What do you think?
Rate this book
You and a Bike and a Road
A two-wheeled journey across the landscape of America, and through the heart and mind of an artist. Eleanor Davis’s bike tour from Tucson, Arizona to Athens, Georgia is a quest of epic proportions ― not just geographically, which it surely is, but inwardly as well. While facing off formidable headwinds, drivers with reckless abandon, and screaming knee pain, the author confronts an even greater challenge ― her own mind. Life on two wheels teaches her many lessons, and she narrates them with keen observation and self-deprecating candor through a series of funny, touching vignettes. Companionship from fellow travelers and the generosity of colorful strangers propel Davis along the open road. A tale of serendipitous encounters, surprising friendship, perseverance, and tenderness, Eleanor Davis’s You & A Bike & A Road reveals the power, and truth, of the most efficient mode of human transportation ― a bicycle. Black-and-white illustrations throughout
172 pages, Hardcover
First published May 16, 2017
14 people are currently reading
2378 people want to read
About the author
Eleanor Davis
37 books374 followersMy name is Eleanor Davis. I’m a cartoonist and illustrator. A collection of my short comics for adults, How To Be Happy, is out now from Fantagraphics Books. I have two graphic novels for kids: The Secret Science Alliance and the Copycat Crook (2009) which I created with my husband Drew Weing, and the easy-reader Stinky (2008). I live in Athens, Georgia.
Clients include: The New Yorker, The New York Times, Google, The Wall Street Journal, Plansponser, MIT Tech Review, Lucky Peach, Nautilus, Time Magazine, Telerama, Slate, BusinessWeek, The Washington Post, The Guardian, Oxford American, Nobrow Press, BUST Magazine, Charlex NYC, Fantagraphics Books, Dutton, TOON Books, First Second Books, Houghton Mifflin, Workman Publishing, and Bloomsbury Books.
Awards and recognition include: Society of Illustrators – Gold and Silver; Eisner Nominee (Secret Science Alliance); Print Magazine’s New Visual Artists 2009; Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor (Stinky); Russ Manning Award (Stinky); Best American Comics 2008 + cover & Best American Comics 2013. In nursery school I got a ribbon for “Best Fine Motor Skills.”
Clients include: The New Yorker, The New York Times, Google, The Wall Street Journal, Plansponser, MIT Tech Review, Lucky Peach, Nautilus, Time Magazine, Telerama, Slate, BusinessWeek, The Washington Post, The Guardian, Oxford American, Nobrow Press, BUST Magazine, Charlex NYC, Fantagraphics Books, Dutton, TOON Books, First Second Books, Houghton Mifflin, Workman Publishing, and Bloomsbury Books.
Awards and recognition include: Society of Illustrators – Gold and Silver; Eisner Nominee (Secret Science Alliance); Print Magazine’s New Visual Artists 2009; Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor (Stinky); Russ Manning Award (Stinky); Best American Comics 2008 + cover & Best American Comics 2013. In nursery school I got a ribbon for “Best Fine Motor Skills.”
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 470 reviews
September 1, 2017
I like travel writing, though I can’t say I’ve read a ton. A couple of years ago, The Snow Leopard, by Peter Matthiessen, became an important book for me. I recall other comics that focus on travel, too. Craig Thompson’s Carnet de Voyage. I very much like Lucy Knisley’s lovely travel comics. I recently read Jason’s On the Camino (here’s my review):
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I had read three books by Eleanor Davis and think she is an amazing artist and illustrator—such color, and style!--but thought she had yet to tell a really compelling or important story. She hadn’t yet found “her subject,” I was thinking. And who am I to say? But in my opinion, now I think we are beginning to see who she is through her art and what may be possible for her as a comics storyteller. Which is a lot.
This is a comic and/or illustrated story of Davis’s bicycle trip from Tucson, where her Dad built a bike for her, back toward home in Athens, Georgia. Spoiler alert of sorts, she doesn’t quite make it, but that’s not the point, of course. She males it most of the way, and as someone infamous once said, it’s not about the bike. This trip was about Eleanor, and her life. And feeling better. It’s sketchy, diary comics sketchy, at first appearances, and then you see that’s fitting since she did journal the trip in a sketchbook, but it is really enough for a diy trip. Elaborate painting wouldn’t be right for the story.
Okay. I have other stuff to do here, Eleanor. I am reading Jane Eyre and am really enjoying it. You’re interrupting that story! But you know, I picked this up from the library, opened it once and never closed it. Now that I think of it, Jane and Eleanor are both storytellers of important self-discoveries, facing difficult challenges. They’d probably like each other! And hey, Jane paints to help make sense of her life, too!
I am going backpacking this weekend, so part of the reason I picked it up it is that it is a travel memoir primarily about self-discovery (aren’t most of them?). So the book was calling to me: Read me now! But I got hooked early on when she talked about what she says when asked why she is biking x-country. In response, she says "better now before we have a baby" and "my Dad built the bike; maybe it’s easier to ride home than ship it" but she doesn't say, "I was having trouble with wanting to not be alive, but I feel good when I am biking." I am a sucker for this kind of honesty, Eleanor. Having read that sentence, I could not then close the book until it was done. And I didn’t.
