Giveaway - Going Gypsy - David and Veronica James

What are you going to do when the last kid leaves the nest? Well, today's giveaway is what one one couple decided to do - Going Gypsy: One Couple's Adventure From Empty Nest to No Nest At All by David and Veronica James.

From Skyhorse Publishing:

"Almost every couple faces a “now what?” moment as their last kid moves out of the house. There’s a big empty nest looming over this new and uncertain stage in their lives.

David and Veronica James chose to look at this next phase of life as a beginning instead of an ending. Rather than staying put and facing the constant reminders of empty bedrooms and backseats, a plan began to develop to sell the nest and hit the highway. But could a homebody helicopter mom learn to let go of her heartstrings and house keys all at once?

Filled with a sense of adventure and humor, Going Gypsy is the story of a life after raising kids that is a celebration of new experiences. Pulling the rip cord on the daily grind, David and Veronica throw caution to the wind, quit their jobs, sell their house, put on their vagabond shoes, and go gypsy in a beat-up old RV found on eBay.

On a journey of over ten thousand miles along the back roads of America (and a hysterical, error-infused side trip into Italy), they conquer old fears, see new sights, reestablish bonds with family and friends, and transform their relationships with their three grown children from parent-child to adult-to-adult. Most importantly, they rediscover in themselves the fun-loving youngsters who fell in love three decades prior." Read an excerpt of Going Gypsy.

Here's a quick Q and A with David and Veronica....

"Most people become empty nesters when their kids leave home, but you left home too. How did that come about?

David: We were living in the Virgin Islands and were a bit separated from all of our family and friends in the US. Once our youngest went off to college in the states, like his sisters before him, there was nothing keeping us in the Caribbean. So we decided to sell the house and take what we called a “victory lap,” celebrating a job well done—getting our kids raised and successfully out on their own.Veronica: One of the reasons I had to resort to drastic measures was that I worked at the kids’ school. I was the quintessential “helicopter mom,” hovering over everything my kids did. The idea of going back to the school without the kids there was heartbreaking. So we whittled our belongings down to sixteen boxes and took off in a beat-up old RV we bought on eBay.

What was the process like from when you decided to take off to when you started your adventure?

David: That’s what Going Gypsy is all about. We cover the year when our son left for college and we hit the road. We did not have this big plan in our heads at the start to live a gypsy lifestyle. It organically grew as we went along. Initially, we got the motor home as a way to take some time to visit with family and friends and see the country without going broke. Once we were out on the road a while, we realized how much we liked it and wanted to figure out how we could keep going. It’s been over six years now. Veronica: A big thing that jolted us into thinking about a new approach to our lives was when we Googled “empty nest” and a big ad for an Alzheimer’s patch popped up. We thought, “holy cr-moley!” We have a good third of our lives left and that’s too long a time to be sitting around doing nothing. We see our book as a kick in the butt to get folks going and hopefully think outside the box.

How did you dispense with a lifetime’s worth of belongings?

Veronica: The stress of a big move is huge no matter what the circumstances. We gave away or sold a lot of stuff, keeping only the things we knew we couldn’t live without (like photo albums and family heirlooms). Those we managed to fit into sixteen boxes that we put in storage. Now I find I’m more organized the less I have with me. If I have too many things and too much space to spread out in, I get really scattered and disorganized.

How did you adjust to having “no nest at all?

David: We replaced our nest with one on wheels. The RV became our new home. It’s remarkable how homey it became and how quickly. It’s obviously very condensed, and we do travel light, but when you think about what you really need, we have the basics—a bed, a bathroom, a kitchen, and a table to sit at to eat and write. Veronica: And the view out the window is different every day, which is fantastic!"

"David James was born in Wichita, Kansas, and grew up on the prairie and in the mountains of Colorado. He made his way in the music business as a performer, recording artist, songwriter, and radio personality in Nashville, Tennessee, and St. Croix, US Virgin Islands. After parenting and sending three kids out into the big wide world, he currently lives with his bride of thirty years, Veronica, in a state of perpetual motion. The couple writes about their travels since becoming empty nesters on their popular website, GypsyNester.com. Veronica James was born and raised in Southern California and was like, totally, a Valley Girl. Against any sane person's better judgment, she ran off with a musician at age eighteen. After procreating, she became Earth Mama, then Helicopter Mom, hovering over every detail of her children's lives. Veronica has held approximately thirty-three different jobs including writer. She is never bored." You can keep up with David and Veronica on Facebook, as well as on Twitter.

