"There once were two cats of Kilkenny,
Each thought there was one cat too many,
They fought and they fit,
They scratched and they bit,
Till instead of two cats there weren't any."
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Gypsy Escapades by William J. Jackson Rupa Publications
book review by Maggie Harding
Uncle Venkie uses this poem to explain how he and Kebab, an old school chum, have ended up on opposite sides of some very serious issues facing India and her neighboring countries. It seems that since recorded history, the sects and tribes in that part of the world have been trying to gain dominance over each other. The result has been poverty, war, and destruction, with no one ever getting the upper hand for long.
Into this hypnotic country of India, with its rich culture and extremes in every area from the spices in food to the endless droughts followed by unrelenting monsoons, comes Jill Rothchild, an American graduate student. She is writing her thesis on the Gypsies of South India, the Narikuravas. A thesis that she was sure would reveal much more than the stereotypical image that commonly defines "gypsies." In order to observe them first hand she enlists the help of "Uncle Venke," an old family friend.
Her thesis loses its place of priority when their hotel rooms are blown up and their belongings are ransacked. Trying to discover the reason that they have become targets leads them on an adventure that neither of them could ever have anticipated. With the help of a young Narikurava man and his teenage niece, Jill and Venkie make their way across the mountains between India and Pakistan in an attempt to avert the destruction that, Kebab the extremist leader has planned. Readers will find amazing descriptions of India, her people, and her culture in Gypsy Escapades. The author shows a love and affinity for the land and its people that clearly comes through his writing.