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A Crossing: A Cyclist's Journey Home
 
 
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A Crossing: A Cyclist's Journey Home (Paperback)

~ (Author) "The four bike bags will each hang from their own racks, the two big red ones in the rear, the smaller black ones in front..." (more)
Key Phrases: North Dakota, New Town, Eau Claire (more...)
3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)

Price: $19.95 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details
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Customers buy this book with Miles from Nowhere: A Round the World Bicycle Adventure by Barbara Savage

A Crossing: A Cyclist's Journey Home + Miles from Nowhere: A Round the World Bicycle Adventure
  • This item: A Crossing: A Cyclist's Journey Home by Brian Newhouse

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Brian Newhouse begins his bicycle trek across America with a rear wheel dipped in the Pacific Ocean and three rules: no walking hills, no car rides, and no hangers-on. He knows the route--eastward from Anacortes, Washington to the coast of Maine--but doesn't know why he's going. It's only after some serious road time that A Crossing defines itself as the 28-year-old's spiritual and personal awakening. As Newhouse battles prairie headwinds, mountain climbs, and an incessantly sore butt, he slowly (after all, he has loads of time) confronts the depth and dynamics of his relationship with his noncommunicative, fundamentalist Christian father, an equally religious girlfriend, and finally, faith itself. By journey's end, Newhouse finds himself on a new route: the enlightening road to his own spirituality--with signs to his own future as a father. "My children," he writes, "will never have to wonder, never have to practically kill themselves to find out, if their old man loved them."

Although A Crossing often detours into self-absorption as Newhouse searches for spiritual truth, physical descriptions of America's northern tier and wily characters such as a member of the First Church of the Absurd--the most spiritual person the author has ever met--help lighten the route. And the monster journey's logistical details are enough to keep even the most ardent bike enthusiast interested. --Rob McDonald



Product Description

A travelogue in the tradition of "Blue Highways" and "On the Road", this book tells the extraordinary story of one man's solo bicycle adventure across America--and the spiritual and personal awakening he experienced on his journey.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 288 pages
  • Publisher: Pocket (August 1, 1998)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0671568981
  • ISBN-13: 978-0671568986
  • Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 0.9 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,611,631 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

More About the Author

Brian Newhouse
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Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
The four bike bags will each hang from their own racks, the two big red ones in the rear, the smaller black ones in front. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
North Dakota, New Town, Eau Claire, Brian Newhouse, Billy Graham, Assembly of God, Rules of the Road, Wisconsin Rapids, Holy Rollers, Holy Spirit, John Runmann, Magic City, Minot College, Sedro Woolley
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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

A Crossing: A Cyclist's Journey Home
81% buy the item featured on this page:
A Crossing: A Cyclist's Journey Home 3.8 out of 5 stars (25)
$19.95
Hey Mom, Can I Ride My Bike Across America?: Five Kids Meet Their Country
19% buy
Hey Mom, Can I Ride My Bike Across America?: Five Kids Meet Their Country 4.6 out of 5 stars (16)
$14.95

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Customer Reviews

25 Reviews
5 star:
 (13)
4 star:
 (3)
3 star:
 (3)
2 star:
 (2)
1 star:
 (4)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.8 out of 5 stars (25 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Not a cycling book, January 4, 1999
By A Customer
Although I thought A Crossing was a well-written book, I found it disappointing when compared to other tales of cycling journeys. I'm sure Brian (author) would be the first to explain that his book was not meant to be simply a road travel story, but it unfortunately left me wanting to know more about the people he met and the places he saw. He overlooks vast parts of his travels as he broods about his personal problems.

Admittedly, Brian's personal struggles and resolutions were interesting, and on one level his physical journey works as a metaphor/backdrop for his mental journey. But that's not what I was looking for. Perhaps I was expecting the wrong thing, but then again the book is being marketed as a travel book.

The magic and beauty of being free and on the road was missing from this work. Brian's preoccupation with his dilemmas made him seem almost insolent, like he had no interest in any of the people he ran into (other than the few he wrote about in more detail) or in their towns--and those were the very things I was interested in hearing about. It did not seem like he enjoyed his bike trip and he did not manage to pull me into the story. But again, perhaps my expectations were too high.

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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Too religious, March 19, 1999
By A Customer
A good book but not really about cycling and the rider's RIDE EXPERIENCE. Where was the adventure and the RIDE EXPERIENCE?
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Engrossing physical/spiritual journey, with insight & humor, July 21, 1998
I read The Crossing in one sitting--it's an easy and engrossing read, yet full of humor and insight. It's about being young and unsettled, searching for something true and profound--but it never bogs down in navel-gazing or verbosity. The writing is quick and lean, rich with self-effacing humor, which makes the insights go down easily. The book takes the form of a journal, and it reminds me of many trips I've taken, but the author has written about his journey with a grace and fluidity that makes this the diary we all wish we'd had the talent to write.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars Pros and cons
Synopsis: A journey across America on a bicycle in search of faith and reconciliation with the author's father. Pros: An intriguing theme and promise of salvation. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Mr Sky

1.0 out of 5 stars Simon Shuster - anyone home?
I am sorry, but this book was not very interesting, I never really came to care about Newhouse and his description of his trip was spotty. Read more
Published on July 25, 2004 by M. Cuneo

1.0 out of 5 stars No ring of truth
I must admit to being quite disappointed with this book. I found
it to feel like a less than honest story, in both the tone
and the details. Read more
Published on April 21, 2003 by rob hawks

5.0 out of 5 stars A Crossing, A Cyclist's Journey Home by: Brian Newhouse
I am an avid Bicycling and Touring book reader. "A Crossing" by Brian Newhouse was a treasure. I read the book in less than 24 hours. Read more
Published on January 26, 2003 by Connie McAyeal

1.0 out of 5 stars Not really about the bike ride
If you're wondering what a cross-country bike ride might be like and whether you might like to do it, don't bother reading this book. Read more
Published on December 20, 2000

1.0 out of 5 stars Cyclist's Book Should be Re-Cycled
I'm sorry, but this was just not worth the money. Not even close. The only interesting character in the entire book ditches him in the first two weeks. Read more
Published on April 5, 2000

5.0 out of 5 stars A Good Read
This book is a great combination of adventure and the author's own personal journey across America. It was a prompt for me to go out there and do a bit of cycle touring myself. Read more
Published on December 8, 1999 by A.M. Louw

5.0 out of 5 stars It was hard to lay down. Wonderful book.
My family lived neighbors to Brian for 5 years and he and our daughter have remained good friends since that time. Read more
Published on October 10, 1999

5.0 out of 5 stars Funny and touching story of self discovery, faith and family
I read Newhouse's book when it first was published and enjoyed it a lot. Recently I gave a copy to my girlfriend, who also loved it. Read more
Published on September 16, 1999

5.0 out of 5 stars Tour de force on relationships, from laughing to crying
It would be easy to recommend this book to men who have reserved Scandinavian fathers. That's who you would share your copy with. Read more
Published on June 8, 1999

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