PRAISE

PRAISE & REVIEWS FOR HELL-BENT
 

“It is immensely satisfying… Hell-Bent is witty and wise. If you don’t practice yoga, read it anyway – you may learn something about the impulse for self-transcendence. And if you do practice yoga, you will laugh and cry with recognition.”
—Stefanie Syman, The New York Times Book Review
 

“In all honesty, Hell-Bent may be the best book I’ve read all year… Imagine, if you can, the lovechild of a sober Hunter S. Thompson and Elizabeth Gilbert and you’ll get an idea of the prose.”
—Kayt Sukel, The Big Think
 

“This extraordinarily thoughtful book stretches and reaches and bends in several seemingly impossible directions at the same time. It is as once a searching act of self-examination, a fascinating scientific investigation, a brave spiritual endeavor, and a fair-minded look at one of yoga’s most controversial icons. All in all, reading Hell-Bent makes for a wonderful, inspiring, maddening, complicated, edifying journey—and one that I was very happy to take.”
—Elizabeth Gilbert, New York Times bestselling author of Eat, Pray, Love
 

“An addictive read.”
People Magazine (3.5 out of 4 stars)
 

“Meticulously researched, suspenseful and engrossing.”
Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
 

“In a narrative guaranteed to give goose bumps… Hell-Bent is sure to turn readers impressions of yoga upside down.”
Booklist (starred review)
 

“Lorr writes about his odyssey in vibrant, entertaining prose. Although he is obviously enamored by the discipline that has transformed his life, he retains a critical distance that allows him to present his larger-than-life guru in ruthless clarity.”
Publishers Weekly
 

“Who knew that self-purification could be suspenseful? This tale of an unlikely American yogi and his maniacal, outlandish master is more than a memoir. It’s a spiritual thriller.”
—Walter Kirn, New York Times bestselling author of Up in the Air
 

“A vividly-researched, beautifully-written, insider’s account of the yoga world’s most inscrutable, profitable, and misunderstood subculture.”
—Neil Pollack, bestselling author of Stretch
 

“One need not be familiar with the strange and fascinating culture of hot yoga to fall head-over-heels for this book. Insightful, compassionate, and laugh-out-loud funny, Lorr delves deep into the quest for and motivations behind our human obsession with god-like perfection, introducing a cast of unforgettable characters and exposing a world of faith and devotion, pain and promises, myths and miracles. I couldn’t put this book down.”
—Aryn Kyle, New York Times bestselling author of The God of Animals
 

“Benjamin Lorr’s Hell-Bent is a fascinating, riotous, and hilarious insight into the world of hardcore, competitive postural yoga practice.”
—Mark Singleton, author of Yoga Body: Origins of Modern Posture Practice
 

“Benjamin Lorr smartly unpacks the complex, often deeply confusing relationship between modern yogis and their all-too-human gurus. Hell-Bent is a compassionate, insightful exploration of the emotional and intellectual tug-of-war many of us have experienced in our yoga practice, revealing how we can fear and resent our most charismatic teachers—yet still be willing to follow them to the ends of the earth.”
—Suzanne Morrison, bestselling author of Yoga Bitch
 

“You’ll be inspired to strip down to your intimates for hot yoga after devouring this read.”
Marie Claire
 

“If, in addition to good health, yoga offers insight, then this might be the most thorough and honest book on the topic. Hell-Bent is a personal romp through a bizarre world, a clear-eyed exploration of the science of contorted bodies, and an unflinching exposé of a guru that finally leaves you asking: How do you judge the salesman when the snake-oil might actually work?”
—Stefan Fatsis, New York Times bestselling author of Wordfreak and A Few Seconds of Panic