Escape from the Happy Cannibal: A Journey of the Soul

I purchased a copy of THE HAPPY CANNIBAL upon the recommendation of a friend of the author's. I bought it with the purpose to read it while I was off on a 3 week trip through Singapore, Cambodia and Vietnam. During the first couple days after receiving my copy prior to flying off to Singapore I read the first hundred pages and enjoyed it very much. I found his writing style very easy to read and his stories very interesting to fascinating. Now that I have returned from my trip I am returning to complete reading THE HAPPY CANNIBAL. I highly recommend that if you are interested in traveling the world that you read this very enjoyable book. Wandering Alan [...]

Ron Miller has a writing style that I highly enjoyed. He added humor in areas that fit, left the areas serious that needed to be serious and got me, a decently well travled person, thinking about the world again, and this time in a better light! His journey to understand himself through other people and cultures, which ultimately showed him he had to travel within himself was very interesting to read. His recounting of the visits to his heritage has me wanting to go to Ireland and meet my heritage! The courage and fortitude that Ron showed on his journies and put to words in the book are outstanding! I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone wanting to learn a bit of history about the world we live on, more about various cultures out there and how people respond because of their cultures, and about a journey of a life time of one person. You will find some interesting new twist in your life from reading this book!

Ron Miller's "Escape from the Happy Cannibal" is at times a very funny book, yet it also manages to touch readers deeply. Rarely do we encounter a young man so honest about his perspectives about life. In the end it is perhaps Miller's innocence that is so appealing. He admits he started out life in a protective environment, and the fact that he had the courage to push himself beyond the safety of his culture is both surprising and admirable. Fresh is not too strong a word for the perspective Miller offers us as he wends his way around most of the world. His tales of travel cannot be separated from the affect they have on him personally because as the subtitle "A Journey of The Soul" suggests, this is a very personal adventure, one that transforms the author with every new village or port he enters. Written in a readable, very charming style this book salts every peronal experience with details that manage to give us an tangible sense of the people and places highlighted in the book. The fact that this tale ends with a strongly Christian message puts it in a different catagory from most travel books. This aspect of the journey will appeal or not appeal according to each reader's belief system. At times, Ron Miller's way of looking at other cultures seems a bit condescending. He never quite gets over the feeling that America is somehow "better" or "more civilized" than other places. Though he is open to many aspects of foreign cultures, his deep knowledge of them is by necessity limited because he is passing through each rather quickly. The photographs in this important book are outstanding. An amazing technicolor travel album, the photos speak almost as eloquently as the nicely wrought text. I highly recommend this interesting and unusual book. Especially to young people who might be considering a junket to foriegn lands themselves. It is both a spiritual manual and a fascinating guidebook. "Escape from the Happy Cannibal" should be on every would be traveler's bookshelf.

Escape from the Happy Cannibal is a philisophical quest wrapped in a travel tale. Like many an adventurer before him, Mr. Miller traveled the world seeking the highs and lows, the funny and absurd, as well as the tragic and inspirational experiences the world has to offer in search of timeless truths. His journey of discovery is an honest and engaging account from Australia to Zimbabwe and everywhere in between. It both transports the reader in time and space as well as challenges the too often held conventional beliefs of the role of culture in shaping individuals and societies. For anyone whoever paused in life's journey at the fork of the Road Less Traveled, and wondered; this is an absolute must read. Highly Recommended.

Ron Miller took a leap of faith to write this book. As an avid reader, I'm glad he did! Most of us travel where the guide points us, 'taking it all in' only from the comfort and perspective of our safe, cookie-cutter itinerary. Mr. Miller takes us backpacking into parts of the world where safety and comfort are not the key objectives - instead, we get to spend time and actually experience the cultures of the places we visit. Thanks for the trek, Ron! I'm worn out... but I feel I've gained at least a tiny perspective into the lives of the people you introduced me to. Great book!