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You Can Never Find a Rickshaw When It Monsoons - The World on One Cartoon a Day
ONE GRADUATE'S JOURNEY TO FIND HIS PLACE IN THE WORLD
In 1990, before embarking on his groundbreaking children's book career, Mo Willems packed a small bag and a sketchbook and set out to explore the world--by place, car, boat, bus, motorcycle, and rickshaw. At the end of each day, he drew a cartoon of the one event that stuck out in his mind, from the sublime to the ridiculous. This is his sketch diary.
In 1990, before embarking on his groundbreaking children's book career, Mo Willems packed a small bag and a sketchbook and set out to explore the world--by place, car, boat, bus, motorcycle, and rickshaw. At the end of each day, he drew a cartoon of the one event that stuck out in his mind, from the sublime to the ridiculous. This is his sketch diary.
396 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2006
33 people are currently reading
1167 people want to read
About the author
Mo Willems
265 books4,158 followers#1 New York Times Bestselling author and illustrator Mo Willems is best known for his Caldecott Honor winning picture books Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus and Knuffle Bunny: a cautionary tale.
In addition to such picture books as Leonardo the Terrible Monster, Edwina the Dinosaur Who Didn’t Know She Was Extinct, and Time to Pee, Mo has created the Elephant and Piggie books, a series of early readers, and published You Can Never Find a Rickshaw When it Monsoons, an annotated cartoon journal sketched during a year-long voyage around the world in 1990-91.
The New York Times Book Review called Mo “the biggest new talent to emerge thus far in the 00's."
Mo’s work books have been translated into a myriad of languages, spawned animated shorts and theatrical musical productions, and his illustrations, wire sculpture, and carved ceramics have been exhibited in galleries and museums across the nation.
Mo began his career as a writer and animator for television, garnering 6 Emmy awards for his writing on Sesame Street, creating Nickelodeon's The Off-Beats, Cartoon Network’s Sheep in the Big City and head-writing Codename: Kids Next Door.
He lives in Brooklyn, New York with his family.
In addition to such picture books as Leonardo the Terrible Monster, Edwina the Dinosaur Who Didn’t Know She Was Extinct, and Time to Pee, Mo has created the Elephant and Piggie books, a series of early readers, and published You Can Never Find a Rickshaw When it Monsoons, an annotated cartoon journal sketched during a year-long voyage around the world in 1990-91.
The New York Times Book Review called Mo “the biggest new talent to emerge thus far in the 00's."
Mo’s work books have been translated into a myriad of languages, spawned animated shorts and theatrical musical productions, and his illustrations, wire sculpture, and carved ceramics have been exhibited in galleries and museums across the nation.
Mo began his career as a writer and animator for television, garnering 6 Emmy awards for his writing on Sesame Street, creating Nickelodeon's The Off-Beats, Cartoon Network’s Sheep in the Big City and head-writing Codename: Kids Next Door.
He lives in Brooklyn, New York with his family.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 151 reviews
May 22, 2019
Brilliant!
Mo Willems is our family's favourite author. We have read almost all his books multiple times. He has a great sense of humour and I believe it is equally appealing to and appreciated by children and grown ups.
So, I was thrilled when I discovered a book by him that it was explicitly for grown ups. It is a travelog and it is full of wonderful sketches
some funny,
some weird,
some serious
but all of them entertaining.
Back in nineties, young Mo Willems -after he finished college- decided to take a year off before he became an adult and see the world. This is very popular I suppose for many adventurous youngsters. Thus, Mo got his passport, a backpack, his sketch book and started his train hopping and bus hopping and ship hopping all over the world.
He started from England, moved to Europe, went to eastern Europe and then Turkey, Asia, Far East, China and then back to USA and Canada.
He lived in low budget hostels or with friends.
He did walking, cycling, trekking, hiking.
He got drunk, mingled with other kids who were also travelling, with tourists, with locals.
He lost his wallet.