Sound like a fun read to you? Well, I have a copy to giveaway to one randomly chosen winner. Open to US only, no PO boxes please. Ends March 28. Enter using the rafflecopter form below.

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Travel, Sex and Train Wrecks - Julie Morey - Feature AND Giveaway

Do you ever think - Ahh, I'd love to just chuck it all and travel? Well Julie Morey did.....

"What does one do when they’ve suffered a bad break up, and are trying to “find” themselves, but aren’t quite ready to deal with reality? Travel - of course."

Her travel memoir - Travel, Sex and Train Wrecks - lets the reader do some armchair travelling along with Julie.

"Julie Morey was a good Christian girl who'd spent 10 years married to a man she deeply loved. When alcoholism destroyed her marriage she decided to spend seven months in exotic South East Asia doing everything she shouldn't.

With only her backpack and a broken heart, Julie found herself dancing all night at Thailand's famous Full Moon Party, crashing her scooter, eating happy pizza, kissing gorgeous men with accents, hitchhiking, breaking into national monuments, and couchsurfing all over India, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.

A 10 day silent meditation retreat finally connected Julie with the deep inner reserves that allowed her to grieve and break with her past. She realized that even if her life is a train wreck all she has to do is face in the right direction and keep walking.

Brave, brutally honest, sexy, and laugh-out-loud funny, Travel, Sex, and Train Wrecks is the story of one young woman's first steps towards living life on her own terms."

Hear Julie read from her book below. (Or you can read a sneak peek here) You can also keep up with Julie on Twitter. And, I've got a digital copy up for grabs for one lucky reader - just leave a comment. Ends Nov. 23/13

 

Hear more of Julie's story on the rest of the tour....

 

Nov 5: The Written World   Nov 6: The Novel Nation  Nov 7: Her Packing List  

Nov 8: The Lazy Travelers  Nov 11: Justice Jennifer    Nov 12: Women Travel Blog 

Nov 13: The Pin Junkie       Nov 14: A Certain Bent Appeal

Sihpromatum - I Grew My Boobs in China - Savannah Grace

Sihpromatum: A blessing that initially appears to be a curse.

Vancouver, Canada: Fourteen year old Savannah thought it was the end of the world when her newly divorced mother (Maggie 45 yrs.) decided that she would pull her two daughters (Breanna 17 yrs.) out of school and travel for a year. Accompanying them would be already seasoned traveller - older brother Ammon, 25 yrs.

"We were going to pack up everything, we were going to travel around the world, and we were going to live out of backpacks - for a whole year!"

May 05/05. The Watkins load up their backpacks and head to Hong Kong, China and on to Mongolia. (That's just the first three months covered in this first book.)

Sihpromatum is told from 14 year old Savannah Grace's viewpoint. The first chapters deal with typical teenage angst - leaving at a time when cliques, boys, parties and mall shopping take priority in an adolescent's life. And I had to stop and remind myself of that when I read of her reluctance to go on this adventure. I was reading with older eyes and could only see this as an amazing opportunity and adventure.

There is a chapter in the beginning written from Maggie's view, which led me to think we might hear from the rest of the family throughout the book, but that was not the case. Although you can read  entries written by all the family members on their blog - Escape the Good Life.

What we do get is a realistic recounting from a young pair of eyes, seeing the world - literally
- for the first time. New food, uncomfortable toileting situations, cultural shock, travel conditions that aren't cushy and more. But slowly but surely, cracks start appearing in her self absorption...."In my half-asleep state, something within me awakened, and I felt the most calming form of peace imaginable. For just an instant, I let go and peered curiously though that doorway of exciting possibilities, but it was one I was not yet ready to step through."

But she does step through and starts embracing the potential and opportunities that this adventure offers. Descriptions of the sights seen are intriguing, but it is the experiences with the people they met that proved to be the most interesting for me. Family dynamics and interactions also play a large part in this travel/coming of age memoir.

By the time the family hits Mongolia (and the Gobi Desert!) Savannah ..."finally pushed through that barrier of stubbornness I'd always carried to see a new reality, one where I was unbelievably blessed by all the wonderful, positive things in my life. I knew that despite my age, my inexperience, and the minimal impact I had made on the world thus far, I would no longer be able to resist or ignore this new comprehension of my place in it." And the title and cover blurb "How an unwanted journey forced me to see the world with open eyes" fall into place.

