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Road Scholars
The Mapping of a Higher Education
Rudolph A. Barba
Secure Transaction
or call toll free 1(800)247-6553
Price: $21.00
Paperback | 360 pages
ISBN: 978-0-615-22155-7 |
Summary
In 1973 two ‘Nam vets, with a voracious appetite for wanderlust and high adventure, set out to map and explore the uncharted territory of Knowhere. Beginning in Tacoma, WA they saddle up with a quirky and implausible agenda: head south, all the way south, to the point where there is no more south, to the South Pole. So begins the saga of Ace of Space and his point-man, King Richard The Last. Road Scholars is a modern day odyssey bursting with harrowing escapades that dwarf their own far-flung aspirations. Their travels lead them to the enchanted garden of Mesoamerica, Costa Rica, where they swagger into the fold of the Costa Rican mafia as bodyguards for the Godfather. The dark, fast and furious lifestyle of organized crime briefly detours their expedition. They regain their bearings and shoot an azimuth straight into the paranormal; encounter the Mayan sorceress Angelica Ynez who tutors them in the ill understood occult art of astral projection. Their journey races on with flashflood swiftness as they come under the influence of a New Age Catholic Priest with left leaning convictions. Our unlikely counter-culture heroes choose sides between the insurgents’ struggle and the US backed despotic regimes, aka, Banana Republics. Loathing tyranny they join Salvadorian rebels battling government forces. Road Scholars is also a mystery with subplots weaving their way through Tarot Cards, Alchemy and Mysticism. Bringing that esoteric knowledge into perspective, are the rarely published extracts from the controversial dissertation of the eccentric anthropologist Professor Dos Zetas. Yet the storied exploits are but a backdrop for the underlying mission of self-discovery and the unveiling of the greatest enigma of all, the purpose of life’s journey. Their unbound spirit dares where few have trekked for they are stoned philosophers searching for the Philosopher’s Stone.
About the Author
Mr. Barba was born in Chicago 1951 and attended parochial school until relocating to California in 1960. He attended public schools in Pico Rivera, CA and graduated from El Rancho High School in 1969. Joining the Army in 1970 for three years he served with the 173rd Airborne Infantry, Vietnam 1971. He attended Rio Hondo JC in Whittier, CA from 1979 -1981. His major interest is anthropology. Yet his most valuable education has been from folks that people urban streets and rural roads. He’s logged over 10,000 miles hitchhiking North America. His characters and adventures are creations inspired from his travels. For the past 20 years he has earned his keep in sales except for a three year stint with FEMA thru 1992-1995. Mr. Barba plans to escape to the Mojave Desert as a recluse, and when he does, no one will find him. Road Scholars is his first novel.
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