Three decades of traveling have given Don Feeney an intuitive sense that his journeys have helped shaped who he is. Gathering No Moss: Memoir of a Reluctant World Traveler is not just a memoir but a travelogue and a philosophical investigation of experience. He is a reluctant traveler who is told where to go, but his travel experiences may well appeal to you. Given the bizarre levels of his various exploits, Feeney is a fascinating study on the nature of independent travel and overseas career. He has lived and worked in more than fifty countries and has taken on different jobs ranging in levels that might make you think the author is a Jack of all trades as well. Master of none? That is for you to find out. He has a straightforward mantra of what he believes is the true secret to life: The more you know, the more you don’t know sh*t! Because whenever he learns five new things, he has ten more unanswered questions. I enjoyed reading Gathering No Moss. I am not as well-traveled as Feeney, but he is right in pointing out that his story is no different from anyone else's. Everything that Feeney attempts here is devoid of pretension and he writes in a way that he calls quasi-chronological. The timelines that he chooses to work on are fascinating enough to capture your interest so that you will stay entertained until the last page. He can be self-deprecating but humorous enough to represent what life actually means for an ordinary man. If you have been shot thrice and survive the ordeal, and it all happened outside of your military career, such irony gives your memoir a surreal element that may well give Walter Mitty a run for his money. This book is a joyride. Feeney may have gathered no moss, but as a stone that rolls and turns, he has deeply explored the wonders of life.

Gathering No Moss: Memoir of a Reluctant World Traveler by Don Feeney is the memoir of a somewhat introverted guy from the north side of Pittsburgh, a man who has been many things in his life: he has been an instructor, an airman, a trainer, a consular officer, and a diplomat. He describes himself as a reluctant traveler, yet curiously, he has spent three decades on the road. In this memoir, readers will learn that he has been married four times and divorced three times. He has used drugs, fallen in and out of love, gone AWOL in the US Air Force, been shot at three times, and has survived a brain aneurysm. He points out that “In all of these situations, every time I learned five new things, I had ten more unanswered questions.” This is a rollicking ride that follows Don Feeney in his reluctant adventures around the world, serving in different countries and continents. It is also a story of his struggle to make sense out of that experience. Gathering No Moss is told in a captivating, humorous voice. It is the story of someone who didn’t choose where to go and he tells it with such humor and mirth that rub off immediately on the reader. The prose is gorgeous, and the writing highly descriptive. Readers will encounter interesting people in the story, like the women the author has loved, including Jill, Cheryl, and Sherie. From hiking in Cape Cod to a wedding in Las Vegas to dining aboard a Hawaiian yacht in Turkey, the author takes readers to interesting places. From Australia to Italy, from Dubai to Egypt, he has culled some of the most memorable experiences. But what is very interesting about this memoir is the perception the author has of himself and his work and how this shines through the writing. Feeney is not just a gifted writer, he is a great entertainer. Gathering No Moss: Memoir of a Reluctant World Traveler is a page-turning memoir that transports readers to some of the great places around the world. As I read, I kept asking the question: “Where has this man not been?” The quirkiness in the narrative voice enriches the reading experience.

Gathering No Moss: Memoir of a Reluctant World Traveler by Don Feeney is a captivating memoir that will appeal to fans of travel and stories with engaging characters. It follows the author’s travel adventures, a man who has traveled the world and has been to many continents, and not of his own choice, but bound by duty. The author describes the three-decade period of his life characterized by traveling while working as a diplomat for the United States. In this book, the author takes readers on a journey through the years from having low expectations through growth and development to reinventing himself and his service as a diplomat. Readers encounter a man who has been many things in his life, including an instructor, an officer, a consular officer, and a diplomat, among other things. This memoir is unique and an interesting story not only because of the many places the author has been to but in the way his life has evolved through the different experiences of his travels and the people he has met. Filled with humor and adventure, Gathering No Moss: Memoir of a Reluctant World Traveler tells the story of a man forced by duty to travel down some of the fascinating paths of the world and of life. He has had his fair share of troubles, including going AWOL in the US Air Force, being shot at three times, having survived a brain aneurysm, married four times, and many other surprising revelations. In a deceptively simple tone and in beautiful prose, the author captures the quest for meaning and love that continually gnawed at the edges of his heart as he traveled the world, taking readers across continents and to exotic places in Turkey, Spain, Germany, Egypt, Australia, Canada, Greece, and many others. The memoir is punctuated by gorgeous images and enlivening encounters. Don Feeney’s memoir highlights the beauty of travel and invites readers to take the inward journey through the untraveled landscapes in their hearts. Readers will also get great reviews of some of the destination places like Marina de Ragusa, Mount Edna, Siracusa, Pompei, Agrigento, Amalfi Coast, Aeolian Islands, Taormina, and a lot more. It is a wonderful read.