He was treated like a spy or a drug dealer.
He got hungry.
He got smelly.
He got dirty.
He got bitten.
He tried strange food.
He got sick.
He got bored.
He got excited.
Basically I am glad that he managed to stay alive hahaha
I truly enjoyed his travelling adventures. Every day he was drawling something that got his attention and the book includes a little paragraph underneath that explains his sketching. As you can imagine the pages of the book are the same number as the days he spent travelling, i.e about 355 days, almost a year.
Mo Willems is our family's favourite author. We have read almost all his books multiple times. He has a great sense of humour and I believe it is equally appealing to and appreciated by children and grown ups.
So, I was thrilled when I discovered a book by him that it was explicitly for grown ups. It is a travelog and it is full of wonderful sketches
some funny,
some weird,
some serious
but all of them entertaining.
Back in nineties, young Mo Willems -after he finished college- decided to take a year off before he became an adult and see the world. This is very popular I suppose for many adventurous youngsters. Thus, Mo got his passport, a backpack, his sketch book and started his train hopping and bus hopping and ship hopping all over the world.
He started from England, moved to Europe, went to eastern Europe and then Turkey, Asia, Far East, China and then back to USA and Canada.
He lived in low budget hostels or with friends.
He did walking, cycling, trekking, hiking.
He got drunk, mingled with other kids who were also travelling, with tourists, with locals.
He lost his wallet.
He was treated like a spy or a drug dealer.
He got hungry.
He got smelly.
He got dirty.
He got bitten.
He tried strange food.
He got sick.
He got bored.
He got excited.
Basically I am glad that he managed to stay alive hahaha
I truly enjoyed his travelling adventures. Every day he was drawling something that got his attention and the book includes a little paragraph underneath that explains his sketching. As you can imagine the pages of the book are the same number as the days he spent travelling, i.e about 355 days, almost a year.
June 1, 2016
I picked up You Can Never Find a Rickshaw When It Monsoons: The World on One Cartoon a Day by Mo Willems at a library sale last week. You know Mo Willems, right? The amazing children's picture book author, he of Pigeon fame and Knuffle Bunny fame, universally adored by children of all sizes and ages (even those of us who are 58). If you know who he is, then you know why I couldn't possibly pass up this book for a buck. I read the blurb on the back, telling You Can Never Find a Rickshaw is a compilation of cartoons Willems drew during a round-the-world trip he took in 1990. He made one cartoon a day, each a drawing to help him recall the quirkiest thing that happened that day.
But here was the most amazing thing about this little $1 buy:
Autographed!
But here was the most amazing thing about this little $1 buy:
Autographed!
August 1, 2019
Delightful and entertaining.
November 25, 2008
Yes, that Mo Willems - this is an annotated collection of the sketches/cartoons he drew every day on his 1990-91 year around the world - a trip he took straight after college. Some are funny, some are insightful, some betray his youth, some are inane. But such an awesome concept. From such an awesome author/artist.
I have a weakness for graphic novel/cartoon travelogues.
Hilarious forwards by Willems and Dave Barry.
I'm SO booktalking this to high school kids.
I have a weakness for graphic novel/cartoon travelogues.
Hilarious forwards by Willems and Dave Barry.
I'm SO booktalking this to high school kids.
September 14, 2019
“I hope that one day you’ll take the opportunity to put your life on hold and step out that door into this big, wide, wonderful world. It’s a nice place to visit.”
Quick, easy and brilliant read.
After graduating in 1990s, the author embarked on a wanderlust around the world for one year. From New York, USA to Spain, Greece, Belgium, Holland, Luxembourg, France, Spain, West Germany, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Greece, Turkey, Israel, Egypt, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Hong Kong, China, Macao, Japan and Canada.
I’m a sucker for travelogues, as you get to experience many many things from Cultures all around the world; and this book depicts a lot, through illustrations. Mo’s sense of humour is so apt.
