Review by Booklist Review
No woman had ever bicycled around the world when Buhring decided to try. With only a few months' worth of training and the support of a good friend in Naples, she would set out to pedal more than 18,000 miles across 19 countries. She was driven to such an extreme endeavor after the death of her soul mate, an adventurer, had immobilized her with grief. As she describes in this plainspoken memoir, once the idea for the ride across the globe took root, any negative reactions she received only added to her determination to see it through. Buhring takes the reader on the trip with vivid vignettes, including meeting friendly people and unfriendly dogs, across cultures and through headwinds, mountains, rain, and freezing cold. Just as compelling as the adventure, however, is her internal journey to manage her grief, deepen her understanding of the man she lost, and reconnect with the world. Buhring insists she is not extraordinary, just an ordinary person pushing outside her comfort zone. That is exactly what makes her story so amazing.--Thoreson, Bridget Copyright 2016 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In this touching memoir, ultra-endurist cyclist Buhring (Not Without My Sisters) chronicles her journey circumnavigating the world on her bicycle, covering 18,063 miles across 19 countries and four continents. After the death of Henri, an intimate friend and fellow adrenaline seeker, Buhring vows to beat the men's world record and become the first woman to cycle around the world in less than 165 days. Her first challenge is to win the support of endorsers and convince a trainer that she is capable of setting the new world record-with no prior experience on a bicycle. After eight months of rigorous training and support from friends, Buhring begins her solo journey on her bicycle, Pegasus. With fierce determination, she endures extreme weather and the isolation of being a woman on the road. She charmingly collides with cultural differences and relies on the kindness of strangers. Grappling with her past as an escapee of the Children of God cult, she reflects on overcoming loss and starting from nothing. Buhring is at her best when she describes the rich scenery of the roads, including the desolate plains of Nebraska and the rolling hills of New Zealand. This is an inspirational memoir about the power of one's undefeatable determination that will appeal to other adrenaline seekers. Unfortunately, in the chapter "Indian Nightmares," Buhring expresses hostility toward Indian culture in a diatribe that stands in stark contrast to the rest of the book. (May) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Kirkus Book Review
An endurance cyclist's account of how the death of the man she loved became the catalyst for a record-setting around-the-world cycling journey of self-discovery. When Buhring (co-author: Not Without My Sister: The True Story of Three Girls Violated and Betrayed, 2007) met adventurer Hendri Coetzee, she was working as a "quasi-missionary" for the Children of God in Kampala, Uganda. The two were immediately and powerfully attracted to one another, and for the next several years, they maintained an intense connection despite the distance that separated them. In 2010, just as Buhring (now an ex-cult member) was nearing her 30th birthday, Hendri was killed on an African kayaking expedition. More grief-stricken than she had ever been in her life, the author realized she needed to do something to save herself "or be swallowed up by the profound melancholy I was drowning in." So she set herself a goal: to travel around the world by bicycle. She had no training and no sponsorship, yet within a year and a half, she gained both. Leaving her home in Naples, Italy, Buhring began her journey in the United States. Traveling against fierce headwinds, she cycled between Boston and Seattle, averaging 175 miles per day. After losing her way in New Zealand, she was forced to traversewithout a map or functioning GPSthrough icy, mountainous terrain. She crossed the deserts of Australia and then made her way through Malaysia, Thailand, India, Turkey, and finally Italy. Hunger, illness, and the threat of equipment failure dogged her, as did moments of doubt and fear. As grueling as the journey was, however, ex-cult friends and strangers she called her "road angels" gave her the journey-affirming aid she needed. Buhring's book is a testament to the human will to overcome and survive as well as a moving portrait of a woman on a deeply personal quest to define the meaning of her life. A searching, engaging memoir from an author who "can be at home no matter where...in the world." Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
