The Writer's Poke

I appreciate the pacing. The author's epilogue includes her mission statement -- historical fiction as a way to keep history alive. Romanis is an obscure place, but she hopes people reading the book will take an interest in its history.  She also makes the point that there are no clean endings. So, the evil dictator and his wife were killed, but the problems they created didn't magically go away, the country still had to find its way and move forward, and it was a process. 

  In 1994, I wore my In Utero shirt to college. I’d walk down the hall, and people would look at the shirt. I still remember a professor looking at it, not apparently hip to the scene. She asked, “Bret, is there something you’re trying to tell us?” I had no idea what I was trying to say. Kurt Cobain had just shot his head off with a shotgun. Before that life-changing event, I hadn’t been the biggest fan of Nirvana, but I did recognize the immediate impact “Smells Like Teen Spirit” had on music, or at least on MTV. Nirvana had seemingly killed and buried Hair Metal, and they had done it single-handedly. What exactly was this “Alternative” sound? It was weird, because soon it felt like everything was “alternative,” and that didn’t make any sense. Once everything is the same, how can it be anything but standard, normal? Nirvana was okay, but at least at the time I was wearing the merch, I was much more into Offspring and Green Day and Tool. And that’s about as far as I went into...

Guilleabeau is a world traveler who has been to every country in the world. He's also a pretty good writer, and this, his third book, is his best to date. I think a lot of people are happy to live routine lives; maybe some in that category would still be inspired if they read this book. I'm sure many people happy with their routines would not be inspired, because hey... thinking that you can have a non-routine life, if you really wanted it, is kind of threatening to some people. Anyway, Guilleabeau is quite clear: If you want to go on a "quest" in your life, the only limitation to what you can accomplish if your own imagination. Some people just aren't that imaginative. Their loss. If you are the imaginative type, and if you're willing to make sacrifices to live your dreams, read this book. It will help you focus/refocus on what you need to be doing with your life. http://www.amazon.com/The-Happiness-Pursuit-Finding-Purpose/dp/0385348843/ref...