Sam Tranum

These life stories, presented without adornment or analysis, are fascinating. None of the storytellers were under sixty and a few claimed to be over 100 years old. They all told about their lives in clear, concise detail and I was surprised by some of the things they said. Many of them were very well-educated individuals who had traveled all over the USSR and even beyond. Many also believed that life in Kyrgyzstan had been much better under Communism -- now that's something I never show more expected.

If you want to know about life in Kyrgyzstan or Central Asia in general, this would be a great start. show less

Recommended reading before visiting Turkmenistan,

In 2004 Sam Tranum went to Turkmenistan as an American Peace Corps volunteer and this is his record of nearly two years spent in the country.
While I accept some of the criticisms given by other GoodReads reviewers, I found this book fascinating for the purpose for which I read it. Nearly 10 years after Mr Tranum's trip, I had the great fortune to visit Turkmenistan as a tourist and I read this book to give myself some background into the way show more of life of the Turkmen people, given that I did not want to put my guide in an awkward position by asking questions that he was not comfortable answering.

As we toured the great marble-faced area of the capital, Ashgabat, I could picture the situation in which these stunning, but apparently deserted buildings were erected. As we drove over rutted, atrocious roads in other parts of the country Sam's experiences also explained this total contrast.

We were able to visit some of the sites that the author had mentioned, particularly the flaming crater, and we spent a night in a family home, somewhat reminiscent of the places Sam stayed.

This book was a fascinating adjunct to our trip to a country that boasts very little literature in English. Sam came up against the fear, bureaucracy and lack of ingenuity that was the legacy of the Soviet system, and found even the smallest plan required endless permissions. Well worth reading if you are visiting Turkmenistan show less

A man is murdered in a West Virginia hotel after attending a nuclear conference. His bag was packed and he was read to leave. The police can’t locate his wife to notify as next of kin.

A local reporter sees this as the story that could get him hired on a big-city paper but he will need to do some digging. Travelling to Washington DC on his vacation time and dime to find out who he was, where is wife is and her connection to the murder.

The reporter interviews parents, workplace friends but show more can’t locate the wife. He writes the story based on these interviews, and all looks as though going according to plan instead he has been used by others to make a killing in the stock market.

This story also provided an interesting discussion of alternate forms of energy. show less

Varied, enjoyable anthology of short stories from authors around the world on the theme of love and travel. For my full review, please see: http://whisperinggums.com/2015/07/11/sam-tranum-and-lois-kapila-love-on-the-road...