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Chasing Lightning: The Pursuit of Successful Living in America

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Reading this book recaptured the secret thrill I had as a child when ripping through a box of illicit fireworks, scraping match after match against my tight jeans, and firing streaming jets, sparkle showers, and Roman candle torpedoes into the air! America is the box of fireworks and Chris Moeller holds the matches firmly in his hands. A knowing smile illuminates his otherwise inscrutable face as he reaches into the box and approaches the cleared-out "safety circle"... and soon, rainbow-colored pyrotechnics dazzle your upturned eyes!!! Lightning indeed!!!

Let's start with the basics. Here we have a bohemian "Gen X" type and his button-down partner, successful in their fields but unsure which path to take. It's time to hit the open road and literally explore these paths, crashing on friends' couches and interviewing people from all walks of life about their motivations, their passions, their dreams. Studs Terkel meets Jack Kerouac as our narrator chats with wizened old gents and fresh-faced young college graduates. Amazing how much difference it makes... when you take the time to stop, think, and question where you're going.

It's all about values. These are explored in depth. But it's also about nuances, about an eye for the unconventional, a question that unlocks previously unrevealed riches. The author bumps into a disturbing and profound epiphany not too far into the book. I won't give away the secret, but I will say that you might want to watch the last episode of the science fiction classic "The Prisoner" before you get to the Wyoming part. You don't have to, but you'll "get it" that much sooner.

The bit about the Mall of America is simply priceless. If this is a fallout shelter, then Scotty, DON'T beam me up, I'll stay right here! The world may collapse but the best of America will always remain intact, and I'm talking about its indomitable spirit. Chris understands that spirit in a way few do, and he wraps it up for you in a neat but meaningful little package you'll receive once you get to Minnesota.

Culinary delights? You'll taste the regional cuisines right alongside our tour leaders. Good old-fashioned FUN? Look no further than these pages. Blue highways and pink sunsets await you. You will dream in technicolor. And you just might find... yourself.

You can find out more at the quest-4.com website. Make sure to include a visit to the author's personal home page, "The Dragon." But don't go there just yet. You want to experience the cracklin' sizzlin' extravaganza that IS this book, with lightning provided by God and fireworks provided by Chris. Go ahead. Move your cursor up to the order button and click to say "I'd like a front row ticket... to America."

Chasing Lightning is one of the most intriguing and satisfying books I have read this year. The motivation for the book was a six-month, 25,000 mile, coast-to-coast road trip that the author embarked upon in June 1998 with Brian Ardinger, his childhood friend. Both Moeller and Ardinger were rising stars in their corporate worlds, but both left family, employment, and friends behind to go on a quest to discover what success means to Americans. Perhaps more importantly, they wanted to find their own definition of success as they contemplated their own futures.

On one level, the book is a success because of the skillful way Moeller reveals the inner thoughts of the people he interviewed: a variety of entrepreneurs, artists, doctors, and musicians in their 20's and 30's, each wrestling with what it means to be successful. Although these interviews were originally the focus of Moeller's journey, it is the personal transformation of the author and his travel mate that became its theme. The path the two followed across forty-eight states in their trusty Jeep is amusing, invigorating, and at times even astounding. The book uses the apt metaphor of road trip to provide a refreshingly inspirational and original look at the choices we all face as we move forward in life.