Ps: The only thing I didn’t like, or actually got sad about was Pakistan’s portrayal in the book; it was really brief and short; and wasn’t a good one. The writer highlighted Karachi’s uncleanliness, Mohenjodaro’s brick roads, Lahore’s deep waters during Monsoons, and inability to find a Rickshaw there; where the book got its title from most probably. A portrayal of 1990s Pakistan, and irony is, it’s still the same.
Quick, easy and brilliant read.
After graduating in 1990s, the author embarked on a wanderlust around the world for one year. From New York, USA to Spain, Greece, Belgium, Holland, Luxembourg, France, Spain, West Germany, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Greece, Turkey, Israel, Egypt, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Hong Kong, China, Macao, Japan and Canada.
I’m a sucker for travelogues, as you get to experience many many things from Cultures all around the world; and this book depicts a lot, through illustrations. Mo’s sense of humour is so apt.
Ps: The only thing I didn’t like, or actually got sad about was Pakistan’s portrayal in the book; it was really brief and short; and wasn’t a good one. The writer highlighted Karachi’s uncleanliness, Mohenjodaro’s brick roads, Lahore’s deep waters during Monsoons, and inability to find a Rickshaw there; where the book got its title from most probably. A portrayal of 1990s Pakistan, and irony is, it’s still the same.
April 17, 2015
This book is absolutely delightful!!
A kind of cartoon diary...wherein Mr. Willems chose to record his experiences in the form of a cartoon a day with a little story behind the cartoon, or just riff a one-liner on what you see. A quick page-turner.. :)
A kind of cartoon diary...wherein Mr. Willems chose to record his experiences in the form of a cartoon a day with a little story behind the cartoon, or just riff a one-liner on what you see. A quick page-turner.. :)
August 13, 2022
I read this book when it was first published, before I did any lengthy world traveling as an adult, and it stoked the fire of my imagination.
Reading it again now, I can empathize with some of the author's experiences while traveling as a Westerner - mostly the exasperation of being ripped off at every turn (while realizing that the reason you get ripped off is because you can afford it), and of not ever being able to blend in with the crowd (so you're forever treated like a rock star - or at least a confusing curiosity).
But there are also nice things I can relate to, like unexpectedly being invited into someone's home to share their joys or just to watch soap operas in a language you don't understand.
Reading it again now, I can empathize with some of the author's experiences while traveling as a Westerner - mostly the exasperation of being ripped off at every turn (while realizing that the reason you get ripped off is because you can afford it), and of not ever being able to blend in with the crowd (so you're forever treated like a rock star - or at least a confusing curiosity).
But there are also nice things I can relate to, like unexpectedly being invited into someone's home to share their joys or just to watch soap operas in a language you don't understand.
January 19, 2015
This charming overview of one person's world travels made me want to dust off my backpack and hiking shoes and hop the nearest flight to anywhere. I recognized so much of my 21-year-old self in a young Mo Willems, and enjoyed seeing a snapshot of the world through his eyes five years prior to when I travelled myself. This would be a good one to leave in the bathroom and flip through to leave your everyday life behind and get a reminder of what's happening for so many others out in the world.
July 21, 2008
Fifteen years after he finished his post-college trip 'round the world, brilliant children's book author/illustrator Mo Willems published the sketchbook he kept during the journey. With a drawing and caption for each day and commentary from the older Mo, this book captures the humor, the challenges, and the excitement of the backpacker experience.
It made me want to hit the road again.
It made me want to hit the road again.
December 13, 2016
I was given this book, by a fellow traveler, as the author suggests. I had it for years, not thinking much of reading it. Then I had kids and became familiar with Mo Willems and his pigeon. Picked it up; now I'm itching to hit the road with nothing but a sketch pad and pen. A travel journal tells a lot. An illustrated one tells even more.
May 30, 2009
Stays in our bathroom. This is a book of snapshots of the world and the people who live here. Great fun.
