Son of Xanos

Rebellion and political upheaval form the backdrop to the formative years of Rodino Xanos. At a very early age he is catapulted by the chaos of the Greek civil wars of 1947 into a world of instability and distrust. When his father is executed he escapes into the mountains. Taken in by the gypsies and betrayed by his friend he is handed over to the communist partisans. There he meets Lieutenant Ellery of the American armed forces who introduces him to the thrill of language and personal communication. Later Lieutenant Ellery adopts Rodino as his own son and changes his name to Roland Carter to better bond in an all American society. At the onset of the Vietnam conflict Roland is repatriated as an American citizen to a Christian college in Chattanooga. However, his restless spirit flies in the face of a disciplined study routine and he drops out of all formal education. On the road he meets a Red Indian shaman and is introduced to the truths of the Medicine Wheel which haunt his onward journey to Switzerland, through the French student riots of 1968 and the running of the bulls in Spain. Only when he returns to Greece does he stop to take account of his wanderings and the lessons learned to fix himself in a Universe of meaning and purpose.