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jacksontibet's review against another edition
2.0
How can you make riding a bike across the entire country SO BORING? Also, about 40% of the book is actually about the ride. The rest is his new girlfriend, complaining about people who are mean to him online, and other inane random stuff that isn't the bike ride. Awfully disappointing.
jbarr5's review against another edition
4.0
Life is a Wheel, Love Death etc and a bike ride across America by Bruce Weber
Wanted to read this book for the travel, all new exciting places to explore and learn about, never mind the other things that come with the story.
Enjoyed learning new things about the road-signal at end of a tunnel and all the other interesting things he saw along the way. So many people along the way made the trip very worthwhile.
I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).
Wanted to read this book for the travel, all new exciting places to explore and learn about, never mind the other things that come with the story.
Enjoyed learning new things about the road-signal at end of a tunnel and all the other interesting things he saw along the way. So many people along the way made the trip very worthwhile.
I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).
robinsbooks's review against another edition
4.0
I love any kind of true adventure but I have a real soft spot for biking adventures, probably because the first book I read of this kind was MILES FROM NOWHERE by Barbara Savage, now considered a classic. Since my longest bike rides consist of a 6-mile loop in an urban park without traffic, it's beyond my comprehension to ever want to ride all the way across the United States, but that's what many people do and live to tell about it.
Bruce Weber had bicycled across the U.S. at age 39 but decided to do it again at age 57 despite many medical issues that can go with the age-- bad knees and chronic acid reflux to name a few (I have to admit I'd never seen GERD mentioned as a hindrance to do something). He took leave from his job as an obituary writer for the New York Times, had a custom-made bike made (to the tune of $8000), and shipped everything to Oregon where he embarked on a 4100 mile ride. Along the way he talks about the scenery, the people, the food, and even his motel experiences (unlike some readers, I can't get enough of these kinds of travel details). Occasionally he digresses to reflect on relationships, and life and, like he says, "...well, you know."
All in all I thoroughly enjoyed this combo of travelogue and memoir and recommend to anyone, whether they are like me and just tool around on a cruiser bike, or are road warriors and dream about doing this kind of a journey.
Bruce Weber had bicycled across the U.S. at age 39 but decided to do it again at age 57 despite many medical issues that can go with the age-- bad knees and chronic acid reflux to name a few (I have to admit I'd never seen GERD mentioned as a hindrance to do something). He took leave from his job as an obituary writer for the New York Times, had a custom-made bike made (to the tune of $8000), and shipped everything to Oregon where he embarked on a 4100 mile ride. Along the way he talks about the scenery, the people, the food, and even his motel experiences (unlike some readers, I can't get enough of these kinds of travel details). Occasionally he digresses to reflect on relationships, and life and, like he says, "...well, you know."
All in all I thoroughly enjoyed this combo of travelogue and memoir and recommend to anyone, whether they are like me and just tool around on a cruiser bike, or are road warriors and dream about doing this kind of a journey.
mulveyr's review against another edition
4.0
"Life is a Wheel" is written at a level a step or two above most bike travelogues--which isn't a surprise, as the author has been writing for the New York Times and other publications for several decades. While the original journey was documented in blog posts and newspaper articles, the book has generally avoided the modern trend of lightly editing the source material and putting it into print.
However, the book itself is story about a bike trip only in the broadest sense; the focus isn't on the ride or the scenery, but on Weber's musings about being a guy in late middle-age who is still figuring himself out. The vast majority of the text consists of him reminiscing about past and current loves, his childhood, his family, and his friends.
As someone who is, in the author's words, a "bike guy", some of the trip-related anecdotes make me cringe, but Weber freely admits he has little interest in the machine itself--only the journey.
Overall, I enjoyed the book, but I suspect that a lot of that is simply because I'm an early-middle-age guy who sympathizes with some of his thoughts. A reader who is looking for a traditional travelogue might want to look elsewhere.
However, the book itself is story about a bike trip only in the broadest sense; the focus isn't on the ride or the scenery, but on Weber's musings about being a guy in late middle-age who is still figuring himself out. The vast majority of the text consists of him reminiscing about past and current loves, his childhood, his family, and his friends.
As someone who is, in the author's words, a "bike guy", some of the trip-related anecdotes make me cringe, but Weber freely admits he has little interest in the machine itself--only the journey.
Overall, I enjoyed the book, but I suspect that a lot of that is simply because I'm an early-middle-age guy who sympathizes with some of his thoughts. A reader who is looking for a traditional travelogue might want to look elsewhere.
lindsayreadsalot's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
4.25
snarky and vulnerable on bikes, death, and life (with footnotes!)
debnanceatreaderbuzz's review
3.0
Bruce Weber rode his bike across America twenty years earlier. Now he’s in his fifties and he decides it’s time to do it again. Along the way, he meets lots of intriguing people and has lots of fun adventures. I’m happy I took this trip across America on a bike with him.
samhouston's review
4.0
I've long been fascinated by personal recollections of cross-country (or cross-continental) treks by foot or two-wheeler, and Bruce Weber's "Life Is a Wheel" is a worthy addition to my collection of such books.
In 2011, at age 57, Weber decided to make his second transcontinental bicycle ride across the United States, beginning in northern California and ending at his own doorstep in New York City. Weber already had one of these adventures under his belt, a trip he successfully completed when he was only 39. And, although, he would find this trip a little tougher and a little slower than that long ago ride, Weber would manage to travel the 4,122 miles back to his apartment in just under three months. Along the way, he survived car and truck traffic oblivious to his existence, had to dash across a busy highway and jump the median fence with his bike on his back, experienced small-town hospitality that often surprised him, and suffered a persistent cough that turned out to be the symptom of something much more serious than the acid reflux problem he attributed it to.
"Life Is a Wheel" is more than a travelogue, however, because Weber delves deeply into his personal life story in order to explain how he became the man he is. The reader learns of his troubled childhood, the resulting years Weber spent in therapy, and his chronic inability to commit to longterm romantic relationships. We are even treated to a detailed recap of the long bicycle ride he made in Viet Nam just before full diplomatic relations were re-established with that war torn country (quite an adventure for a man who seemed to get by on his naive assumption that things would work out and that he would have stories to tell at the local bar for the rest of his life)
Bottom Line: this is a good travel adventure for armchair adventurers and those who might be contemplating a similar trip of their own.
In 2011, at age 57, Weber decided to make his second transcontinental bicycle ride across the United States, beginning in northern California and ending at his own doorstep in New York City. Weber already had one of these adventures under his belt, a trip he successfully completed when he was only 39. And, although, he would find this trip a little tougher and a little slower than that long ago ride, Weber would manage to travel the 4,122 miles back to his apartment in just under three months. Along the way, he survived car and truck traffic oblivious to his existence, had to dash across a busy highway and jump the median fence with his bike on his back, experienced small-town hospitality that often surprised him, and suffered a persistent cough that turned out to be the symptom of something much more serious than the acid reflux problem he attributed it to.
"Life Is a Wheel" is more than a travelogue, however, because Weber delves deeply into his personal life story in order to explain how he became the man he is. The reader learns of his troubled childhood, the resulting years Weber spent in therapy, and his chronic inability to commit to longterm romantic relationships. We are even treated to a detailed recap of the long bicycle ride he made in Viet Nam just before full diplomatic relations were re-established with that war torn country (quite an adventure for a man who seemed to get by on his naive assumption that things would work out and that he would have stories to tell at the local bar for the rest of his life)
Bottom Line: this is a good travel adventure for armchair adventurers and those who might be contemplating a similar trip of their own.