistic and a lot of "woe is me，" but I can't say I haven't related to the protagonist at my lowest moments。 I probably wouldn't pass up on visiting a shaman and taking ayahuasca to fix everything wron I actually thought this was a memoir for the first 200 pages or so。 It felt almost identical to the author's own experiences， which isn't to say it's not a heart-wrenching story， but it would be interesting to see the author stretch himself beyond this corner of literature。 The story was pretty simplistic and a lot of "woe is me，" but I can't say I haven't related to the protagonist at my lowest moments。 I probably wouldn't pass up on visiting a shaman and taking ayahuasca to fix everything wrong with me in 3 days if presented the choice too！ If you're a quick reader， it's not the worst way to spend an afternoon， but there are definitely better options out there。 。。。more
Arianna Mclaughlin （arianna。reads）
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Broken People takes the reader on a journey as Sam arrives in LA and is desperate for something to believe in。 Lansky's writing is raw， realistic and gets inside you。 As you follow Sam on his journey to find self-acceptance， Lansky brings the reader into his world。 It's self-destructive， inquisitive， angsty and funny and relatable。It also brings up serious topics like the depression and anxiety Sam experiences as he struggles with accepting his sexuality and painful memories from his past。This i Broken People takes the reader on a journey as Sam arrives in LA and is desperate for something to believe in。 Lansky's writing is raw， realistic and gets inside you。 As you follow Sam on his journey to find self-acceptance， Lansky brings the reader into his world。 It's self-destructive， inquisitive， angsty and funny and relatable。It also brings up serious topics like the depression and anxiety Sam experiences as he struggles with accepting his sexuality and painful memories from his past。This is a very different book with a strong narrative voice and one that's worth your time。Thank you to Edelweiss and the publisher for the eARC。 。。。more
Alexis Puebla
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I liked:-How the book was written and just the prose in general。 The voice was so relatable to me and getting the intimate peeks into the dialogue going on in Sam’s head was my favorite part。-The vulnerability of the book and the main character， despite his unhappiness， was still the hero of the story and I was rooting for him。-I enjoyed the ending of the book and seeing Sam embark on his journey towards self love and acceptance was very satisfying after enduring pages and pages of painful memor I liked:-How the book was written and just the prose in general。 The voice was so relatable to me and getting the intimate peeks into the dialogue going on in Sam’s head was my favorite part。-The vulnerability of the book and the main character， despite his unhappiness， was still the hero of the story and I was rooting for him。-I enjoyed the ending of the book and seeing Sam embark on his journey towards self love and acceptance was very satisfying after enduring pages and pages of painful memories and anxieties。Didn’t like:-The book is just such a downer。 I felt myself getting mentally bogged down by the emotional drain of it， and living in Sam’s world of self-loathing and insecurity was intense。 I had to space out reading it and actually had to take a break and read a different book in the middle because I needed a pick me up。 I also just wanted to give Sam a hug！！！ But all in all， this is a really interesting and unique story that’s written exceptionally well。 I haven’t read anything like this before and I’m glad I did。 I’d recommend for those interested in mental health and self discovery as well as the ~LA~ wellness scene！ It definitely made me feel things and even has me now wanting to see a shaman （？！） lol so it was impactful and there was great power in a lot of Sam’s discoveries。 Well done book， just not my favorite。 。。。more
Sarah-Maude Bossé
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I connected with many of the emotions or thoughts Sam had in the book。 I’m not a big believer in ceremony or chaman to cure you， but I strongly believe in the power of self reflection。 I appreciated the audiobook experience as it was narrated by the author。 Probably a book I will need to reread at some point in my life。
Tamara Hala
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A quick easy read， nor earth shatteringly good but held my attention and kept me entertained。
Samantha
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I feel compelled to write what is likely a 1AM scatter brained review of this book， because it so deeply resonated with me and I cried through large sections of it。 It’s cerebral， but accessible。 If you’re an enneagram 4， you should consider reading this， because I felt almost attacked seeing the language of my own thoughts so clearly mirrored on the page。 I read Sam Lansky’s memoir and loved it， so although this is fiction， I was excited that it had the same self-confessional style。 I could be I feel compelled to write what is likely a 1AM scatter brained review of this book， because it so deeply resonated with me and I cried through large sections of it。 It’s cerebral， but accessible。 If you’re an enneagram 4， you should consider reading this， because I felt almost attacked seeing the language of my own thoughts so clearly mirrored on the page。 I read Sam Lansky’s memoir and loved it， so although this is fiction， I was excited that it had the same self-confessional style。 I could be biased， because I love anything sad and queer。 It also had a section about appreciating Taylor Swift’s musical genius， so 10/10。 。。。more
Anny
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I felt like I was reading an anthropological study about a subset of people in a city I know near nothing about but it's still an entertaining story。 I felt like I was reading an anthropological study about a subset of people in a city I know near nothing about but it's still an entertaining story。 。。。more
Lauren
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The audiobook is read by the author。 I loved hearing the words the way he heard them。
Jim Flores
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A long blog masquerading as a novel about coming to terms with alcoholism and guilt。 In one chapter， author writes " It wasn't cathartic， or spiritual。 I was pointless。" A big YES。 A long blog masquerading as a novel about coming to terms with alcoholism and guilt。 In one chapter， author writes " It wasn't cathartic， or spiritual。 I was pointless。" A big YES。 。。。more
Yasin Holland
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I wish I could give this book 3 1/2 stars because the book is a great read especially for the start of the new year。 The title of the book is exactly what the novel is about broken people although you mainly focus on the main character’s journey and their problems。 I like how real this book is。 It doesn’t hold any punches it talks about sex， drugs， bayside relationships， eating disorders， etc。 Most of the characters are in fact broken and in different ways。 As the reader you might feel that some I wish I could give this book 3 1/2 stars because the book is a great read especially for the start of the new year。 The title of the book is exactly what the novel is about broken people although you mainly focus on the main character’s journey and their problems。 I like how real this book is。 It doesn’t hold any punches it talks about sex， drugs， bayside relationships， eating disorders， etc。 Most of the characters are in fact broken and in different ways。 As the reader you might feel that some of these problems are small or big but to these characters these problems that they face a big。 Yet they live with it constantly continuing their “normal” everyday lives。 That to me is a breathe of fresh air as someone who also feels somewhat broken。 That you are not alone。 I recommend this book for those who want to relate to feeling broken。 Who knows what you’ll find waiting for you at the end。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Broken People
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Broken People&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Broken People&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0