Liebermann, Oren
WORK TITLE: The Insulin Express
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE:
CITY: New York
STATE: NY
COUNTRY:
NATIONALITY:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/oren-liebermann-25a9544/ * http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/television/Oren-Liebermann-travels-the-globe-with-diabetes-kit.html * https://asweetlife.org/author/oren-liebermann/
RESEARCHER NOTES:
| LC control no.: | no2017065981 |
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| LCCN Permalink: | https://lccn.loc.gov/no2017065981 |
| HEADING: | Liebermann, Oren |
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| 100 | 1_ |a Liebermann, Oren |
| 374 | __ |a Diabetics |2 lcsh |
| 375 | __ |a male |
| 670 | __ |a The insulin express, 2017: |b title page (Oren Liebermann) dust jacket flap (CNN’s Jerusalem correspondent; has worked in TV news for more than a decade; diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 2014 in Nepal; now works with organizations to promote safe traveling for others with the disease; live in Jerusalem) |
PERSONAL
Married Cassandra Kramer.
EDUCATION:University of Virginia, B.A., 2004; Syracuse University, M.S., 2005.
ADDRESS
- Home - Jerusalem, Israel.
- Home - New York, NY.
CAREER
Writer, pilot, and journalist. WBOC-TV, Dover, DL, 2005-07, reporter; WAVY-TV, Norfolk, VA, reporter, 2007-10; CBS 3, Philadelphia, PA, reporter, 2010-13; CNN, Jerusalem correspondent, 2015—.
AVOCATIONS:Traveling.
AWARDS:Associated Press Award, 2006, 2010, 2011; Emmy Award, 2009, 2010.
WRITINGS
- (With American Diabetes Association and Sanjay Gupta) The Insulin Express: One Backpack, Five Continents, and the Diabetes Diagnosis That Changed Everything, Skyhorse Publishing (New York, NY), 2017
Contributor to periodicals, including EAA Warbirds and EAA Sport Aviation.
SIDELIGHTS
Oren Liebermann works primarily in the journalism industry. Prior to launching his career, Liebermann attended Syracuse University and the University of Virginia, where he earned his master’s and bachelor’s degrees, respectively. He has been aligned with several local stations across several states as a reporter, including CBS 3 in Philadelphia. He works with CNN as their Jerusalem correspondent. Liebermann’s work has earned him considerable acclaim, including three awards from the Associated Press and two Emmys.
The Insulin Express: One Backpack, Five Continents, and the Diabetes Diagnosis That Changed Everything details another important aspect of Liebermann’s life outside his journalism career. Liebermann frequently travels both as part of his work and as a personal hobby. While on a backpacking tour with his wife through the country of Nepal, Liebermann began experiencing strange physical symptoms. At first, Liebermann tried to shrug off his trips to the bathroom and his constant, severe thirst as a consequence of his travels. He fully noticed something was wrong when he began rapidly dropping weight. Confused and worried by this change, Liebermann sought medical advice for what could be going on with him.
The medical professional he spoke with informed him that he was malnourished and recommended several dietary changes. However, this wasn’t enough to solve Liebermann’s medical woes; in fact, within a matter of days, his health took an even worse turn. Upon returning to the doctor, Liebermann was able to receive a new diagnosis that he never expected to hear: he tested positive for type 1 diabetes. This particular form of the disease—or, more specifically, developing type 1 diabetes as a mature adult—is not only a rarity but was indeed completely unforeseen in Liebermann’s case. In an interview featured on the Inquirer website, Liebermann remarked that the doctor who diagnosed him stated that while there was a good chance Liebermann had acquired diabetes genetically, there was also a good chance he would have never developed it at all. None of his relatives had ever dealt with diabetes firsthand.
Liebermann was faced with the possibility of ending his travels prematurely and returning home for the sake of his health. Neither he nor his wife was willing to end their travels just yet. Instead, they chose to make the accommodations they needed in order to preserve Liebermann’s health sufficiently to continue to travel freely. Throughout his book Liebermann gives extensive descriptions of what it is like to conduct lengthy travel while also living with a condition like type 1 diabetes. He goes over the equipment he needs to maintain his health as well as the numerous challenges he faces to secure the accommodations he needs, including lodging with working refrigeration in his room so that he can store his medications properly.
Throughout his descriptions of traveling as a diabetic, Liebermann also delves into the interesting sights and his experiences on his tour of the world. Liebermann makes it a priority to stress that while living with diabetes can be difficult, it should never be enough to keep those with the condition from fulfilling their dreams and goals. Rather than letting his diabetes control his life and his decisions, Liebermann acknowledges that his condition is one part of his life among a myriad of much bigger and better experiences.
