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Afghanistan, Kosovo, Bosnia, Azerbaijan, and a few places in between are scrutinized through these provocative personal stories. As a foreign-based editor/journalist, a media advisor, a Fulbright professor, and American born in Detroit, the author offers a picture of real-time history in war-torn places.
Danger lurking at the edges of ordinary life colors these memories of war and its aftermath. They also reveal how similar we humans are. Even when hearing the cautious words, "If you walk around you'll get shot," there is still a sense of pride of country, a longing for better times, and a need for the world to understand the impact on civilian's survival.
The author senses much the same when he revisits Detroit. Large areas of the city look like those war zones he has reported from. Crime abounds. A majority of businesses—and people—have fled. Others, who attempt to revive the city, do so without much help. But, in common with those ravaged foreign countries/cities, there are those who continue to look forward instead of back and strive for a return to something called "normal."
Kenny speaks to the heart, giving the unvarnished truth, and a glimmer of hope. Through him we see a surprising intersection of lives wherever lived and find the idea of home means something special, though not so different, to each of us. The author's rich stories encourage readers to rejoice that he hasn't become jaded by all he's experienced. He hasn't lost his ability to love his family, to cherish the life he now lives, and to embrace the future. Timothy Kenny is passing on his curiosity and his sense of adventure to daughter, Caitlin, who will one day no longer see the world only from her father's shoulders. That extended vision is what he wishes for his readers.