When the Angel Sent Butterflies by Jody Sharpe Reviewed by Mark D. Walker I read and reviewed Town of Angels, which is part of the “Mystic Bay Series” several years ago, and appreciated that this inspirational book proved the power of the human spirit to move on despite incredible tragedy and personal loss. The author’s daughter, Kate, was killed in a tragic accident, and then her husband died, and during a difficult period where many would have succumbed to despair, she had a dream in which a voice told her to read “Charlotte’s Web,” by E.V. White, […]
Continue readingViva Mexico! by Charles Flandrau, Reviewed by Mark D. Walker
This was the third book I requested from the editor of ELAND Press for writing an article in their latest newsletter, and I wasn’t disappointed. I can now understand why some consider it one of the best travel books. The author was a wealthy American with a unique sense of humor and few prejudices except Western uniformity. The book is a journey among the Mexican people and starts in 1904 with a visit to his brother’s coffee plantation in Jalapa, Mexico, with his mother. His three visits were the basis for this profile of rural Mexicans and expatriate gringos, which […]
Continue readingWhere Was I? A Travel Writer’s Memoir, by Tom Miller, Reviewed by Mark D. Walker
I’ve gotten to know the author over the years based on a shared appreciation of iconic writer Moritz Thomsen, who Tom met in Ecuador and our love of travel and travel writing. The Panama Hat Trail is one of my all-time favorite tales, and I was impressed when I learned it took the author two trips and eight months to complete it! My wife, who is Guatemalan, loved How I Learned English, a series of stories of Latinos learning English. Since the author is considered by many as one of the best nonfiction/travel writers, I headed for the chapter on […]
Continue readingRoad Fever: A High-Speed Travelogue, by Tim Cahill, Reviewed by Mark D. Walker
This book seemed a “must-read” after writing “Tschiffley’s Epic Equestrian Ride” and my 15,000-mile trek through Latin America, “Traveling Solo,” which is part of my new book, My Saddest Pleasures. Cahill takes us on a “hellarious” trek with professional long-distance driver Garry Sowerby from the southernmost tip of Tierra del Fuego to the northernmost point of the Dalton Highway in Alaska in a record-breaking 23 ½ days (which allowed them to convince Guinness Believe It Or Not” to underwrite the trip, as well as confirm their record) …..and they convinced corporate sponsor GMC to give the Sierra truck and support […]
Continue readingCHILD Poems of Consciousness by June Powers, Reviewed by Mark D. Walker
I met the author several years ago at an event of the Arizona Authors Association and ran into her again at the Phoenix Writers Club, which is when I learned about this book. After years of work with international childcare organizations, CHILD’s focus caught my attention, and the author sent me a copy. Her opening verse reflected the objective of this book of poems: Someone needs to write about it. Someone needs to say-Speak- Before walking away. Someone needs to preach about it. Until it’s gone. Her poems successfully open the reader’s eyes to the connection and awareness of customs […]
Continue readingMillion Mile Walker Dispatch: Bronze Award & a New Book on the Horizon! March 2022
Dear Friends and Colleagues from Around the World, This month, the two big stories are music to any writer’s ears – receiving the Bronze for Best Travel Writing from Solas. And one of the largest publishers in India is working on my second book, My Saddest Pleasures: 50 Years on the Road. I’ll tell another personal story in Culture Watch, relating to the power of Conspiracy Theories to distort how we perceive immigrants and the growing problem of homelessness. As a result of all the craziness, a sense of humor is a must, so I’ve included Just Keep Laughing, My […]
Continue readingTravels with Myself and Another: Five Journeys from Hell by Martha Gellhorn, Reviewed by Mark D. Walker
Martha Gellhorn wanted to be remembered as a novelist. Yet, most people remember her as one of the great war correspondents and for something that infuriated her, her brief marriage to Ernest Hemingway during the Second World War. Although Hemmingway was the unnamed “other” in her second chapter, “Mr. Ma’s Tigers,” when Martha was in China reporting on the Sino-Japanese war. She refused to be a footnote in someone else’s life, nor should she be. Since her death, several biographies and a significant PBS segment about her have been produced. I became aware of her writing while researching the iconic […]
Continue readingTime Among the Maya: Travels in Belize, Guatemala and Mexico, by Ronald Wright, Reviewed by Mark D. Walker
Time Among the Maya: Travels in Belize, Guatemala and Mexico by Ronald Wright Reviewed by Mark D. Walker I came across this travel classic after writing an essay published in ELAND Press and as a token of appreciation, the editor offered any three of their books. Naturally, my first choice was the book with the cover of the iconic Santo Tomas church of Chichicastenango which is filled with a mix of Indigenous flowers and women in traditional garb (traje), and the smell of incense emanating from the catholic church which often has chickens being sacrificed on the top. […]
Continue readingMillion Mile Walker Dispatch: My Saddest Pleasure, A Personal Reflection, February 2022 Issue
Dear Friends and Colleagues from Around the World, The highlight of this month was a personal note from the editor of ELAND Press in London, “Dear Mark, You have done Moritz proud!” This is in response to the essay they published in their newsletter, which they followed up with three ELAND books as a token of their appreciation. In Culture Watch, I’ll share a personal story about the growing efforts to ban books by school boards here in Arizona. Amongst all the craziness, a sense of humor is a must, so I’ve included Just Keep Laughing, My Writing, Interviews […]
Continue readingAllegro for Life by Earl Vincent de Berge, Reviewed by Mark D. Walker
I met the author and his wife, Suzanne, several years ago over lunch in Phoenix discussing fundraising strategies for an NGO they set up in Guatemala, “Seeds for a Future,” which provides training to impoverished rural women in and around Chocolá on the South coast, to improve family access to food and nutrition. I soon learned that we not only shared a love and appreciation of Guatemala and the Desert Southwest, but that Earl was also a writer and, in his case, a poet as well. I was surprised to learn that he started writing as far back as 1959 […]
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