By Michael Crichton Perennial
377 pages
Available at Goodwill Bookstore
"Often I feel I go to some distant region of the world to be reminded of who I really am." – Crichton, Travels
To be a fan of Michael Crichton is to wonder what it’s like to enter his mind. Crichton best-sellers like Jurassic Park, Timeline, or Rising Sun reveal much of the amazing creativity that propels the author’s mind, but their being excellently-crafted works of popular fiction draws in all the reader’s focus and sift through, say Jurassic Park, to find bits of the author in it would most likely be information overload. For this reason, Travels, an autobiographic work, would be a welcome addition to your little library’s Crichton section.
Travels recounts the physically, intellectual, and even spiritual travels of Michael Crichton. Written in his well-loved somber, self-deprecatory style that deliciously bends towards the technical when it comes to details that matter, Travels recounts his journeys to some of the remotest destinations on the planet down to the deepest recesses of his inner self.
In this book, Crichton talks and talks – in a most captivating conversational tone – of why he decided not to practice medicine, committing plagiarism in a Harvard English class, climbing Kilimanjaro, swimming through a cloud of sharks off Tahiti, coming eye to eye with an elephant in Africa, and a Buddhist experience in Bangkok. He also talks about his feelings for his father, about the experience of directing "The Great Train Robbery," and about being a medical student at Harvard. He also gives a run-through of his person-to-person relationships, stopping over some of his experiences with the opposite sex.
Skillfully weaving personal memories into short stories that are sometimes amusing and sometimes melancholic, Crichton chronicles his journeys, revealing many facets of himself people wouldn’t expect him to sometimes have facets that even he did not know he had. One interesting revelation, for instance, is that he takes meditation seriously, and yet, like most people, and despite the success his talent has won him, he still doesn’t know who he is.
What is commendable about Travels is that it gives readers a view to Crichton turning his analytical mind onto himself and dissecting his life with as much critical thinking he applies to his fiction. What’s even more fascinating is he has managed to churn out an autobiographical book that is just as riveting as his fiction. Any fan would immensely enjoy reading Travels, because the experience is pretty much like reading his personal diary. Non-Crichton fans would do well to also read this book, because it fleshes out the author’s talent in an environment for which he is not known. The likelihood is that Travels would garner more respect for Crichton’s already immensely appreciated writing skill. – Althea Lauren Ricardo