Luke Russert’s Guide to Self-Discovery: Eat, Pray, Drink, Lounge, Post, Publish.

Discovering Purpose: A Memoir by Luke Russert

From DC Society to a Global Quest for Enlightenment

In the midst of the 2016 presidential election, Luke Russert found himself feeling stuck and unsatisfied with his life. So, he did what any young person would do – he quit his job and embarked on a seven-year journey around the world in search of enlightenment and purpose.

Russert’s memoir, Look For Me There: Grieving My Father, Finding Myself, chronicles his journey and the lessons he learned along the way. The book has been praised by the likes of Tom Brokaw, Savannah Guthrie, and Maria Shriver for its emotional depth, historical insights, vivid narrative, and poignant reflection.

However, opinions on the book are mixed. While some readers may find inspiration in Russert’s journey, others may struggle to take him seriously as a writer, traveler, and thinker.

The early chapters of the book provide a glimpse into a world that seems almost surreal – mourners traveling across the country to attend a journalist’s funeral, former House speaker John Boehner warning Russert to get out of DC before he becomes a “creature” of This Town, and MSNBC bumping Russert’s “substantive report” from Capitol Hill for a breaking news update on former president Donald Trump’s thoughts on Harambe.

But as Russert embarks on his global quest, readers may find it challenging to relate to his experiences as a chronically unemployed scion getting drunk on foreign beaches, berating third-world taxi drivers, and cheating on his girlfriend.

Despite these criticisms, Look For Me There is not the worst memoir ever written. It is interesting at times and provides a unique perspective on the world. However, readers should approach the book with an open mind and be prepared to form their own opinions.

Highlights and Lowlights

Here are some highlights and lowlights from Russert’s memoir:

• Russert dishes out throat-clearing apologies for his white elite privilege, which may be mandated by the publishing industry but still comes across as abominable.
• At various points in his journey, Russert compares himself to Buddha, the Virgin Mary, a Rwandan silverback gorilla, and Jesus Christ.
• While getting drunk and taking “Instagram-perfect photos” on a beach in New Zealand after seeing a Guns N’ Roses concert, Russert observes: “This is living. This is what it feels like to finally do what I want.”
• Russert berates his driver in Sri Lanka for tardiness and throws a tantrum when he can’t take a photo of the sunset.
• He becomes “forever opposed to nuclear weapons” after visiting Hiroshima and leaves a baseball game “with gratitude” and a newfound respect for the Japanese people’s “ability to move forward, rebuild, forgive.”
• Russert finds inspiration at a former slave port in Senegal and flashes a shaka sign to a surfer off the rocky coast.

Final Thoughts

While Look For Me There may not be for everyone, it is a unique and thought-provoking memoir that offers insights into one man’s journey to find purpose and meaning in life. Whether you find Russert’s reflections refreshingly earnest or stunningly oblivious, the book is worth a read for anyone interested in travel, self-discovery, and the human experience.

Look for it on Amazon.com or wherever books are sold.

Look For Me There: Grieving My Father, Finding Myself

by Luke Russert
Harper Horizon, 272 pp., $28.99