This book for Turcophiles who can read and understand Turkish translates as "From Akhisar -the modern Western Turkey's inner Aegean, 100,00 populated city of sizable post-WW1 Balkan immigrants, nowadays famous with its Turkish premier-league soccer team, retracing its roots to the ancient Thyatira as one of the ancient seven biblical churches - to America" in modern Turkish script in circulation since the nation builder Atatürk's 1928 alphabet reform. This book is the author's revised and extended memoirs inspired by his earlier book "Amerika Rüyası (Dreaming America)" published in Turkey in 2004. When I submitted my college textbook, "Trustworthy Computing" in 2005, and newly, the "Cyber-Risk Informatics" in 2014, Wiley editor asked me both times what was so special about my book proposals. I will now ask myself the same question about how this book is different. I may say that the book will be about a foreign scholar's storytelling while strolling the globe about what hardships and challenges he went through, and during which stages of his life; how he contributed to the life immediately around him or far away from and in the United States of America? All contained in the book will be speaking the plain truth, by recounting memoirs, nothing more or nothing less and no fiction and all facts. However, the interpretation of these facts will be left to the readers' judgments. While writing her legendary book, 'To Kill a Mocking Bird', which was not at all easy and obvious, late Harper Lee went through a lot of difficult and unnerving periods to conclude her book in the way that she wanted to craft it to perfection, therefore leading to a timeless document for ages to come. I had moments like this especially toward the end of this book-writing by questioning myself. "Why are you writing this?" But then, maybe someone else may see even a distant need to associate with yours to reminisce their slice of life; why not? I liken this book to a planetarium. You observe plenty distinct, glittering and blinking stars (memoirs) but yet coherent through cosmos (an interconnecting theme), not chaos or deluge. My North-star, however, is the plain truth, and my Sun is the power of knowledge. I used to read in 1990s, how-to-write books, one of which was titled "Anybody Can Write" by R. Jean Bryant (who wrote: "There is no magic! Dreamers dream, writers write...") all pleasantly advised everyone to pour your excitement and enthusiasm relentlessly without looking back and full of adrenaline, alive onto the dead papyrus, nowadays replaced by a flat non-living computer flat screen. I can only hope that it brings nothing but fun and knowledge and experience that you come to find out through other folks' lives. This book in a way is something similar to that tradition of carrying on friendly talks with my readers about the world and North America from a dual citizen's perspective with a genuine heart and a candid smile, and a positive attitude, in the least. I believe that every book created after an incubation period in human mind is as vivid and influential as the human beings who create them. That is why a book becomes a person's best friend. It lives even a longer life than humans if books influence, foretell, guide and inspire positively. We have runic or cuneiform-inscribed tablet books from 5000 B.C. and 1000 year-old printed books, priceless and still influential. This book will borrow your leisure time to inspire you to spontaneously enjoy it. As God whispered to his subjects before God released them; I say to you, "We agree to disagree." Let's set sail for life's soul-ports. Turkish and international connoisseurs are welcome home. For English, go to "Raindrops on My Life's Umbrella: A University Professor's World Memoirs."
About the Author: Dr. M. Sahinoglu, a Professor (1990) Emeritus (2000), is the founder of the Informatics Institute (2009) and its SACS-accredited (2010) and NSA-certified (2013) flagship Cybersystems and Information Security (CSIS) graduate program (the first such full degree in-class program in Southeastern USA) at AUM, Auburn University's metropolitan campus in Montgomery, Alabama. Formerly the founder Dean of Arts and Sciences, and Head, Department of Applied Statistics at DEU/Izmir (1992-97), and the visiting Fulbright and NATO Scholar at Purdue (1989-90, 1997-98) and Case Western Reserve University (1998-99) and the Eminent Scholar and Chair-Professor of the Troy University Montgomery campus (1999-08), Dr. Sahinoglu has a BSEE from METU/Ankara (1973), MSEE from University of Manchester (1975), and PhD in ECE and Statistics from Texas A&M University (1981). Dr. Sahinoglu taught at Texas A&M (1978-81), METU/Ankara (1976-1992) and DEU/Izmir (1992-97), Purdue (1998-99, 1997-98), CWRU (1998-99), Troy University at Montgomery (1999-2008), and AUM (2008-). The recipient of Microsoft's global Trustworthy Computing Curriculum award (2006) and a Fellow member of SDPS Society since 2002, Senior member of IEEE since 1993 and Elected member of ISI since 1995; Dr. Sahinoglu's journal articles, titled "Network Reliability Evaluation" and "CLOUD Computing" appearing in Wiley's WIREs stayed atop as the most accessed for three consecutive years in 2010 and 2011-12 respectively. Dr. Sahinoglu published "Trustworthy Computing" by Wiley & Sons in 2007. He has authored around 170 peer reviewed articles and managed over 20 grants. He is a polyglott; a former simultaneous interpreter, and authored four memoirs-based social style books: Wrist-Fight of the Giants: Japan & USA (1992), Made In China - Made in Japan (1993), Dreaming America (2004, 2012, 2016), all three in Turkish, and recently, Raindrops Falling on My Life's Umbrella (2016) in English. He has been invited by Turkish TV in 1990s and 2000s, and U.S. NPR locally on educational topics since 1999. He is married since March 1983 and has 3 boys (32,30,21).