Adam Valen Levinson has some serious balls.
I really wanted to give this book 5 stars simply because I admire what he's done so much.
He's a young Jewish American man who throws himself in the lion's den: the world of Islam.
He fearlessly solo travels all over the Middle East.
That alone is impressive.
But to be an American? That's ballsy.
And to be Jewish too? That's freaking nuts.

So why just 4 stars?

The book failed to live up to the "humor hype."
The marketing blurbs mention "humor" a few times so I was expecting travel writing that was similar to Bill Bryson.
Not even close.
I barely cracked a smile anywhere in the book (while Bryson makes me laugh at loud).
Humor is deeply personal so don't take my word for it.
Just read the sample on Amazon and see how much you laugh.

Still, you don't need humor to get to 5 stars with me.

Something else is lacking.
It's hard to put my finger on it, but I wasn't that engaged.
Maybe he didn't tell me enough interesting facts (like Bryson).
Or his writing style just doesn't flow smoothly.

He's just not engaging enough.
You'd think that with such a ballsy story, you'd be on the edge of your seat the whole time.
Yet it's not a page-turner.

In conclusion, I still like it.
Adam is inspiring and I'm sure his future books will be even better.
If you're looking for a modern travelogue that takes place in the Middle East, you MUST read this.

I had high hopes but I couldn't find my way through this almost frenetic story line/timeline. Definitely not what I was expecting or hoping for.