January 25, 2016
Very cool. He was so lucky to be able to publish this book and his reflections on what he'd experienced back when he made the drawings.
March 9, 2016
I learned of MO by reading his great kids books. I liked looking at his travel drawings and seeing all the "normal " things in other countries
July 11, 2023
Mo Willems is known by many as a beloved author of children's books, most of which are classified in our library as "easy readers." He is most well known, perhaps, for his "Elephant & Piggie" series, as well as the "Pigeon" books, such as Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus (probably a good idea).
Before he became this well-known author, Mo Willems, upon graduating from NYU in 1990, took off on a backpacking trip around the world. He rode trains and buses, slept in cars and buses and trains and hostels all over the world. He encountered a rich diversity of people, some of which were not exactly friendly toward Americans. But he never had any real trouble from anyone.
This book is his "memoir" of that trip. Apparently, as he traveled, he drew a cartoon every day. Some of the cartoons are hilarious. His experiences are pretty amazing, overall, as he even got to witness the "running of the bulls" in Pamplona, Spain. He took train rides that lasted for days, in which he sat on hard wooden benches and had to get into some pretty awkward positions to sleep.
While in Europe, he visited a concentration camp and was dismayed to overhear two American students discuss their "problems" with sorority pledges. He indicated that the Australian students seemed to be pretty wild, and said that, in one country, "statuary" was "Aussie for diving board."
And then, on page 36, there is a cartoon of a man kicking a pigeon, which seems to have been the beginning of his affinity with pigeons.
This book was great fun, and I even learned a few things. It must be noted, however, that, unlike most of Mo's work, this book is definitely not for children. It's also a very quick read, as each page contains a cartoon, with a few words (some have no extra words at all, while some have complete paragraphs), making it easy to read almost 400 pages in just under two days.
Oh, and the forward is by Dave Barry, one of the most hilarious people I've ever read.
Before he became this well-known author, Mo Willems, upon graduating from NYU in 1990, took off on a backpacking trip around the world. He rode trains and buses, slept in cars and buses and trains and hostels all over the world. He encountered a rich diversity of people, some of which were not exactly friendly toward Americans. But he never had any real trouble from anyone.
This book is his "memoir" of that trip. Apparently, as he traveled, he drew a cartoon every day. Some of the cartoons are hilarious. His experiences are pretty amazing, overall, as he even got to witness the "running of the bulls" in Pamplona, Spain. He took train rides that lasted for days, in which he sat on hard wooden benches and had to get into some pretty awkward positions to sleep.
While in Europe, he visited a concentration camp and was dismayed to overhear two American students discuss their "problems" with sorority pledges. He indicated that the Australian students seemed to be pretty wild, and said that, in one country, "statuary" was "Aussie for diving board."
And then, on page 36, there is a cartoon of a man kicking a pigeon, which seems to have been the beginning of his affinity with pigeons.
This book was great fun, and I even learned a few things. It must be noted, however, that, unlike most of Mo's work, this book is definitely not for children. It's also a very quick read, as each page contains a cartoon, with a few words (some have no extra words at all, while some have complete paragraphs), making it easy to read almost 400 pages in just under two days.
Oh, and the forward is by Dave Barry, one of the most hilarious people I've ever read.
February 27, 2020
The World on One Cartoon a Day. Scetches of a slice of a day around the world,insight fatigue, and if it was smellovision, I'm sure it would have been more than a little off-putting. Loved the passport stamps, clones of mine from the same era. Great fun.
July 5, 2020
Didnt like the illustrations as much! But the content was superlative. Interesting read.
August 19, 2022
A Mo Willems book for gen Xers. This book is not for kids.
July 22, 2016
Although Willems treats Singapore disparagingly, giving it short shrift in two uncomplimentary pages (on a) fines and b) malls - so stereotypical), I found this quite a likeable collection overall.
