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Printed in the international professional journal:
The Photogrammetric Record
(Issue 131, September 2010, page 323-324).
JOURNEY WITHOUT DESTINATION. STORIES FROM A LIFE WITHOUT A PLAN. By
Karl E. Kleinn. Publish America, Baltimore, Maryland, 2009. ISBN 978 1 60813 206 5.
229 mm · 152 mm. 232 pages. Price $24.95 paperback.
At the beginning of his introduction the author states that this work is intended to be a collection of stories from his life as he remembers them and is not his autobiography. However, it is so close to being so that your reviewer is left wondering what could have been left out. The early chapters describe his life as a young child in war-torn Germany and as a growing boy in that occupied and partitioned country. His restless nature and an authoritarian father led him to emigrate to Canada where he obtained employment as a survey assistant, which was his introduction to the world of map making. A newspaper advertisement drew him, almost unwittingly, into a career in photogrammetry. His early days followed a similar course to that of many other young photogrammetric instrument operators as he progressed from Multiplex to Kelsh to Wild B8. In his spare time he learnt to fly and to operate an aerial camera which broadened his appeal to prospective employers. He moved across the border to the USA, and with little formal training soon learnt sufficient theory to obtain employment writing basic software; he became proficient at transforming data between the many different coordinate systems in use in the USA. He worked as a sales manager for several unnamed, but (to those in the business at the time) recognisable instrument manufacturers. He walked out of a sales training course in disgust at the unethical sales techniques being taught.
Gradually as the technology progressed he moved into the field of geographical information systems (GIS) and was employed as a programmer, teacher and manager. This phase of his career took him to the Middle East where, probably for the first time, he found himself involved with contractors from Europe and other parts of the world. As time took its inevitable course his experience and skills were being built into software products and he became obsolete. In his concluding paragraph he surely echoes the concerns of many, when he expresses the view that current users of software all too frequently consider that it is no longer necessary to understand the principles behind the product that they are using. However, when things go wrong they are often at a loss to know what to do.
The precarious employment situation in the small companies of the USA is prevalent throughout the book and the need to maintain adequate health insurance in that country is dramatically brought home to the British reader. The technical story is intermingled with that of his family and of his chequered love life. The reader is left wondering if he had more jobs than girlfriends or more girlfriends than jobs.
After several chapters the reader will become used to the American spelling and slightly different use of English, but throughout the book typesetting mistakes are irritating and at times confusing. Your reviewer questions whether any proofreading took place at all. There are a few examples of what on this side of the Atlantic would be considered bad language, but not enough to offend the average reader.
The author’s life in the business of surveying and photogrammetry was somewhat unexciting when compared to the adventurous exploits and experiences of many of his contemporaries. There are no cliffhangers at the end of any chapter. Nevertheless, this book is a worthwhile contribution to the record of the way in which the survey and mapping industry worked throughout the second half of the 20th century.
Ernie Wickens
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Reader Reviews as posted on Barnes & Noble's online store
Just a joy to read about the author's exploits
Posted January 29, 2010, 10:02 AM EST: Found the book refreshing, intriguing, and just packed with tongue in cheek humor. It is fast paced and yet poignant as the author tells us about his childhood days in Germany and of his visits to Germany later in life. Hope you find this as much fun to read as I did.
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A good read
Posted March 8, 2010, 9:46 AM EST: This is a good read, well worth the time. I wasn't able to put the book down. It covers the authors time from childhood during the fall of Germany in the Second world War to his arrieval in the US. It is compeling and insightful his involvement in the oil and gas industry. again, it's a good read.
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Reviews from persons who read the manuscript before publication.
I had the privilege of reading Karl Kleinn's manuscript before the published version was made ready. This unique memoir tells the story of someone who has been around and seen many a sight. A child in post-war Germany, Kleinn's narrative takes us to a time and place not often discussed these days, as it was an era overshadowed by the wartime stories of a generation before. Despite the challenges of growing up in a land and culture still bearing the scars of the war, he flourishes and moves on to travel the world, making a name for himself as a cartographer and encountering numerous characters throughout his journeys. Here is someone who frenetically moves from event to event with an obvious desire to not just sit and let life pass by. He is entertaining and often irreverent, and unflinchingly recounts the details of these places and people, including the bad with the good and the failures with the successes, with a clarity that makes you feel as if you are riding along on his shoulder the whole time.
Jim Gharib, PhD
Marine Geoscientist
AOA Geophysics, Houston, Texas
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A delightful Falstafian account of a stranger's journey in America and elsewhere: Refreshing, frank saga that portrays the author in all his follies, foibles, and achievements; in other words typical wander through life.
Senator Ken Jacobsen
46th Legislative District
Seattle, Washington
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Having the honor to read the “Journey Without Destination” manuscript prior to publication, I found that the “journey” was captivating and that the “destination” was elusive and mysterious. This story of caring, love of life, enduring war, traveling the world, and confusion about the way we treat each other brought back memories of the first time I read the “The Trial” by Franz Kafka. Karl has managed to portray in a non-fiction essay the same heart felt emotion that is presented in Kafka’s fictional story about unexplained persecution. That’s an unparalleled achievement. The impact is a lesson in how the blunt truth should cause all of us to be more introspective in our relationship with the rest of the world.
Bruce Wayne Wettman
Senior District Judge
State of Texas
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Karl Kleinn’s book, “Journey without Destination”, is an elegant and intricate masterwork in both prose and poetic non-fiction. Kleinn weaves together entertaining vignettes, detailing his adolescence and hysterical journeys, encircling not only the globe, but much of his vibrant and larger than life persona. Each tale builds upon the last and grants the reader permission to be transported to a time when the art of story-telling was pure and unadulterated. Kleinn’s work takes the dramatic canvas of his life with which he was ushered into adolescence during the Second World War, blistered with strife and martial conflict, and paints a magnificent and spiritual path across Europe and finally into the United States, his adopted home of more than 45 years. He accents his stories with great wit and exacting humor, pouring his heart and mind into each passage with the exuberance and skill of a master. His passion is matched only by the grandiose nature of his stories, each one riveting and thought provoking, even if that thought is one of pure silliness. The bottom line here is “Journey without Destination” is a Great book—a different type of work, that grips you and relentlessly entertains. It is storytelling at its finest!
Vern Montross
Region Manager, Houston, Texas
Lifetime Financial Partners
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Last year my company relocated me temporarily to Houston, Texas. Not my first time in Texas, the culture shock was bearable. But anyhow, it was great for me to find after a few weeks a former German to talk to at Molly’s Irish Pub on Westheimer Road, who seemed to be well known locally and had endless stories to tell. A few months passed and one day he announced the idea to publish his stories. Every regular at Molly’s and friend to him was kept busy from that point in time inquiring about his progress and commenting on the quality of his stories. The final result was astonishing. The stories of a nonconformist personality, starting from the flight from eastern Germany during the last days of World War II, the years of growing up in the difficult postwar years in Germany, followed by the move to Canada and finally the US. Each story is told with humor and put into the context of the actual historical timeframe.
Gerhard Joeken
Chemical Engineer
Dow Chemicals, Germany
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