{"id":10206,"date":"2025-03-05T01:22:36","date_gmt":"2025-03-05T01:22:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/books-we-read\/?p=10206"},"modified":"2025-02-24T13:01:46","modified_gmt":"2025-02-24T13:01:46","slug":"long-walks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/books-we-read\/long-walks\/","title":{"rendered":"Long Walks with Books"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Many years ago, my husband recommended Bill Bryson\u2019s delightful A Walk in the Woods<\/a><\/em>,<\/em> Bryson\u2019s detailed account of hiking the Appalachian trail (with his friend Stephen Katz). It was my introduction to this hilarious, informative writer. I devoured the book, laughing and exclaiming the whole time, and soon began to read pretty much everything else Bryson had written (and has published since, as he soon became one of my favorite writers). Just a few of my favorites: In a Sunburned Country<\/a><\/em>, Notes from a Small Island<\/a><\/em> and Neither Here nor There: Travels in Europe<\/a><\/em>. He has mastered the art of the travelogue, picking up the reader and plopping them right into the scenery he is describing.<\/p>\n

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But he does equally well when taking a random subject and deftly pulling out fascinating facts and details, combining \u201cdid you know\u201d factoids with historical context, scientific research and statistics. These books are every bit as riveting as a fiction narrative. See: A Short History of Nearly Everything<\/a><\/em>, The Body<\/a><\/em> and The Mother Tongue: English and How it Got this Way<\/a><\/em>.<\/em> His style encapsulates everything I love in a writer (and aspire to be). Enlightening, witty and entertaining, with backstories and offshoots that actually add weight and relevance to the main story. He balances these elements perfectly with a skilled eye.<\/p>\n

Because of Bryson\u2019s books, travelogues soon became one of my favorite genres. As an American married to a British woman, Bryson and his family have lived in England for most of their marriage. I feel this experience of living abroad helped enhance the way he approaches the locations and cultures he visits, which comes through in his writing. He is curious and observant, two traits I would use to describe the way I view the world.<\/p>\n

\"\"So I was thrilled to learn about a new book by Kevin Fedarko, A Walk in the Park: The True Story of a Spectacular Misadventure in the Grand Canyon<\/a><\/em>, which focuses on his end-to-end hike of the Grand Canyon alongside his friend Pete McBride. I actually listened to Fedarko\u2019s book as an audiobook (read by the author \u2013 always a joy to me)<\/a>. Fedarko chews up the scenery in his descriptions of this vast and sacred place, capturing the vivid beauty (and harshness) of this wilderness in a way that allows the reader to imagine walking right there beside him. A one-time Colorado River guide and author of The Emerald Mile: The Epic Story of the Fastest Ride in History Through the Heart of the Grand Canyon<\/a>,<\/em> he has spent a great deal of time in the Canyon and his reverence for this special place shows.<\/p>\n

There are many similarities between Fedarko\u2019s book and Bryson\u2019s A Walk in the Woods.<\/em> Both chronicle the journey of two friends who are largely unprepared for such endeavors – physically, mentally and equipment-wise. In addition, neither journey was done in one continuous timeframe \u2013 both stories had to be paused and returned to for one reason or another. And both include interesting characters met along the way, as well as experts who offer reality checks for anyone wanting to attempt these type of hiking challenges.<\/p>\n

Both authors have won all kinds of awards and accolades for their brilliant story-telling ability. For A Walk in the Park<\/em>, Fedarko received<\/a> the 2024 National Outdoor Book Award in Outdoor Literature, the 2025 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction, and \u201cBest Book of the Year\u201d by the\u00a0New York Times,\u00a0Air Mail,\u00a0Smithsonian Magazine, and\u00a0Financial Times. And Bryson is the winner of the\u00a0Aventis Prize<\/a>\u00a0for best general science book, the President’s Award from the\u00a0Royal Society of Chemistry<\/a>\u00a0and the Bradford Washburn Award, from the Museum of Science in\u00a0Boston<\/a>, just to name a few. To see the full list of awards, positions and honors, check out his Wikipedia<\/a> page.<\/p>\n

I can\u2019t wait to see what else both of these writers create.<\/p>\n

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Related books<\/h4>\n

For similar types of books check out:\"\" \"\"<\/p>\n