Accidental Enlightenment: The Extraordinary Travels of a Modern-Day Gulliver

If you enjoy traveling and foreign cultures you will enjoy Bill Bryson's creative writing in this book

What a ride! Those are the words that would best explain this read by author Stephen Banick. Here is a man who devoted a year of his life to travel the world and in doing so found his destiny, and changed his future. Accidental Enlightenment is not your ordinary run of the mill chit chat about travel. In this work our author does indeed give you some tips on traveling, some interesting places to visit and tells many of his adventures, but he goes further. He shares with you how the places and people he went to and met touched the very core of his soul and changed his life. He embraced with openness and acceptance the many ways of the people he encountered; from their beliefs, right down to the food they ate. His words and his interaction with everyday people from different countries help to bridge the gap and the mysteries that shroud our lives in that area. His writing is honest and bold, sharing whole-heartening with you the world as he tasted of it. A very interesting read that draws you right into the heart of the adventure of travel and the world we live in.

Accidental Enlightenment is a travel book with a difference. Like many other travelogues, this book serves as a narrative of the author's adventures and misadventures. These journeys are quite extensive throughout the United States and Canada with visits and somewhat longer excursions to most every corner of the world. Like the best of these travelogues, this book takes time to explore not only the scenery but also the real culture of the people that he comes in contact with. It is in this later aspect that I believe Accidental Enlightenment sets itself apart from most other similar books. The author not only explores the plethora of cultures on this planet but actually connects with individuals. Furthermore, the majority of these people are regular everyday folks living their lives as best they know how. In a world that seems to value extreme characters and ignores the realities of the real people, I found this focus refreshing. Furthermore, the genuine way and depth that these stories were told made me feel connected to these individuals and to the world as a whole. Another thing that really impressed me with the author's story is that these experiences really were life changing for him. Not only did he find his direction in life but he serves to connect others through The Gulliver Project, a corporation committed to inspiring people to bridge cultures through practical, spiritually grounded principles of Trans-cultural Communication.

There is a big world out there and Steve Banick has seen many corners of it. His stories about these encounters make "Accidental Enlightenment" a tremendous read. His prose is engaging and the themes of these stories leave the reader thinking about a lot more than simply travel and adventure long after they have finished this book. I consider Banick to be an excellent writer and I look forward to new titles from him. There are many trips on this planet that I still wish to take and I think there are many others like me who share this desire to see more of our world. This book offers the reader a number of valuable and poignant insights in how one might approach trips of this kind. Where to go, what to do, how to engage the locals, how to observe the events unfolding around you in a new and unfamiliar place. All of these themes can be found in "Accidental Enlightenment". I highly recommend this to be on your reading list as you will probably find yourself with a slightly new perspective after you have had a chance to absorb all that Mr. Banick has to say in this book.