Hippie by Paulo Coelho

I declared Paulo Coelho my favorite author after having read an abundance of his books and loved them. He is most recognized for his novels “The Alchemist” and “Eleven Minutes”, but all of his books are, in my opinion, worth the read. Therefore, when he released his new novel, “Hippie”, translated to English on September 25, 2018, I knew it would be a great read. Upon finishing it, I am glad to say I loved it and was not disappointed.

“Hippie” tells the story of a “skinny Brazilian kid” traveling the world in search of himself, spirituality and love in the 1970s. Paulo Coelho drew inspiration for this novel from his own past experiences and all the events that occur throughout the story actually happened to him or the people who were also on the journey with him. Although we get a closer look into the lives of many characters introduced in the novel, our two main characters are Paulo (the author) and Karla, a young Dutch woman who convinces Paulo to join her on her journey to Nepal on the “Magic Bus” that travels through Europe and Asia to get to Kathmandu.

The majority of the novel takes place on the “Magic Bus” and the countries they visit while getting to Kathmandu. Through the characters and their experiences and adventures, readers are able to learn about the importance of loving yourself, stepping out of your comfort zone, experiencing the world and learning all you can from it.

Similar stories include “The Alchemist” also by Paulo Coelho and “Siddhartha” by Hermann Hesse that are about travel, spirituality and finding yourself. As a New York Times bestselling author Paulo Coelho states “If you want to learn about yourself, start by exploring the world around you,” and “Hippie” is a great book to dive into.