Customer Reviews

Worldwalk

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is one of my most favorite books - Mr. Newmans' writing of his trip through Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia made me want to chuck everything and go along with him! His indominable spirit and enthusiasm to see and experience what the world has to offer is a clarion call to one and all that our world, with all of its' problems, is a wonderous place, filled with fantastic people. Every time I read and re-read it, I want to make the same journey, and, in reading it, I do!

This work has been around for a few years now and is one of those I kept meaning to read, but never seemed to get around to it. Thanks to an Amazon Friend who read my "wish list," I received this one on my birthday...Thanks Terry! Anyway, as I suspected, I have missed out on a great read for all of these years.

Worldwalk by Steven M. Newman is the true story of a young man, who at the age of 28, left his front door on a small town in Ohio, and walked around the world alone. This was not one of those walks with a gigantic support team or financed by some company or cause. This was a walk undertaken by a guy who wanted to see the world, to meet its people, who lived simply off the charity of others for the most part, and who sincerely wanted to learn. It is actually more of a pilgrimage that a journey. While it is certainly an adventure of the highest sort, it is so much more.

To begin with, this is one very lucky young guy. I have been to many of the places he walked, alone, with no support, no guide no special language skills and no special help. I on the other hand, was usually with people, heavily armed people, as I was myself, and I was still fearful many times. There is absolutely no reason that he should not have been killed a dozen times over, either through exposure, accidents or human intervention, i.e. robbery or murder. His journey began in Ohio, on April 1, 1983 where he walked east. He, in his travels passed though Scotland, Ireland, England, France, Spain, several countries in North Africa, Turkey, Greece, some of the Balkans, India, Pakistan, Thailand, Australia and the Western United States. He actually crossed around twenty countries. Steven Newman gives us a first hand account of the country, and more importantly profiles of the hundreds of people he met on his journey.

This is a very inspirational book. Newman pretty well proves his beginning belief, that is, that people all over the world are a pretty nice lot, and that despite cultural differences, religious differences, races, creeds, histories, and we are all pretty much the same. Most of us are down right good and a few of us are bad.

The author has told of his four year journey through simple prose, almost always upbeat, almost always realistic. I feel the author was a bit naïve at times, but perhaps that was an advantage and perhaps that is one of the things that allowed him to complete this spectacular journey. I was quite struck with the author's faith, not only in his God, but in the goodness of mankind...a rare thing these days.

I particularly enjoyed the descriptions of the various individuals the writer encountered on his journey, and the record of the conversations he had with these individuals. I also enjoyed his description of the physical challenges he faced on a daily basis. This was truly inspiring.

Now this walk took place over twenty years ago and you would think that some, or most, of the material might be a bit dated. Not so! I suppose the one part of the book that did discourage me some what is that not all that much has changes in those twenty years, and if anything, things have gotten a bit worse. Still good people, but, as usual, poor governments. This is a very enjoy able read and I do highly recommend it. It is one of those books that you will hate to put down.

If you've never been able to travel the world & see how other cultures live, this IS the book to read. I could not put this book down. He puts you there w/ him allowing you to experience his fears and wonders of the strange lands he visits.An unbelievable story of one man's journey into the unknown on Earth. Do not miss your chance to walk our world w/ him. You won't regret it!

The only thing more exciting than reading Worldwalk is hearing Steve talk about it in person. He is so genuine and unpretentious that he makes you feel like he would love to have you along on his next adventure. One of the most striking things he tells you is that he took no special medications or had any additional immunizations before he left. In most cases he gratefully partook of the food and drink offered him. His conclusion, that he found the world to be an essentially loving place has stayed with me in the ten years since I first read the book. It is a spiritual journal of the best kind: he shows you his personal growth, he doesn't preach it. Steve is a true hero and should be more widely known and read. I'd love to know wht he's doing today.

Stephen M. Newman, a 6'2" 28 year old journalist decided to walk around the world with his giant backpack clinger, living only on hospitality, to see if the world is really still a good place. The fact that this is a real story, a real account makes the most impact on me. In the ancient days, people made pilgrimages, holy quests and this is what his story was of, a modern pilgrimage. He comes across as optimistic and faces the world with a sense of humor even though some of the things he sees and the people he encounters are truly horrible. His optimism seems a little forced sometimes, a little overzealous, but maybe that was how he really felt. Anyways, I guess nobody likes a whiner, and who would really want to listen to him whine? During his whole voyage, there were a number of times that he did get lucky, and from his account, a lot of the people he met were friendly and kind and hospitable, and that has a lot to say about the world. So you should read this story, he points out some interesting socialogical standpoints about how people in other countries see Americans, and it makes you feel like being an american is something truly lucky to be. He was very brave, to do what he did. It probably was a lot harder than he made it sound. You can find Steve in the 1988 Guinness book of world records as the first person to walk around the world alone.

Steven Newman was not a professional writer and he did not pretend to be. But he was on a quest to circle the globe on foot, and part of the deal was that he wanted to record the journey on paper. The most challenging aspect of his plan was that he was not bankrolled. This meant that he had to depend totally upon those he met on the walk to feed and house him. Newman took many months to fulfill his quest and a few detours occurred along the way, but he did circumnavigate the globe. His account is remarkable throughout, and, in spots, downright unique. In my opinion, his achievement leaves individuals like Peter Jenkins far behind in the world of backpacking quests.

I read this book about 10 years ago, and it has a habit of creeping back into my thoughts on a regular basis. I knew it was something special when I read it back then. What I didn't know then was the profound impact it would have on the way I think of the world and all the humanity it contains.

An optimist by nature, I related to Mr. Newman's outlook on the world and found myself reaffirmed through his experiences. It's true that he ran into some pretty bad folks and could have easily been murdered. But, for every one of these experiences, he came into contact with hundreds of good people in every country who only wished him well, and who were indeed essential in providing the sustenance he needed to eventually complete his epic adventure.

You will not be able to put this book down once you start it. Read it, and remember it for a lifetime.

Thanks Steven for sharing a great adventure that I have read several times over the years. Exciting and scary adventures, wonderful stories, laugh out loud spots, and tears when you get Dad on the phone but he can't hear you, and you can hear him quietly crying. Wow. Read it.

This is a great book. One of my favorite of all time. The adventure is well written and keeps the readers interest. It is educational, entertaining, and heartwarming.

I read this book over 25 years ago (obviously didn't buy it through Amazon) and was enthralled throughout (I've never forgotten it, still have it, and still remember the "plot". The author literally walks when possible, uses boats to cross large bodies of water, and whatever means of transportation he can find when he can't actually use his own two feet, around the entire world, the planet. The book gives you a map of his route. Although he does not hit every country, his route takes him through some of the countries that no one would ever dare traverse, especially these days. I myself am an avid traveler, wishing I could travel more, that I had the money and the health, but always having the desire. The author gives his own impressions of other people, and other people's impressions of him both as a person and as an American. The reader gets a real feeling for how those cultures are (or were at the time of the trip) and the only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is that my own perfectionism does not allow me to give the maximum recommendation to any work. Otherwise, I'd say this book deserves 4.9999999...etc. I wish it was on Kindle, I'd buy it again.