Monday, October 15, 2012

Amazing Adventures of a Nobody

Today I will pass on to you something I just learned--November 1st is National Authors' Day!!  So, if you know an author, give him or her a hug and thank that person for adding to the world's supply of riches (content, not money; we are poor authors after all).  And to all my author friends--may your muse be close by your side on the 1st.

I would like to talk about an author I have not met, but I have read his book.  His name is Leon Logothetis and his book is amazing adventures of a nobody.  I didn't type it wrong, there are no capital letters in his book title.

Some of you may be old enough to remember the tv show that aired from 1960 to 1964 called Route 66.  In that show, Tod Stiles (Martin Milner) and Buz Murdock (George Maharis, oh how I had a crush on him!), drove their Corvette along Route 66.  Each week brought them to a different town and a different adventure.  That show came to mind as I read Logothetis' book.

Tired of his well off, yet uninspiring life in England, Leon leaves it all behind and comes to the United States.  His goal is to cross the country, from Times Square to the Hollywood sign, with nothing but the clothes on his back and five dollars in his pocket.  He has to rely on the kindness of strangers and the "serendipity of the open road."  This is a true story and one you'll remember for some time to come.

From the back cover:  Along the way, Leon offers up the intriguing and charming tales gathered along his one-of-a-kind journey riding in trains, buses, big rigs and classic cars; sleeping on streets and couches and firehouses, meeting pimps and preachers, astronauts, celebrities and homeless families.  Each day of his journey we catch sight of the invisible spiritual underpinning of society in these stories of companionship--and sheer adventure--that prove that the kind, good soul of mankind has not been lost.

It took a lot of inner fortitude for Leon to walk up to a stranger and ask for bus or train fare, but he did it and, surprisingly, when people heard his story, they were more than willing to give what they could.  The further west he traveled, the more stories he collected and the quicker people responded to his pleas.  This book was published in 2011 by BettieYoungs Book Publishers.  I highly recommend it.


Today's Quote:  We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools. Martin Luther King, Jr.