Davis actually sees a man caught in a border crossing, reminding me of Luis Urrea’s The Devil’s Highway and Into the Beautiful North. Heartbreaking. So it’s not just about her, either. She has political purposes in the telling she speaks to about immigration and refugees.
I really believe at first sight it doesn’t look that substantial, sort of sketchy, and now I feel like I have gotten to know her. Not everything is resolved, of course, there’s no eureka moment, but I really really liked it.
In the end she advises you: “Wake up. Move through space. Mind a clear pane of glass, and this bright world.” Davis’s Zen Koan or haiku for us, yay.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I had read three books by Eleanor Davis and think she is an amazing artist and illustrator—such color, and style!--but thought she had yet to tell a really compelling or important story. She hadn’t yet found “her subject,” I was thinking. And who am I to say? But in my opinion, now I think we are beginning to see who she is through her art and what may be possible for her as a comics storyteller. Which is a lot.
This is a comic and/or illustrated story of Davis’s bicycle trip from Tucson, where her Dad built a bike for her, back toward home in Athens, Georgia. Spoiler alert of sorts, she doesn’t quite make it, but that’s not the point, of course. She males it most of the way, and as someone infamous once said, it’s not about the bike. This trip was about Eleanor, and her life. And feeling better. It’s sketchy, diary comics sketchy, at first appearances, and then you see that’s fitting since she did journal the trip in a sketchbook, but it is really enough for a diy trip. Elaborate painting wouldn’t be right for the story.
Okay. I have other stuff to do here, Eleanor. I am reading Jane Eyre and am really enjoying it. You’re interrupting that story! But you know, I picked this up from the library, opened it once and never closed it. Now that I think of it, Jane and Eleanor are both storytellers of important self-discoveries, facing difficult challenges. They’d probably like each other! And hey, Jane paints to help make sense of her life, too!
I am going backpacking this weekend, so part of the reason I picked it up it is that it is a travel memoir primarily about self-discovery (aren’t most of them?). So the book was calling to me: Read me now! But I got hooked early on when she talked about what she says when asked why she is biking x-country. In response, she says "better now before we have a baby" and "my Dad built the bike; maybe it’s easier to ride home than ship it" but she doesn't say, "I was having trouble with wanting to not be alive, but I feel good when I am biking." I am a sucker for this kind of honesty, Eleanor. Having read that sentence, I could not then close the book until it was done. And I didn’t.
Davis actually sees a man caught in a border crossing, reminding me of Luis Urrea’s The Devil’s Highway and Into the Beautiful North. Heartbreaking. So it’s not just about her, either. She has political purposes in the telling she speaks to about immigration and refugees.
I really believe at first sight it doesn’t look that substantial, sort of sketchy, and now I feel like I have gotten to know her. Not everything is resolved, of course, there’s no eureka moment, but I really really liked it.
In the end she advises you: “Wake up. Move through space. Mind a clear pane of glass, and this bright world.” Davis’s Zen Koan or haiku for us, yay.
October 11, 2017
When Eleanor was posting these comics on twitter during the trip, I felt an ache in my bones at the thought that it would "only" be a twitter comic and that I might not be able to hold it in my hands someday. Luckily Annie Koyama and her team swooped in and made this beautiful book! It is one of the most powerful comics I've ever read, I can't recommend it highly enough. Five stars? TEN stars!!!
I give a lecture to my comics students called "Your Comics Will Love You Back" and at the end of it I give the advice that students should do their best to become interesting people. No one needs to read another comic about someone just sitting around in their apartment. I will now point to this book as an example of what I'm talking about. Eleanor set out on a great adventure, and hastily documented it en route - smudgey pencil marks and drawing mistakes intact - and it's 1000x more engaging than most of the comics I read, because she went out there and pushed herself, trying something new, doing things most of us would only ever dream about.
We are so lucky that Eleanor has chosen comics as one of the main mediums of her expression. I can't wait to read whatever she is working on next.
I give a lecture to my comics students called "Your Comics Will Love You Back" and at the end of it I give the advice that students should do their best to become interesting people. No one needs to read another comic about someone just sitting around in their apartment. I will now point to this book as an example of what I'm talking about. Eleanor set out on a great adventure, and hastily documented it en route - smudgey pencil marks and drawing mistakes intact - and it's 1000x more engaging than most of the comics I read, because she went out there and pushed herself, trying something new, doing things most of us would only ever dream about.
We are so lucky that Eleanor has chosen comics as one of the main mediums of her expression. I can't wait to read whatever she is working on next.
October 24, 2017
As a homebound sick person, I was looking forward to reading a book that goes on a cross-country bike trip, but that's not exactly why I took it out. I just tend to appreciate Davis's work and I'm always curious where she'll next (she works on a pretty diverse bunch of projects.).
Davis's journey is not a flashy one, not an easy one. She gets lonely, her knee hurts, she doesn't want to "fail" to complete the trip but she also wants to listen to her own wisdom about when she's ready to go home.
I love her spare drawings and all the richness in relationships big and small (her parents, her partner, people she meets along the way). She is not afraid to go on more introspective journeys as she rides and as she sits still waiting for the next leg of her trip to arrive.
