My Father's Guru

Growing up in the Hollywood Hills during the 1950s, Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson thought it was perfectly normal that a guru named Paul Brunton lived with his family, dictating everything from their diet and daily rituals to their travel plans and even his parents’ sex life.

In this extraordinary memoir, My Father’s Guru, Masson reflects on the sheer bizarreness of his childhood – particularly the intense relationship between his father and the elusive, eminent mystic he revered (and financially supported) for years.

With candor and charm, Masson describes his father's conviction that Paul Brunton – P.B. to his followers – was a living God destined to fill their lives with enlightenment and wonder. As the Masson family’s personal guru, Brunton freely discussed his life on other planets, laid down strict rules on fasting and meditation, and constantly warned of the imminence of World War III.

For years, young Jeffrey was as ardent a disciple as his father. But with the onset of adolescence came a dramatic revolt against this domestic deity and everything he represented.

Filled with absurdist humor and intimate confessions, My Father’s Guru is the spellbinding coming-of-age story of one of our most brilliant writers, navigating an unbelievable upbringing and ultimately finding his own path.