Living in The Material World is a novel of historical fiction, set in both ancient India and in modern America. Part I is the story of an Indian carpenter in the Buddha's time who becomes one of the world's first secular teachers. His philosophy of life is shaped by meeting various yogis and monks, including the Buddha, a Jain monk, and a famous materialist. The complex religious cauldron of ancient India surrounds the life of this member of a carpenters' village outside one of the Buddha's favorite towns. Part II is the fictional journal of a Baby Boomer, set in India and America. It mirrors the life of the Indian carpenter in the first part of the book, and it uncovers the fundamental issues that the post-World-War-II generation has been grappling with over the last fifty years.