There are two storylines in this memoir. The main story is the travel experiences of two brothers, Dean and Ethan, as they journeyed from Ethiopia to Kenya. The other storyline has to do with the life of the two brothers’ father, who was nicknamed as the Watermelon King as he seemed to be a very special man, hard-working and lovable. The directness and the flow of the language and the construction of each chapter is outstanding, but such different worlds of the two storylines took some getting used to.

Fact is I enjoyed both storylines, especially the father’s as Dean read those during their trek when he could because they tell a human story of a warm and charming character. I thought what if the father’s story, with more contributions from the brothers’ memories, were to become a book in its own right…

Not to underrate from what the brothers went through while backpacking in Africa, as that too is very interesting, realistic, and more immediate. Still, I wonder if and how much the two storylines belong together even though there is that connection of the family in it. In my case, because the two stories were told alternately in chapters, each time the storyline changed, I felt startled. This took away from the feeling of getting lost in a book, which I like so much.

Even so, these memoirs are precious, and each time the brothers were waiting for transportation or having difficulties with the hotels and showering facilities, I was impatient for them and felt involved as if I were there, too. In addition, the two brothers’ similar yet different personalities and the shocking culture clashes made these adventures one of a kind for me.

enjoying others' travel experiences, especially for those place we are unable or afraid to go, in this book's case, Africa.

Just about everything in both storylines.

how the two different storylines came together even though both were interesting and exciting.

is Daniel Royse, the founder and editor in chief of the online travel publication, This Boundless World. He has written numerous articles on travel, business, and politics.

It is a very good travelogue and the father's story is an excellent character depiction, despite the fact that the two storylines are far apart.

This book had me decide not to ever set foot on Africa especially where the two brothers went, not that at my age I could go there unless kidnapped or something.

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Created May 12, 2019 at 8:16pm • Submit your own review...