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...)

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)

Customer Reviews

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.

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?

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

By	David T. Schaller "[e-mail]" (St. Paul, MN USA) - See all my reviews

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.