PHOENIX, AZ - Aug 19, 2025 - Bestselling author and globe-trotting storyteller Cory Mortensen, known for his vivid cycling memoir The Buddha and the Bee and his South American odyssey Unlost, returns with Embracing Bewilderment: A Reluctant Entrepreneur’s Journey – An Unconventional European Summer Twisting Into a Mind-Bending Excursion Through Southeast Asia. The new memoir has earned high praise from Kirkus Reviews, which calls it “a well-written, absorbing journey through Europe and East Asia.”
In Embracing Bewilderment, Mortensen picks up where his previous adventures left off, this time spanning nearly 20 countries and weaving a tapestry of landscapes, history, and human connection. From Iceland’s Driftwood Bay to the temples of Angkor Wat, from Prague’s Vltava River to the crowded streets of Hong Kong, Mortensen blends travelogue with social commentary, humor, and self-reflection.
Kirkus notes the book’s “engaging (and occasionally literary) prose style full of evocative imagery” and commends its ability to capture the beauty and complexity of each destination while “avoiding problematic exoticization.” Full-color photographs and maps bring each journey to life, offering readers a rich visual companion to the storytelling.
Part memoir, part entrepreneurial reflection, the book also features a candid appendix essay—“How To Become an Entrepreneur Without Wanting To Become an Entrepreneur”—which shares Mortensen’s unconventional path from building a company to selling it, and ultimately to embracing a life of exploration.
“Travel is not just about the places,” Mortensen says. “It’s about the quiet moments between destinations, the unplanned encounters, and the way the world rearranges your perspective when you let it.”
Embracing Bewilderment is available now in hardcover ($44.67), paperback ($19.95), and e-book ($5.99) through major booksellers: https://www.thebuddhaandthebee.com
About the Author
Cory Mortensen is the award-winning author of The Buddha and the Bee and Unlost. After selling his business, he traded boardrooms for border crossings, exploring the world by bike, boat, train, and foot. His work blends personal memoir with cultural exploration, offering readers an intimate look at the people, landscapes, and unexpected turns that shape a journey.
Book Details:
Title: Embracing Bewilderment: A Reluctant Entrepreneur’s Journey – An Unconventional European Summer Twisting Into a Mind-Bending Excursion Through Southeast Asia
Author: Cory Mortensen
Publisher: White Condor https://www.thebuddhaandthebee.com
Publication Date: February 8, 2024
Formats: Hardcover ($44.67), Paperback ($19.95), e-book ($5.99)
ISBN: 978-1-7354981-7-1
Media Contact
Company Name: White Condor Publishing
Contact Person: Cory Mortensen
Email:Send Email
Phone: 903-336-4391
Country: United States
Website: www.thebuddhaandthebee.com
