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| I Am Still with You: A Reckoning with Silence, Inheritance, and History by Emmanuel IdumaGoing home: In 2019, award-winning author Emmanuel Iduma returned to Nigeria after years in New York. He visited family and traveled around the country in hope of learning more about the uncle he's named after, who died during the Nigerian Civil War between 1967-1970.
Why you might like it: Iduma offers a poignant combination of political history, family stories, personal memories, and travelogue.
The first line: "A year after I returned home, Lagos erupted in protests." |
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| American Ramble: A Walk of Memory and Renewal by Neil King Jr.A long walk: After surviving cancer, former Wall Street Journal reporter Neil King Jr. took a 26-day, 330-mile walk, traveling from his home near Washington, DC's Capitol Building to New York City's Central Park, taking lesser used routes as much as possible.
Don't miss: the fascinating history, the thoughtful musings, the maps, and the pen-and-ink drawings that begin each chapter.
Reviewers say: "The author’s storytelling skills transform a seemingly insignificant trip into something revelatory" (Kirkus Reviews). |
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| Under Alien Skies: A Sightseer's Guide to the Universe by Philip PlaitOut-of-this-world travel: This engaging book deftly shows what it would it be like to be a space tourist visiting sights such as black holes, asteroids, comets, various planets, and more.
Why you might like it: Amusing and accessible, this immersive trip led by a renowned astronomer combines cutting-edge research with clever imaginings to provide readers a with "a remarkable journey" (Booklist). |
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| Into the Amazon: The Life of Cândido Rondon, Trailblazing Explorer, Scientist, Statesman... by Larry RohterWhat it is: a vibrant, well-researched biography of Cândido Rondon, a Brazilian of mixed Indigenous heritage who was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize by Albert Einstein and was an indefatigable explorer and conservationist who tried to protect the rainforest.
Reviewers say: "A welcome, vivid portrait of a historical figure who deserves much wider recognition" (Kirkus Reviews); "stirring...a trip well worth taking" (Publishers Weekly).
For fans of: Candice Millard's River of Doubt, in which Rondon appears throughout as Theodore Roosevelt's guide. |
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| The Appalachian Trail: A Biography by Philip D'AnieriWhat it is: an "engrossing debut" (Publishers Weekly) that profiles 12 of the people who helped create and popularize the 2,100-mile Appalachian Trail, including a lawyer, a librarian, and a bestselling author.
Why you might like it: This fascinating look at an eclectic group of people also touches on the environmental effects of the trail, diversity among hikers, and the creation of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Read this next: Grandma Gatewood's Walk by Ben Montgomery, a more expansive look at one of the people featured here. |
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| The Old Ways: A Journey on Foot by Robert MacfarlaneWhat it is: a poetic meditation on walking by acclaimed British author Robert Macfarlane, who recounts his own journeys and ponders people (he meets a lot of them) and the paths they tread.
What it's about: Macfarlane explores ancient footpaths, roads, and sea paths across a variety of areas, including the chalk downs in England, the Outer Hebrides in Scotland, occupied territory in Palestine, the Camino de Santiago in Spain, and sacred regions of the Himalayas.
Why you might like it: Using rich, readable prose, Macfarlane weaves together literature, natural history, cartography, and more. |
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| On Trails: An Exploration by Robert MoorThe beginning: While thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail, journalist Robert Moor pondered the history and purpose of trails, planting the seed for this elegantly written examination of why we walk where we do.
Why you might like it: Letting his curiosity lead him around the world (from Maine to Morocco and beyond), Moor talks to historians, Indigenous people, scientists, and others, while quoting everyone from Wendell Berry to Laura Ingalls Wilder.
For fans of: Robert Macfarlane, who'll appreciate the thoughtful, wide-ranging nature of this fascinating debut. |
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| The High Sierra: A Love Story by Kim Stanley RobinsonWhat it is: an evocative, richly detailed look at California's Sierra Nevada mountains that combines memoir, travelogue, geology, and natural history, by award-winning science fiction novelist Kim Stanley Robinson, who's hiked the area over 100 times since 1973.
Don't miss: the color photos and illustrations (many by the author himself), and the eye-opening chapter about hiking the Swiss Alps.
For fans of: Terry Tempest Williams, Barry Lopez. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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