Book Description

It's as if Dave Barry, Charles Kuralt, and Ernie Pyle all squeezed together onto a bicycle to pedal across America and around the world, filing outrageous dispatches along the way. Insightful, humane, sublimely amusing--Metal Cowboy finds nobility in the common man, explains true bicycle-love, celebrates the beauty of the country, and charmingly relates encounters with malcontents and misfits.

Most of all, Metal Cowboy is a quest. It is the record of a young man seeking meaning in the world, trying to find what is good in the people he meets, what is good in himself, and a route off the prescribed roadways of life. From the moment an old blind rancher in Pocatello, Idaho, tapped his cane over Joe Kurmaskie and his loaded touring bike, stood back, and said, "Ah, metal cowboy," the quest had a name.

The forty essays in this book comprise the highlights and low moments of Metal Cowboy's cycling life: from his hallowed beginnings at age five, absconding with his sister's bike, through five cross-country tours--sleeping in cemeteries, cycling through an Elvis-impersonator convention, being attacked by geese, meeting madmen (and enjoying their company), meeting a 78-year-old cyclist (and struggling to keep up), following bad directions, eating anything not nailed down, being saved by real cowboys, being run off the road by real rednecks, meeting his future wife (while cycling), and a host of other trials, triumphs, and turns along the road less pedaled.

Joe "Metal Cowboy" Kurmaskie is an unforgettable, ebullient raconteur. He is a wonderful amalgam of writing talent, humor, athleticism, and travel. His love for bicycles, and for humanity, is infectious. Metal Cowboy will remind you what life is all about. ... Read more

Reviews (24)

Bryson meets McIntyre...on a bike!
If you have ever read the travel narratives of Mike McIntyre or Robert Perkins and loved the wanderlust and interpersonal experiences, then took a little Bill Bryson and added a bike, you would have Metal Cowboy.

Books on travel can sometimes be too preachy or too operation oriented, but not Mr. Kurmaskie. His writing is very much about the journey, the experiences and people along the way. You don't take a trip when you read his book; you are along for the ride itself. Good stuff.

His vignettes range from the personal acceptance of his persona via a blind southern sage to finding where he belongs in the world, and everything in between, all with a unique perspective that can only be found by someone who has actually lived life.

Don't worry if you don't ride a bike, this isn't THAT kind of book. The bike is a facilitator for the journey that unfolds, you don't have to understand the pain and pleasure that people find in pushing pedals. It simply is a vehicle that transports him from one spot to another, putting him in places for things and interactions to happen.

Buy it, you won't regret it.

These 40 stories take the reader on a delightful ride.
Joe Kurmaskie's first book, "Metal Cowboy," is fashioned from loos, flowing prose, the kind that invites adjectives like "witty" and "insightful." But heart-warming, feel-good travel narratives are easy to find. It is more unusual to read one that fosters a deeper understanding of the overall experience and transcends mere outrageousness.

These 40 "Tales From the Road Less Pedaled" do not follow chronological order. Instead they jump around - from childhood sailing trips to crossing the Rocky mountainsto spending a season on the isalnd of Aruba - and focus more on developing a conversational yet intimate manner with the reader.

Most of the stories feature a quirky man or woman, somehoe alienated by society, who is living life on their own terms, determined to follow their heart. Either they live ina small town and share an experience with Kurmaskie, or they spend a few hours or days cycling with him. Elvis impersonators, a double lower leg amputee, a flamboyant Italian barber, overprotective geese, and a bomb-builder turned zealous rockhound are merely a sampling of the characters Kumaskie meets on the road.

However, Kurmaskie doesn't rely on extremes to keep his book engaging. He deftly tackles difficult subjects, too, and displays a remarkable aptitude for compassion and contemplation. For example, in "Doing the Hokey-Pokey," Ranada O'Ryan, a high-school drop-out turned factory worker takes Kurmaskie to her senior prom and he graciously plays the part of adoring boyfriend. He connects with parents who have lost their children to accidents or disease, assists a man suffering from AIDS, and struggles to make peace with both loggers and environmentalists.

Overall, he understands many readers crave a vicarious experience, one that satidfies their sense of adventure and enhances their understanding of people. His stories are full of optimism, zaniness and insight, a winning combination that will take readers on a delightful ride.

Metal Cowboy: Tales from the Road Less Pedaled
Joe Kurmaskie is a story teller for today! He combines the wit, wisdom and sensitivity of Sam Clemens, Will Rodgers, and John Gierach. this book will give you "itchy feet" whether you are a bicyclist or not, you'll want to get aout on the open road and feel the freedom.

Thanks Joe for the wonderful yarns!

Spectacular Read. Even for the non cyclist
This book will have you on the floor laughing. It will have so lost in thought that you won't realize that it is 1 am and you have to be to work by 6am.

I recomend this for anyone with interest in the things that make us human.

Metal Cowboy
Travel adventure of the highest order. Author Kurmaskie frames a picturesque perspective of being on the road with wit and well written wisdom. Great story telling. Very entertaining reading. I read it twice in succession and then went on to "Riding Outside The Lines" his second and equally good book! ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (4)

DETOURS:Never been so happy to get so lost
It's truly special how La Plante somehow takes one's own gritty reality of life, death and divorce, sends them off on a bike ride through time, space and climates, and ends up with a journey full of humor, sensitivity, hope and dreams.This book is a vacation for the soul complete with pit-stops for laughter, tears, and reflection.

