Olsen (English, Concordia College, Moorhead, Minn.) has written an account of his travels to places that include New Zealand, Alaska, and the American Midwest that seeks to emphasize the random contacts and unforeseen events occasioned by travel and travelers. Not indexed. Annotation (c) Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
This book undoubtedly has appeal; the commentary on what draws people to travel and explore resonates with me. However, I don't agree with an implicit argument the author makes--that all people have this desire to explore. He claims that it is the thing that unites humanity, across race, class, gender, etc. I think that while this might be true for some societies at large, it cannot be true for every individual. Such a sweeping claim not only universalizes his experience, it also ignores historical and cultural examples to the contrary.