RELEASE JUNE 2026
RELUCTANT EXPLOER
IN A VANISHING
WORLD
Leaving a familiar world behind, a restless twenty-two-year-old American with little money heads east across the legendary overland trail from Europe to Turkey under martial law, Iran in the final days of the Shah, Afghanistan before its collapse, and in the aftermath of the Indo-Pakistan war.
What begins as youthful innocence and curiosity soon becomes a five-year immersion in cultures, unpredictable dangers, and intoxicating freedoms far removed from life back home.
Along the way he consorts with smugglers, mystics, wanderers, jihadist, sikhs and fellow travelers chasing promises of the era— drugs, sex, freedom, peace and the thrill of the unknown.
DROP OUT captures a remarkable moment in time, when the world felt open, borders were porous, and a young traveler could simply head east and see what happens.
WHAT READERS ARE SAYING
Having lived through this period, and having friends who dropped out for a few years, it's the one thing in life I wish I had done. An exhilaarataing story with refreasing candor.
POWERFULL, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
JAMES
LAWYER
An insight in time; with culture, geopoliticals, antics and frolics of a young man attacking the world. Gaining knowledge few acheive in a life time - a must read.
STIMULATING , INFORMATIVE, FULLY RECOMMENDED
KRISTINE
AUTHOR
I would have never let my boy take this journey; but, a man in his twenties wouldn't ask mother. The activities are variously cruel, heart warning, exoctic, dangerous and enlighting.
WORTH EVERY PARENTS TIME.
JANELL
MOTHER
Founded by a team of passionate book lovers, Drop Out Press is dedicated to connecting readers with the stories that matter. We offer a wide range of genres, from fiction to non-fiction, ensuring there’s something for everyone. Our commitment is to foster a love for reading and support authors in sharing their voices.
BIO
J. (Jay) Eugene is a wandering flâneur drawn to the margins of society; from teeming cities, to Himalayan trails, to the isolation of North Korea. For more than fifty years, his curiosity in people, economics, and geopolitics has taken him to regions of the world on the edge of transformation.
Jay earned an MBA in Brussels and lived for years in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. Based in the United States, he spent two decades as a corporate executive starting and leading businesses worldwide. Yet each year he still sets out with his small leather bag, and circles the globe in search of places in transition. Travel, it seems, remains his first and most persistent calling.
Lost in Time / Five -Year Overland Journey