You can view a fantastic slide show here  of this leg of their journey. It really brings home what  an absolutely amazing odyssey this family  undertook, both as individuals and as a unit. Not just physically, but emotionally as well. I'm in awe - and of Maggie especially. Read an excerpt of Sihpromatum - I Grew My Boobs in China.

Last we see them, they're on a train headed to Russia. This is just book one - the family's one year adventure stretched to four years. At the writing of this review, Savannah has visited 99 countries on 5 continents.... You can keep up with Savannah on Twitter.

Jungleland - Christopher S. Stewart

Journalist Christopher Stewart first heard of the lost White City on the Mosquito Coast in the Honduras while reporting on the country's drug trade. It piqued his interest and he continued to investigate for his own curiosity. And then curiosity turned into obsession when he stumbled across the journals of Theodore Morde. Morde discovered a lost city in 1940 after four months spent hunting in the jungle. But Morde died before he revealed the location or was able to return to Honduras.

"I just kept wondering - what if? What if I really managed to retrace Morde's journey. What if I traveled to Honduras? What would I discover? Did I have the guts to try?"

Well, Stewart does. He joins forces with archaeologist Chis Begley who has spent over a decade travelling and studying the Honduran jungle. With two local guides they set off to follow in Morde's footsteps and perhaps discover the location of the Lost City.

Jungleland is told in alternating narratives - Morde's journey and Stewart's present day explorations. I found Morde's history fascinating and had great hopes for Stewart's as well. Stewart's 'adventure' fell short for me. Perhaps I came in with the wrong outlook. Based on the cover blurbs, I wanted more. The WWII spy line is misleading - it is but a small part of Morde's story. But, a lot of Jungleland is Stewart's personal struggle with settling down with a wife, a child and debt. Not what I was looking to read about, but I do appreciate his honesty is sharing these moment. For me,  Begley seems the more interesting and certainly the more knowledgeable of the duo. I would like to read more of Begley's adventures.

I have to say I was very frustrated by the last chapter. They finally discover something interesting and Stewart leaves us hanging with Chris saying "Now, this is interesting." And that's it! The epilogue takes us back to New York and Stewart's life with no further explanation of what they found.

I chose to listen to Jungleland in audio book format. Jef Brick was the reader. I thought his voice was well suited to give voice to Stewart's words. It was easy to listen, quite expressive and portrayed the mental image I had created for Stewart. Listen to an excerpt of Jungleland.   Read an excerpt of Jungleland.

I do like travel memoirs and this was an interesting premise. But I think the idea was very, very similar to David Grann's 'The Lost City of Z'.  Which I preferred. (my review)

Review and Giveaway - Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven - Susan Jane Gilman

I first read Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven last year in hard cover and loved it. The Hachette Book Group has just released it in trade paperback and I have a copy to giveaway to one lucky reader.

The review below is a reprint from April 2009.

"I'm a big fan of Susan Jane Gilman. Her first memoir Hypocrite in a Pouffy White Dress had me laughing out loud. I was pretty excited to read Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven.

In 1986, Gilman and Claire make a momentous, drunken, four a.m. decision in their local IHOP (International House of Pancakes). Their place mats feature "Pancakes of Many Nations. So - " Staring at it , we'd had a jolt of inspiration. Why not eat pancakes of many nations in many nations? Why not travel the world? Oddly, barreling headlong into developing countries with a backpack somehow seemed far easier to us than simply getting a job."

Claire is from a privileged background. Gilman has grown up in subsidized housing and attended university on financial aid. They don't know each other that well, but go forward with their plan to travel the world. The first stop is Hong Kong and from there to China. China in 1986 has just opened it's doors to foreign travel.

What starts as an carefree adventure soon develops problems. At first Susan is able to explain away and ignore Claire's small idiosyncrasies. But when Claire mentions to other backpackers that she has heard voices and that there may be a terrorist cell after them, their carefree adventure takes a frightening turn. Stuck deep in a country where they don't speak the language, are physically ill and dependent on the goodwill of others, Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven is almost unbelievable. Yet as Gilman says; " All these events happened, and the people are real. God knows, I couldn't make this up."

An absolutely riveting read. Gilman writes with both humour and pathos - you won't be able to put it down until you turn the last page."

Check out Gilman's blog - always entertaining! Or you can find her on Facebook.

Listen to a clip or read an excerpt. A neat choice for a book club - there's a reading club guide too.

