Mediocre Monk

A Stumbling Search for Answers in a Forest Monastery

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Pub Date 11 Apr 2023 | Archive Date 10 Apr 2023
Girl Friday Productions | Girl Friday Books

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Description

"I loved—and to a slightly uncomfortable degree related to—this book."

Charles Bethea, staff writer at The New Yorker

Funny, perceptive, and deeply personal, Mediocre Monk follows Grant Lindsley’s rocky journey toward spiritual growth—one that ultimately leads him to places he never imagined.

After the sudden death of a friend, Grant Lindsley abandons his corporate job to train as a monk in one of the strictest Buddhist traditions on earth. Lost and bereft, he believes he can find answers in the mountains of Thailand. He shaves his head and eyebrows, eats one bowl of food a day, and lives in a cave, his solitude punctuated by brushes with snakes, scorpions, and drug smugglers.

But Lindsley can’t transform himself into the profound guru he envisions—he’s hungry, restless, and lacking in the humility that monkhood requires. Eventually, he exhausts himself into moments of genuine growth, but not in the way he expects. Rather than transcending grief and becoming entirely self-reliant, he is surprised to find solace in allowing pain and reopening himself to community.

For anyone who has nurtured a fantasy of dropping out in search of answers, Mediocre Monk suggests a reality that is far more complicated—and rewarding.

"I loved—and to a slightly uncomfortable degree related to—this book."

Charles Bethea, staff writer at The New Yorker

Funny, perceptive, and deeply personal, Mediocre Monk follows Grant Lindsley’s...


A Note From the Publisher

Grant Lindsley is a writer in Brooklyn, New York. He encountered his first Buddhist monk as an undergraduate at Carleton College, where he majored in psychology and minored in neuroscience, because he was majorly interested in himself and minorly interested in himself on drugs. He subsequently spent months training as a monk with the Thai Forest Tradition, a sect of Theravada Buddhism that seeks to follow the exact rules of the historical Buddha from over 2,500 years ago. Lindsley has worked at NOLS and briefly worked at Google until publishing his resignation letter in the Washington Post. An accomplished Ultimate Frisbee player, he has won multiple national championships and two gold medals for Team USA at the World Games. He received his master of fine arts in creative nonfiction from Pacific University and his master of business administration from Cornell Tech. He enjoys pranks and being outside with his family.

Grant Lindsley is a writer in Brooklyn, New York. He encountered his first Buddhist monk as an undergraduate at Carleton College, where he majored in psychology and minored in neuroscience, because...


Advance Praise

“If you start reading this book, you are very likely to finish it. If you like rolling your eyes at earnest autobiographies, you won’t get much chance to do that here. You will smile a lot, and probably laugh. And you’ll come to understand and appreciate what a stealth insight looks like: the small ‘OK, got it, moving on’ followed, hours later, by the ‘Ohhhh, OK.’ Read the first page; you’ll see.”
—Allan Filipowicz, clinical professor of management and organizations at Cornell University’s Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management

“Honest and intimate, Lindsley’s arresting account of his time in the forests of Thailand speaks to struggles at once deeply personal yet universal: love, grief, desire, self-doubt, and the ever-urgent question of how to live this one precious life.”
—Megan Molteni, STAT

“Grant Lindsley’s Mediocre Monk is a page-turning true story of [a] spiritual quest as riveting and thought-provoking as any you will ever read. It is funny and serious and searching and heartbreaking and unforgettable in every way, with crisp prose and a voice that rings out from the darkness of human misunderstanding and tries its level best to brighten the path for us. Lindsley has created The Razor’s Edge for our time in Mediocre Monk, a work of great intelligence, honesty, humility, and literary value, and it will change your life as much as Lindsley’s experiences in Thailand have changed him.”
—Mike Magnuson, author of Lummox: The Evolution of a Man

“Grant Lindsley’s lived a life unlike anyone I know, but while reading this book, I couldn’t help see[ing] myself in his story. There are lessons here for anyone who’s searched for answers within and found connection with others. Plus, it’s very funny. I’m glad Lindsley’s vow of silence is over and he’s chosen to share this with us.”
—Jody Avirgan, 30 for30, “Good Sport” (TED), FiveThirtyEight

