Pedaling the Ends of the Earth

by David Ewing Duncan

Recounts the adventures of four young American men who bicycled around the world, in thirteen months traveling through nineteen countries, across four continents and covering fourteen thousand miles

Genres: Nonfiction, Travel

269 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1985

About the author

David Ewing Duncan is the author of seven books including the worldwide bestseller Calendar. He is Chief Correspondent of public radio's Biotech Nation, a commentator on NPR's Morning Edition, and a contributing editor and a columnist for Conde Nast Portfolio. He has been a contributing editor to Wired, Discover and Technology Review, and has written for Harper s, The Atlantic, Fortune, and many other publications. He is a former special correspondent and producer for ABC Nightline and a correspondent for NOVA s ScienceNOW! He has won numerous awards including the Magazine Story of the Year from the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He lives in San Francisco and is the Director of the Center of Life Science Policy at UC Berkeley. "

Reviews

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

On the rising slope of post-World War globalization and just before the digital distractions of the Information Age, the 1980s must have been one of the most interesting times to experience the world, let alone to take one of the most ultimate of globetrotting adventures possible. I am blown away thinking of the Mr. Duncan's band of riders' complete lack of technology, e.g. GPS, internet, cell phones, and instant weather forecasts with which we today so commonly use to plan, coordinate, and stay-in-touch.

Not that the author would have been aware of the future technological developments which could have made so many things so much easier, but his account feels so casual despite much of the hardships. Near the end of the book, when the author meets up with his grandmother in Atlanta, she recounts how, although growing up during the Depression was rough, they had fun since they didn't know any better. I can easily imagine the author looking back with similar notions.

Technology aside, the most striking thing to me of Mr. Duncan's memoir is how understated he is on this utterly remarkable (and incredibly dangerous-especially in war zones!) odyssey. In the end, it kind of works for me as I consider that perhaps treating adventure as nothing too special is a good way to not be overwhelmed by the idea of one. And, although the writing and thoughts feel a bit raw and herky-jerky, there's something to be said for the plain honesty of experience.

Lastly, Mr. Duncan's account served as a powerful antidote to the last bicycle touring memoir I read which I had found at the same book sale as this one, which really should have been in the Christian section rather than the sports section, and which mainly featured a Christian radio jockey meeting fellow Christians on the road as he pedaled across the United States and which now seems even more incredibly bland in comparison to this one.

[Nancy Noble · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a great discovery - I enjoyed this book very much, reading about this amazing adventure. Although most of it sounded quite grueling, so it didn't inspire me to bicycle around the world (I'm happy bicycling around my island). Also enjoyed the internal journey too, of the author.

[Carleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read by a very good writer who can also pedal a mean bicycle! Wow, the things these guys went through. The writer is brutally honest, even when it comes to questioning his whole reason for cycling around the world, which is to fund a nonprofit. Inspiring and compelling

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good book. It started slow, but by the late middle to end, he was delving into the questions of poverty and the inequality that exists in the world between the rich and the poor. His descriptions of the places he traveled through were beautiful. If it doesn't give too much away........ the take away message was that in the face of grand inequality and the fact that most Americans have more wealth than anyone else in the world, all we can do is pick which injustice we want to make a dent in, and make a dent. The fact that we can't solve the problem shouldn't stop us. If we make the world better for one person, then wasn't it worth it? I like that message. I'm glad I read the book.

[Emmanuel Garcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great read about cycling and the world during the '80s.