American Trickster, With Ru Marshall

Ru Marshall joins ORdio to talk about their book, American Trickster: The Hidden Lives of Carlos Castaneda. 20 years in the making, American Trickster tells the story of the wild, perplexing life of this New Age, faux anthropologist-turned secretive cult leader.   Carlos Castaneda's first book, The Teachings of Don Juan, was published in the late 1960s. He went on to write a series of books recounting the supposed ancient teachings of an Indigenous Yaqui shaman. His books became international bestsellers and are some of the most popular titles ever published on Native American spirituality—even though they had little to no connection to actual Indigenous practices. Over time, Castaneda's academic credibility unraveled, but he built a secretive cultic group – and his books remain hugely popular. We'll start with an excerpt of Ru's conversation with Lisa Cohen at Francis Kite Club in early May.  Get the book here: https://orbooks.com/catalog/american-trickster/?utm_source=SPOTIFY&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ORdio