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aecinf's review against another edition
2.0
I rated this book two stars, but that doesn't mean you won't like it. My notes in no particular order:
1. I didn't read Erik's first book (s?) so it's possible I would have appreciated it better if I had.
2. It was LONG for an action book. There was so much extra stuff - if you're looking for a book about the sport of kayaking, be prepared to settle in for a long tale told very slowly with lots of meandering into other side stories.
3. This is not on the author necessarily, but I listened to the audio and wasn't incredibly impressed with the narrator style. The narrator used variations in voices for the different characters but the women all seemed to be done in a breathy falsetto, and there were a LOT of points in the book where songs are used to tell a story, but the narrator didn't even try. I get that he didn't necessarily want to sing the songs, but these were familiar, easily-researched tunes and he could have at least got the rhythm right when reading them poem-style.
On the good side, there are a lot of inspirational life lessons along the way, and the side stories about Erik's life and the people he has met are engaging and interesting.
1. I didn't read Erik's first book (s?) so it's possible I would have appreciated it better if I had.
2. It was LONG for an action book. There was so much extra stuff - if you're looking for a book about the sport of kayaking, be prepared to settle in for a long tale told very slowly with lots of meandering into other side stories.
3. This is not on the author necessarily, but I listened to the audio and wasn't incredibly impressed with the narrator style. The narrator used variations in voices for the different characters but the women all seemed to be done in a breathy falsetto, and there were a LOT of points in the book where songs are used to tell a story, but the narrator didn't even try. I get that he didn't necessarily want to sing the songs, but these were familiar, easily-researched tunes and he could have at least got the rhythm right when reading them poem-style.
On the good side, there are a lot of inspirational life lessons along the way, and the side stories about Erik's life and the people he has met are engaging and interesting.
brehop's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
keithwelch10's review
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
4.0
Good read, amazing to hear someone overcome physical disability and use it as inspiration
sdmomof5boys's review against another edition
3.0
Read the young adult adaptation. I was going to give it 2 1/2 stars but the end improved the book somewhat. While I am always impressed with people who work hard and overcome their challenges to do amazing things, I thought the book itself was somewhat rambling. It also focused mostly on all the little details of his kayaking and didn’t give me more story of him, his life, his organization that would really inspire. The end wrapped up nicely and added some of what I was looking for in the rest of the book.
tyforgottenfish's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
3.5
I read this book for school, thinking that I would not like it as memoirs are not really my thing, but I can say that I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. While I do not think it is the best thing ever, I really liked learning about Erik's journey and learn about how he coped with his blindness on top of trying to learn to kayak in order to do go down the Grand Canyon. The book was very inspiring, and I would pick up another one of his books on my own accord.
mturney1010's review against another edition
4.0
This was the perfect book to kick off 2019. It was inspirational and motivational. This book was recommended to me by a friend who's son is an amputee, and has been to Erik's no barriers summit in New York.
Although I loved nearly every aspect of this but I felt the subtitle had very little to do with the book as a whole as the content covered a variety of aspects of his life and not just the trip down the Grand Canyon.
Although I loved nearly every aspect of this but I felt the subtitle had very little to do with the book as a whole as the content covered a variety of aspects of his life and not just the trip down the Grand Canyon.
nata_c's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
slow-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Cancer, Medical content, Sexual assault, and Suicidal thoughts
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