Side Tracked

Young Isaac Bell, Ike for short, thought he knew what he wanted out of life the moment he joined a junior year abroad program in Paris. He would become a university professor and teach foreign languages. His initial foray into academia did not go the way he planned, however. He soon found himself contending not only with the vagaries of the academic system but, as fate would have it, the legal system as well. In telling his story, Ike recounts what it was like trying to find his way in the two systems, relishing the opportunity to show them both for what they are, warts and all.

Part mystery story, part character study, Ike's journey proves the adage: "What goes around comes around." It just takes a few detours, often self-inflicted, to get there-in Ike's case via Paris France, Siena Italy, and Prescott Arizona.