Customer Reviews

Crossing Borders

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Crossing Borders is a captivating book that was so hard to put down. Michael Ferris takes you on an amazing journey of his life experiences oversees. An inspirational story from his struggles and cultural mishaps to achieving his dreams. I would highly recommend this book.

Michael Ferris grew up wanting only one thing; to learn to play classical guitar. To fulfill his wish, his family let him leave for Europe when he was seventeen to take lessons from world-class guitarists. Crossing Borders is Ferris's story of his journeys and the people and cultures he came to know as a young man.

Ferris lived in Austria for several years, usually in a series of student hostels and shared apartments. He learned to eat new foods and to accept the mores of other cultures. One of his closest friends was an Egyptian man who was also a student. Ferris's parents had taken a trip to Egypt, and he was as fascinated with that land as they were.

His friend invited him to Egypt to visit for several weeks. His story of waking up to see the pyramids in the distance, and his encounters with aggressive street hawkers was quite interesting. He learned to speak Arabic quite well, but was shocked when this garnered him extra security entering the country.

Other places Ferris spent time included Morocco, where he and his bride spent their honeymoon and southern Italy where they lived for a time. In each location, he learned to appreciate the culture and rules of the people living there, and to enjoy their food and music.

This book is recommended for those who love to travel and for those who are armchair travelers. Ferris's appreciation for the various cultures he encounters are interesting and informative and the reader will close the book with a better understanding of those living in other lands.

When I initially read the synopsis of Crossing Borders, I was instantly intrigued! As a student who studied aboard and travels a lot myself, I was drawn to the idea of an innocent boy going by himself to a foreign country and finding not only himself, but a whole new set of experiences that would shape him into a new man.

The writing style is simple, yet captivating, and I was able to read the entire narrative within a few hours. It was, simply put, hard to put down. I loved how Michael's own innocence echoed in his writing; I couldn't help but feel bad for the poor American boy getting himself into one crazy situation after another.

As someone who typically steers clear of memoirs, I would highly recommend this book. It would be a good fit for anyone who has a knack for traveling, both physically, and mentally, as in "traveling" outside of one's comfort zone.

As Michael beautifully discovers, it's through the exploration of other cultures, languages, and new experiences that one can finally and truly understand themselves and their place within the world.

Michael Ferris' book is a nice and easy read, particularly if you are interested in the situation described (an American studying in Austria, only to stay there for good, finding friends and a partner and learning about different types of intercultural contact - American, Austrian, Arabic mostly). As an Austrian regularly meeting people from abroad I enjoyed reading about the outsider's perspective on Austrian culture. The book combines narration and reflection and the author manages to create stereotypes - something impossible to avoid when talking about foreign cultures - and to destroy them at the same time, undermining the role of the supposedly unbiased outside observer. The subtle humour the author adds to his narration - an American mother bringing baking mix for making cakes for her son's wedding in Austria, which claims to be the centre of pastries, is probably the funniest scene - makes the book even more charming.