Essays describing the hard-knock upbringing of a pitbull, turkeys attempting to cross over into Mexico to escape Thanksgiving, and the difficulty Somali pirates face when attempting to bury their booty which consists of 2 million barrels of crude oil. How about a James Bond-like character from the Deep South, a gun lover actually in love with her gun, or a charter school for Goth students? These are just some of the characters and places you'll come across in Mike Murphy's book Tortoise Crossing--expect long delays. Over 100 short essays focusing on animals, sports, politics, holidays, travel, and a host of other subjects will make you look at the world in ways you possibly never thought of before. Some readers have drawn comparisons of Mike's work to Dave Barry's articles and Gary Larson's comics.