Surprises around the Bend: 50 Adventurous Walkers [Paperback]

Richard A. Hasler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2008

Many of the most creative men and women in history have been ardent walkers, says Richard Hasler, and many of those same people affirm that a particular walk was a serendipitous experience, resulting in personal transformation.

Surprises around the Bend shares the stories of some of these famous women and men who, while walking, had dramatic experiences that altered the course of their lives. These brief yet telling stories are filled with unusual and interesting details that encourage and challenge young and old to emulate these companions by creating their own personal walking programs with the quiet expectation of meeting surprises around the bend and experiencing physical, mental, and spiritual renewal.

Grouped into categories of Physicians and Naturalists, Poets and Novelists, Politicians and Teachers, Pilgrims and Seekers, Prophets and Reformers, included among the famous walkers are Francis of Assisi, John Bunyan, Mother Teresa, Thomas Merton, Peace Pilgrim, Toyohiko Kagawa, Martin Luther King, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

Aimed at helping readers live well in body, mind, and spirit, Surprises around the Bend includes simple walking tips, prayers, a guide to prayer walking, and scripture readings.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Richard A. Hasler is a retired Presbyterian pastor who does part-time pastoral work and freelance writing. He is an avid daily walker and lives in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Augsburg Fortress Publishers (January 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0806680415
• ISBN-13: 978-0806680415
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #178,261 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Let's keep walking..., December 25, 2008

By 

K. Kelly - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Surprises around the Bend: 50 Adventurous Walkers (Paperback)

I found this book very interesting since he picked 50 different people who all had one thing in common, walking. This book is refreshing and a page turner. It's also great to read and study in small groups. I really enjoyed how each chapter ended with a thought to ponder. This book will help you learned about the great creative people in our history and how they continued to keep walking.

3.0 out of 5 stars Walking, July 5, 2011

By 

Allan Stellar - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Surprises around the Bend: 50 Adventurous Walkers (Paperback)

I like my brother. He is a good, sober Lutheran Pastor without any of my personality defects. He has lived a stable life on the Tundra that is northern Minnesota. He represents some of the better aspects of my genetic stock. Smart, stable, conservative values, decent voice, plays the guitar well, creative.

A book arrived in the mail from said stable brother. Surprises Around the Bend: 50 adventurous walkers. Published by a Lutheran Publisher (Augsburg Press) and written by a Pastor, Richard Hasler. I read half of the thing last night. Essentially, it is an entreaty to get Lutherans off their butts and onto the hiking paths and sidewalks. Hasler encourages people to walk by providing short summaries of the lives of 50 famous folks who liked to walk. In order to live up to its Lutheran Publishing standards, there are "thoughts to ponder" and "prayers" at the of each vignette. Pastors like to do that, you know: ponder and pray.

Some of the "famous walkers": Carl Jung, Robert Frost, Charles Dickens, Thoreau (of course), Muir (of course), Dorothy Day, Emily Bronte, Abe Lincoln, Soren Kierkegaard (wouldn't be Lutheran without him) and many others. Martin Luther wasn't listed. Nor Ed Abbey. Other than Thoreau and Muir, modern Enviros weren't included. I guess we need not tell Lutherans about those walkers. That'd be dangerous.

Never the less, the book got me out the door this morning. A good thing.