Scan barcode
A review by saidtheraina
You & a Bike & a Road by Eleanor Davis
4.0
This book stands out.
I always feel guilty that I often don't review books immediately after I've read them. Unless I diligently take notes, I don't always remember nuance or brief moments I appreciated or not.
But sometimes, I come to a day when I need to review a stack of books, and there's one that looms over the rest. A book I Remember.
And for the last few months, this is my standout graphic novel.
Not everyone will respond to this book the same way I did. I have an established, long-term interest in traveling stories (Graphic Novel Travelogues is my GR shelf for keeping a record of the many books along these lines I've read, with a thought towards some thesis I'll probably never actually write). The art is Davis at their least polished - generally, each day's art was created as the journey was happening. Don't go in expecting the lush colors of the cover or of many of Davis' other works - we're talking a drawing implement and a page.
We follow Davis on a journey they wanted to take because their window for this adventure was about to close, due to other goals happening in their life. They travel along the southern-most continental United States - Arizona, New Mexico, Texas... Parts of their journey come quite close to the US/Mexico border, so patrols check in on them a time or two. There are times when they doubt their commitment to completing the journey.
The whole thing makes me think about intentionality, life goals, midlife, decision making, the perception of adventure vs. reality, the eco-benefits of bike travel, the gritty realities of physical effort, and much more.
I admire Davis for undertaking this journey, and am incredibly grateful that they kept a record and let us see it.
I always feel guilty that I often don't review books immediately after I've read them. Unless I diligently take notes, I don't always remember nuance or brief moments I appreciated or not.
But sometimes, I come to a day when I need to review a stack of books, and there's one that looms over the rest. A book I Remember.
And for the last few months, this is my standout graphic novel.
Not everyone will respond to this book the same way I did. I have an established, long-term interest in traveling stories (Graphic Novel Travelogues is my GR shelf for keeping a record of the many books along these lines I've read, with a thought towards some thesis I'll probably never actually write). The art is Davis at their least polished - generally, each day's art was created as the journey was happening. Don't go in expecting the lush colors of the cover or of many of Davis' other works - we're talking a drawing implement and a page.
We follow Davis on a journey they wanted to take because their window for this adventure was about to close, due to other goals happening in their life. They travel along the southern-most continental United States - Arizona, New Mexico, Texas... Parts of their journey come quite close to the US/Mexico border, so patrols check in on them a time or two. There are times when they doubt their commitment to completing the journey.
The whole thing makes me think about intentionality, life goals, midlife, decision making, the perception of adventure vs. reality, the eco-benefits of bike travel, the gritty realities of physical effort, and much more.
I admire Davis for undertaking this journey, and am incredibly grateful that they kept a record and let us see it.