Over the years many authors have used titles to link their respective books and Jules Verne's legendary Around the World in 80 days. The name itself is firmly stamped in the public's mind, conjuring up travel adventures and Immersion into foreign cultures. Taunton's marvelously humorous and richly addicting book plays on the title, but with a twist. The author professes that it took much longer to make the fabled round trip.

Taunton sets his tale at a time when the spirit of his country is in turmoil. He travels to over twenty-six different nations at a time when the American brand is not widely respected. The pages throughout display a worldly man with great humorous sensitivities who grapples with his country's global identity. The author adds to the complex narrative of America's place in the world with a clear-eyed positivity. As a true believer in America's greatness and possibilities, he tests his beliefs in foreign lands.

Traveling across Europe, Asia, the Russian steppes, and Australia, the author takes in the virtues of each national identity he comes into contact with while creating his own formula to rank the various cultures. Not satisfied to take the safe tourist route within these locales, he dives headlong into each respective nation's soul. He gazes at their religions, the obstacles that stand in the way of their potential, and, of course, their dark underbellies. The author's book is an intriguing journey across a blue sphere that is racked with conflict. As a patriot abroad, Taunton never loses the traveler's thirst for new experiences and a longing for home.

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