“Curious One” is Bhupendra Patel’s engaging and heartwarming memoir, documenting his early childhood memories growing up in India.

During his childhood from the ages of 5 to 8, Patel moved to three different locations, and four different houses that deeply impacted his memory, which explains how he could reveal all the details so vividly for readers.

Patel is a part of a farming family who found himself being raised in Vadodara, the second-biggest city of Gujarat, India, a rural farming village named Luna, and the magical city of Mumbai, India. In each location his formative years were shaped by caretakers who had varying degrees of attention and oversight over his daily life and routines, yet each of them played a unique role in his life.

The book converts everyday childhood adventure snapshots into words and vividly portrays Patel’s distant past.

He finds a balance to expertly take readers along his journey of day-to-day activities and leaves it to them to figure out why he has become who he is today at 70 years of age living in Mystic.

His writing of real-life events is descriptive, crisp and full of life as he examines how to find wisdom and joy from elders. Through it all, Patel’s deep love for the women in his life — his mother, grandmother and uncle’s wife — shines through. This book explores how being curious at a young age nurtures a child’s mind and can mold an individual as an adult.

First released in hardcover on Sept. 20, this 300-plus page book is divided into four parts, each relating to a year of Patel’s childhood. The stories will transport you to a different time and land while you enjoy looking at some black and white photographs taken by the author himself.

“Life is fabulous when you are curious, and life is remarkable when you are adaptable,” Patel said in a release.

Patel became an author after his career as an accomplished submarine design engineer. He graduated in 1975 from The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. In his retirement, he lives with his wife enjoying the eastern part of the Connecticut shore, where he divides his time among writing, photographing and spending his time with his grandchildren. For more information, visit curiousonepatel.com.

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