Investment Biker

August 1, 1994
Those wanting to make a killing on the Botswana stock exchange should pass up this book. Combining a travel narrative with economic advice, Rogers, who teaches business at Columbia, recounts his 20-month global motorcycle tour with his ``tall, leggy and blonde'' 23-year-old girlfriend, Tabitha. As the two pass through a region, he sizes up the local economy and recommends investment strategies. Often Rogers's tips seem on the mark, as in Eastern Europe and Asia. Yet for other places, Africa in particular, he appears uninformed. Predicting Zaire's imminent collapse, Rogers declares, ``Zaire hasn't had its civil war yet,'' ignoring the Congo crisis of 1960-1965. Such inaccuracies mar what is otherwise an entertaining and unique world tour. Overall, the intended breezy blend of business and travel instead feels like the zigzagging of a man who rarely leaves his preconceptions behind, no matter what lies in front of him. Author tour.