Clark’s Eye on Books
By Clark Isaacs
©CIsaacs 2012



Letters to Zerky
A Father’s Legacy to a Lost Son and a Road Trip Around the World
By Bill Raney and JoAnne Walker Raney
ISBN: 978-0-9821384-1-0, Paperback, Pages 446, 5 color maps, 29 b&w maps, 6 color and 87 b&w photographs, $14.95, Publication Date: November 2011, Memoir, Published by Nickelodeon Press

The year was 1967, San Francisco, during the Vietnam war when the Raneys, Bill, JoAnne, baby Zerky, and their miniature Dachshund, Tarzan, embarked on a one year trip across Eurasia.

Bill Raney has written an extraordinary travelogue in memory of his son Zerky and his wife JoAnne, who both died a few years after returning to the United States. Thirty-six years later, Bill would compile “Letters to Zerky,” A Father's Legacy to a Lost Son and a Road Trip Around the World, including the diaries written by JoAnne. Fascinating photos and maps are interspersed throughout the book, each telling their own story.

The Raney family journey began in Munich, Germany where they bought a new Volkswagen Van that would be their home for the next year. They would travel over 23,000 miles, about 1,000 miles short of around the world. A heart-warming adventure most people would not experience in a lifetime. Traveling in those years was relatively safe and the dollar was strong.

In their travels, they faced cold weather, hot weather, rain, snow, and even got sick. At times, having a small child and a dog in tow was not easy. Medical care and veterinarians were limited. One huge problem was flat tires due to rugged road conditions, which frequently hounded them. Mechanics were scarce and tire tubes were hard to find.

Bill considered Prague, Czechoslovakia to be dark and medieval-looking, but possibly more beautiful than Paris. However, visiting the catacombs of the Spielberg Castle, famous for dungeons, tunnels and torture chambers was a stark reminder of the Nazi regime. The castle is now a museum.

Athens, Greece proved to be boring except for the beaches and their visit to Olympia, where the Greeks held the original Olympic Games. The amphitheater was in good condition. After 25 centuries, the seats in the coliseum had held up well as they were made of marble. Zerky had fun climbing blocks of stone.

In Iran, a first search was made of their van. Authorities looking for drugs thought dog food was “hashish”. In addition, their dog, Tarzan, perplexed them! They wondered what purpose he served. Bill said he belongs to our baby, he protects the family from harm, and his bark scares people away! After checking the vehicle thoroughly, they were able to leave.

Andorra, Spain was scenic with lush green meadows, mountain streams and Roman-style architecture. The nearly 12,000 natives spoke Catalan, Spanish and French. There are no taxes; phone service was virtually free which made it appealing to Bill and JoAnne that this might be a great place to retire. Unfortunately, as most discovered places, people began to flock there.

They flew to Nepal in the Himalayas, as roads were impassible for their VW. New Year’s Eve, 1967 was at Camp Hotel where they made plans to take a 150-mile trek through wind, rain, and snow at very high attitudes. Zerky and Tarzan kept warm as a guide with a large wicker basket carried them. After spending a month in Nepal, they left for warmer weather.

At the India-Pakistan border, they found this to be a dangerous crossing. Guns were everywhere! No photos allowed! It was becoming hot and crowded with people. The smell of curry was everywhere. JoAnne was pleased to see colorful Saris and faces of the woman exposed. Animals were roaming all over, as they are a vital part of Indian religion. In addition, were the sacred cows! Thousands of them live in New Delhi sharing space with 8 million people. Cows have the right of way in India and it is a crime if you strike one.

In Benares, the holiest city in India, the Raneys watched in amazement cremation ceremonies. Peoples’ ashes were thrown in the Ganges to the river goddess, daughter of Himalaya, the mountain god. Daily festive rituals celebrate cremations.

Finally, they went to Calcutta in February 1968, where the family spent three weeks touring while waiting for a boat to Panama. They spent a holiday honoring Lord Krishna celebrating fertility and spring. On to Bangkok, Hong Kong, and then they would catch a boat to San Francisco. They returned home in April 1968.

Bill Raney remarried two years after JoAnne died. Years had passed before he dedicated a small grassy area near the High School where Zerky had been killed by a truck. After writing his stories, Bill wrote “Zerky’s Waltz,” a CD that comes with this book. Bill still rides his VW dubbed “The Zerky Mobile”.

Letters to Zerky is a wealth of information about this amazing adventure taken a long time ago, and a story that deserves telling. This is a five star book!

= 30 =

Publishers Weekly Best Selling Books:

Week of April 27, 2012

Hardcover Fiction
1 Calico Joe, John Grisham;
2 Guilty Wives, James Patterson and David Ellis;
3 Come Home, Lisa Scottoline;
4 Lost Years, Mary Higgins Clark;
5 Shoemaker's Wife, Adriana Trigiani;

Hardcover Non-Fiction
1 Drift: The Unmooring of American Military Power, Rachel Maddow;
2 Mrs. Kennedy and Me: An Intimate Memoir, Clint Hill and Lisa McCubbin;
3 Big Miss: My Years Coaching Tiger Woods, Hank Haney;
4 Pioneer Woman Cooks: Food from My Frontier, Ree Drummond;
5 Natural Woman: A Memoir, Carole King;

Clark Isaacs is an accomplished book critic who published in local newspapers and national book review lists. He is a member of the faculty of Mohave Community College in Kingman, Arizona. Visit Clark Isaacs at http://clarkisaacs.ning.com.
©CIsaacs 2012

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A father writes about his true road trip in 1967 driving across Europe, in Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, India. His wife and his 2 year old son Zerky were his companions on the daring adventure trip, driving a camper van. Oh, and don't forget their mini-dachsund Tarzan. At one point a friendly Bedouin on a black horse took Zerky on a ride, and dad worried whether he would return Zerky! ( )