Accidental Immigrant - by Kyriacos C Markides (Paperback)

About the Book

This book is Professor Markides's capstone work. It addresses his valiant and often turbulent struggles and riveting adventures to adapt to American society within the bounds of contemporary hyper secular academia. The result is an intellectual and spiritual odyssey that can i...

Book Synopsis

This book is Professor Markides's capstone work. It addresses his valiant and often turbulent struggles and riveting adventures to adapt to American society within the bounds of contemporary hyper secular academia. The result is an intellectual and spiritual odyssey that can inspire any reader interested in addressing life's perennial questions.

Review Quotes

In his latest book, Kyriacos Markides takes us on an oft foreboding, but always exhilarating rollercoaster that brings together seemingly disparate threads--from turbulent colonial Cyprus to steel mining towns and educational centers of America through times of political upheaval and intellectual unrest. These adventures illumined his unique understanding of the creative tension between history and tragedy, the transcendent and mystical. The Accidental Immigrant chronicles the meandering, albeit intriguing journey that finally led Markides in his quest to the tranquil top of The Mountain of Silence.

Kyriacos Markides is a magnetic storyteller, whether documenting his observations of a clairvoyant healer, his conversations with a gifted spiritual elder on Mt. Athos, or his heartbreaking roadside return to his Aunt's home in Kyrenia, long ago taken over in the Turkish invasion. Markides' memoirs weave together his fascinating life events with his intellectual history and soulful quest for spiritual anchoring. Along the way, we are treated to on-the-spot commentary about life in America and some of the most dramatic episodes in modern Cyprus history.

About the Author

Kyriacos C. Markides is professor emeritus of sociology and the recipient of the 2002 Best Professor Award in Arts and Sciences and the 2006 Presidential Research and Creative Achievement Award at the University of Maine.