★★★★☆Travel journal of a 30 year old writer, while living in Berlin constantly whining he decides to go on pilgrimages. It’s a fun read about pilgrimages, he has no sense of spirituality. It’s also about him trying to connect with his father, a rabbi who now lives with his boyfriend.
🔽 log 🔽
A Sense of Direction: Pilgrimage for the Restless and the Hopeful
Gideon Lewis-Kraus, 2012
352 pages
Read in 2025.11
🔽 Book review and notes 🔽
When you start reading this book, it's about this guy, 30 year old writer, whining while living in a liberal cheap and bare concrete yet artistic Berlin and decides to go on pilgrimages, to Christian Camino de Santiago in Spain, Buddhist Shikoku 88 temples in Japan and Jewish holiday in Uman in Ukraine.
But as you read through you realise it's a book about a guy who is trying to connect with, or forgive, his father that he loves.
So yes in a way it's typical, you travel around the world to find out that what you need was always at home, but we also know that it was necessary to do all the painful journeys, hardship and solitude.
If forgiving is somehow obnoxious, then not holding grudges, to find peace.
Apart from that, it's a good read about pilgrimages, he has no sense of spirituality let alone religion, but that's what most of us are today, and yet there's still a meaning to go on pilgrimages.
He did Camino with a friend and manages to stay friends, and Shikoku alone, and Ukraine with his brother and father.
His Jewish humour shines whenever he whines, about whatever.
Reading his description of destroyed feet and cold rainy miserable nights might not encourage us but it's a fun read.
🔽 Where to buy / Summary and more info 🔽
●●● Amazon.com (US) ●●●
A Sense of Direction: Pilgrimage for the Restless and the Hopeful
●●● Amazon.co.uk (UK) ●●●
A Sense of Direction: Pilgrimage for the Restless and the Hopeful
●●● Amazon.it (Italy) ●●●
A Sense of Direction: Pilgrimage for the Restless and the Hopeful [Lingua Inglese]
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