The Perfect Culture

He’s seeking a place to belong. His only tool is philosophical satire…

Thomas Gephardt loses no love for his rural Indiana home. Struck with raging wanderlust, the small-town college student heads for France armed with nothing but a thirst for stimulating conversation. So starts Thomas’s ego-bruising first leg of his ill-fated quest for cultural perfection.

Struggling to fit in at the catty French cafés, Thomas expands his search to the bustling city streets of Japan and the quiet devotion of an Israeli Kibbutz. But after each stopover leaves him with more questions than answers, he worries no location will check every box on his ideal society list.

Throughout his explorations, Thomas attempts to probe deeply into his experiences and to ponder big questions: What is the value of foreign travel? What is unique about each of these three cultures? How is each country shaped by its history?

Will Thomas find his far-flung utopian land, or is this American expat lost in transit?

The Perfect Culture is a darkly satirical standalone travel novel. Thomas has a variety of experiences - he is seen as a "quasi-alien" in a French restaurant, he wonders if he can meet expectations as a "talking monkey" in Japan, and he is informed that, unlike in The Big Lebowski, he definitely cannot roll on Shabbos in Israel.

If you enjoy candid cultural commentary, unique and extensive internal reflections, and detailed descriptions, then you’ll love Brent Robins’s international lampoon.

Buy The Perfect Culture for a tongue-in-cheek ticket to ride today!

"As the founding director of global education non-profit organization, I place great value on the theme (which is reinforced throughout the book). Travel can enrich you by exposing you to new experiences and different cultures. This traveler's journal makes the point that collecting passport stamps from visiting new places can be so much more valuable than collecting a bunch of trinkets and souvenirs. This book was a fun read and can serve as a helpful resource for any study-abroad student or first time international traveler."

-Dr. Yvonne Marie Andres, Founding Director of Global SchoolNet 

"Full of wry humor and sharp wit...Thomas’s evocations of different cities, his reflective, humorous inner dialogue in the middle of real conversations, and his unique take on people and places make the reading a real delight...this charming novel will make the reader wish for a sequel featuring Thomas Gephardt."

-The Prairies Book Review

"This book shines a light on the significance of immersing yourself in other cultures and overcoming the cultural faux pas which we inevitably commit when traveling...Robins conveys all of this through humor, empathy, and by using a protagonist who is easy to relate to...The novel will encourage young readers to pack a bag and leave the perimeters of their everyday lives, and even for me, as a thirty-something-year-old to take a sabbatical and be Thomas again for a year."

-Independent Book Review

"Having traveled to some of the countries explored in the book myself, Thomas’s experiences resonate and it is obvious that Brent has written the book after researching customs and people... I would highly recommend this book."

-Readers' Favorite