Written by Chelsea Cain, Dharma Girl mixes flashbacks to her childhood on a commune outside of Iowa City with a road trip back to Iowa with her mother who is battling skin cancer. While not 100% successful, it is still interesting account of a woman trying to get in touch with her roots. If nothing else, it is a good example of a Gen X’er trying to stake her claim in the tradition of road narratives. Cain wrote the non-fiction novel while attending graduate school at the University of Iowa. Dharma Girl is currently out of print.