Himalayan Hoedown

In 1991, a small-town American falls in love with a stunning, Dutch-Canadian girl-a girl who turns out to be a celebrated devotee of the extreme fundamentalist Hindu guru, Swami Shyam. Bizarre happenstance unfolds, convincing the boy that fate has launched him on a mission to unite East and West. Obsessed with the girl, he marries her and follows her to all ends of the earth. Himalayan Hoedown is a memoir that takes the reader to the heart of northern India, where a group of westerners have thrust themselves into a hotbed of religious fervor. It is the unlikely, and at times, humorous story of an interloper's tussle with a powerful guru and his followers during a tumultuous time. Swami Shyam considers himself the reincarnation of Krishna; his followers call him God. The author's accidental ticket, the beautiful Annika, delivers him to the feet of her guru. Once in the Himalayas, he finds himself in a den of sex, corruption, and inner turmoil. Johnson's detailed recollection of the events surrounding his relationship provides an intimate view of the impact of a guru's abuse of power. Though surrounded by tragedy, Johnson finds ways to escape into humor, as he wrestles with lust and love, mind control, and the threat of death, while staring at his belly button for hours on end.