About the Book:

In the wake of social disillusionment and utter contempt for peers, Velayas abandoned everything. “I went south in search of destiny, freedom, soul, God, or my demise. And after a relentless trek through Latin America, south of the Orinoco, down the Amazon, descending the coast of Brazil, past Corcovado, I found myself living on the streets of São Paulo. I went south ‘til I ran out of money. I lived in the gutters as a vagabond reading classic poetry: Lord Byron, Keats, and Poe. They were fellow exiles. I consumed nothing but devoured verse, dreams, visions of pain, and I was dubbed a citizen of the world, for nobody believed I was American. For who, sacrificing such comfort would live as the wretched poor! And it was there I found my Soul, my God, and my destiny; there in the gutters!”