Book tours can be a drag.
An author flies from city to city at such a rapid pace that the world becomes one big blur. But veteran travel writer and novelist Linda Watanabe McFerrin has other ideas. She is going to ride the rails. This trip will highlight traditional modes of trade, transportation, and communication and their significance in a world that is increasingly in it for the short haul. McFerrin s new book, The Hand of Buddha, is a collection of short stories about women of various ethnic backgrounds, from various regions of the U.S., who find themselves in situations that spin wildly out of control or silently disintegrate.