If you like to win a copy to read, simply leave a travel related comment - favourite place to visit, horror story (or a good one). Mine? Well I discovered the joys of Chicago's O'Hare airport last year as an international visitor. A little bigger than the one at home! Open to both US and Canada, no po boxes please. Closes Wed. March 24th at 6 pm EST.

Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven- Susan Jane Gilman

I'm a big fan of Susan Jane Gilman. Her first memoir Hypocrite in a Pouffy White Dress had me laughing out loud. I was pretty excited to read Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven, released last month by The Hachette Book Group.

In 1986, Gilman and Claire make a momentous, drunken, four a.m. decision in their local IHOP (International House of Pancakes). Their place mats feature "Pancakes of Many Nations. So - " Staring at it , we'd had a jolt of inspiration. Why not eat pancakes of many nations in many nations? Why not travel the world? Oddly, barreling headlong into developing countries with a backpack somehow seemed far easier to us than simply getting a job."

Claire is from a privileged background. Gilman has grown up in subsidized housing and attended university on financial aid. They don't know each other that well, but go forward with their plan to travel the world. The first stop is Hong Kong and from there to China. China in 1986 has just opened it's doors to foreign travel.

What starts as an carefree adventure soon develops problems. At first Susan is able to explain away and ignore Claire's small idiosyncrasies. But when Claire mentions to other backpackers that she has heard voices and that there may be a terrorist cell after them, their carefree adventure takes a frightening turn. Stuck deep in a country where they don't speak the language, are physically ill and dependent on the goodwill of others, Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven is almost unbelievable. Yet as Gilman says; " All these events happened, and the people are real. God knows, I couldn't make this up."

An absolutely riveting read. Gilman writes with both humour and pathos - you won't be able to put it down until you turn the last page.

The Lost City of Z - David Grann

-- Subtitled: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon --

Who hasn't watched the movies where an explorer or adventurer discovers a lost world or civilization? I personally am fascinated by the whole idea that there may still be some untouched or unfound something out there.

The Lost City of Z isn't fiction - it's an incredible true story. In 1925 famed explorer Percy Fawcett set out to find the fabled city of El Dorado or as he referred to it - The Lost City of Z. Dispatches were sent back documenting his journey for the first two years, but then he and his expedition vanished - no trace of them ever to be heard of again. Many others followed, looking for Fawcett or his golden city. None have ever found it.

David Grann, a staff writer for the New Yorker magazine, became enthralled with Fawcett's story as well. Grann discovers some of Fawcett's old journals that give him additional information on Fawcett's planned expedition. He decides to head to the Amazon himself and trace the explorer's route.

What follows is an absolutely riveting tale. The history of Fawcett and other adventurers bent on mapping and mastering the Amazon is utterly fascinating. The book alternates between Fawcett's time, drawing on newspapers, journals and letters to present a real picture of his time and Grann's own growing obsession and pilgrimage. I had to keep reminding myself that this was real - documented history. I honestly couldn't put it down. Does he discover what happened to Fawcett and his lost party - well I'll leave that for you to explore.

You can read the first chapter here. Oh and Brad Pitt is rumoured to be starring in a film version of The Lost City of Z coming out in 2010.

Roads to Quoz - William Least Heat-Moon

Roads to where?

Quoz - n. - referring to anything strange, incongruous or peculiar, at it's heart is the unknown, the mysterious. Rhymes with Oz.

I've had this book for a little bit now, but it isn't one you want to race through at all. It's a fairly hefty book at 550 pages plus, but you need to stop and savour each and every tale.

William Least Heat-Moon landed on the New York Times bestseller list in the early 80's with his first book Blue Highways. Heat-Moon had lost both his job and his wife and decided to travel the back roads of America to see who he would meet and what he would find.

Heat-Moon is discovering hidden gems again with his female companion, Q, in Roads to Quoz - An American Mosey from Hachette Books.

"If you leave a journey exactly who you were before you departed, the trip has been much wasted, even if it's just to the Quickee-Mart."

This journey begins in Arkansas following the path of the Ouachita River. Heat-Moon's inherent curiosity about anything and everything is infectious. What are the origins of such placenames as Smackover, Hog Jaw and Possum Grape? I drove through a small town I'd never been to before the other day and found myself wondering how it came to be named Harmony. That's the captivating thing about Roads to Quoz - once you read of Heat-Moon's travels and interactions you look at things just a little bit differently - and from my point of view, that's a good thing.