Sure would love to let loose and really take such a trip but until then, I'll take my daily dose of Detours to remind me to keep the perspective by getting lost.

PS... I'm off to Ebay to buy a bike!

LIFE IS BUT A FRACTION OF A SPLIT SECOND...LIVE IT!
INCREDIBLY AWESOME!! LaPlante has captured the very essence of what we all yearn for....IT! A search into the mirror for the true meaning of hardaches, joy, love, honesty, fellowship and sincere happiness. One doesn't need to be a motorcycle enthusiast to savor the rewards this adventure will salivate. His humorous style will leave you giddy but the real story lies between the Hamptons of New York and the hallowed ground of the Black Hills of South Dakota. His wit and outrageous cast of characters makes this wild ride a must read, all the way home. This true exploration will leave a reflection in the mirror. Destined to end up a classic!

Touching and Very Entertaining
A man comes to terms with his life's decisions and puts them into perspective during his lone bike trip from East Hampton, NY, to Sturgis, South Dakota.Honest and without pretention, it will make you want to take a break from daily routine to prioritize and appreciate what we all take for granted. You do not need to be into motorcycles to enjoy this gem of a book.

well-written morality tale
Author Richard la Plante wanted to once live his American dream of attending the annual motorcycle rally in Sturgis, South Dakota.However, the now fiftyish Richard knew his time to consummate his dream apparently passed and he always would be a couch potato wondering what he missed.With a young child and a pregnant wife and now fifty-three, Richard faced with economic worries and writer's block decided it is time to live his fantasy.Borrowing a bike, he begins his odyssey.

IN DETOURS: LIFE, DEATH, AND DIVORCE ON THE ROAD TO STURGIS, Richard, in his autobiography, concentrates mostly on the trek to the Dakotas, which serves as an allegory to life's journey from birth to death.This is a strong but quite different type of autobiography.Though some will say the author ignored his responsibilities to his family with this risky venture, many will agree this book is worth reading not only for the well-written morality tale, but also for encouraging individuals to sing "My Way".

Harriet Klausner ... Read more

Book Description

The daughter of medical missionaries, Elaine Neil Orr was born in Nigeria in 1954, in the midst of the national movement that would lead to independence from Great Britain. But as she tells it in her captivating new memoir, Orr did not grow up as a stranger abroad; she was a girl at home--only half American, the other half Nigerian. When she was sent alone to the United States for high school, she didn't realize how much leaving Africa would cost her.

It was only in her forties, in the crisis of kidney failure, that she began to recover her African life. In writing Gods of Noonday she came to understand her double-rootedness: in the Christian church and the Yoruba shrine, the piano and the talking drum. Memory took her back from Duke Medical Center in North Carolina to the shores of West Africa and her hometown of Ogbomosho in the land of the Yoruba people. Hers was not the dysfunctional American family whose tensions are brought into high relief by the equatorial sun, but a mission girlhood is haunted nonetheless--by spiritual atmospheres and the limits of good intentions.

Orr's father, Lloyd Neil, formerly a high school athlete and World War II pilot, and her mother, Anne, found in Nigeria the adventure that would have escaped them in 1950s America. Elaine identified with her strong, fun-loving father more than her reserved mother, but she herself was as introspective and solitary as her sister Becky was pretty and social. Lloyd acquired a Chevrolet station wagon which carried Elaine and her friends to the Ethiope River, where they swam much as they might have in the United States. But at night the roads were becoming dangerous, and soon the days were clouded by smoke from the coming Biafran War.

