Kimberly Meyer teaches literature as well as the flagship ten-hour Great Books course at the Honors College at the University of Houston, and it is there that she first read about Brother Felix Fabri's pilgrimage to the Holy Land from 1483-1484. Fabri becomes Kimberly's guide in her modern-day pilgrimage -- her search for home. With a timely significance, their journey to Israel, Palestinian Territories, and Egypt, provide a unique perspective on this landscape, both literal and figurative -- the Middle East now and then.
"The Book of Wanderings is about both the intrinsically private and
the universally enduring need for pilgrimage: to the sites that
restore and reward, to the experience of wondering and wandering
and connecting, whether with family or the whole human race. Meyer
brings this insatiable urge to pursue enlightenment of the journey
home to the reader. Home to the ordinary suburban American in the
very chaotic 21st century. There's no one who won't recognize some
aspect of herself in these pages. They offer insights both mystical
and practical. It is a book to cherish."--Antonya Nelson, author of
Bound and Funny Once
"A meditation of stripping away distractions and embracing
simplicity [that] will take you on the road less traveled and show
you that the world has so much to offer."--Working Mother
"A powerful memoir of family connections, what it means to
undertake a shared pilgrimage, and the encounters and forces that
change lives.... Perfect for mothers and daughters to read
together."--Midwest Book Review
"Expansive [and] finely observed."--Kate Tuttle, Boston Globe
"Intriguing and ambitious.... Meyer has a keen eye for detail and a
graceful way with words. Her descriptions are brilliantly crafted -
so ripe one is transported with her.... The arduousness and
soul-baring nature of the long journey seems to have stripped her
down to her essence, and she is able to confidently experience and
tell the story in her own words, excellently,
compellingly."--Sharon Peters, USA Today
"Meyer ably contrasts the mundane frustrations of travel-language
confusion, unfamiliar food, unreliable transportation-and the
transcendent moments when you make that ineffable connection with
those who came before you, 'swallowed up...in...the sweep of
historical time.'"--Michelle Newby, Lone Star Literary Life
"Meyer's memoir about her pilgrimage with her daughter Ellie will
make you feel virtually transported to some of the world's most
exotic and rich locations (Venice, Cyprus, Alexandria), but that's
not the most rewarding part. Her story of forging and solidifying
her bond with daughter Ellie is what will impact you the most
deeply, leaving you with an intense need to talk to your
mom."--Lynsey Eidell, Glamour
"Meyer's poetic voice and sincerity make this quest not a gimmick
but a richly felt expedition.... The book's life comes from Meyer's
pondering the years of waiting and wondering if she would ever do
what she had dreamed of so long ago and whether it would bring her
all that she hoped. An uncommonly rich and spiritual book, The Book
of Wanderings speaks not just to satisfying wanderlust but to
finding home in this world or beyond."--Eloise Kinney, Booklist
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