Pico Iyer is the typical Global Soul: affectionately connected to a number of countries and yet belonging to none. Doing for the world what Ann Marie Hourihane did for Ireland, Iyer drifts around the globe observing the array of people he meets, the technology he encounters and the overwhelming materialism that bombards him wherever he goes. He even spends an indeterminate period living in the vast microcosm of Los Angeles International Airport. His descriptions of this soulless place with its 1984-style Tannoy announcements and diluted cultural totems may cause mild home-sickness and jet-lag in some readers. A fascinating critique on that ubiquitous buzzword "globalism", this is not a book for those who are deciding what colour to paint the kitchen next. Instead, it is a straightforward and at times sardonic look at how familiar and at the same time how alien the world can be. A great read for those who are still searching for the place they really feel is "home".