Wow. All I can say is Wow.

Allan Karl has produced a masterpiece book about his epic adventure. He stepped out of his comfort zone, grew some huge cojones and said, “Screw it. This is what  I want to do with my life right now.”

Not many have that kind of courage. His is a midlife crisis gone right.

Three Years. Five Continents. One Motorcycle.
FORKS: A Quest for Culture, Cuisine and Connection. 

Karl pulled up stakes, got rid of life’s trappings, traveled solo and came back richer for the experience. In his stunning book, a travelogue with heart, readers can travel with him, savoring the local foods, marveling at the local topography and connecting with the locals. And local is a relative term: it’s whatever country, city or place he happens to be.

I got particularly excited about receiving my autographed copy of this book because I recognized the ad man in Karl. That was his business in his former life. Every design detail of FORKS is not just buttoned down but tied to his larger concept. Every nit, from the alliteration to the writing to the photography to the packaging to the postcards to the pen he uses to autograph copies right down to the sticker that seals the bubble wrap, is not for the picking; it simply reeks of excellence. And this dude was not handed a huge publisher’s advance for this project. In fact, was turned down. So he made Kickstarter the real kickstand that supported this effort, and the results put Rizzoli to shame. Their loss.

Readers need to come hungry, a little bored and perhaps even jaded. FORKS will snap you out of your frightened, frozen reverie and plant the seed of wander- and the rest of the -lusts that are likely missing from your life right now.  I want to go with him on his next adventure. Wherever and however that is. How very alive he must feel!

Allan Karl navigating his Forks in the road