I read the motorcycle diaries and loved it completely. It was the first book I read to completion. It opened my eyes to a world beyond my own—a world where people traveled for the sake of adventure. In the end Ernesto and his friend had a goal of reaching a leper colony, but on the way, they had immense fun. There was adventure, there was mischief and there was love. But there were also acute observations of life—of people, of culture, of beliefs and of themselves.

This struck a silent chord in me. I hav...