In My Own Way: An Autobiography

xii, 400 pp. "Alan Watts tracks his spiritual and philosophical evolution from a child of religious conservatives in rural England to a freewheeling spiritual teacher who challenged Westerners to defy convention and think for themselves. From early in this intellectual life, Watts shows himself to be a philosophical renegade and wide-ranging autodidact who came to Buddhism through the teachings of Christmas Humphreys and D.T. Suzuki. Told in a nonlinear style, In My Own Way wonderfully combines Watts's own brand of unconventional philosophy and often hilarious accounts of gurus, celebrities, psychedelic drug experiences, and wry observations of Western culture. A charming foreword written by Watts's father sets the tone of this warm, funny, and beautifully written story of a compelling figure who encouraged readers to 'follow your own weird' — something he always did himself, as his remarkable account of his life shows."