"Robert Louis Stevenson-who understood a thing or two about the selves we refuse to know-once said "I travel not to go anywhere, but to go." Surely it was the likelihood of an accident, the unparalleled joy of stumbling upon himself now and then, which Stevenson most cherished in the going. A bit like Stevenson, Bart Reitter is a man who revels in the great distance between here and there. His memoir The Horseman is a wonderful account of the selves forged and found during his travels across the first half of a lifetime-a heartfelt testament to the wisdom of refusing to stand still."
--Professor Greg Colón Semenza, University of Connecticut
"For those who have ever spent time on the road for a living this book will awaken memories-some fond, some downright scary. It's the diary of a young man plying his trade as he jets around the world while climbing the corporate ladder. Bart Reitter writes in exacting detail. A delightful read."
--Thomas J. Gibbons Jr. Retired Staff Writer, Philadelphia Inquirer
"The Horseman is an excellent story about one man's travels. The book drew me in and I found myself reading longer than I had allowed for. Reitter's enthusiasm for travel has rekindled my own excitement for the many business trips I have planned for this year."
--Rich Dibernardo, President, Initech, LLC
"Reading The Horseman brought back fond memories of my travels with Bart. I also have been infected with the travel bug and the cure is to get me on the next flight to anywhere."
--John Lin, Senior Territory Sales Manager
For author Bart Reitter, the journey is the destination. In this travelogue, he narrates his lifelong journey of discovery through travel. Written with stark clarity and emotional honesty, The Horseman begins with a six-year-old boy's first joyful trip to Disney World and concludes with a 26,000-mile circumnavigation of the globe.
Compiled from journals kept while traveling the world and interwoven with personal reflection and unique historical perspective, The Horseman voyages through the joys and frustration of global travel as well as the introspection aimed at understanding life's meaning. It presents an emotional, scientific, funny, and irreverent window into Reitter's mind as he seeks to understand the insatiable wanderlust that drives him forward.
From the eastern United States to Singapore, and from the streets of Paris to the jungles of Thailand, Reitter communicates a unique point of view of life on the road that pictures rarely tell. From the euphoria of successful business deals to the loneliness of sterile hotel rooms, the story is never boring. In the end, with the help of his daughters, he discovers the best journey of all is the journey home.
