Wow, this book is worth all the praise. Smith takes us to each place along his journey and helps us feel we are there while simultaneously holding our hands and showing us the things we wouldn't see without him.

He manages to have such compelling conversations with people in each place and bring us into those conversations at well. Thinking about how we remember things and how we pass on that remembrance to others or to future humans and in doing so how we are telling them and ourselves the stories we want to hear.

Just a spectacular read all around.