Near, Far, Wherever We Are

Here is a novel that is more like a very strong, vivid realistic documentary about human lives, human nature, human values, set in the context of the characters varied environments: the American scholar who wants to share his good fortune with others; the rocket scientist who was forced from one side of his native land to the other, then to Germany and finally to the United States; the Romanian lady who endured the communist deprivations under Nicolae Ceausescu yet found solace in a group of students who were able to transcend the mindless governmental control. The three lives intersect in the 1990s and take on new challenges. The primary message is, "Keep being curious about life and you'll stay in good health. Curiosity killed the cat, not the person and if it kills someone once in a while, the person dies happy in the midst of doing something exciting."