This book of cartoons originated in the early 90s, when Willems travelled 'the world' in a year (actually, he left huge parts of the various continents untouched, and didn't go to Australia or New Zealand, but then the world is huge, and a year isn't long enough, if you think about it). He took to distilling the most memorable experience of each day in a cartoon, which is sometimes accompanied by a retrospective written explanation in this book.
I enjoyed his art, which is crude on first glance but does grow on one. His observations are a mixed bag for me though. Like all solitary 'backpackers' he has developed a kind of superiority complex, and on two separate occasions mentions that he does the opposite of whatever Lonely Planet or other tourists tell him to do. My question is: how do you do the 'opposite' of going to, say, the Taj Mahal - go in the opposite direction, literally?? Even figuratively, I find it hard to figure out what he means by that; only the arrogance of the tone sticks in my mind.
Then again, he has some interesting observations on shopkeepers, fellow passengers on public transportation, and other little-noticed people tourists usually pass right by (e.g. guards who have to remain standing all day in an art museum - I too feel HORRIBLE for them - what an awful job).
This book of cartoons originated in the early 90s, when Willems travelled 'the world' in a year (actually, he left huge parts of the various continents untouched, and didn't go to Australia or New Zealand, but then the world is huge, and a year isn't long enough, if you think about it). He took to distilling the most memorable experience of each day in a cartoon, which is sometimes accompanied by a retrospective written explanation in this book.
I enjoyed his art, which is crude on first glance but does grow on one. His observations are a mixed bag for me though. Like all solitary 'backpackers' he has developed a kind of superiority complex, and on two separate occasions mentions that he does the opposite of whatever Lonely Planet or other tourists tell him to do. My question is: how do you do the 'opposite' of going to, say, the Taj Mahal - go in the opposite direction, literally?? Even figuratively, I find it hard to figure out what he means by that; only the arrogance of the tone sticks in my mind.
Then again, he has some interesting observations on shopkeepers, fellow passengers on public transportation, and other little-noticed people tourists usually pass right by (e.g. guards who have to remain standing all day in an art museum - I too feel HORRIBLE for them - what an awful job).
August 30, 2017
Mo Willems is best known for his childrens books (Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!), and as a writer for Sesame Street. This collection of travel cartoons was drawn during a post-college backpacking trip around the world.
I found the cartoons to be a bit hit-or-miss in terms of humor and in terms of insights, but I appreciated the honesty of the project, as Willems presented the image that most inspired him to draw during each day of his travels. There were some familiar scenes here: vendors and motorbikes in Southeast Asia, crowded trains in China, the seemingly endless lists of fines and regulations in Singapore (in Willems' words, "Everything fun ends abruptly at Singapore").
The book also gave me glimpses of plenty of places that I have not had the chance to visit, and even spawned a few travel ideas.
The restriction of one cartoon a day for nearly a year results in some inconsistency, but also in some unexpected insights and surprising revelations. There is a bit of a privileged vibe, as you're going to have with any account of an American's post-college adventures abroad, but Willems mostly manages to temper that with his ability to laugh at his own situation while looking for understand of the people he meets.
I found the cartoons to be a bit hit-or-miss in terms of humor and in terms of insights, but I appreciated the honesty of the project, as Willems presented the image that most inspired him to draw during each day of his travels. There were some familiar scenes here: vendors and motorbikes in Southeast Asia, crowded trains in China, the seemingly endless lists of fines and regulations in Singapore (in Willems' words, "Everything fun ends abruptly at Singapore").
The book also gave me glimpses of plenty of places that I have not had the chance to visit, and even spawned a few travel ideas.
The restriction of one cartoon a day for nearly a year results in some inconsistency, but also in some unexpected insights and surprising revelations. There is a bit of a privileged vibe, as you're going to have with any account of an American's post-college adventures abroad, but Willems mostly manages to temper that with his ability to laugh at his own situation while looking for understand of the people he meets.