This book covers a series of trips taken to various states. The history of each town or place is discussed in fascinating detail. But it is the human stories that captured me the most. Meeting Jean Ingold, with whom he has corresponded by letter for many years. Jean lives in a home of 117 sq.ft. She supports herself minimally, restricting her carbon footprint as much as possible. Her philosophy of life is engrossing. Travelling to the town where his great grandfather was murdered. The Goat Woman of Smackover Creek, who lived for fifty years in a 6x20 travelling medicine show truck. Meeting the caretaker of Jack Kerouac's original scroll manuscript of On The Road. The everyday people who stop in a diner and share part of their lives with him. There are numerous other stories, all equally compelling.

How does he find these tales? He opens himself to 'letting himself be found.' Heat-Moon's gift is his view of life and the ability to put to paper and share his curiousity.

I haven't read Blue Highways, but will be seeking it out after reading this book. And taking the lesser travelled road a little more....

Where Am I Wearing - Kelsey Timmerman

Well, it seems kind of appropriate that Where Am I Wearing is being released today from John Wiley & Sons. After all it's Black Friday this week in the U.S. and Christmas shopping is well under way in Canada.
(... trust me - the mall is packed ...)

Many of us will be buying clothes for gifts or ourselves. But do you ever really wonder where the item is made? Do you look at the tag as part of your decision or are you just happy to get a good deal?

Kelsey Timmerman did a little bit more that wonder. He decided to find the factory in Bangladesh that produced his favourite 'Jingle These' boxers. And his jeans, tee-shirt and flip flops.

And so off he treks to the other side of the world to discover the origins of his clothes.

In Bangladesh, he poses as an underwear buyer to gain entrance to view the factories. While most of us will speak out against sweatshop labour, Kelsey finds that nothing is as cut and dried when faced with actual people and their lives.

"My own conclusion, after visiting Bangladesh, is that we should not be ashamed that our clothes are made by children so much as ashamed that we live in a world where child labor is often necessary for survival."

He has great fun with some street kids, taking twenty of them to an amusement park for the same price it would take to get one American kid into Disney World.

It is this aspect that I enjoyed the most in Timmerman's book - the personal level of interaction - meeting with and talking to the actual workers of the garment industries he visited in their own environments.

Timmerman's writing style is entertaining and candid, but still explores the history of the garment industry and what is being done to reform it.

In Cambodia, home to his treasured pair of blue jeans, he discovers that 75% of the country's exports are garments. Again, it is the personal stories of the eight female workers sharing a 96 sq. ft. room that grabbed me.

It is in China that he has the most difficulty accessing a factory. But he connects with a married couple working in the flip flop factory. They provide for family back in their rural village and have not seen their son in three years. Kelsey decides to go to the village to visit.

Back in the US he visits a garment factory that made his oldest and still wearable shorts.

Timmerman provides no black and white answers but instead gives us much food for thought. Where am I Wearing is a fascinating, eye-opening, thought provoking read that will have you reading tags just to see where your favourite piece of clothing was made. Perhaps it will make you think a little bit longer before you get out the wallet and help you become an informed consumer.

"When I walk into my closet, I think about the hundreds - if not thousands- of people around the world who had a hand in making my clothes. Jeans are no longer just jeans, shirts no longer just shirts, shoes no longer just shoes, clothes are no longer just clothes. Each is an untold story."

(So far - Canada, US, Bangladesh, Taiwan and China - what about yours?)

I hope Timmerman continues to explore and write about his journeys. What's next? Well - you can follow along on his website.

No Such Thing as a Free Ride? - Simon Sykes & Tom Sykes

-Subtitled: A Collection of Hitchhiking Tales - North American Edition from Goose Lane Editions.

What a fantastic idea this was- to collect stories, memoirs, observations, folklore and ideas about hitchhiking and compile them. Tom and Simon Sykes are father and son from England. Their first compilation was the British edition of No Such Thing as a Free Ride?

This book was broken down into wonderfully inventive categories on hitchhiking. Being broken down into articles of varying lengths allowed me to pick and choose what to read. First I devoured "You Had to Be There - Strange and Amusing Events", followed closely by "I Hadn't Thought this One Through - Misjudgements and Miscalculations".

But honestly every article is a great read. I was fascinated with people's experiences on the road. Some good, some bad, some downright scary, but all with a view as to how hitchhiking touched their lives.