Mediocre Monk is a brutally honest and self-aware telling of a story familiar to us all: the shock of an unexpected loss, a search for meaning in its wake, and the wanting of validation from your peers. Lindsley knows who he is, and his memoir knows what it should be. It’s a fascinating look behind the curtain of Buddhism in far-off places many of us will never traverse, viewed with the critical eye of a millennial Westerner. But it’s also a funny, self-deprecating mockery of who Lindsley thought he was as a young man and an honest reckoning of what you can learn from months in solitary meditation.”
—Isaac Saul, founder of Tangle News

“It doesn’t seem fair that a world-class athlete can also be such a gifted writer, but Grant Lindsley’s extraordinary story is simultaneously gripping and masterfully crafted. In his painfully personal journey, you’ll feel transported into the mysterious world of a remote monastery, a place that seems both beautiful and excruciating. An enjoyable and thought-provoking read, Mediocre Monk is powerful, fascinating, and deeply honest.”
—Evan Lepler, ESPN

“Grant Lindsley’s must-read book, Mediocre Monk, isn’t just a humorous, honest tale about his quest for enlightenment. Lindsley learns to see himself in everyone from hard-core monks to those who embrace the materialistic world he leaves behind. Most importantly, Lindsley’s fabulous book serves as a mirror through which you can see yourself.”
—Andrew Hallam, international bestselling author of Balance and Millionaire Teacher

“If you start reading this book, you are very likely to finish it. If you like rolling your eyes at earnest autobiographies, you won’t get much chance to do that here. You will smile a lot, and...


Marketing Plan

  • Potential independent bookstore tour in New York, Brooklyn, Boston, Chicago, Minneapolis, Salt Lake City, Atlanta, Oakland, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, as well as abroad in Paris, France and Bologna, Italy

  • Prepublication buzz campaign

  • Digital galley distribution on Edelweiss and NetGalley

  • Outreach to trade and select consumer publications

  • Goodreads/Listopia placement

  • Listing and pricing promotions through GFB's Aerio store

  • ARC mailing

  • Targeting reviews and mentions in outlets including Esquire, People, Oprah Daily, Entertainment Weekly, the New York Times Book Review, and more

  • Podcast tour
  • Potential independent bookstore tour in New York, Brooklyn, Boston, Chicago, Minneapolis, Salt Lake City, Atlanta, Oakland, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, as well as abroad in Paris, France and...

Available Editions

EDITION Other Format
ISBN 9781954854987
PRICE $17.95 (USD)
PAGES 344

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Average rating from 15 members


Featured Reviews

It is both to its credit and slightly to its detriment that the Grant Lindsley we meet in the opening pages of "Mediocre Monk" is the Grant Lindsley we end up with as the closing pages arrive and we get the ending we've long expected in this engaging but fairly predictable journey of one man's rocky journey toward spiritual growth.

Lindsley was working in the corporate world when he was rocked by the unexpected death of a friend. Already familiar with Buddhism, Lindsley's grief led him to abandon the corporate world in order to train in the Thai Forest Tradition, a particularly strict sect of Theravada Buddhism that seeks to follow the exact rules of the historical Buddha from 2,500 years ago. In the mountains of Thailand, Lindsley shaves his head and eyebrows, eats one bowl of food a day, and lives in a cave, his solitude punctuated by brushes with snakes, scorpions, and drug smugglers.

In other words, he does whatever he can to escape.

However, as the title makes obvious, it turns out that Lindsley is a mediocre monk at best. In fact, I'd dare say that one of the challenges of "Mediocre Monk" is that I never for a single moment bought into the possibility that this journey toward spiritual growth was going to end up any other way than by a return home with a likely book deal. The journey itself is a delight and there's little denying the impact it had on Lindsley's life. There's just never any doubt that Lindsley isn't quite cut out for the life of a monk. Lindsley struggles with the strict rituals, hunger, restlessness, curiosity, and even the humility that is a constant companion for what it means to lean into being a monk. While discussions of ordination are present, it's obvious that while this journey does have great purpose that purpose does not include Lindsley abandoning his life back in the U.S. for a life in the mountains of Thailand.

