American novelist James Baldwin once said, “Know from whence you came. If you know whence you came, there are absolutely no limitations to where you can go.”
Baldwin’s words perfectly capture the tales told by Thaao Penghlis in his memoir, “Places.”
In his memoir, Penghlis, an actor best known for his roles on “General Hospital” and “Days of Our Lives,” tells the story of a young Greek-Australian man who had no plans outside of working as an Immigration Official at the Commonwealth Center in Sydney, Australia, but dreamed of traveling the world.
On the word of a fortuneteller, Penghlis quits his job, leaves his family and begins his journey to climb Mt. Sinai, gaze at Cheops Pyramid, boat across the Nile, balloon over the Valley of the Kings and visited the possible resting place of Alexander the Great.
“Places” is a beautiful tale of Penghlis’ journey to discover the world as well as himself. He experiences healings, cleansing rituals and even out-of-body experiences, which he richly details in ways that can only be described as inspiring.
Penghlis firmly believes in energies and ideas that cannot be seen or tested. They can only be felt. His retellings of metaphysical experiences are riveting.
He paints a picture with his words that takes the reader far beyond what most skilled writers can achieve.
Another striking feature of the book is Penghlis’ sense of humor. He’s one of those guys who always seemed to find himself in the most awkward situations, but he’s so smooth that it always turns into a great story. One of my favorites is the story of when he was assisting Robert Redford try on a suit jacket in the shop Penghlis worked for.
“The usual routine was to slide your hands down the sides of the suit to give the feel of Meledandri’s fine cut … but as I touched the sides of Redford I came across a pair of love handles and swiftly said, ‘If you want to wear this, you must lose all this.’ I grabbed his excess … He stared back at me, and after the initial shock had dissipated, he flashed that spectacular Redford smile and said, ‘You’re absolutely right,’ and then broke into a laugh.”
“Places” is loaded with hilarious moments like this, especially with the mouth that Penghlis has. He doesn’t swear excessively, but it is definitely sprinkled throughout the novel to give it that particular taste. It adds to the humor. Penghlis has an amazing writer’s voice, and he certainly knows how to tell a good story.
Skylar Griego is a freelance writer for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at culture@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @DailyLobo.
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