Soul Flight: An Outcast Adventure

What an eye-opener of a book! I wasn't sure what to expect when the back cover said, “Alan Horne's soul has walked out on him” and wonders if he can persuade it to return. So starts the quest of the protagonist of [b:Soul Flight: An Outcast Adventure 48761627 Soul Flight An Outcast Adventure William Albert Baldwin https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1573614995l/48761627.SY75.jpg 74136459] by [a:William Albert Baldwin 19728316 William Albert Baldwin https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]. The journey Alan takes includes a myriad of characters, all unique in his/her/their own way and a lesson in acceptance that goes beyond what most readers ever encounter.Alan Horne leaves the US and flies to Germany, probably the last place he felt truly connected to his soul. As someone who was raised mostly in the Christian West, I had learned to live by the main mantra is “you live in a body, you are a spirit, and you have a soul.” I wasn't familiar with the concept of misplacing your soul. Soul-searching was something you did within, but not Alan.Alan's journey taught me that finding your lost soul starts with connecting to people who come your way. You can try to avoid them, but you won't find your soul that way. This philosophy leads Alan into a thicket of new friends and a high stakes game of being yourself at all costs. As a woman and mother of a queer offspring, I know a little about the safety of venturing out alone when you aren't normal. And really, as we learn from [a:William Albert Baldwin 19728316 William Albert Baldwin https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png], no one is normal. But most of us have the needle pointing a little closer in that direction that the polyamorous, bisexual, pagan priest, cross-dressing, human rights advocate, and unitarian that is Alan Horne. Face it, there is someone who is going to disagree with at least one of those beliefs/lifestyles/vocations/philosophies.The intricacies of the plot almost seem random at times, but the author never quite gets us lost. He's a master at laying out all the threads of the plot, then pulling them together to make a cohesive fabric with a dazzling pattern.If you lived through the time before 9/11, you'll recall the historical events mentioned in this tale. If you didn't experience them then, it's important that you learn them now. They are signposts of what we can learn from history if we stay aware.Oh yeah, if you are a fan of Wagner, you have double the reasons to read this book. Even if you aren't (and many characters weren't,) you're still in for a treat. It's like no other books I've ever read, but it might be a cross between [b:Trinity 42696 Trinity Leon Uris https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388450323l/42696.SY75.jpg 363317] by [a:Leon Uris 19708 Leon Uris https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1342561418p2/19708.jpg] with its culture clashes and [a:John Steinbeck 585 John Steinbeck https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1182118389p2/585.jpg]'s [b:Travels with Charlie in Search of America 33617956 Travels with Charlie in Search of America John Steinbeck https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png 1024827] where the author ventures into his past to understand his present. Neither of those books have a leg up on the issues explored in [b:Soul Flight: An Outcast Adventure 48761627 Soul Flight An Outcast Adventure William Albert Baldwin https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1573614995l/48761627.SY75.jpg 74136459].