The Gypsy in Me: From Germany to Romania in Search of Youth, Truth, and Dad

His mother was German and the father he didn't know was a Romanian Jew. And at the age of 50, shortly after his mother's death and long after his absent father's, Ted Simon embarks on a 1,500-mile journey (mostly by foot), covering the lands between his mother's Germany and his father's Romania, discovering as much about his paternal ambivalence as he does about the cultures and realities of Eastern Europe. The book is a fine example of the travelogue, with humor, evocative description, and a poignant inner journey as interesting and well-explored as his Romanian-bound route.