In Hanuman's Hands: A Memoir

By Cheeni Rao

"I can do nothing more for you. You are now in Hanuman's hands." These are the words author Cheeni Rao hears his Indian immigrant mother sob as he stands locked outside his family home. A brilliant, promising young man who is the product of a devout Hindu family from a long line of Brahmin priests, Rao has been reduced to the life of a homeless drug addict and petty criminal on the back streets of Chicago's Southside.

The freedoms and temptations of life on an elite American college campus send Rao spiraling down into a hedonistic nightmare of drugs, sex, and crime. Desperate and alone, he is visited by Hanuman, the Hindu monkey god his mother evoked, and comes to realize that this unlikely guide may be his last resort. On his long journey to recovery, Rao is guided by visions of this clever, divine monkey, best known from the Indian epic poem, the Ramayana.

In Hanuman's Hands is a gritty, hauntingly beautiful memoir. Bringing India whole-heartedly into America, Rao weaves his own story of Western culture clash with mythic tales of his Hindu ancestors who served in the ancestral temples of Kali. With Hanuman as his loyal companion, the author finds his way back to recovery at a halfway house run by a mug named Tats and shared by an unforgettable gang of streetwise characters. In Hanuman's Hands is a striking debut from a new literary voice.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060736623
• ISBN13: 9780060736620
• Release Date: April 2009
• Publisher: HarperOne
• Length: 416 Pages
• Weight: 1.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Great Read

I'm not a writer. I'm not a professional reviewer. I don't have a master's in English. I'm just an ordinary person who likes to read. I'll skip the summary stuff, which others have done better than I can above, and tell you why I love this book. It grabs you by the scruff of the neck and hurls you into a vivid world of pinnacles (ivory tower colleges) and nadirs (digging in a dumpster for your food). It doesn't shrink from tough depictions of life on the street. It shows you what it's like to get high, using perfect grammar and syntax. It teaches you something about Hindu mythology in a way that actually relates to your life. It makes you realize you're not alone in your aloneness. Most importantly, for 400 pages, it makes your regular life fall away. Read this book, people. You'll never forget it. p.s. Hey Cheeni: Keep writing.

An amazing memoir

Cheeni Rao's memoir In Hanuman's Hands describes the terrible period in his life when, during his college years, all his earlier insecurities coalesced into a drug fueled journey that dictated the rest of his life. It's title derives from the words his mother said to him after his family could no longer help him, consigning him to the `bringer of cures', the Hindu Monkey God Hanuman. What follows is a discourse between Cheeni and Hanuman, who came to him in the depths of his addictions and formed the foundation of what he would believe in to try to leave his addictions behind him. The book follows Rao's path through his short and destructive college life, his time on the streets and his time in rehab trying to put his life back together. Much more than just a memoir, it is a also a powerful discussion on how we use `myths' of our disparate histories to inform our lives. In spare, deeply emotional language Rao conjures a seamless flow from past to present, from myth to reality, combining all into an absorbing read that I didn't want to end. That the Hindu mythology forms the foundation on which Rao builds his story, enough clear renderings of the stories are included to allow most readers to understand their link to Rao's experiences. Admittedly, it is easier for a Hindu to identify with that aspect of the book, but in no was does Rao alienate his non-Hindu reader. In Hanuman's Hands is a great read.

Beautiful, deeply affecting, ultimately redemptive

The Indian and Indian-American cultural landscape of this memoir is unique and particularly beautiful. I kept trying to put the book down and get on with my day-to-day life, but found myself drawn back to it again and again. It's very compelling reading not only because the writer is obviously brilliant and writes wonderfully, but also because of the unflinching depictions of his own life and the poetic rendering of his hard won insights. I was especially moved by his vivid depictions of the way women are treated in our world. This book can help people. It can heal people.

A Unique Indian-American Affirmation of Spiritual Strength in the Midst of Chaos

THERE ARE TWO WAYS TO INTRODUCE "IN HANUMAN'S HANDS," this gripping new book by hot young (he's only 35) Indian-American writer Cheeni Rao. INTRODUCTION No. 1: "In Hanuman's Hands" is a visceral, R-rated half-memoir, half-jazz-riff on temptation, addiction and the drug trade, penned by an author who admits he's still drawn toward that darkness on a daily basis--in the tradition of James Ellroy, William S. Burroughs and Jack Kerouac. INTRODUCTION No. 2: "In Hanuman's Hands" is a deeply moving family story about crossing oceans, cultures and generations to weave together a new kind of future--from the toughest spiritual strands of the past. In the tradition of ... Well, it's hard to think of religious models for this kind of book. Cheeni Rao's wounds as a real-life recovering addict and one-time homeless drifter are as raw as a hundred other writers who've explored these themes before him--but very few of those memoirs end up with the kind of stirring affirmation about the strength of family and faith that we find in this new tale. So, is this a "book," a "memoir" or a "tale"? In the end, it's all three. I like the words memoir and tale, though. It's autobiographical reflection, so it's a memoir. And it's also a tale--much like "Black Dahlia," "Naked Lunch" and "On the Road" are tales that blend memory and fiction. Cheeni says this book is very close to the documented history of his life--but he also admits that he "blacked out" during certain phases of his homeless life and he reconstructs scenes from his ancestors' lives back in India that sometimes are startling and sometimes are stirring. But he wasn't there when these things supposedly happened to know for sure. What leads me to highly recommend this memoir with all its sharp edges and tough language--is the spiritual hope that emerges in the end. Midway through the book, reading an extended passage on how Cheeni's mother and father met back in India and navigated the complicated customs of arranged marriages to pursue their love for each other--that's the moment when we know this book is ... well, it's truly and tenderly unique.

Junkie Lit Redeemed

Junkie Lit, fraught with literary fraudsters, has become something of a cottage industry with its tales of the endless cycle of rehab, relapse and redemption. This tired genre has now found its own redemption in Cheeni Rao's memoir of his own battle with the dark side, In Hanuman's Hands. All addicts have a monkey on one sort or another on their backs. In Rao's case, the 800 pound gorilla in the room is a Hindu monkey god named Hanuman. This not a book that resorts to voyeuristic detail to hook the reader; what lifts Rao's work into the realm of art is his ability to bring you inside his own personal heart of darkness and share his hallucinatory horrors. It's not a pretty picture. Nor is it an easy read; wending your way through an unfamiliar Hindu hagiography with a cast of thousands can be a tough slog at times. But the payoff is worth it.