Dear Aline, You asked me to write to you and tell you things about life in England, so here I am again... Alasdair Took, resident of Knaresbridge (based on Knaresborough, North Yorkshire), keeps up a regular correspondence with a woman in Vermont he met only once; the escapades of his daily life seem utterly fantastical and too odd to be true, but is that really the oddest part of all of this? Alasdair's letters certainly raise more questions than can possibly be answered, including (but not limited to): Why is it always Tuesday in Knaresbridge, and why hasn't anyone noticed? Why does his daily, Mrs Daley, blame everything on the Bossa Nova? Why has her husband Ted been hiding in the woods for three years? (Or has he?) Why does Alasdair collect clock ticks? What about the tocks? Told in the style of a light, slightly surreal epistolary novel, Alasdair Took's Letters to America boasts a cast of lovably eccentric characters doing silly things that are sure to bring a smile to your face.

Has the art of accompaniment been lost in Western culture? Could non-judgemental accompaniment be the answer to rising levels of isolation and loneliness? Could spending time with others from different or marginalised backgrounds reduce feelings of 'otherness' and lead to a more open, trusting society? Exploring the themes above, this welcoming book offers models of relationships, interdependence, and community for individuals who are marginalised from society. It emphasises the importance of being with people and time spent in physical activity and in the natural world, without demands being put on expressing feelings or even speaking out loud. It draws on the author's own vast experience and work with those on the edge of society - including living in a Christian community which welcomes those in terms of crisis, living in a Palestinian village, working with adults with autism and as chaplain to Gypsies and Travellers - providing a varied, insightful and heart-warming view on the benefits of accompaniment.