Small World: A Microcosmic Journey through America

Every town tells a tale - even the tiniest dots on the map. In SMALL WORLD, those dots constitute a trip around the world in 50 days. Bestselling author Brad Herzog travels from Paris (Kentucky) and Prague (Nebraska) to Cairo (Illinois) and Calcutta (West Virginia) in an attempt to find truth amid America's patchwork quilt of stereotypes and rumors. He marvels at a castle in Versailles, imbibes at a London pub, discovers a descendant of King David in Jerusalem and makes a pilgrimage to Mecca - all without leaving the U.S. Along the way, Herzog encounters a cast of characters as varied as the landscape - devout ranchers and devoted nudists, miners and migrants, artists and activists, hillbillies, hippies, hermits and Hare Krishnas. More than just a romp through small towns with grandiose names, SMALL WORLD is post-9/11 exploration of people struggling to survive in the nation's nooks and crannies. "We understand our world by expanding our reach," writes Herzog, "and it begins with the small world close to home."