A Kirkus Reviews correspondent criticized Liebermann’s “breezy” tone and “trite pronouncements” but concluded that as a travel writer, Liebermann has “talent … needing only to be honed and refined.” Booklist contributor Patricia Smith stated: “Readers will be motivated to update their passports or, at the very least, try something new.” On the diaTribe website, Jacqueline Anders remarked: “With Liebermann’s conversational and relatable tone and liberal doses of humor, the book is a speedy read, and we couldn’t help but laugh out loud at many points.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, April 1, 2017, Patricia Smith, review of The Insulin Express: One Backpack, Five Continents, and the Diabetes Diagnosis That Changed Everything, p. 8.
Kirkus Reviews, March 15, 2017, review of The Insulin Express.
ONLINE
A Sweet Life, https://asweetlife.org/ (February 20, 2018), author profile.
CBS Philly, http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/ (May 12, 2017), Stephanie Stahl, “Former CBS3 Reporter Details Living with Type 1 Diabetes in New Book.”
Diabetes Forecast, http://www.diabetesforecast.org/ (July 1, 2017), Lindsey Wahowiak, “Adventure Roundup: Oren Liebermann,” author interview.
diaTribe, https://diatribe.org/ (May 18, 2017), Jacqueline Anders, “The Insulin Express: An Honest, Inspiring, and Entertaining Read,” review of The Insulin Express.
Inquirer, http://www.philly.com/ (May 24, 2017), Tirdad Derakhshani, “Former CBS3 Reporter Didn’t Let a Surprise Diabetes Diagnosis Re-route His Bucket-List Adventure,” author interview.
Insulin Express, http://insulinexpress.com (February 20, 2018), author profile.
LeHigh Valley Humanists, http://www.lvhumanists.org/ (February 20, 2018), author profile.
Post and Courier, https://www.postandcourier.com/ (May 14, 2017), Bill Thompson, “Review: ‘The Insulin Express’ a Well-Meaning Travelogue,” review of The Insulin Express.
- The Insulin Express: One Backpack, Five Continents, and the Diabetes Diagnosis That Changed Everything Skyhorse Publishing (New York, NY), 2017
- A Sweet Life - https://asweetlife.org/author/oren-liebermann/
Oren Liebermann
Oren Liebermann is an award-winning journalist, pilot, and traveler. He was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes in Nepal while backpacking around the world with his wife. His favorite book is the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, and his favorite movie is The Princess Bride. Oren lives in New York City with his wife and their two cats.
- Insulin Express - http://insulinexpress.com/
Oren Liebermann
Oren Liebermann is an award-winning journalist, a writer, a daydreamer, a pilot, a father, and a husband. The order depends on the day.
He is CNN’s Jerusalem Correspondent. Before joining CNN, he reported in Delaware, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. He has won two Emmy awards and three Associated Press awards for his work. His writing has appeared in two aviation magazines: EAA Sport Aviation and EAA Warbirds. The Insulin Express is his first book.
- Diabetes Forecast - http://www.diabetesforecast.org/2017/jul-aug/adventure-round-up-oren.html
Adventure Roundup: Oren Liebermann
By Lindsey Wahowiak July 2017 People
Listen to Text
PrintOren Liebermann and wife, Cassie Kramer
CNN correspondent, author, and world travelerAge: 34
Home Base: Jerusalem
Diabetes: Diagnosed with type 1 at age 31 in 2014, while on a worldwide trip with his wife
Treatment Tools: Insulin pensDiagnosis Abroad: While traveling in Nepal with his wife, Cassie Kramer, Oren Liebermann visited a doctor for unexplained weight loss. He was misdiagnosed with malnutrition. The treatment: Eat and drink a lot of fruit juice. “It was a blessing and a curse, because it sent me downhill so fast in three days that I had to go back to the doctor in very bad shape,” Liebermann says. A blood glucose test on Valentine’s Day 2014 confirmed his type 1 diabetes diagnosis.
Back on the Road: “I made what I consider the most important decision of my life: to get back on the road and finish the trip,” Liebermann says. So after coming home to the United States to start his diabetes treatment, he and Kramer resumed their globetrotting. As backpackers, they carried extra insulin pens in a cold pack, along with extra needles, meter supplies, and glucose. At night, Liebermann says they would pay a little extra for a room with a fridge. He logged every bite and every dose of insulin. It worked: When the trip was over, his A1C was 5.8 percent.
