Roadrunner: An Indian Quest in America

by Dilip D'Souza

What do we learn when one great democracy looks at another? Alexis de Tocqueville's seminal Democracy in America answered the question 1800S. Today, India is the world's other great democracy, and maybe the answers are different. Through stories large and small, this book shows us America as refracted through the eyes of an Indian who is critical but not intolerant, understanding but not starry-eyed. From gawking at wall murals by German World War II POWs in Texas to getting to know the bikers for Christ at the annual bike carnival in Sturgis, from charting the history of immigrant Icelanders to driving a fire truck in a quiet mountain town, D'Souza travels American roads, discovering old cultures and new concerns in one of the most revered and reviled nations in the world today. More important, he explores the lessons in that process, for India and for readers everywhere, as he searches for meaning and nuance in ideas like patriotism and being liberal, in a country's sense of self.Passionate and perceptive, wry and empathetic, this book is ultimately about what it means to belong. Wherever you are.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction

344 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2009

Reviews

[Rick · Rating 2 out of 5]

Did you ever read a book (especially a travelogue) and think to yourself, "I could've written that?" Well....

[Nandini Goel]

Met the Author at American Center New Delhi at the book launch regards Nandini.