World War II has just ended. Europe is in ruins, and the seas are littered with mines. At this moment in history eighteen-year-old Peter Newman, rudderless and discontent, abandons his conventional, middle class family and runs away to sea.

Peter is inspired by the romantic adventures of Richard Halliburton. He longs to view the Taj Mahal by moonlight, swim the Hellespont, and fall in love with a Kashmiri maiden. Instead he lands on the SS Umatilla, a rusty tanker heading for ports unknown. Truly a fish out of water, he is surrounded by a wacky crew of eccentrics, misfits, and rogues. Some shipmates become close friends, but others grow to be dangerous enemies. Peter's adventures turn out to be quite different from what he expects.

In a narrative filled with humor, suspense, and adventure, our hero spends nine months at sea, loses his innocence, and discovers a new meaning of life.

Peter Newman is the good one. He's the one who follows the rules, gets good grades, and leads an exemplary life. Then one day his high school girlfriend says, "I might be pregnant." Peter's story begins as war clouds are gathering in Europe. His uprooted family makes the arduous journey down Route 66, winding from Chicago to L.A. New schools, new friends, and new adventures are set against the developing war. Peter survives the war years as he matures, falls in love, and discovers the exhilaration of sexual activity. Unrestrained exploits result in adult-sized problems, and our teenage hero struggles to overcome his misfortunes. In a narrative filled with anticipation, humor, and the emotional torments of youth, Peter Newman's loving family provides encouragement as they continue to remind him-It Could Be Worse.

Peter Newman's first true love is sex, which eventually leads to a youthful indiscretion. This, in turn, generates an intense desire to escape his current life. At the age of eighteen he becomes a merchant seaman and finds his second true love-travel. Upon his return from the sea, Peter enrolls at Berkeley, where he discovers his third true love-architecture. Upon graduation he wins a coveted Traveling Fellowship, which enables him to pursue his three true loves.

This is the story of Peter Newman's fellowship year-a year filled with travel, adventure, and romance. Together with a college friend, Peter visits every major architectural monument, from the classic ruins and great cathedrals of Europe to the historic mosques and pyramids in the Middle East. They spend more than a year exploring dozens of countries, while experiencing exotic adventures, bureaucratic entanglements, and thrilling amorous episodes. In the rousing conclusion several romantic partners unexpectedly arrive in Paris at the same time, and Peter must choose his one true love.

In a narrative filled with humor, romance, and the frustrations of traveling through post-war Europe our hero survives his fellowship year having learned much about his three true loves, but far more about himself.

Peter Newman's first true love is sex, which eventually leads to a youthful indiscretion. This, in turn, generates an intense desire to escape his current life. At the age of eighteen he becomes a merchant seaman and finds his second true love-travel. Upon his return from the sea, Peter enrolls at Berkeley, where he discovers his third true love-architecture. Upon graduation he wins a coveted Traveling Fellowship, which enables him to pursue his three true loves.

This is the story of Peter Newman's fellowship year-a year filled with travel, adventure, and romance. Together with a college friend, Peter visits every major architectural monument, from the classic ruins and great cathedrals of Europe to the historic mosques and pyramids in the Middle East. They spend more than a year exploring dozens of countries, while experiencing exotic adventures, bureaucratic entanglements, and thrilling amorous episodes. In the rousing conclusion several romantic partners unexpectedly arrive in Paris at the same time, and Peter must choose his one true love.

In a narrative filled with humor, romance, and the frustrations of traveling through post-war Europe our hero survives his fellowship year having learned much about his three true loves, but far more about himself.

Peter Newman is the good one. He's the one who follows the rules, gets good grades, and leads an exemplary life. Then one day his high school girlfriend says, "I might be pregnant." Peter's story begins as war clouds are gathering in Europe. His uprooted family makes the arduous journey down Route 66, winding from Chicago to L.A. New schools, new friends, and new adventures are set against the developing war. Peter survives the war years as he matures, falls in love, and discovers the exhilaration of sexual activity. Unrestrained exploits result in adult-sized problems, and our teenage hero struggles to overcome his misfortunes. In a narrative filled with anticipation, humor, and the emotional torments of youth, Peter Newman's loving family provides encouragement as they continue to remind him- It Could Be Worse

World War II has just ended. Europe is in ruins, and the seas are littered with mines. At this moment in history eighteen-year-old Peter Newman, rudderless and discontent, abandons his conventional, middle class family and runs away to sea.

Peter is inspired by the romantic adventures of Richard Halliburton. He longs to view the Taj Mahal by moonlight, swim the Hellespont, and fall in love with a Kashmiri maiden. Instead he lands on the SS Umatilla, a rusty tanker heading for ports unknown. Truly a fish out of water, he is surrounded by a wacky crew of eccentrics, misfits, and rogues. Some shipmates become close friends, but others grow to be dangerous enemies. Peter's adventures turn out to be quite different from what he expects.

In a narrative filled with humor, suspense, and adventure, our hero spends nine months at sea, loses his innocence, and discovers a new meaning of life.