Managing from the Field: Managing a high or a low on camera and in a foreign country can be difficult, Liebermann says, but his trip prepared him for his line of work. He keeps all his supplies on hand and can navigate even when language barriers might pose a problem. “Can it be frustrating? Absolutely,” he says. “For me, it’s just part of my life, and it shouldn’t interfere with my job. I’m very lucky that my job has given me the opportunity to be an advocate. I hope that inspires someone.”
Oren Liebermann’s book, The Insulin Express: One Backpack, Five Continents, and the Diabetes Diagnosis That Changed Everything, was released in May. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the American Diabetes Association.
- LeHigh Valley Humanists - http://www.lvhumanists.org/new_truth_and_diabetes_20170503
Bio:
Oren Liebermann is a CNN correspondent based in Jerusalem. A journalist with a wealth of experience, Liebermann is responsible for covering major news stories across Israel, the Palestinian territories and the wider region.
Liebermann joined the network in 2015 and one of his first assignments was to report on the Israeli elections. In April of the same year, Liebermann covered the earthquake that struck Nepal. Liebermann has also interviewed former President of Israel Shimon Peres.
Prior to joining CNN, Liebermann served as a General Assignment Reporter in Philadelphia for CBS 3. Whilst working for CBS 3, Liebermann reported on major stories across Pennsylvania including Hurricane Sandy and the Penn State sex abuse scandal.
Throughout his career, Liebermann has won a number of accolades for his reporting including two Emmys and three Associated Press awards. He has a degree in Business from the University of Virginia and a master's degree in Broadcast Journalism from Syracuse University. He lives in Jerusalem with his wife and is a keen traveler and pilot. Liebermann has Type 1 Diabetes and is a passionate advocate for others with the condition.
Follow him on Twitter @orenCNN.
Liebermann, Oren: THE INSULIN EXPRESS
Kirkus Reviews.
(Mar. 15, 2017): From Book Review Index Plus. COPYRIGHT 2017 Kirkus Media LLC http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text:
Liebermann, Oren THE INSULIN EXPRESS Skyhorse Publishing (Adult Nonfiction) $24.99 5, 3 ISBN: 978-1-5107-1848-7
A Jerusalem-based CNN correspondent's memoir of round-the-world travel with a near-fatal disease.In 2013, Liebermann and his wife left their jobs, determined to circumnavigate the globe on the cheap. The itinerary included Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and South America. Just shy of 30 and after only six years in broadcast news, declaring that "in making a living, I had failed to make a life" seems a little premature, even melodramatic. Alas, melodrama often overtakes the narrative and the narrator, whose overworked tear ducts seem a form of artistic expression. Apart from some harrowing close calls with diabetes, especially in Nepal, Liebermann tends to overstate his day-to-day accounts of dealing with his disease and roughing it on the road. The book harbors flashes of close observation and inspired description--e.g., his depictions of the Laotian people, his thoughts while camped (illegally) on the Great Wall of China, his account of the death of an anonymous man in Beijing's Tiananmen Square. Unfortunately, these moments of inspiration are only intermittent, and the rest of the book suffers by comparison. For all his adventurousness and determination, Liebermann betrays a penchant for hasty judgments, weak generalizations, and trite pronouncements. When not detailing his duel with diabetes, which will resonate chiefly with other diabetics, he delivers a breezy series of snapshots and vignettes--engaging as far as they go but hardly the stuff of a memorable travelogue. Just because an insight is new to him does not mean it is of fresh coinage to readers, and Liebermann has a tendency to express a familiar observation as if it is being made for the first time. But it is a young man's book, a young traveler's book, and perhaps one should make allowances. As a travel writer, Liebermann is a work in progress, but the talent is there, needing only to be honed and refined.
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"Liebermann, Oren: THE INSULIN EXPRESS." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Mar. 2017. PowerSearch,
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http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A485105206/GPS?u=schlager&sid=GPS& xid=04016db2. Accessed 21 Jan. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A485105206
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The Insulin Express: One Backpack,
Five Continents, and the Diabetes
Diagnosis That Changed Everything
Patricia Smith
Booklist.
113.15 (Apr. 1, 2017): p8. From Book Review Index Plus.
COPYRIGHT 2017 American Library Association http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist_publications/booklist/booklist.cfm
Full Text:
The Insulin Express: One Backpack, Five Continents, and the Diabetes Diagnosis That Changed Everything.
By Oren Liebermann.
