Kapuściński, a native of war-torn post-WWII Poland, once had the ambitious goal to just one cross the border. His wish is granted when he is sent, not to Czechoslovakia, but to India, a world vastly different from his own. Thus begins his career as a reporter sent to far-flung locales. Kapuściński can be seen as a modern day Herodotus, an ancient Greek who traveled his known world to report back on what he has learned about it and its past. Kapuściński's travelogue, therefore, not only traverses his times, but those of the past, too. He consistently compares his world to Herodotus's to discover what can be known about leadership, warfare, culture, inquiry, and learning.

Because little is known about Herodotus, Kapuściński draws a lot on what he says, and we read much of "The Histories". This for me got a bit tiresome, as I wanted to learn more about Kapuściński's travels and experiences. However, his conclusions that he draws from the past and how he applies them to his own experiences is quite interesting. It provides a lot to think about as to how we think about the past, whether or not we have really evolved as a people, and our role in the great scheme of things.