By 
About The Book:
Dena was a busy midwife trapped on the hamster wheel of working motherhood. Adam was an eccentric Buddhist yogi passing as a hard-working dad. Bella was fourteen and wanted to be normal. Sophia was up for anything that involved skipping school. Together, they shouldered backpacks, walked away from their California life of all-night births, carpool schedules, and Cal Skate, and crisscrossed India and Nepal for eight months―a journey that led them to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the tree where the Buddha sat, and the arms of Amma the Divine Mother. From the banks of the Ganges to the Himalayan roof of the world, this enthralling memoir is an unforgettable odyssey, a moving meditation on modern family life, and a spiritual quest, written with humor and honesty―and filled with love and awe.
- 2019 International Book Awards, Winner, Religion: Eastern
- 2019 Next Generation Indie Book Awards: Winner in Travel/Travel Guide
- 2019 IPPY Gold Medal Winner in Travel Essay
- 2019 International Book Awards, Finalist, Travel: Guides & Essays
- International Book Awards FINALIST in Travel
About The Author:
Dena Moes is a Hollywood born, Yale-educated midwife with a BA in literature and an MS in Nursing. Dena is a songwriter, storyteller, and the author of The Buddha Sat Right Here: A Family Odyssey Through India and Nepal. Her book is a story of adventure, motherhood, and love, with a spiritual quest woven in. Dena and her family live in Chico California but can often be found adventuring together in sacred and beautiful places, or on tour as the Moes Family Band. As a nurse-midwife, Dena has provided compassionate healthcare to women, mothers, and babies for twenty years. Learn more about her at www.denamoes.com
Social Media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DenaMoesWriter/
Instagram: https://instagram.com/denamoeswriter
Twitter: @DenaMoesWriter
Linda’s Book Obsession Reviews “The Buddha Sat Right Here” ” A Family Odyssey Through India and Nepal” by Dena Moes, She Writes Press, April 2019 for Suzy Approved Book Tours
WOW! Dena Moes, “The Buddha Sat Right Here” “A Family Odyssey Through India and Nepal,” writes a unique memoir, and vividly describes and writes about her family, their travels, the landscape, the food and the people in India and surrounding areas. At times I forgot that this was a memoir, especially when she described her family. I appreciate all the memories that Dena has written about traveling in India, sharing her most private thoughts, and those of her family. What is impressive is that there are excerpts from her daughter writing her impressions and most private thoughts as well.
I felt like I had purchased a ticket and was traveling with the Moes family. Dena writes both about the beauty and ugliness, the wealth and the poverty, and the religion and beliefs in India. The author has a way of writing to appeal to the senses, I could smell, feel, touch, taste, hear and feel many things. For example, when Dena spoke about food, she described how some dishes tasted, smelled like, look like, felt like and hear what was going around.
I do admire the Moes family for traveling for months as a family, which seemed to be a wonderful learning experience for the children. The family was in tight quarters most of the time, and Dena has great insight into what has made her unhappy. Dena is a Midwife/Nurse and has delivered many babies, takes care of her home, has the responsibilities of her family and has little time left for her. She questions why.
In India, she sees that there is a sisterhood that helps one another in times of need. This was an extremely well-written book, and I recommend that you read this to learn the cultural differences and a families’ journey into traveling and learning about themselves.
Linda's Book Obsession: 