May 2017. 224p. illus. Skyhorse, $24.99 (9781510718487); e-book (9781510718494). 616.
CNN correspondent Liebermann and his wife, Cassie, knew that they would face challenges and new experiences on their year-long trip around the world. Hiking in the Himalayas? Sure. Trying exotic cuisine? Of course. A type 1 diabetes diagnosis? That was not in the travel plan. Their excursions in Europe and Africa go smoothly, but by the time they reach Asia, Liebermann's mysterious symptoms begin to appear: extreme weight loss, unquenchable thirst, and fatigue. Finally, on the brink of disaster, he receives an explanation in rural Nepal. Adult-onset type 1 diabetes is uncommon, and Liebermann fights to regain control of his body. Determined to finish his and his wife's planned year of travel, he must learn to navigate his disease. This unusual combination of medical and travel memoir offers candid testimony to human resilience. It also manages to be funny, relatable, and inspiring at the same time. Readers will be motivated to update their passports or, at the very least, try something new. Liebermann hits the mark with his engrossing literary debut.--Patricia Smith
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Smith, Patricia. "The Insulin Express: One Backpack, Five Continents, and the Diabetes
Diagnosis That Changed Everything." Booklist, 1 Apr. 2017, p. 8. PowerSearch, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A491487811/GPS?u=schlager&sid=GPS& xid=aca5a377. Accessed 21 Jan. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A491487811
3 of 3 1/21/18, 9:59 PM
- The Inquirer
http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/television/Oren-Liebermann-travels-the-globe-with-diabetes-kit.html
Word count: 1023Former CBS3 reporter didn't let a surprise diabetes diagnosis re-route his bucket-list adventure
Updated: May 24, 2017 — 3:01 AM EDT
DM1OREN23
Camera icon Courtesy of Oren Liebermann
Former CBS3 reporter Oren Liebermann atop the Machu Picchu Inca Trail.
by Tirdad Derakhshani, Staff Writer tirdad@phillynews.comOren Liebermann was four months into an ambitious yearlong backpacking trip around the world in 2013 when he fell seriously ill.
A former CBS3 reporter who grew up near Asbury Park in Wayside, N.J., Liebermann was steadily losing weight through the first leg of a trip that took him and his wife, Cassie, through Europe, Israel, and Kenya and eventually to Nepal, where they planned to do volunteer work for several weeks.
Then, stuck halfway around the world in the Himalayas, he all but collapsed.
That’s when he learned for the first time that he had type 1 diabetes. After a brief respite back home in the States, Liebermann and Cassie, who grew up in Allentown, picked up where they left off and finished their journey.
Liebermann, 34, currently the Jerusalem correspondent for CNN, writes about his adventures in a new memoir, The Insulin Express: One Backpack, Five Continents, and the Diabetes Diagnosis that Changed Everything.
Released this month, the book also contains detailed information about diabetes and how to manage the condition.
What inspired you and your wife to go on the road?
It was a way to celebrate our first anniversary. We got married in September 2012, and we could have done what is quote-unquote the normal thing to do and buy a house and a car and start a family. Instead, we decided to sell just about everything we owned and buy a backpack and start backpacking around the world.How did you plan the trip?
We only had a rough itinerary. We didn’t make any reservations or anything like that. We had a rough idea of what countries we wanted to see in Europe. ... But Nepal always was a big stop for us because we wanted to volunteer there for six weeks. Then the plan was to go to Southeast Asia and end the trip in South America.So you arrive at Nepal and you’re not feeling so hot.
Actually, I started feeling the symptoms earlier, about two months earlier, when we were in Israel. I just didn’t know they were symptoms.What are the early signs of type 1 diabetes?
I distinctly remember one night when I couldn’t sleep because I had to keep getting up to go to the bathroom.You were having trouble with your entire hydration system, right?
Exactly. And I was incredibly thirsty all the time. I also started losing weight, but very gradually at first.You weren’t worried?
I always was able to make excuses. Israel is in a desert, so of course I’m thirsty. In Thailand, it was 95 degrees every day, so of course I was thirsty. I was in Nepal during their dry season, so of course I’m thirsty.When did you suspect you might actually be sick?
It was the weight loss. We decided I should step on a scale, so we found a pharmacy which had one. … So I’m on the scale and I look down and everything is in kilograms so I’m staring at the numbers and I’m doing the math in my head and it just didn’t make any sense to me. I did the math and I realized I had lost 40 to 45 pounds.In the course of seven weeks?
In less than two months.You sound so calm as you recount this. You're halfway around the world and you're sick. Weren't you terrified?
