"It's a book, whatever" - The White Lotus Reading List
S3 might be over, but your reading list is just beginning...
This season of The White Lotus truly highlighted a core belief; the best way to judge people is based on what books they own. Kidding, of course! One of the core tenets of Buddhism is the practice of non-judgment, after-all. The white lotus in both Buddhism and Hinduism symbolizes purity, enlightenment, non-attachment, and rebirth, the journey towards awakening as the flower emerges pristine from the murky waters below. This season lived up to its namesake. Each episode was a book lovers paradise as the characters all had scenes with books reflective of their inner journeys. We’ve been keeping notes throughout the season, and recommend the titles below to continue your stay at The White Lotus Thailand.
Surrounded by Narcissists by Thomas Erikson
A self-help book with tips and tricks on how to navigate difficult self-centered personalities. Most interestingly, this book is part of a series called “Surrounded by Idiots”, which considering many of the guests’ choices, seems fitting.
Modern Lovers by Emma Straub
A novel about a group of middle-aged friends from college struggling with life satisfaction and personal relationships, as neither time nor space changed their dynamics.
My Name is Barbra by Barbra Streisand
With almost a whopping 1,000 pages, this memoir is the opposite of a “beach read”.
Hunger by Knut Hamsun
A much older and deeply psychological novel, published in 1890, about a young starving man’s self-discovery. He tries to seem respectable, yet is decaying inside mentally. Most notably he has a physical relationship with a mysterious woman, attempts to live by his own moral code, and views his struggles as caused by God instead of society, remaining “a foreigner in life”.
The Lonely City: Adventures in the Art of Being Alone by Olivia Laing
A memoir on isolation in New York City and how both influenced the work of famous artists.
When Things Fall Apart by Pema Chödrön
Start Where You Are by Pema Chödrön
This season showcased two books by Pema Chödrön, an American-born Buddhist nun, who’s early life shares similarities with Piper’s. She is white, was raised a Catholic, and was well-educated, attending both Miss Porter’s and Sarah Lawrence. Her chosen name, Pema, is a Tibetan loanword for the Sanskrit “padma”, meaning lotus.
The Beautiful and the Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald
One of the most quoted lines from this novel reflects this season’s motif of fate: "Mother says that two souls are sometimes created together—and in love before they're born."
The Book of Secrets by Osho
The inclusion of a book by Osho, the controversial figure and founder of the Rajneesh movement, which many deem both a terrorist organization and a cult, reflects Victoria’s fears for her daughter and the thin line between seekers and zealots.
The Essential Rumi by Coleman Barks
This specific collection of poetry from 13th Century Sufi Mystic Rumi features 80 never before published works.
Kundalini Tantra by Swami Satyananda Saraswati
The Enlightened Sex Manual: Sexual Skills for the Superior Lover by David Deida
Grouping these two together as they focus on cultivating and controlling spiritual energy, which ironically despite all of Chelsea’s learning and intuition, she failed to act upon. Better luck to you!
And although not directly mentioned in the show, I thought you might enjoy the play M. Butterfly by David Henry Hwang in reflection of Frank’s infamous monologue. Furthermore, in the finale, Chelsea delved into a tangent about soul contracts, that did not reference a book directly, but did remind me of Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut. However, she mentioned that the author was a woman, and Kurt was not, so perhaps she was referring to The Three Waves of Volunteers and the New Earth by Dolores Cannon.
There were also several books shown that actually are not real. One of which is Piper’s Loving Kindness written by the monk she visits. While neither that specific monk nor his book exist in real life, I thought Loving Kindness by Sharon Salzberg would be an appropriate replacement. Likewise, Lochlan’s A Wall of Ocean, is also invented. I imagined it to be similar to Wave: A Memoir by Sonali Deraniyagala. Lastly, Sritala’s autobiography Glowing is not yet available for purchase, but perhaps Our World the coffee table book depicting The Siam Hotel Bangkok, owned by the inspirational Thai hotelier and jazz singer Kamala Sukosol, would suffice in the meantime.
Fortunately for Belinda, we will not find out what happens to a dream deferred, but you can consider it here.