Interweaving the lush mission compounds with Nigerian culture, furloughs in the American South with boarding school in Nigeria, and eventually Orr's failing health, the narrative builds in intensity as she recognizes that only through recovering her homeland can she find the strength to survive. Taking its place with classics such as Out of Africa and more recent works like The Poisonwood Bible and Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight, Gods of Noonday is a deeply felt, courageous portrait of a woman's life. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Plenty at Stake in "Gods of Noonday"
Elaine Neil Orr's memoir, Gods of Noonday: A White Girl's African Life, is an essential book in an era of global expansion. Orr's courage to claim as home Nigeria, the land of her birth and childhood, despite her expatriate status, should encourage expatriate children everywhere to claim their various nations, whether they integrated to host cultures or not. It should encourage them to do the archeology, as Orr does, uncovering the archetypes of their host cultures, whether they were conscious of them at the time or not. And it should encourage families raising children overseas to give them a fuller immersion, permit them host country playmates, and encourage local education and language study. Parents employed outside their borders must recognize that their childhood homes are not their children's childhood homes.
Orr's most symbolic immersion was swimming in the cool clear Ethiope, and she claims the river as her sacred ground. "Nothing you could tell me about Jehovah was equal to the proof of divinity provided by the mere existence of so lovely a river. And so I worshipped it."
The river represents the cultural immersion Orr longs for, after the fact. Her life in Nigeria seems decorous and material as she recalls American girl toys she got for Christmas in an American decorated house, later wishing it had been African art. Orr contrasts herself to "real missionaries" who spoke native languages, lived among Nigerians and regarded her, a white child, as no "more special than they (Nigerian children) were."
Honesty glimmers through that exceeds "Out of Africa" and "The Poisonwood Bible," however much those books claim to be "of the land." For instance, Orr sees the anger of Nigerians directed at American missionaries during the U.S. Civil Rights Movement when bulletin boards were defaced in the hospital where her father was administrator and her mother a nurse.
It seems that Orr mourns a land she lived on, often secluded from, rather than in and among. And yet she dares to claim more, and that claim of being Nigerian is like catharsis in her illness, which is, perhaps, her most poignant claim. She suffers a disease, diabetes, common to African Americans in the U.S., many of whom, she realizes, may not have received the care she did as she faces end stage renal disease.
Dr. Orr's writing recalls Isaak Denisen's, in that there is longing on every page. But it also recognizes the fallacy of claiming too much, knowing (as Ngugi wa Thiong'o did in "Weep Not Child," his lament in response to "Out of Africa"), that the land taken by colonists was not theirs to mourn. Even when her mother attempts to involve the teenage Elaine in Sunday evening meetings, she realizes, "I had become too Americanized to feel comfortable trying to pass as a Urhobo girl...."
Her voice and project gain strength as she interweaves her adult experience of declining health and relationships, finding that she has resisted intimate friendships, whether because she moved so often, or because she is seeking to "rekindle a greater loss." The reader may wish to know more about how her marriage was resolved, but that may be another volume.
Grippingly Orr writes about the Biafran war (1967-70), the suffering all around and the shields thrown up for the children even after the loss of a mission surgeon. "You really should not try to raise children in the midst of a war and pretend it isn't there," she writes in one of many direct addresses to her readers. We are drawn in.
Orr is also eloquent about the estrangement experienced on returning to the land that was supposed to be her home. She refutes the misconception that the trauma of MK life is about landing in Africa without prior knowledge of the culture. "West Africa will take you in." Rather the trauma is in moving back to America and trying to pass as an insider. "It's hard to hold up under that kind of pressure and remember who you are."
She finished high school in the U.S. where she "I often attempted greatness, but it was very hard without a village behind me." Her unique observation echoes a weighty theme among global nomads (see "Unrooted Childhoods: Memoirs of Growing Up Global"). Orr recognizes that, despite being enriched by Nigeria, she was impoverished of community at "home." The America her parents were rescuing her for was already lost to her, and her boarding school compound was seperated from African village life.
Also essential at a time when missionary kids are confronting their missions (see: mksafetynet.com) and demanding trained dorm parents and child advocates, is Orr's recognition of sexual hazing and ritualized beatings in the boys' dorm. The rules of decent behavior frayed, so that "I left like the foreigner I was. I left the way I always left: without a tear." Her connectedness to any place was unavailable to her. Her wrenching refrain is, "For all I loved there, it was not mine to hold."
Even those who've lived all their lives as rooted as trees should read this book for Orr's masterful style; her resonant similes, "My youth was slipping away like badly spent money"; her metaphorical verbs, "the joy that petaled my youth"; her strong declaratives, "I was a Nigerian spirit born to an American mother: a crossed star, a mixed message, a long hunger."
There is plenty at stake in this book, as Orr faces death or rebirth from her illness. The tension builds and the ending is exquisite.

A Kindred Spirit
Although never a missionary kid, Orr's memories of growing up during the 60s and early 70s struck a resonant chord and I felt as if I knew her - or perhaps WAS her. We were born in the same year, and like Orr I was raised in the Southern Baptist Church. I was a "GA" like she was and learned early my "place" in the dynamics of a church congregation. So many of the conflicting emotions Orr felt as a girl who wasn't sure where she belonged, as well as her ambivalent feelings about her family led to an insightful prose that accurately describes my own emotions during that time in my life - although we were an ocean apart. With clear, concise writing that often turned poetic, this book was an enjoyable read from start to finish, and I'm sure to re-visit it time and again.

A Memior Which Speaks to Parents
While the descriptions of the land and the people of Nigeria are powerful and beautiful, the relationship of the children and the author in particular, to the adults and to their parents really spoke to me. Do we pay attention to our children? Are we there when they need us? What happens when we are so distracted by our work and our passion that the child's voice goes unheard?

Ms. Orr's book also portrays the universal struggles of young women, teenagers in particular, as they grow up amidst difficult and demanding societal pressures. Ms. Orr may have felt attached to Africa but America had a hold on her as a young woman. This book offers a rich experience for mothers and daughters to read "Gods of Noonday" together and to explore their own unique relationships.

It is also a story of great survival and determination as Ms. Orr faced the very real possibility of losing her battle against Diabetes and kidney failure. "Gods of Noonday" is a treasure.

I LOVED THIS BOOK
Elaine Neil Orr writes with such poetic beauty and detail that it makes you feel as though you have stepped into the scene. She has such an interesting story to tell of growing up in Nigeria, struggling to blend in with American society and battling a serious disease in her adult years. Once I picked up the book, I could hardly put it down. Orr has an exceptional gift for making words come to life. I highly recommend this book!

Going Home
Elaine has succeeded in what many MKs (missionary kids) have wanted to do and that is to write about our experiences while growing up in Nigeria. I too, was born in Ogbomosho, Nigeria and knew Elaine and her family while in living in Nigeria and when I read her book, I could see, hear, taste, smell and touch Nigeria just as if I were right back there. It brought back so many precious memories that I have not thought about in years, some that I had even forgot.
It helps to strengthen our common bond when we have the opportunity to share with one another about our experiences in Nigeria. It makes me appreciate and proud of the heritage that we all share.

Thank you, Elaine, for making "going home", close as possible.

