cover image Worldwalk

Worldwalk

Steven M. Newman. William Morrow & Company, $19.95 (527pp) ISBN 978-0-688-07762-4

At age 28, Newman, a journalist and onetime oilfield worker, set out from his home in Bethel, Ohio, to walk the world--unsponsored, paying his own way. Four years later, he had visited 20 countries and fulfilled a dream. Nearly everywhere, he found substitute Moms (much of his story veers toward the saccharine), and new friends put him in touch with their friends. He ran into a blizzard in the Pyrenees, wild boars in Algeria and narrowly escaped a flash flood in Australia. There were three life-threatening episodes, and he was arrested in Algeria, Yugoslavia and Turkey. Newman proved himself willing to learn from other cultures, was adaptable and appreciative of hospitality. Sentimentality aside, this is a brave tale of adventure. Photos not seen by PW. Literary Guild dual main selection. (June)