June 28, 2018
I love this book. I've always been a fan of Mo Willems, and to find out that he had adult work published AND it was a travelogue AND it was written right out of college? I was ecstatic!
With one cartoon a day, a young Mo Willems travels the world, chronicling the little moments one misses in travel. He also gives insight into the world of the "trekker": world travelers constantly on the move, running into each other from country to country, experiencing the world in a different way from the average tourist. I road-tripped for a week last year, getting to experience the States through the nation's off-ramps and rest stops and gas stations, and what Willems had to say about trekkers really resonated with me as a result.
This is the book that inspired me to bike cross-country after I graduated college, (I didn't make it), and it's one I know I'll periodically read, whenever the wanderlust strikes me. With warm sense of humor and accessible writing style, Willems takes you on a trip, HIS trip, around the world. It's a delightful, quick read, and I think everyone should check it out.
With one cartoon a day, a young Mo Willems travels the world, chronicling the little moments one misses in travel. He also gives insight into the world of the "trekker": world travelers constantly on the move, running into each other from country to country, experiencing the world in a different way from the average tourist. I road-tripped for a week last year, getting to experience the States through the nation's off-ramps and rest stops and gas stations, and what Willems had to say about trekkers really resonated with me as a result.
This is the book that inspired me to bike cross-country after I graduated college, (I didn't make it), and it's one I know I'll periodically read, whenever the wanderlust strikes me. With warm sense of humor and accessible writing style, Willems takes you on a trip, HIS trip, around the world. It's a delightful, quick read, and I think everyone should check it out.
September 24, 2017
I stumbled upon this obscure gem when gathering all the Mo Willems books that I could find at or local library for a school project. While not the right fit for the Grade Two students, I was drawn in by the interesting write up.
In 1990, Mo Willems set off on a multi-country backpacking journey (the more off the beaten path, the better) and recorded a significant moment each day in cartoon format. A post-trip explanation accompanies most drawings.
I enjoyed the quirkiness of the book and devoured it one rainy morning at the cottage.
(The old Canadian stamp tucked in its pages was a lovely bonus and I plan to tuck it back in for the next reader.)
3.5/5 stars
In 1990, Mo Willems set off on a multi-country backpacking journey (the more off the beaten path, the better) and recorded a significant moment each day in cartoon format. A post-trip explanation accompanies most drawings.
I enjoyed the quirkiness of the book and devoured it one rainy morning at the cottage.
(The old Canadian stamp tucked in its pages was a lovely bonus and I plan to tuck it back in for the next reader.)
3.5/5 stars
November 15, 2017
The Foreword by Dave Barry alone should be reason enough to pick up the book. Mo Willems is a household name if you have any children under 10 living in your house. This is his doodle journal from his time in his twenties when he took a trip around Europe and the middle east. The cartoons are funny and his commentary as well. But enough of Mo, lets have Dave Barry tell us what he thinks...
June 5, 2018
Mo Willems' travel journal! One cartoon a day is such a cool way to capture snaps of a journey. The humor and observations are out of reach for young readers, but an interesting trip around the world.
August 19, 2019
Nice. I liked getting a glimpse of the world thru Mo's eyes. Since it was such a thick book I figured it would take awhile to finish but it held my interest so I read it in a few hours. Worth the time.
December 23, 2017
Fun, light read about travels as encapsulated by a drawing a day.
March 5, 2018
This was incredibly funny and charming. There are still some of the jokes i reference on a regular basis. Very short, but definately worth your time. Especially if you grew up on Sunday comics
March 24, 2018
A nice travel experience with lots of nice pointers if you want to travel through Asia.
April 22, 2019
Enjoyed this book. Loved the format.
September 14, 2019
I really liked his mini drawings and humor on each page during his travels. It inspired me to try and start doodling during my own travels.
August 20, 2020
Mo Willems is a prolific children's author (whom I had never read), but this is a book of travel anecdotes for adults.
