Book excerpt: Finalist for the Eric Hoffer AwardIPPYAward Gold Medalist for TravelEssayNext Generation Indie Book Award Winner for General Non-FictionNext Generation Indie Book Award Finalist for Travel/Travel GuideBoth a memoir and a memorial, these collected letters and diary entries recount one family s adventurous journey in 1967 attempting to drive around the world in a VW bus. Not intended as a book at the time of the writing, the intimate and poignant story details the family s travels through Europe, the Middle East, and into Asia, challenging preconceptions about different cultures and illuminating how one-year-old Zerky had a magical effect on everyone they met along the way. The book features maps and pictures of the trek yet is more than just a travelogue; Zerky and his mother died shortly after the trip and this narrative serves as tribute to their lives."