Far-Away Places
Lessons in Exile
by
Howard Wolf, Ph.D.
The essays in this collection could be called a cultural autobiography.
At the time when the first of them was written, America was still
looking primarily at the U.S.S.R. as the world power which might
set the world ablaze. Then, after the collapse of the Soviet Union,
the rising suns of the South China coasts and the Pacific Rim cast
their light across the world, and the many faces of Islam were often
the images we saw on CNN. As the author travels through the beginning
of the 21st century, he discovers that things never change as much
as they stay the same.
After each essay is a short bibliography, and a well-written “Re-Vision”
as the author looks back on his journeys and puts them into a “now”
perspective.
But it is his description that most impresses. His ability to capture
the essence of life in Turkey, India, or New York even if he is
only a guest, a short-term guest at that. Here the power of words
to tell a story, portray a picture, show a scene, brings with it
a new level of joy and wonder that will send the reader on an exciting
journey without the need to pack a bag and bring a change of clothes.
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