Your fellow guava tree lover,

Ron Wasson ... Read more

Book Description

Historically the world of equestrian travel has contained an exciting mixture of unique men and women. Some are adventurers seeking danger from the back of their horses. Others are travelers discovering the beauties of the countryside they slowly ride through. A few are searching for inner truths while cantering across desolate parts of the planet. Then there is Messanie Wilkins. She was acting on orders from the Lord!

In 1954, at the age of 63, Wilkins had plenty to worry about. A destitute spinster in ill health, Wilkins had been told she had less than two years left to live, provided she spent them quietly. With no family ties, no money, and no future in her native Maine, Wilkins decided to take a daring step. Using the money she had made from selling homemade pickles, Wilkins bought a tired summer camp horse and made preparations to ride from the Atlantic coast to the Pacific Ocean. Yet before leaving she flipped a coin, asking God to direct her to go or not. When the coin came up head several times in a row, one of America's most unlikely equestrian heroines set off.

What followed was one of the 20th Century's most remarkable equestrian journeys. Accompanied by her faithful horse, Tarzan, Wilking suffered through a host of obstacles including blistering deserts and freezing snow storms, yet never lost faith that she would complete her 7,000 mile odyssey.

"Last of the Saddle Tramps" is thus the warm and humorous story of a humble American heroine bound for adventure and the Pacific Ocean. The classic tale is amply illustrated with photographs. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

The Courage to ride
At the age of 62 it seemed that Mesannie Wilkins had reached the end of the road. Her farm was about to be repossessed by the bank and the doctors had giver her less than two years to live.
She was told to take it easy. Friends and relatives invited her to stay with them for the brief time left to her. But Mesannie refused to go quietly. With her last bit of money she bought Tarzan, an ex-summer camp horse, and with only 32 dollars left in her pocket set out, on horseback, from her home in Maine.

Her goal - California.

"Last of the Saddle Tramps" is Mesannie Wilkins' recollection of this 7000 mile journey. This tale is a wonderful mixture of the humorous horsey incidents (like her Tennessee Walker trying to walk back to Tennessee), the incredible physical hardships and the wonderful hospitality offered to her by her fellow Americans during the ride.
Mesannie Wilkins' style of writing is, much like herself, warm, humorous and unassuming. She has a wonderful gift for, with only a few lines, painting accurate images of the people encountered on the trail.
Most importantly, however, this is a tale of the incredible courage of one woman who, faced with seemingly unsurmountable odds, refused to give up on her life and her dream. Mesannie Wilkins is a true inspiration, today as much as during her lifetime. ... Read more

Book Description

Defying everyoneís advice, armed only with her rudimentary knowledge of Chinese and Tibetan, Sabriye Tenberken set out to do something about the appalling condition of the Tibetan blind, who she learned had been abandoned by society and left to die. Traveling on horseback throughout the country, she sought them out, devised a Braille alphabet in Tibetan, equipped her charges with canes for the first time, and set up a school for the blind. Her efforts were crowned with such success that hundreds of young blind Tibetans, instilled with a newfound pride and an education, have now become self-supporting. A tale that will leave no reader unmoved, it demonstrates anew the power of the positive spirit to overcome the most daunting odds. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Amazing story
Sabriye Tenbergen is a young blind woman who has accomplished a great deal. Almost single-handedly, she developed a Braille script for Tibetan, then went to Tibet, where she traveled on horseback, looking for blind children to teach. Before then, blind children were hidden away or abandoned as cursed, with no future, but Sabriye was determined to give them one. So she founded a school where she taught blind children to read, as well as other life skills such as cane travel. She herself got around by cane by using landmarks in the city.

This account is just one more example of how the best humanitarian work is often founded by determined individuals with a dream. Conversely, Sabriye was opposed at almost every turn by incompetent and apathetic bureaucrats in organizations both in her native Germany and in Tibet.

She clearly loves the land and people, but is not "blind" to the reality either. The country is frightfully cold in winter as well as being prone to floods. And she noted many of the superstitions that harm the wellbeing of the people. But she noted the strengths as well, e.g. Tibetans designed houses to cope well with the cold, while the Chinese made concrete boxes that are hopeless. [Reminds me of the opposite in sub-tropical to tropical Queensland. The early settlers designed open-structured "Queenslanders" that caught the breezes very well, but later architects in New South Wales and Victoria designed houses that became convection ovens in Queensland]

Sabriye has a way of writing that seems very visual, so sometimes it's easy to forget she's blind.

Won¿t give up
This book tells the story of a young woman with an impossible dream, and how she set about accomplishing it. Tenberken was born with vision problems that led to complete blindness by the time she was a teenager. Once while she was in middle school, she and her class visited a special museum exhibit about Tibet. From that point on, she was fascinated with Tibet, and when she started university, she decided to major in Asian languages with the goal of going to Tibet. Pursuing a major in Asian languages is quite difficult for any Westerner, but even more so for a blind Westerner, since Braille materials and computer software for language study in these languages are limited, if they exist at all. Indeed, Tenberken ended up creating her own Braille system for writing Tibetan script (which proved so useful in her studies that she was even able to use her class notes to tutor sighted students in her classes). Upon graduation from university, she set off for Tibet by herself to found a school for blind children and teach them how to read and write using her Tibetan Braille alphabet with the goal of allowing them to be integrated into regular schools once they became literate. The very thought of just picking up and moving to a country that happens to be occupied by a communist government and establishing an independent school for unschooled children, especially when you yourself do not have teaching experience, sounds positively ludicrous. Fortunately for the blind children of Tibet, Tenberken doesn't seem to understand the meaning of the phrase "you can't do that"- -perhaps a result of her upbringing, since her parents obviously supported her endeavors, or perhaps a simple character trait that drives her.

