Running Naked Through the Streets

Running Naked Through the Streets is an account of the year Dr. Caramine White lived in the former Communist country Slovakia, from August 2004 - May 2005. When Dr. White received a Fulbright Scholarship, she and an American literature professor from a Slovak university "exchanged" jobs. Dr. White lived in Banska Bystrica, a city of about 84,000 in central Slovakia. Although her students spoke English, very few of the townspeople did, and the living conditions were much different from those enjoyed in America. Running Naked Through the Streets, which refers to the utter helplessness and vulnerability she often felt, is neither an autobiography nor a travel book. Although Dr. White does include some interesting information for tourists, the crux of the book is how being so alone and dependent can encourage and even accelerate personal growth. It is told with a great deal of humor and honesty. Interwoven throughout the text are humorous essays recounting some of her bizarre adventures during the year, which range from belly dancing to marathon running, from inadvertently taking part in a Polish Confirmation ceremony to becoming the object of affection for a mentally challenged homeless man.