Absolutely, it was terrifying. But I knew we could see a doctor [at a local clinic] and I had a feeling we'd be OK.Most people link diabetes with weight gain, not weight loss.
That’s type 2 diabetes, which sometimes can be reversed with diet and changes in lifestyle. But not type 1. Type 1 means my pancreas no longer produces insulin, which helps control blood sugar. And that will never change.Does one catch type 1 diabetes like you catch a cold? What causes it? Is it genetic?
There's so much we still don't know about it. ... There’s a genetic component, even though no one in my family had it …. My doctor put it this way: He said I probably had a genetic predisposition to diabetes but I could have gone my whole life and never encountered the trigger that turned on the genetic marker.Like an on-off switch?
Exactly like that.Type 1 diabetes can’t be cured?
It can be managed. I spent a month [after flying back to America] learning what diabetes is and learning how to manage it, learning how to control blood sugar. In a sense, it's very simple: If your blood sugar is high, you take insulin or if it’s low, you take sugar.Why did you decide to fly right back out and complete the last six months of the trip? It could not have been an easy decision.
I consider it to be the most important decision of my life.Did your parents think you were crazy?
Absolutely! ... I said it was the most important decision of my life, I did not say it was the most responsible. My family and I screamed at each other. … They were scared of diabetes because they weren’t familiar with it.You persisted.
You know, it really was the most important decision in my life. Because I knew if I accepted a limitation on my life now, if I said I cannot do this because I have diabetes, then I would always have that excuse. I would always accept limitations. - diaTribe
https://diatribe.org/insulin-express-an-honest-inspiring-entertaining-read
Word count: 513The Insulin Express: An Honest, Inspiring, and Entertaining Read
5/18/17 - what we're readingShare this Article
TAGSBy Jacqueline Anders
CNN correspondent Oren Liebermann on being diagnosed with diabetes in Nepal
An entertaining memoir, The Insulin Express: One Backpack, Five Continents, and the Diabetes Diagnosis that Changed Everything is a great story of determination and positivity following a diabetes diagnosis.
CNN’s Jerusalem correspondent, Oren Liebermann, and his wife knew they wanted to travel but realized they wanted more than a two-week vacation; they wanted to become true travelers. Selling all their belongings and leaving the “real world” behind, they embarked on a yearlong backpacking trip around the world. Liebermann’s sense of humor and adventurous spirit color his account of everywhere the couple visits and everyone they meet, starting in Europe and journeying onward.
Subtle signs of type 1 diabetes begin to emerge as the Liebermanns make their way through Jerusalem and the great city of Petra. Despite the increasing symptoms Liebermann experienced throughout their travels, he remarks that, “the brain is wired for denial”, recounting how he pointed to all the other stressors in the life of a world traveler that could have explained the changes in his body. Liebermann is eventually forced to get medical attention following a hike to Annapurna Base Camp in Nepal, where he learns that he has type 1 diabetes. While many changes followed Liebermann’s diagnosis – chief among them having to frequently check blood sugar and dose insulin – his positive attitude and resolve served him well, allowing diabetes to have minimal impact on his travel plans.
The Insulin Express should be a very welcome read to anyone newly diagnosed with diabetes, highlighting that diabetes does not need to be a limitation. Liebermann put it best: “With experience, discipline and a support network, diabetes should never be a reason to say ‘no’. It's just a matter of figuring out what preparations you need to make to be able to say ‘yes.’” And while it isn’t Diabetes 101 or focused on the how-to’s of diabetes, it is an honest illustration of positivity in the face of a challenging diagnosis. It is a real-life account, complete with the stress and sadness, but also the joys and triumphs that anyone with diabetes can surely relate to. Though diabetes changed his story, Liebermann makes it clear that he is the protagonist of his life, and diabetes is a sidekick along for the adventure.
With Liebermann’s conversational and relatable tone and liberal doses of humor, the book is a speedy read, and we couldn’t help but laugh out loud at many points. As Elizabeth Cohen, CNN senior medical correspondent, put it, “The Insulin Express feels [like] a long overdue chat with a buddy who’s had some pretty amazing adventures… [and who] teaches us all a lot about life and love.”
The book is available in hardcover and electronic versions (about $15).
[Photo Credit: The Insulin Express]
- CBS Philly
http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2017/05/12/oren-liebermann-diabetes-book/
Word count: 438Former CBS3 Reporter Details Living With Type 1 Diabetes In New Book
By Stephanie Stahl
May 12, 2017 at 6:00 pm
Filed Under:Oren Liebermann, Stephanie Stahl, The Insulin Express, Type 1 DiabetesPHILADELPHIA (CBS) — There’s been a 21 percent increase in the number of young people being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.
