Customer Reviews

Running With The Moon

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"Running with the Moon," an autobiography by JonnyBealby recounts the adventures of a man on a motorbike travellingthrough Africa in hopes of finding insights and answers to his lifeafter the sudden death of his fiance. What makes this book so notable is the fact that a journey of the sort undertaken by the author would be impossible in todays age due to the political state of the majority of African countries in the present. After the death of his fiance while travelling in Kashmir Jonny Bealby returns to an England which is not the same. Day to day life having changed into a struggle of lost hopes and loves. Challenged by this austere new world and compounded by his confusion he decides to undertake a journey across Africa apon a motorcycle. Accompanied by his best friend Neil, the two prepare for their journey and set off, a Yamaha Tenere under each...A fascinating insight into the beauty and sadness of a man who uncovers Africa for the reader and once again reclaims the peices of himself lost to him by past tragedies. Defianitely a must for the reader with a soft side for travel and adventure.

What a shockingly delightful and profoundly moving book! Not only is Bealby a highly accomplished adventure motorcyclist, he proves to be a most estimable writer -- call him Mathiessen on a motorcycle. I've read plenty of ham-handed motorcycle adventure accounts; this one is of the highest caliber, on par with Robert Fulton Jr.'s "One Man Caravan."

Bealby chronicles his heroic odyssey on a Yamaha Tenere through unforgiving regions of Africa with humility and gratitude. You'll find no chest-beating or tedious complaints here. The work is gorgeously written, richly textured, and acutely observant of both man and nature. Seductive, sensory, lyrical, and rhapsodic, this book immerses you in exotic -- even surreal -- territory with superb grace. Motorcyclist or not, you will revel in this awesome adventure.

Proving his literary virtuosity, Bealby expertly weaves the tragic tale of the death of his beloved Mel throughout his ultimately cathartic and redemptive account. A truly magical work. Buy it. Three cheers to Jonny Bealby!

There are many books in the motorcycle adventure travel genre, but few have been written by someone who is a good writer. Jonny Bealby does a great job of relating his journey across Africa from the northern deserts to the tropical jungles on a Yamaha Tenere with an appropriate mix of story telling, philosophy, and motorcycling. This book is the same league as "Obsessions Die Hard" by Ed Culberson in terms of adventure, entertainment and readability. Highly recommended for the armchair adventurer!

I have two main hobbies, off road motorcycling and reading, so when i bought RUNNING WITH THE MOON, i knew i was onto a winner and would enjoy it even before i had turned a page. From the tragic prologue to the epilogue after his incredible journey is over this book is a real rollercoaster of emotions (sorry about the cliche , but its true). You almost feel like you were there, and i wished i could have been to assist him when the bike got bogged down in thigh high water filled jungle tracks ,i know from experience what its like to be stuck in the middle of nowhere with a broken down bike. But then again there is a BIG difference between the middle of nowhere in the Yorkshire Dales, and the middle of nowhere in the Congo!(no gorillas in Yorkshire!). I also wanted to buy him a drink to cheer him up when he was stood up in Cairo, although that did eventually have a happy outcome. Initially i bought this book because of my interest in motorcycles, but non bikers dont be put off, i can heartily recommend it to anyone with a sense of adventure. Excellent!

GQ Magazine said this is the best Travelogue they have ever read........I'll second that...Not to mention a great love story. Just brilliant from the first page to the last. I really hated to get to the end of this terrific book...and I have read some terrrrrific Travelogue motorcycle books over the past 2 years...This is right at the very top of the list. Why read fiction when reality is way better?

I have read a number of adventure travel books but this is by far my favorite. In fact I read this book twice, some years apart.
You don't have to be into motorcycle riding to appreciate this book, it's a great true tale all the same.
I've read a number of Jonny's subsequent books but none matched this.
Throughout the book I questioned the sanity of the author, either he has balls the size of Ben Hur or is clinically insane - probably a bit of both.
Great book, highly recommend it.

The adventure of being able to read Running With The Moon was not nearly as exciting as the book itself. I initially purchased this book over two years ago, but after having it snatched up by my brother, taken to the Mediterranean to be read, him leaving it on a boat there, finding it myself on the same boat on another trip, and then leaving the book on the boat again myself, I finally decided it was time to buy another copy.

This may be my favorite travel adventure book that I have read. It is right up there with "Into Thin Air". Running may not have the adrenaline rush that "Into Thin Air" maintains throughout the entire book, but the location and diverse experiences entertained me much more.

To explain briefly, the author ends up riding his motorcycle from London to the southern tip of Africa and back. Bealby covers the exciting part of the journey, from his entry into northern Africa and all the way down and back out again in this book. He endured almost the entire journey by himself yet met many interesting people along the way.

Covering an entire continent and so many countries is not easy to fit into such a short, easy read, but Bealby does it with a very fluid writing style and enough detail to give you a slight sense a flavor for each country and city. Bealby entices you to want to join his trip or take the trip yourself. Unfortunately, one of the enticing things about his story and Africa are the opportunities and situations arising from such a continuously changing continent. Governments can change in these countries daily and while one country may seem incredible one moment, it may be horrifyingly dangerous the next. Considering the book was written in 1996, I imagine much has changed in the 12 years since his journey.

That said, it also makes you realize that the changes occuring in Africa will always offer a new adventure for every traveller. While the countries and governments he speaks of dangerously back then might offer a new hope today, the interesting people he meets might not have lived through the times and could be gone now.

I am not a motorcycle enthusiast. Nor am I a mechanic. Somehow, even with all the trouble Bealby runs into with his bike, he manages to make the ride seem like the most enjoyable way to travel anywhere. He complains much more about the heat than anything else, which is entirely understandable, given the circumstances he describes.

Lastly, the most enjoyable aspect of this book in my opinion is the complete honesty and humility of his attitude towards Africa. He admits certain bias going in and does not spend any time bragging or "chest thumping" with his accomplishment. Most importantly, he points out multiple times what I think is his underlying theme: the people of Africa are extremely generous and caring, no matter what they own and can give in terms of material possession.

I've read a lot of motorcycle travel stories, and done sone travelling myself in africa on a motorcycle. But this story is a great novel and a great journey. Better than e.g. Jupiters Travels.