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Driving the Green Book: A Road Trip Through the Living History of Black Resistance
by Alvin Hall
What happened: Alvin Hall, an author and media personality who grew up in Florida, took two road trips inspired by the Green Book, a mid-20th century annual travel guide, and he spoke with Black American motorists who had used it to travel safely.
Reviewers say: "an illuminating history...inspires and educates" (Publishers Weekly).
Read this next: For more on the Green Book, try Candacy Taylor's Overground Railroad or Gretchen Sorin's Driving While Black.
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Finding Hildasay: How One Man Walked the UK's Coastline and Found Hope and Happiness by Christian LewisEx-paratrooper Christian Lewis had hit rock bottom, suffering with depression so severe he would shut himself in his bedroom for weeks. Then while surfing his only respite he cast his eyes along the coastline and realized it was the only place he really wanted to be. Making an impulsive decision to set himself a challenge walk the entire coastline of the UK Chris gave himself a few days to rustle up a tent and walking boots, then left for good with just a tenner in his pocket and two days' worth of food.
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Feral : losing myself and finding my way in America's national parks
by Emily Pennington
"After a decade as an assistant to high-powered LA executives, Emily Pennington left behind her structured life and surrendered to the pull of the great outdoors. With a tight budget, meticulous routing, and a temperamental minivan she named Gizmo, Emilyembarked on a yearlong road trip to sixty-two national parks, hell-bent on a single goal: getting through the adventure in one piece. She was instantly thrust into more chaos than she'd bargained for and found herself on an unpredictable journey rocked by a gutting romantic breakup, a burgeoning pandemic, wildfires, and other seismic challenges that threatened her safety, her sanity, and the trip itself. What began as an intrepid obsession soon evolved into a life-changing experience"
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Between the chalk and the sea by Gail SimmonsWhen Henry VIII banned pilgrimage in 1538, he ended not only a centuries-old tradition of walking as an act of faith, but a valuable chance to discover the joy of walking as an escape from the burdens of everyday life. Much was lost when these journeys faded from our collective memory, but clues to our past remain. On an antique map in Oxford's Bodleian Library, a faint red line threading through towns and villages between Southampton and Canterbury suggests a significant, though long-forgotten, road. Renamed the Old Way, medieval pilgrims are thought to have travelled this route to reach the celebrated shrine of Thomas Becket.
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Grounded : A Journey into the Landscapes of Our Ancestors by James CantonFor thousands of years, our ancestors held a close connection with the landscapes they lived in. They imbued them with meaning: stone monuments, sacred groves, places of pilgrimage. In our modern world we have to a large extent lost that enchantment and intimate knowledg eof place.J ames Canton takes us on a journey through England seeking to see through more ancient eyes, to understand what landscape meant to those who came before us.
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| The Ship Beneath the Ice: The Discovery of Shackleton's Endurance by Mensun BoundWhat it's about: Renowned marine archeologist Mensun Bound set out to find the remains of Ernest Shackleton's ship Endurance. Interwoven with the details of his search, including his successful 2022 expedition, is the story of the Endurance's sinking in 1915.
Reviewers say: "exciting, dramatic" (Kirkus Reviews); "Bound is a terrific storyteller... this is simply wonderful" (Booklist).
For fans of: Hampton Sides' In the Kingdom of Ice, Robert Kurson's Shadow Divers, or Robert Ballard's Into the Deep: An Explorer's Life. |
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| The Edge of the Plain: How Borders Make and Break Our World by James CrawfordWhat it is: a fascinating, wide-ranging work of travelogue, history, and reportage that thoughtfully examines borders, past and present.
Locations include: the Austrian-Italian Alps, the West Bank, Hadrian's Wall, the Sonoran Desert, the Spanish City of Melilla in North Africa.
For fans of: evocative books about border areas, like Colin Thubron's The Amur River, Kapka Kassabova's Border, and Rory Stewart's The Marches. |
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| On Freedom Road: Bicycle Explorations and Reckonings on the Underground Railroad by David GoodrichWhat it's about: In this blend of history and travelogue, author David Goodrich describes cycling nearly 3,000 miles over three trips retracing enslaved people's paths to freedom and visiting museums, libraries, and other locales.
Trips included: the route Harriet Tubman may have taken from Maryland into Canada that passed through New York City; a journey from Jackson, Mississippi to Lake Erie; and a ride from New Orleans through the Mississippi Delta.
Read this next: Clint Smith's How the Word Is Passed. |
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| Driving the Green Book: A Road Trip Through the Living History of Black Resistance by Alvin HallWhat happened: Alvin Hall, an author and media personality who grew up in Florida, took two road trips inspired by the Green Book, a mid-20th century annual travel guide, and he spoke with Black American motorists who had used it to travel safely.
Reviewers say: "an illuminating history...inspires and educates" (Publishers Weekly).
Read this next: For more on the Green Book, try Candacy Taylor's Overground Railroad or Gretchen Sorin's Driving While Black. |
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| Magdalena: River of Dreams: A Story of Colombia by Wade DavisWhat happened: Long fascinated with Colombia, anthropologist Wade Davis explored the 1,000-mile Rio Magdalena, which runs the length of the country, making five visits over several years.
Read it for: well-researched historical details, evocative descriptions, and the respectful treatment of Indigenous peoples.
Reviewers say: "An elegant narrative masterfully combining fine reporting and a moving personal journey" (Kirkus Reviews). |
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| Riverman: An American Odyssey by Ben McGrathWho it's about: charismatic adventurer Dick Conant, who spent decades canoeing rivers and other waters alone before he disappeared while on a 2014 trip.
Read it for: an engaging mix of biography, travelogue, and mystery penned by The New Yorker staff writer Ben McGrath, who had a chance encounter with Conant shortly before he went missing.
For fans of: Into the Wild by John Krakauer. |
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| River of the Gods: Genius, Courage, and Betrayal in the Search for the Source of the Nile by Candice MillardWhat it is: a well-researched, fascinating look at an 1850s expedition seeking the source of the Nile River by two strong-willed British explorers and their local (formerly enslaved) guide, set against the backdrop of colonial exploitation of Africa.
Read this next: For modern travelers' tales along the river, try Levison Wood's Walking the Nile, Dan Morrison's The Black Nile, or Rosemary Mahoney's Down the Nile: Alone in a Fisherman's Skiff. |
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| The Amur River: Between Russia and China by Colin ThubronWhat it is: a lyrical travelogue by acclaimed British writer Colin Thubron, who, at age 80, took an adventurous trip via horse, boat, train, and car, following the remote Amur River from Siberia to the Pacific Ocean.
What happened: Though he faced injuries and suspicious officials, he followed the nearly 3,000-mile river, which forms the border between Russia and China, and visited with Russian, Chinese, and Mongolian people.
Read this next: Thubron's compelling In Siberia or Erika Fatland's The Border, who describes her visits to all 14 countries that neighbor Russia. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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