The book has a great title and consists of charming and sometimes great illustrations, interesting observations about people and places, and the author re-discovering his younger self and a younger world (when cell phones and the "goatee fungus" swept the nation). It also has a great foreword by Dave Barry.
I highlighted multiple cartoons or anecdotes in every chapter, sometimes because they reminded me of some of my own experiences with travelling, culture shock and reverse culture shock. One of my favorite anecdotes involved him trying to order chicken in the Thai language, using conjugations that signified he was a woman and making bawk-bawk sounds because he didn't know the word for chicken.
I was initially leaning towards three stars for this book, but I felt I was unduly influenced by time pressure (it was a library book) and an unfamiliar e-reader app. I decided to go for a 4 because of the interesting themes in the book.
- People are people. Americans are so used to billboards that they hardly notice them, while Chinese are so used to grad statuary that they hardly notice them. But customs vary - BYOW to a funeral? (bring your own wood for the funeral pyre...).
- There are advantages and disadvantages to being a Westerner in a non-Western country. He could cross the border from India to Pakistan (which locals couldn't do), but he also noted: "I longed to step outside somewhere or hop on a bus without being inundated with sales pitches. Tall, white, and obviously Yankee, I felt like a hounded celebrity. Normal pleasures such as taking a walk in a park weren't always worth the hassle."
- The world has much kindness and generosity, but also much ugliness - in India, high cate Hindu students were self-immolating to protest opening universities to other castes!
- Travel isn't always safe - he was pick-pocketed, bitten, delayed by an uprising, etc.
- There is such a difference between rich and poor that he could go from seeming like a source of easy cash in a poor Indonesia to seeming like a homeless person in rich Hong Kong. Things were often broken or out-of-order, but only in New York were they broken by people who did it for fun. Poor people are no less clever than the rich. They find a way to make a living, for example by selling Tiger Balm for sore muscles to tourists who ere hiking in Nepal.
- Stereotypes of a country are often wrong.
The book has a great title and consists of charming and sometimes great illustrations, interesting observations about people and places, and the author re-discovering his younger self and a younger world (when cell phones and the "goatee fungus" swept the nation). It also has a great foreword by Dave Barry.
I highlighted multiple cartoons or anecdotes in every chapter, sometimes because they reminded me of some of my own experiences with travelling, culture shock and reverse culture shock. One of my favorite anecdotes involved him trying to order chicken in the Thai language, using conjugations that signified he was a woman and making bawk-bawk sounds because he didn't know the word for chicken.
I was initially leaning towards three stars for this book, but I felt I was unduly influenced by time pressure (it was a library book) and an unfamiliar e-reader app. I decided to go for a 4 because of the interesting themes in the book.
- People are people. Americans are so used to billboards that they hardly notice them, while Chinese are so used to grad statuary that they hardly notice them. But customs vary - BYOW to a funeral? (bring your own wood for the funeral pyre...).
- There are advantages and disadvantages to being a Westerner in a non-Western country. He could cross the border from India to Pakistan (which locals couldn't do), but he also noted: "I longed to step outside somewhere or hop on a bus without being inundated with sales pitches. Tall, white, and obviously Yankee, I felt like a hounded celebrity. Normal pleasures such as taking a walk in a park weren't always worth the hassle."
- The world has much kindness and generosity, but also much ugliness - in India, high cate Hindu students were self-immolating to protest opening universities to other castes!
- Travel isn't always safe - he was pick-pocketed, bitten, delayed by an uprising, etc.
- There is such a difference between rich and poor that he could go from seeming like a source of easy cash in a poor Indonesia to seeming like a homeless person in rich Hong Kong. Things were often broken or out-of-order, but only in New York were they broken by people who did it for fun. Poor people are no less clever than the rich. They find a way to make a living, for example by selling Tiger Balm for sore muscles to tourists who ere hiking in Nepal.
- Stereotypes of a country are often wrong.
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