Amazing Adventures of a Nobody: A Life Changing Journey Across America Relying on the Kindness of Strangers [Paperback]

AMAZING ADVENTURES OF A NOBODY is that kind of book that is infectious: once the reader reads the first page the drive to follow this extraordinary tale has begun and attempting to put the book aside for spot reading is impossible. Leon Logothetis has not only found clues to the path of rediscovering humanity thought withered, he proved himself a powerful writer. Very briefly the book relates the adventures of a young British lad who confronts his meaningless, mundane, uninspiring life and decides to do something to change it. Watching the movie 'The Motorcycle Diaries' in which Che Guevarra travels across South America observing the innate goodness in mankind stimulates Leon Logothetis to discard his ordered march toward boring security, leave his worldly goods behind, and start out on a trek to America where he sets his rules to travel form Times Square to Hollywood with only $5 a day, completely depending on the kindness of strangers for food, transportation and lodging. 'Everything. It was all I had. The only thing I had done with my life so far that even resembled a raison d'etre. This wasn't a trip. This was my life.' 'My inability to follow my true dreams [primal fear] being a major way that fear infiltrated my life. I feared change. I feared rejection. I feared failure.'

The surprises come as Leon attempts the 'impossible', meets all manner of people, and is constantly surprised how sharing his story of his mission gains him friends and respect and sustenance. 'Each person I met along the way was contributing something of themselves to my odyssey. The roles they played composed my own narrative, and without their moving in my life, that narrative collapsed, and I would be left alone, just as before, with no story worth telling.' And throughout this book are little crystals of phrases that want to memorize. ' 'All along the way, we have connected less and less. Now, we don't talk at all. We don't see the point. Now, the journeys are just about speed - getting someplace as fast as possible. Efficiency is the enemy of connection.' The number of people who responded to Leon's story and odyssey provide tremendous character creations of the story and they are all true, as odd and disparate as they seem. 'There is a great potential in each and every one of us to love and be gracious. I never realized this until I embarked on this odyssey. I was always looking at life from the dark side, yet there is a light that so many of us fail to see.'

He gains appreciation for military personnel, for the elderly, for the unsuspected generosity form people who offered their homes and key, from truckers, cabbies, motorcyclists, poor people, neighborhood gatherings of folks bonded by Christian love - and in encountering these many types and unsuspected friends Leon makes it to Los Angeles. He gets a call from home demanding he return because lab tests there prove he is a borderline diabetic who could succumb to his disease without medical intervention, and when his father insists he 'straighten up and return. Leon muses 'I had reached the turning point. A point where it became crystal clear to me that there was no turning back. My future did not lie in the family business, or the stultified world of corporate finance. My future was in the arts. My future was in the rarefied world of writing. My future was in Los Angeles. My future was in reclaiming the lost soul that had floundered for so many years. My future was in giving back to people. My future was in giving whatever gifts I had acquired through this trip. MY future. Not someone else's perception of my future....I felt free.'

Here is a book that restores our faith in the pioneer mind. The book is full of hilarious diversions as well as deeply and profoundly touching connections. It restores that faith in humanity that has been so bruised by the invention of impersonal 'communication', by endless wars across the globe, the growing disparity between the wealthy and the middle class sliding down the hill toward the lower class status. Here is another opportunity to visit joy - to admit that a book is still capable of causing a lump in the throat. Yes, there is a backstage aspect of Leon Logothetis' journey, but it never gets in the way. Leon Logothetis has lighted the lamp for us. The rest is our own commitment to living. Grady Harp, November 11

A quick, intimate read that reminded me of recapping a life-changing journey I had with an old friend. I'm not sure if it was the stories he related, the simple and engaging way he communicates, or just his sunny optimism that makes even the silliest stories charming. It definitely leaves you looking forward to the next adventure! I actually bought one for my husband! He is reading it as I write this...

Through his book, Amazing Adventures of a Nobody, Leon has opened my eyes to the reality of everyday life. I mean, you see it in movies, the news, sometimes even on the streets, but to read about it and visualize it in your mind is like being there and living it. I couldn't leave it all behind, but I genuinely thank Leon for taking his journey on our behalf, and letting us share, and learn from, his discoveries. It was excellent!

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