Description:

WARNING: Shortly after reading "Warrior Poet": (i) An American friend of mine started having dreams in which a computer screensaver displayed the words "Danger: rough roads ahead". He was then thrown out of his apartment, went homeless and destitute on the streets of Shanghai, and had to return to Los Angeles to live with his parents, where he remains today. This sequence of events closely parallels the experiences of the main character in the novel. (ii) A Japanese friend of mine started hearing voices in her head. She had to return to Japan to spend several weeks in a mental institution. (iii) Another friend of mine became addicted to crack cocaine. She was involuntarily checked in to a mental hospital by her parents but was released because she suddenly developed a particularly painful case of kidney stones. She is now in drug rehabilitation. I AM NOT JOKING. See below for a plot summary, but READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.