There is a great appendix at the back with a listing of references to hitchhiking in websites, books, music and film.

And who contributed to this collection? A wonderfully diverse bunch of folks including author Piers Anthony and musician Randy Bachman to name a few.

Hitchhiking is a somewhat scary proposition nowadays from both sides - picking up and getting in. But who hasn't stuck out their thumb at least once? And has a story to tell about it? The Sykes are still collecting stories and essays. Got one you'd like to contribute? Contact them here.

And thanks to MiniBookExpo for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Queen of the Road- Doreen Orion

Subtitled:
The True Tale of 47 States, 22,000 Miles, 200 Shoes, 2 Cats, 1 Poodle, a Husband and a Bus with a Will of It's Own.

Okay, how could you not want to pick up this new title from Broadway Books ??? The cover and subtitle grabbed me, but I was captivated in the first 10 pages of this travel memoir from Doreen Orion.

Both Orion and her husband Tim Justice are practicing psychiatrists. Tim is still seeing patients in an office setting while Doreen consults from home for insurance companies etc. Tim is a busy guy, always with a project on the go. He enjoys the outdoors as well. On the other hand, Doreen is more than happy to stay in her pajamas, work from home, watch television and never leave the house. Her record is 118 hours in without stepping a foot outside. Two seemingly polar opposites.

Without quite knowing how it happened, Doreen agrees to Tim's dream - to travel across America in a bus for a year. That's right - a bus. But what a bus it is! (Take note that their bus ends up being the September centerfold for Bus Conversions magazine.)

Orion is an extremely funny woman. I was laughing out loud right from the beginning and wondered if she could keep it up throughout the book.....she did.

After an initial 3 week test run, they set out. Not everything goes quite to plan - the bus has some issues and so does Doreen - she's terrified of the bus.

With a fantastic sense of humour, Orion describes the trip, her relationship with Tim, the people they meet and the situations they find themselves in.

Just a few weeks into the trip they notice a shift in their outlooks and attitudes.

"Getting to the top of the bell tower reaffirmed for me that Tim and I were making new choices about how to live our lives and whether it was finding time for that climb or putting our careers on hold, we were doing things differently that we had in the past, giving us hope that the lessons learned on the road about what was truly valuable might just stick".

And this is really the essence of the book. How do you want to live your life and what is really important? As we follow Tim and Doreen's travels, you start to look at your own life and wonder what you could do a little bit differently.

It's also a love story. They are together 24/7 for a year. Although they already have a good marriage, they rediscover each other on the road.

Fascinating as well is the ongoing travelogue. The places they visit are detailed, and an appendix gives web addresses for many of the places.

I love a good travel memoir and this was one of the best I've read. This would be a great selection for a book club. There is a thoughtful list of discussion questions to get you started at the end. ( Oh - and a cocktail recipe at the beginning of every chapter!) As well, Orion will attend your book group - either in person or by speakerphone.

The idea of a boat trip was bandied about at the end of the book. Sounds like a great idea Doreen and Tim - can't wait to hear what adventure you embark on next! You can always follow along at Doreen's blog.

High Crimes - Michael Kodas

Subtitled: The Fate of Everest in an Age of Greed.

I actually listened to this in audio format. I think it had a greater impact than on me than reading it would have.

Sir Edmund Hillary conquered Everest, the highest peak in the world, in 1953. Since then climbers have flocked in droves to achieve this same lofty goal and the world has watched, fascinated with those willing to risk their lives to stand 'on top of the world.'

Michael Kodas, the author, attempted this climb in 2004. He was sponsored by the newspaper he worked for in Connecticut. This book covers so much more than his trip.

The title says it all. Hillary himself expressed disgust on the 50th anniversary of his achievement over the 'circus' that Everest has become.

Kodas exposes the underbelly of Everest. He details the many deaths on the mountain and follows one family as they search for answers. The thieving, greed and selfishness detailed are not as much as a revelation as they might have been. Numerous stories detailing rescues of climbers left for dead, passed over by many other climbers have been in the news.

Everest basecamp is home to prostitution and drugs,theft and violence.

When I finished listening to the book, I went online and viewed pictures of Everest. It is breathtaking in it's beauty. I can see why people the world over flock here to achieve their dream. However it the sheen is tarnished.

In High Crimes, Kodas presents a well researched, detailed interview of many of the key players in the Himalayas and the ugly side of the mountain.