This isn't a bad thing. It doesn't particularly hurt the book (as evidenced by my positive rating). However, there were times I longed for a bit more suspense as little cues would be dropped about Lindsley's future whether his consistent desire to write or his regular references to a particular friend. Amidst all of this, however, is a remarkably engaging tale of how Lindsley's desire to escape turned into his increased awareness of a deep need for community and human connection in his own journey for personal healing and spiritual growth. There's tremendous power in experiencing Lindsley's various Aha! moments along his journey and there's something quite inspiring in watching as he realizes that true enlightenment doesn't always come within the mountains of Thailand but also in living daily life, experiencing grief, winning Ultimate Frisbee championships, and becoming a writer who takes these unique life experiences and shares them with a wider audience all while still embracing the Buddhist path as central to it all.

By becoming a mediocre monk, I suppose you could say that Grant Lindsley becomes a more fully realized and healthy human being in all the roles and responsibilities he will acquire in the future. "Mediocre Monk" is an incredibly engaging and often very funny tale of how one man's effort to live a simpler life was actually far more complicated and how the real reward came when he learned to live the life he was born to live.

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I found Mediocre Monk to be an engaging, fast read. Lindsley writes in a way that is conversational and entertaining. I appreciated his honest take on his adventure in the forests of Thailand. Mediocre Monk would be a good read for anyone who likes to explore other countries, cultures, etc. through literature.

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Mediocre Monk A Stumbling Search for Answers in a Forest Monastery by Grant Lindsley. ©2023. Advanced Reading Copy. Uncorrected Proof courtesy of NetGalley. Published by Girl Friday Books, Seattle. 5 Stars. Publication date is set for 11 April 2023.

An excellent read. Told with clarity and insight, the account of Lindsley’s pilgrimage is textured, reverent and humorous, showing that grief’s impetus is not a one-way trip but a circuitous journey and an invocation to everything that is hidden.

The writing has a natural, down-to-earth quality and, as the story gently progresses, you find yourself experiencing the subtle dance that takes place between the reader and the author's narrative. Highly recommend.

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Four friends have stolen aboard the Titanic. They're after the Rubaiyat - a book inlaid with priceless jewels. Josefa is a charismatic thief, Hinnah a daring acrobat, Violet an outstanding actress and Emilie a talented artist.

It is Josefa's plan, but she needs all of their skills. Despite their very different backgrounds, in a world of first-class passengers and suspicious crew members, the girls must work together to pull off the heist of their lives.

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Finally...a book about Buddhism that us regular guys can relate to...Lindsley lets us know how our preconceived notions of this belief system aren't quite right. Easily read,

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Thanks to Girl Friday Books and Netgalley for this ARC.

Mediocre Monk by Grant Lindsley follows the author's journey running from grief into the Buddhist forests of Thailand. He studies under different monks while attempting some spiritual growth and revelation, though finds it much more difficult than he imagined.

Lindsley is EXTREMELY self-aware in this book - almost painfully so. He is often feeling morally superior, despite making little progress in his own spiritual journey. It was distressing, but I also felt like I couldn't put it down. In fact, I read this book in just a few days and dropped all my other in-progress books just to finish it as I was so interested.

This book is filled with wisdom (from the monks) that Lindsley doesn't really seem to pick up, even if he remembers it. The title truly sums up his experience. It is a great book if you want to read about getting out of your comfort zone and experiencing a different culture and way of life.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and will recommend it to some of my Buddhist dharma friends.

You will like this book if you like: travel, spirituality, Buddhism, self-growth (or lack thereof), miserable adventures, and grief.

A review will be posted to Instagram the first week of April and a StoryGraph review will be posted shortly as well. I did add the book to StoryGraph's database yesterday so it is now available to be reviewed there.

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