Former CBS3 reporter Oren Liebermann wrote a new book about living with it.
Liebermann, who is now a CNN reporter based in Israel, first discovered he suffered from the autoimmune disease when he was traveling around the world.
“This is my emergency glucagon shot,” said Liebermann.
It’s a new reality for Liebermann, always being equipped to manage type 1 diabetes.
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The former CBS3 reporter was backpacking around the world with his wife three years ago when he started feeling strange.
“The trip was going great. We’d been in Europe and Africa. We were in Israel when symptoms started to show up. I had go bathroom all time and was thirsty. I didn’t know they were symptoms,” said Liebermann.
While in Nepal, he was shocked to see he’d lost 45 pounds in two months.
After first being misdiagnosed with malnutrition, a blood-sugar test finally revealed the diagnosis.
“When he said, ‘I’m sorry to tell you, you’re diabetic,’ my life went into complete chaos, nothing made sense,” said Liebermann. “I’m the first person in my family with diabetes. I had no idea what it meant to have diabetes or how to manage it.”
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After the shock and learning to manage type 1 diabetes, Liebermann and his wife decided to resume their trip.
“There were certainly challenges traveling with diabetes and we overcame them,” he said.
He writes about the experience in a new book called “The Insulin Express,” which talks about turning setbacks into opportunities. How a world journey and the diagnosis lead to resilience and self-discovery.
“I hope its funny and entertaining,” said Liebermann. “I also wanted it to be inspiring.”
Half of the proceeds from his book will go to the American Diabetes Association, which helped with information and advice in the book.
Stephanie Stahl
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More from Stephanie Stahl - Post and Courier
https://www.postandcourier.com/features/review-the-insulin-express-a-well-meaning-travelogue/article_45d18c8e-132c-11e7-ae6d-0b4c5139355a.html
Word count: 478Review: 'The Insulin Express' a well-meaning travelogue
By Bill Thompson Special to The Post and Courier May 14, 2017 (0)
The Insulin Express
By Adam Parker aparker@postandcourier.comTHE INSULIN EXPRESS: One Backpack, Five Continents, and the Diabetes Diagnosis That Changed Everything. By Oren Liebermann. Skyhorse Publishing. 224 pages. $24.99.
Having a life-altering, globe-trotting adventure is one thing. Writing a compelling account of it is something altogether different.
Oren Liebermann learned his craft in TV news, and it shows. The Jerusalem-based CNN international correspondent may have an observant eye and a disarming manner, but he tends to think in sound bites and snippets.
In “The Insulin Express, he chronicles the ambitious round-the-world journey he shared with his equally inexperienced wife, mostly in challenging countries. The subtext of the book is his battle with diabetes, a condition that made itself painfully apparent while mountain hiking in Nepal. So it is understandable that his accounts of places visited and experiences gained might be a bit self-absorbed.
But one suspects the day-to-day issues involving traveling with diabetes and the difficulty of obtaining proper medical help in remote outposts of the world will be interesting chiefly to others having the disease. While this information is useful, as is the author's perspective, it fails to mount (much less sustain) the sort of forceful narrative the subject requires. The reader admires Liebermann's fortitude, but even those disposed to sympathy might find the melodramatic tone of his book tiresome.
One of the chief problems with the book is Liebermann's inexperience as a writer, and the failure of his editors to evict banal passages and trite pronouncements that takes up tenancy in his tale. He also does colleagues a disservice in claiming (much too broadly) that “local news reporters make a living off the lowest rungs of society, profiting just a bit more each time someone pulls a knife or a gun and uses it to add a little more chaos to this world.” Though not without a measure of truth, it's a sweeping accusation that reveals more about Liebermann than the issue he raises.
Now and then Liebermann manages some inspired description and atmospherics: depicting the Laotian people with deft brushstrokes, expressing thoughts while camped (illegally) on the Great Wall of China, recalling the death of an anonymous man in Beijing's Tiananmen Square. Unfortunately, these are exceptions to the general run of the book.
The author is to be praised for his work with organizations like the American Diabetes Association, through which he champions safe traveling with the disease. But his travel writing is very much a work in progress.
Reviewer Bill Thompson is a free-lance writer and editor based in Charleston.
Contact Adam Parker at aparker@postandcourier.com or 843-937-5902.