In a few places in the book, Tenberken's style is a bit stilted, or she seems to gloss over details that beg to be explained. She carefully avoids any mention whatsoever of the political situation in Tibet, since any hint of criticism would no doubt result in the immediate closure of her school and the undoing of all of her efforts. In any case, she taught her students Tibetan language from the start, rather than only sticking to Chinese. The book is quite interesting for its story of how one determined person can have a tremendous impact on the lives of many, many others.

One of the most uplifting books I've read in years
Sabriye Tenberken is a young woman from Germany who happens to be blind. She has written one of the most amazing and uplifting books I have read in years. MY PATH LEADS TO TIBET is an account, in her own words (translated from the original German), of how Sabriye fulfilled her dream of helping the blind children of Tibet achieve independence and attain a sense of dignity. She has done this by establishing a school for blind children in Lhasa against incredible odds -- all alone and before she reached her 30th birthday.

There could be no better introduction than her own words: "Strange as it may seem, whenever I'm about to take a leap into the unknown, I always have the same dream. I'm standing at the top of a sand dune, looking down at the sea. The sky is clear and blue, the sea flat and dark. The sun is bright, the beach is filled with people. Then all of a sudden, on the horizon a huge towering wall of water is moving slowly toward us in total silence. Everyone is running in my direction. The wall of water, growing ever more menacing by the second, blots out most of the sky. Instead of running away, I walk toward it. And the wall of water crashes over me. To my surprise, however, instead of being crushed by its mass, I am in my dream left feeling tremendously light, filled with new energy. And I know that from now on nothing will be impossible." (pp.11-12)

Sabriye was diagnosed with a serious eye disease in childhood and became completely blind at age 12. She uses a white cane when she walks and travels around the world without assistance. In a place where she has never been before, she relies on strangers to help her and trusts that they will. She is rarely disappointed. The faith she has in herself and in the best of human nature is extraordinary --- and extraordinarily rare to read about at a time when, more often than not, we are being bombarded with words of worldwide deceit and destruction.

The book is written in a flowing, straightforward and easy-reading manner in first person, much like a journal. Yet Sabriye never forgets that we who are reading her book have never had the experience of being blind. She takes us into her world and shares with us her experiences in such a way that we gradually begin to realize what an extraordinary teacher she will be, when and if she is able to get her school started.

On a previous trip to Nepal with her mother, Sabriye spent a brief time in Tibet and learned that blind people are viewed as having been cursed at birth and are treated very much like lepers, or worse. She developed a burning desire to teach Tibet's blind children that they can have full lives, that they do not need to be ashamed or handicapped and that they can live as Sabriye herself lives --- to the fullest.

Tibet, now a part of the People's Republic of China, is famous for its exotic isolation. Yet she set off with only a few pieces of luggage, her white cane and a promise of a small amount of financial backing from sources in her native Germany. She had to apply for permission to the Chinese government and faced bureaucratic obstacles that must have seemed as insurmountable as the mountains themselves. She doesn't give up. She makes friends. She buys a horse that knows its way through the mountain passes.

Not only does Sabriye have to get permission to build a school, she must also go out among the people --- some of who are nomadic tribes --- and find the blind children who will become her pupils. Because their parents are ashamed of them, these children are often hidden away. Thus she travels on horseback and tells us of her travels, the hardships, the joys and the people she meets along the way. Even though you know she will achieve what she has set out to do, the fact that she was able to do it is so remarkable that you will read with your heart in your throat much of the time.

The publisher has included a selection of color photographs that, for us sighted folks, add much to the book.

Reading MY PATH LEADS TO TIBET is an unforgettable experience. Sabriye Tenberken has done us all a kindness by taking us with her on her incredible mission.

--- Reviewed by Ava Dianne Day

Even the Himalaya is no limit for this amazing woman
You have to read this story yourself or you simply will not believe it. Sabriye Tenberken knew that Tibet has a high rate of blind children with no access to any education. So she developed a Braille language for the Tibetian language, decided to go to Tibet on her own to open a school for blind children, and then went there and did exactly that. Sounds impossible to you? - Then get this book and read it yourself.

Being blind does not restrain her from anything. Sometimes I think it gives her even more energy to focus on the really important things. If someone tells her that she could not do it, you can be sure she will proove him or her wrong. In fact, she does more with her life than most seeing poeple. Winston Churchill once stated that perseverance is the secret to success. Guess he is right. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

54-Year-Old Historian Cycles Around the World
This was an inspirational book, written by a historian. I enjoyed the book.
However, I was disappointed with the book in one way. The author speaks mainly as a historian, taking the reader on a historical tour of all of the places she visted on her bike. Even by the end of the book, we know very little about the author herself, or her personal feelings. There are several very poor, black-and-white photos of places she visited, but there is not even one photo of her! I would have preferred one photo of her, with her bicycle, anywhere, than all of the other photos she included in the book. I would also have liked her to share more of her personal life with the reader, which she seems to have purposely avoided (In the chapter where she travels through the American Midwest, she comments that Americans seem to discuss their personal problems even with strangers, but indicates that she feels that is an oddity. I found that an interesting comment on American culture, and probably very true, when compared with other cultures, especially the British culture.)

