A United Nations Family Odyssey

Seventeen of the twenty-two years the author served with the United Nations Development Programme were spent with his wife, Delores, on assignments in Thailand, Samoa, China and Vietnam. The main focus of the book is a collection of vignettes describing experiences of living in these four countries. Some stories are humorous and are to be read just for fun (e.g., living conditions on a small isolated island). Other stories are serious and somber (e.g., retracing major battle sites of the Vietnam War). Some are pure adventure (e.g., the midnight visit to the leatherback turtle beach). Fascinating travel adventures in Malaysia and Burma (Myanmar) are also included. The first two chapters describe the author's introduction to values, politics and social justice issues. In addition, the author describes his experiences as a congressional staffer and college professor.