If it takes twenty-one days to break a habit, then it certainly takes thirty-four to change a life. In Mortensen’s memoir, he simultaneously dazzles with his wit and inspires with an authentic portrayal of his journey biking from Minnesota to California. This isn’t a ride to glory by any stretch. On the contrary, it is one that provokes the human spirit, impelling both Mortensen and those who read it to dig into the innermost recesses of their being and pull out an unquenchable fire for life.

Mortensen’s humanness seeps through every page and undoubtedly enhances the “likeability factor,” but more importantly, his raw recollections help readers understand the catalyst that not only set him onto this 2000+ mile foray into the heart of America but gave him the resolve and resourcefulness to keep going when things weren’t going his way. With each chapter representing a day of his journey, it also comes to represent a lifetime. As each day passes, Mortensen goes from being lost in life, more or less, to being a seeker who experiences a 180-degree transformation in regard to the meaning of life. In a different way, though in the same vein, the author’s work resembles shades of Emerson and Thoreau, a transcendental immersion into nature and withdrawal from the chaos of the world, leading to a sort of cathartic moment that follows the call-to-action portion of Campbell’s Hero’s Journey to a tee.

Inspired by a photo of a cross-country biking adventure in Outside Magazine, Mortensen does more than just chronicle his day-to-day adventure. In fact, he makes an association with nearly every town he is in, from the town of Franklin, named after Benjamin Franklin himself, to the stark contrast of him juxtaposing a fifteen-minute nap and banana break to the battle of the Dakota Indians one-and-a-half centuries prior. The adventure is his, but he does a seamless job of weaving in historical context to demonstrate the appreciation he has for the hallowed land on which he stands and those that he encounters in the process.

There are moments that would have made anyone turn back. As they are highlighted in the book, Mortensen truly is one to root for, a heroic figure of sorts who finds himself in situations like the post office scene, where he is on the verge of fainting and dehydration when a good Samaritan offers him respite in the church. When he regains his health, what ensues is a whirlwind featuring flat tires, an unlikely romance, perhaps not the best coffee at motels, nearly getting run down on the shoulder while riding in the dark, and much more. Above all else, though, there is a oneness with the inner spirit, the one that pushes mankind to follow their dreams and to take risks, to not live life with regret like the man in his seventies that Mortensen encounters who planned a Europe trip in his thirties that kept getting delayed.

Though fellow bikers will undoubtedly cherish this book and relate to the moments that Mortensen experiences, Mortensen’s book is a universal read, a refreshing take on taking life by the horns and seeing what the road has in store for you. At every moment, the work has such a natural storytelling quality and flow that the reader almost wishes Mortensen had ridden another thirty-four days. In Mortensen, readers can see a hint of their inner selves, one that is free from the rat race, free from the shackles and constraints of society, and one that is ready to simply live.

RECOMMENDED by the US Review

A 2023 Eric Hoffer Book Award Grand Prize Short List book

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