This one issue aside, I found the book inspiring, for a woman of her age, and poor physical condition (at the outset) to have cycled around the world. I read with great interest her descriptions of the people's behavior (both toward her and toward each other) in various places. I was quite surprised by her descriptions of Pakistanis, Indians, and various Americans (as an American myself). I was both surprised and not surprised by her travels across America--it being the hardest place because of the vast, empty distances (particularly in the West).

Disappointingly, the author shared only a few minor details of her life. I am quite a history buff myself, but this book rather overdosed on history. Nevertheless, I did pick up a few interesting historical tidbits. For example, I found it quite interesting that her cycling through Italy was far easier than many other places (in spite of the mountains) because the Romans constructed their roads in such a way as to try to never give up height before reaching the highest point. Therefore, the route gradually climbed, whereas in newer areas (such as America), modern roads repeatedly climb and fall, making it much harder on a cyclist.

A 54 year old Headmistress bikes around the world.
Feeling 50 and old? Stuck in your ways with life a bit monotonous? Read this and feel the freedom of following the trail of Alexander the Great. Ride on the Royal Road through Turkey staying at local Inns and stopping for coffee. A fascinating book! ... Read more

Book Description

This was Halliburton's third book, and details his adventures in Central and South America. The resultant work does not have a dull page anywhere. It details how Halliburton dived to the bottom of the Mayan Well of Death, swam the length of the Panama Canal, and roamed over the infamous Devil's Island searching for adventure. ... Read more

Book Description

A Russian American writer catapults herself into the maelstrom of Russian life at a time of seismic change for both

The daughter of Russian émigrés, Ingrid Bengis grew up wondering whether she was American or, deep down, “really Russian.” In 1991, naïvely in love with Russia and Russian literature, she settled in St. Petersburg, where she was quickly immersed in “catastroika,” a period of immense turmoil that mirrored her own increasingly complex and contradictory experience.

Bengis’s account of her involvement with Russia is heightened by her involvement with B, a Russian whose collapsing marriage, paralleling the collapse of the Soviet Union, produces a situation in which “anything could happen.” Their relationship reflects the social tumult, as well as the sometimes dangerous consequences of American “good intentions.” As Bengis takes part in Russian life—becoming a reluctant entrepreneur, undergoing surgery in a St. Petersburg hospital, descending into a coal mine—she becomes increasingly aware of its Dostoevskian duality, never more so than when she meets the impoverished, importuning great-great-granddaughter of the writer himself. Beneath the seismic shifting remains a centuries-old preoccuption with “the big questions”: tradition and progress, destiny and activism, skepticism and faith. With its elaborate pattern of digression and its eye for the revealing detail, Bengis’s account has the hypnotic intimacy of a late-night conversation in a Russian kitchen, where such questions are perpetually being asked.
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Reviews (2)

Metro Stop Dostoevsky
A wonderful book! Captures relationships; explores in thoughtful and insightful ways,the way one's own struggles for identity are the same and different as those from another culture. Intimate and personal but placed in a broader context as well. A very soulful, moving memoir.

The hopes and despairs of real Russians
This is a marvelous book about the lives of ordinary Russians in the "New Russia" Ingrid Bengis has the rare aqbility to make you feel you are participating in a chat around the kitchen table in a Russian apartment.With her background in Russian literature and History she brings valuable insights intoboth what has changed and what remains the same as always in Russia.As a person who has made many trips to Russia I felt in reading the book I was back with old fiends sharing their frustrations.Above all the book is beautifully written and a pleasure to read. ... Read more

Book Description

After seven years ashore and after having his left leg amputated, Tristan Jones decided to return to the sea. He began to piece together Operation Star and found the perfect vessel in a 36-foot trimaran. In October 1983, Jones and his only crew member, Wally Rediske, set out in Outward Leg from San Diego, intending to circumnavigate the world from west to east by sail.

The book is the exciting story of Tristan's preparation for this major seagoing event and the chronicle of half of it. Tristan sailed down the western coast of Central America through the Panama Canal to a small Colombian town. There he had to fight for survival among hostile natives, drug dealers, and uncooperative port officers. He went on to Venezuela, Aruba, and the Dominican Republic during its 1984 revolution. Finally he reached New York and crossed the Atlantic to return to St. Katharine's Dock in London where he began his seagoing life thirty years before. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Classics Tristan Jones
I read Outward Leg several years ago and it inspired me to read just about all of his other books.His no nonsense, slighly irreverent style appealsto me as well as the fact that he has a great sense of humanity.A goodbook and a good read. ... Read more

Book Description

The open road, a well-tuned machine, and a fine "old lady" hanging on to your back. That's freedom. That's living.

Sonny Barger is the number one spokesman for the outlaw biker life. And what stories he has to tell -- freewheeling, bare-knuckle tales of brawls and battles, brotherhood, amazing adventures, crazy quests, and the inevitable classic scrapes with "John Law."

The most colorful legends and unforgettable characters of biker lore come alive here: including badass dudes like Cincinnati, one of the many Folsom State Prison graduates riding the nation's highways, and lone-wolf dreamer Moto Guzzi Ron and his remarkable run at the North Pole, dodging killer bears along the way. Whether you ride or just dream of riding, Ridin' High, Livin' Free is a fascinating glimpse into a unique culture of freedom that recognizes only one commandment: the code of the road.

