Homer’s Odyssey holds a timeless allure. It is an ancient story for every generation: the struggle of a man on a long and difficult voyage longing to return to love and family. Odysseus’s strivings to overcome both divine and earthly obstacles and to control his own impulsive nature hold valuable lessons for us as we confront the challenges of daily life. Sailing Home breathes fresh air into a classic we thought we knew, revealing its profound guidance for the modern seeker. Dividing the book into three parts—“Setting Forth,” “Disaster,” and “Return”—Fischer charts the course of Odysseus’s familiar wanderings. Readers come to see this ancient hero as a flawed human being who shares their own struggles and temptations, such as yielding to desire or fear or greed, and making peace with family. Featuring thoughtful meditations, illuminating anecdotes from Fischer’s and his students’ lives, and stories from many wisdom traditions including Buddhist, Judaic, and Christian, Sailing Home shows the way to greater purpose in our own lives. The book’s literary dimension expands its appeal beyond the Buddhist market to a wider spiritual audience and to anyone interested in the teachings of myth and story.

Captain Madsen's four children fondly recall their exciting experiences sailing with their father and mother on the bark John Ena at the turn of the twentieth century.

"My name is Eli Pruparrow, and I'm sailing down the Chesapeake Bay with my friend, Micha Kovnik. In case you don't know, the Chesapeake Bay is one of the biggest bays in the world, and lies smack between Virginia and Maryland. It's full of small fishing villages, islands, and big rivers like the Potomac, James, and Rappahannock. It's really beautiful, but a sailor in the bay has to be careful, there are lots of hazards here and storms come up quick. I might as well tell you how we got here, since it's pretty hard to believe how we ended up in a small boat in the middle of the Chesapeake. We're escapees from one of the worst foster homes ever. I can say this because I'm kind of an expert on foster homes. I've been in a dozen so far."

The story of the voyage of the Granger family as the sailed around the world on their boat called Faith. It is a story about travel and culture but more about relationships with their creator, with each other, with people on similar journeys and with others in the 38 countries they visited.