by Cheeni Rao
Is there such a thing as Junkie Lit? Cheeni Rao's memoir of his own battle with the dark side, In Hanuman's Hands, is the stereotypical monkey on your back drama. This is a tale of the endless cycle of rehab, relapse and redemption.
Even readers who have become jaded to the generic conventions of the addiction memoir…will find themselves engrossed in Rao’s spiritual journey, from the descent into a very personal hell to the slow climb back. Wherever his writing goes from here, this powerful debut is a signal to pay attention.
— PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY (STARRED REVIEW)
About the Author
Cheeni Rao is a graduate of the University of Chicago as well as the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. He is a winner of the Nick Adams Award for fiction and the Olga and Paul Menn Foundation Prize for fiction, and has had many of his stories published in nationally distributed journals. His three plays, "Phone," "Broken Circle," and "Islands," were produced by The Asian Theatre Project, and he has had a screenplay optioned by a major Hollywood studio. He is the founder and owner of The Iowa Book Doctors, an editing firm that edits and ghostwrites manuscripts for publication and conducts online one-on-one instruction on the craft of writing.
Awards & Honors
In Hanuman's Hands—Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers Award for Fiction, 2009
Nick Adams Award for Fiction, 1998
Olga and Paul Menn Foundation Prize for Fiction, 1998
