As I was reading McGee’s account (particularly of his early travels in Europe, New England and Canada) I was reminded of my own treks through those regions as a young man. In contrast his grasp of detail and recapturing the psychological contexts of the journey is incredible. At first I wished I had taken better notes. Then I realized I hadn’t needed too. This author has provided all the particulars a reader would ever need. It’s not just the externals but inner responses in his scenes that give us access to those intangible thoughts and feelings that are so much a part of any human experience. These are like the close-up shots in a film. Without them the audience feels disconnected from the subject, at too far a distance.

Why write such a book about your life? James McGee addresses this question right away: “Maybe I Read More