One of the best-written travel memoirs...this book spins a compelling yarn, linking six varied experiences into a cohesive narrative. Recommended for anyone who has been, or is interested in becoming, a ‘voluntourist.’ ” — Library Journal
“Readers of this unique travel memoir will undoubtedly be inspired to take a voluntour of their own, and the author includes helpful tips on how to do just that.” — Booklist
“A solid introduction to the world of volunteer tourism and a pleasant diversion for those who don’t mind a wandering road.” — Kirkus Reviews
“In his sincere and subtly written memoir, Budd gracefully—and often humorously—records how he changes ‘emotionally, physically, spiritually’ as he travels to work with ‘people with real problems and different perspectives.’” — Publishers Weekly
“Heart-warming...tempered with exactly the right amount of acerbic wit...Unless you’re comfortable laughing loudly in publis, you don’t want to read this on your daily commute.” — Vertge Magazine
“For those of you who haven’t read Ken’s book yet, get your copy NOW! It’s really that good.” — Jae-Ha Kim, syndicated travel columnist, Chicago Tribune
“Funny, touching, insightful and compelling.” — The U.S. Center for Citizen Diplomacy
“Lively...Entertaining...The author’s intelligence and autobiographical honesty engage the reader...Budd is a skilled writer with a good ear for dialogue.” — PerceptiveTravel.com
Readers of this unique travel memoir will undoubtedly be inspired to take a voluntour of their own, and the author includes helpful tips on how to do just that.
Heart-warming...tempered with exactly the right amount of acerbic wit...Unless you’re comfortable laughing loudly in publis, you don’t want to read this on your daily commute.
For those of you who haven’t read Ken’s book yet, get your copy NOW! It’s really that good.
Lively...Entertaining...The author’s intelligence and autobiographical honesty engage the reader...Budd is a skilled writer with a good ear for dialogue.
Funny, touching, insightful and compelling.
The U.S. Center for Citizen Diplomacy
Readers of this unique travel memoir will undoubtedly be inspired to take a voluntour of their own, and the author includes helpful tips on how to do just that.
After a year of retirement, freelance writer Budd's father drops dead on a golf course. This causes Budd to reevaluate his own life and, especially, the prospect that he and his wife won't have any children. With no genetic legacy, he looks to make a difference in another way. He decides to get out of his comfort zone and do volunteer work, for weeks at a time, both stateside and abroad. Starting with rebuilding homes in New Orleans and ending with working at an orphanage in Kenya (with stints in Costa Rica, China, Ecuador, and Palestine in between), he encounters universal sorrows, hopes, hardships, disappointments, and injustices while he confronts his own fear and anger. But don't let this summary deceive you: this is an extremely funny book. VERDICT One of the best-written travel memoirs this reviewer has read in a long time, Budd's book spins a compelling yarn, linking six varied experiences into a cohesive narrative. Recommended for anyone who has been, or is interested in becoming, a "voluntourist."—Lee Arnold, Historical Soc. of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
A travel memoir, volunteer-style. After the death of his father, Budd confronted the age-old question about life's purpose. With no sufficient answers, he volunteered to help with hurricane relief in New Orleans. What started as a work-sponsored week of helping out morphed into a full-fledged journey to find himself by traveling the world as a volunteer. But volunteer tourism brought a whole new set of questions--e.g., how helpful can he really be in two weeks and whether these trips make him a better person or a worse one. "My renewed quest to be a better person began with my being a selfish jerk," he writes. Though he's often an unsympathetic narrator, his honesty helps readers accept the flaw and keeps him relatable. Each of six trips--New Orleans, Costa Rica, China, Ecuador, Palestine and Kenya--makes up a section of the book, with vivid details about his experience in each place delivered through vignette-like memories of certain days and moments. Travelers will recognize the mish-mash of memories that accompany trips like these, but the narrative occasionally feels like an unedited journal. Readers may wonder when they'll find their way back to the narrative thread, but they will still enjoy the journey. Ultimately, Budd comes to his conclusions about life quietly, with little of the fanfare common in memoirs. For much of the story this works well, but questions will linger over his relationship with his wife and his plans for future volunteer trips. Not for readers easily frustrated with wandering thoughts, but a solid introduction to the world of volunteer tourism and a pleasant diversion for those who don't mind a winding road.
