I quit my job and took all my savings, and when they run out, I’ll kill myself. Michael Cabongo is a charismatic thirty-year-old teacher. He’s almost like Holden Caulfield—only he catches his students not in a rye field, but in the London slums, in a sense also “in the catcher’s rye.” Unable to watch the world’s injustices and live pretending nothing is happening, Michael decides to go on a journey through the land of freedom—the United States of America. He’ll travel from Dallas to San Francisco, meet new people, stir up a fleeting romance, get entangled in a few adventures—everything with the calculation that when his savings end, he’ll part with life. And when his trip comes to an end, Michael will have to answer honestly to himself: maybe life is actually worth living.
The main character of this book seeks an answer to the question Shakespeare posed long ago: “To be or not to be?” Can you run away from yourself, your feelings, and your life? “This book is a reflection, a search for one’s place in a world where, seemingly, there is no warmth or understanding for lost, wounded souls. But sometimes, to return to yourself, you have to take a long road—on which life itself will give answers and let you heal your wounds. The main thing is to be ready.” — Aleksandra Yakovleva, a psychologist, journalist, host of the podcast “Psychology with Aleksandra Yakovleva”