{"product_id":"a-few-perfect-hours-and-other-stories-from-southeast-asia-central-europe-9781891867798","title":"A Few Perfect Hours: And Other Stories from Southeast Asia \u0026 Central Europe","description":"\u003cp\u003e • Author(s): Josh Neufeld\u003cbr\u003e • Publisher: Alternative Comics\u003cbr\u003e • Publisher Imprint: Alternative Comics\u003cbr\u003e • BISAC: Essays \u0026amp; Travelogues\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWith gentle humor and a keen eye for revelatory detail, Neufeld explores religion and spirituality, politics and personalities, and the mysteries of everyday life. From the creator of \u003ci\u003eA.D.: New Orleans After the Deluge\u003c\/i\u003e and the illustrator of the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestseller \u003ci\u003eThe Influencing Machine: Brook Gladstone On the Media\u003c\/i\u003e. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn A Few Perfect Hours (and Other Stories from Southeast Asia and Central Europe), autobiographical cartoonist Josh Neufeld takes us on a dramatic tour of places as exotic and different as Thailand, Singapore, and the former Yugoslavia. Highlights include Neufeld and traveling companion Sari Wilson's stint as extras in a Chinese-language Singaporean soap opera, a train trip through war-torn Serbia, and a near-disastrous cave adventure in Thailand. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWith gentle humor and a keen eye for the revelatory detail, Neufeld explores religion and spirituality, politics and personalities, and the mysteries of everyday life. His stories reflect the backpacker's conflicted feelings: a yearning for adventure mixed with homesickness and a sense of disconnection, trapped in a reality constantly in flux. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn the collection's title story, Neufeld illustrates how the tensions and fears involved in travel through a strange country are dispelled by a Thai monk's blessing. In \"On a Mission,\" Neufeld contrasts the viewpoints of American Baptist missionaries in northern Thailand with the traditions of a Buddhist festival. And the book's longest story, \"Cremations, Cubicles, and Cant,\" is a brand-new 20-page tale about the death of Neufeld's grandmother, which contrasts her Jewish funeral service with a Balinese cremation ceremony; it forms the emotional heart of the book. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eEvoking both Tintin-creator Herge and \"comics journalist\" Joe Sacco, \"Neufeld's stories operate on a very human level, and his art reflects that with its careful depictions of people from different cultures and backgrounds.\"  iComics] Throughout the collection, Neufeld uses the comics form to experiment with narrative and point-of-view. The themes and conventions of the eight stories in \u003ci\u003eA Few Perfect Hours\u003c\/i\u003e will resonate with readers both within and outside the comics world. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eComics Worth Reading observes that Neufeld's comics \"provide a street-level view of other cultures, with nothing whitewashed. . . . The stories often remind us of the point of travelling -- to experience and come to terms with the unknown.\"","brand":"Alternative Comics","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":45082003603607,"sku":"9781891867798","price":680.0,"currency_code":"INR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0666\/3471\/1191\/files\/9781891867798.webp?v=1767699779","url":"https:\/\/atlanticbooks.com\/products\/a-few-perfect-hours-and-other-stories-from-southeast-asia-central-europe-9781891867798","provider":"Atlantic Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}