Reviews (18)

Not as bad as some, worse than others
I was excited when this came out, as I was going through a bit of hero worship regarding bikers. Of course, now years later and a motorcyclist myself, my awe of this life-style has paled.

Barger has to be given credit for where it is due. He's managed to make money of the Hell's Angels for fifty years now. That's pretty impressive. And to be willing to openly discuss portions of his life in that society takes guts. However, this book falls short in many areas.

One, the few stories that relate to the Hell's Angels are over-the-top. It's just too hard to believe these exploits.

Two, the non-Hell's Angels stories aren't any better. The picture painted of bikers throughout this book is that they are greasy, dirty, smelly and disgusting. Even the women profiled here are portrayed as little more than tramps.

Three, we're subjected to Barger's attempt at fiction. Atleast it's only boring, unlike his actual fiction book (DEAD IN FIVE HEARTBEATS), which is a fictionalization of his autobiography with some preposterous action sequences thrown in.

So, if you're really into juvenille biker stories, this is up your alley. If not, but you want to explore this genre, there are plenty of better books available.

So Disappointed!!
Jeez, aside from about 30 pages of goodness about Steve Mcqueen and a few old-time H/A stories-which are told using lame-o aliases and seem to be recalled through a certain haze...this is just a steamin' pile of crap. Crap I could hear if I went to the gaywad leather bar in my town. What can I say, I have all the respect in the world for Barger, the H/A's, whatever, but I didn't pay money to read about a yuppie's BMW road trip. Seriously.

I just expected better from somebody who has better stories than this (really, he's gotta have better stories...Son-come on, you don't have better than this??). I just kept thinking that Barger just really didn't want to be doing this, and it came down to these two nutsucker ghost-writers grasping at straws.

not good
This book contains the most insipid Hell-raising stories I have ever read.By Mr. Barger's standards, my accountant with a new Harley is likely a Hell-raiser.Livin' Free apparently refers to the rare occasions that these petty criminals are not in jail for domestic abuse or writing bad checks or some other Hell-raising crime.Mr. Barger says that the stories are partially or wholly invented.This begs the question - How can fictional stories be so boring?You might think a guy like this would write like a seventh grade kid with a lukewarm IQ.You would be right.In defense of the book's title, it is quite possible that many of the characters are ridin' high.Perhaps if I was high, I would have enjoyed the book more.

Hell's Angel
Zimmerman's easy read of Barger's memories is a bit of history. One begins quite quickly to realize this history lacks credibility. Barger has reinvented the story of the gang-beating of Hunter Thompson. Skip Workman himself admitted in a 1967 television interview that women once in a while needed to be beaten like a rug. A woman's beating is the reason Thompson expressed his disapproval and was subsequently beaten (Workman's comments were specific to the Thompson beating). Barger softens the story in the book, as part of his overall attempt to change the reputation of the club and make them appear to be heroes. Barger further hopes to canonize himself through this self-fashioning. Once this credibility is broken, one cannot help but question the account of Barger's wife's accidental death while attempting to self abort. Barger freely admits he did not want children. As long as you are ready to indulge the over 60 Barger's attempt to use this quick read to convince you he is an American hero (he supported the Vietnam war), take a peek, it won't take much of your time.

If I was grading, I'd give it a D...
I'm a native Californian and lifetime bike rider.Like a lot of people, I've always had a kind of fascination with Hells Angels--and that debauched life-style.I bought this book on a whim, thinking it might be interesting anecdotes/episodics. I was wrong; really wrong.
This book is a loose string of stories--some interesting, some boring.The thing that really impacted me as a reader is the poor prose.Even with two "with" writers/editors, it reads like a series of remedial essays.Mix in the justifications, sexism, and plain hostility and it's just sad and a waste of time and money.
There's no way I'd read the other book (Hell's Angels) now.This was so poorly written it was a near painful read.I wish it had been different--but I just can't get past the constant attitude and room temperature IQ presentation.Oh, one other thing; it's stated early that some of the stories are "true" and some are not...what the ...?!?Yep, I used to teach and tutor English; given the context of publication, I'd have to give it a D. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

I could not put it down.
I picked it up on a Saturday morning, meaning to only read for an hour or so. I finished it at 11:30pm that same day! It was a riveting true life story that even days later I am still thinking about.

I've often wondered, when seeing an ocean tanker sitting at dock; where are the people and what kind of lives do they have? Now I know. I feel like I was on the journey with Jeanne. She pulled me into the story. It has been some time since I have had a book inspire such emotion that I have been brought to tears.

This story portrayed a great lesson to remind us that compassion can open the door to forgiveness. And that forgiveness not only frees the recipient, but also the giver. It also reminded me how healing it can be to use an adventure to shake up your life sufficiently so it gets back on its intended path.

I, for one, am eager to hear more from this author.

Worth the Voyage
Lutz's novel is based on her real-life experience as a merchant marine. She signs up during a tumultuous period of her life--
as a recent divorcee and disillusioned teacher, she's disappointed with her salary and lack of respect for her profession.

Although she's excited by the promise of more money and an adventure, she has no idea what lies in store for her as she ships out on an aging freighter.

Battling exhaustion and terrible working conditions, she's forced to face issues from her past.

One of the most moving parts of the book is when she tapes a letter to her daughters into her tiny dorm-room style refrigerator, hoping that somehow the message will remain safe when the ship capsizes.

