The Eleven Directions of Kansas

Eleven Directions explores what must be one of the world’s quirkiest lessons in orienteering, perhaps helping to explain how Gilkeson negotiated the real-life experiences that made these stories possible. Questions abound: What's behind the mystery of his father’s missing uvula? Are these stories real or fictional? Are they memoirs with maybe more than a few embellishments? It hardly matters because they hold the power to entertain and even enlighten us, the way good stories should. The titles of Gilkeson’s narratives by themselves lure us in. Where, exactly, is Topeka on the Danube, and who are the members of The Green Tea Cult? Who are Ms. Transyvania and Mr. Haircut? All of these stories deliver wonderful reading experiences. Gilkeson’s narrative voice creates the illusion that he’s right there with us, enjoying our pleasure in the stories he tells.