A review by thekkumkattilmk
Lands of Lost Borders: Out of Bounds on the Silk Road by Kate Harris

5.0

This book is about bicycling the silk road. Harris is fucking smart and the book is heavily researched, with quotes from Charles Darwin and Marco Polo and dozens of explorers throughout. She examines and critiques the history of science and exploration. It's a dense book with lots of interesting moments but feels like, maybe, in an effort to not be pigeonholed as a writer of women's travel, or to not write a journey of high emotional stakes, the author minimizes the emotional stakes of the journey altogether. And, she buried the lede: she has a wife! Which I only really figured out through the acknowledgements. Does that matter? To me, yes. I want more queer travel, yes it matters.