Lutz is a fresh, honest Northwest voice--she captures what it's like to be a single woman who bucks the system.

Bravo! Hope to see more from this writer soon! ... Read more

Book Description

A true account of desert island adventure by the author of the best–selling Castaway. ... Read more

Book Description

Born in 1941 of a white father and a Hawaiian mother, Gene H. Bell-Villada, grew up an overseas American citizen. An outsider wherever he landed, he never had a ready answer to the innocuous question "Where are you from?"

By the time Bell-Villada was a teenager, he had lived in Puerto Rico, Venezuela, and Cuba. Though English was his first language, his claim on U.S. citizenship was a hollow one. All he knew of his purported "homeland" was gleaned from imported comic books and movies. He spoke Spanish fluently, but he never fully fit into the culture of the Latin American countries where he grew up.

In childhood, he attended an American Catholic school for Puerto Ricans in San Juan, longing all the while to convert from Episcopalianism so that he could better fit in. Later at a Cuban military school, during the height of the Batista dictatorship, he witnessed fervent political debates among the cadets about Fidel Castro's nascent revolution and U.S. foreign policy. His times at the American School in Caracas, Venezuela, are tinged with reminiscences of oil booms and fights between U.S. and Venezuelan teen gangs.

When Bell-Villada finally comes to the United States to stay, he finds himself just as rootless as before, moving from New Mexico to Arizona to California to Massachusetts in quick succession. His accounts of life on the campuses of Berkeley and Harvard, during the tumultuous 1960s, reveal much about the country's climate during the Cold War era.

Eventually the "Gringo" comes home, finding the stability in his marriage and career that allows him to work through and proudly claim his identity as a "global nomad." ... Read more

Book Description

This is the story of a two-year, 10,000-mile voyage from Hawaii to the East Coast of the UNited States via the Panama Canal, with a sojourn in the Sea of Cortez.It is in some ways the sequel to the Moore's circumnavigation story, but it is also a "nuts-and-bolts" book, with specific tips on boat building, sailing, and living aboard, woven seamlessly into the narrative. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

A great read for anyone interested in bluewater sailing!
I found this gem by accident on the shelf of a secondhand store, along with several other books on the subject of cruising (which I also bought). This was by far, the best written of the bunch! They say the key to being a good author, is finding your "voice" on the written page, and Jim Moore has certainly done this. Jim has a narrative style that is entertaining as well as informative. He seemlessly blends together the tale of an adventure and lifestyle story that is full of amusing anecdotes, along with truely useful information about sailing, navigating, and living on a sailing vessel. I also appreciated Jim's ability to maintain continuity throughout the book (something not common in the others I've read). Read it the first time for the shear enjoyment. Read it the second time using a highlighter (if you ever plan to go cruising)!

Entertaining and educational
I'm sorry to say, I haven't read Moore's first book, but I can certainly recommend this one (after reading it twice). Moore has a down to earth writing style and is a real thinking sailor. By that, I mean that he has come up with a lot of good solutions to sailing problems, and he shares them in this book.

Besides a running narrative of his experiences, some of which have little to do with cruising, he shares what he has learned about seamanship and life on a boat. He demonstrates how to make a boat leakproof, how to anchor properly, and how to avoid a knockdown while you're sleeping. He throws in a few fishing tips as well, including one that involves vodka (a surprisingly useful tidbit).

In comparing this to a similar book, Lin Pardey's "Cruising in Serrafyn", I'd have to srongly favor Moore. Pardey wrote intirely too much about personal relationships and not enough about sailing.

I've read some pretty negative reviews about Moore's first book, but, IMHO, this one is worth the read.

Cruising in the Pacific and around North America
Jim Moore takes us on Swan his home made 36 foot sloop in the pacific and then around North America. You learn about Molly the Mate, Vane the proud wind vane, CN (Cool Navigator) the smart allec Sat Nav and other picturesque characters. You will travel to places you will not want to leave. You will also find some of the lessons that the author learned on sailing, cruising and fishing. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

A Must Read!
Reading this book was interesting, educational, and inspirational. I would recommend this book to anyone who is planning a trip to Ghana, interested in exploring their own family history and roots, and travel enthusiasts. James has done an excellent job journaling his entire trip allowing readers to experience all of the emotions and realities of taking such a journey to find one's own roots.

12 Days in Ghana
12 Days in Ghana is a superb publication! Once I started reading the book, I couldn't put it down. I was amazed that this was Mr. Gaines first publication. 12 Days in Ghana made me laugh and cry - he did an excellent job on incorporating emotions and humor throughout the book. His writing style made me feel that I was with him on his journey to Ghana. This book has inspired me to continue my research on my family history. I highly recommend this book to anyone planning a voyage to their Ghana or anyone who is planning to search their own roots. I am hoping Mr. Gaines will write a sequel to the book!

I am not sure that the other reviewers are geniune..
There are 10 reviews of this book here, they do not all seem genuine, just keep that in mind. they are all written in the same style, with many of the same comments.

My trip to the supermarket this morning was more interesting
I was very disapointed with this book. I'm recently teaching many Ghanains and hoped this book would give me a liottle bit of insight on their culture, but it was just a boring travel journal. I would not recommed this book, unless you're a good friend or family member of Mr. Gaines.

Experience Ghana!
It is remarkable to think that this is Mr. Gaines first book! He has hit a homerun the first time at bat! After completing the book I was struck with a desire to experince Ghana for myself! ... Read more