It's a quiet book, an inner dialogue exploring existential struggles. And also a reflection on geography and what we do and do not see. (Look at a map. Where it shows a little straight line, you might actually find a twisting road and a world of endless complexity.)
Here's an excerpt from the book. Bleak and powerful and tenderly, unflinchingly approached.
http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/di...
Davis's journey is not a flashy one, not an easy one. She gets lonely, her knee hurts, she doesn't want to "fail" to complete the trip but she also wants to listen to her own wisdom about when she's ready to go home.
I love her spare drawings and all the richness in relationships big and small (her parents, her partner, people she meets along the way). She is not afraid to go on more introspective journeys as she rides and as she sits still waiting for the next leg of her trip to arrive.
It's a quiet book, an inner dialogue exploring existential struggles. And also a reflection on geography and what we do and do not see. (Look at a map. Where it shows a little straight line, you might actually find a twisting road and a world of endless complexity.)
Here's an excerpt from the book. Bleak and powerful and tenderly, unflinchingly approached.
http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/di...
June 1, 2017
I savored this reading experience. I am not at all an athletic person, nor do I bike, but there's something universal in the way Davis pits her body against the world, against the wide open spaces that provide beauty, against the inhospitable city-scapes, against the road & her own brain & body.
It's a travelogue, rendered without panels, mostly. It's also about the complicated & uncomplicated kindness of strangers, the specificity of being vulnerable as a woman in the world, the safety of passing through the south while being white, what it might take to not be sad--there's so much in this book, as slim as it is.
I loved it.
There's a sequence towards the middle that highlights the ongoing horror of those trying to cross the border between the U.S. & Mexico. I've read that particular part at least three times and it makes me weep each and every time. I still can't get it out of my head.
It's a travelogue, rendered without panels, mostly. It's also about the complicated & uncomplicated kindness of strangers, the specificity of being vulnerable as a woman in the world, the safety of passing through the south while being white, what it might take to not be sad--there's so much in this book, as slim as it is.
I loved it.
There's a sequence towards the middle that highlights the ongoing horror of those trying to cross the border between the U.S. & Mexico. I've read that particular part at least three times and it makes me weep each and every time. I still can't get it out of my head.
October 25, 2024
"I like going further than we tell ourselves is possible."
Picked up this roadbike touring memoir on recommendation from a book club mate, and quickly recognized the style as the author of How to Be Happy, a graphic novel I loved back in 2017 or so.
This is a short but deep memoir that touches on large issues like mental health and immigration wrapped up in a road trip diary.
Davis has a succinct and simple style that leaves quite an impression.
Picked up this roadbike touring memoir on recommendation from a book club mate, and quickly recognized the style as the author of How to Be Happy, a graphic novel I loved back in 2017 or so.
This is a short but deep memoir that touches on large issues like mental health and immigration wrapped up in a road trip diary.
Davis has a succinct and simple style that leaves quite an impression.
November 11, 2017
Eleanor Davis set out to ride her bicycle from Tucson, Arizona to Athens, Georgia. She kept a diary of her trip in comics form, and this book is the result. She's got a fast, loose style that allows her to get thoughts down quickly. There are highs and lows, both emotional and physical, throughout her journey. She meets some amazing people along the way.
I've read a number of travel books in recent years, and the writers invariably seem to meet friendly, helpful people wherever they go. Then again, people who travel and meet unfriendly people who kill them and chop them into little bits tend not to write books about their experiences ...
In the end, this was a pleasant enough read, but not something that's likely to stick with me. About all it really has going for it is Davis' unique aesthetic, which, to be fair, is hardly inconsequential. Good stuff, but not much more than that ...
I've read a number of travel books in recent years, and the writers invariably seem to meet friendly, helpful people wherever they go. Then again, people who travel and meet unfriendly people who kill them and chop them into little bits tend not to write books about their experiences ...
In the end, this was a pleasant enough read, but not something that's likely to stick with me. About all it really has going for it is Davis' unique aesthetic, which, to be fair, is hardly inconsequential. Good stuff, but not much more than that ...
July 13, 2017
Not usually a fan of travelogues, but love me some Eleanor Davis. She does something to my spirit, something good. This wasn't as rich or polished or optimistic as other stuff of hers, but it was very personal and sensitive. Lovely.
October 9, 2020
Es una historia autobiográfica trazada con un dibujo sencillo pero muy lírico, lleno de sensibilidad. Eleanor Davis se retrata así misma en su empeño por recorrer en bicicleta la distancia que va desde Arizona a Georgia. Los paisajes que atraviesa, la gente que conoce, las penurias físicas, que son muchas, la superación del dolor, la frustración, la soledad, el consuelo en manos de extraños o de tus seres queridos.
Es un tebeo bonito, muy bonito, aunque al principio pienses: "esto lo dibujo yo". Y la historia que cuenta es un poco americana, un poco rollo "Salvaje", de superación, pero con la que conectas mucho porque ella ni se pinta guapa, ni atlética, ni montando en bici feliz y sin renegar de los dolores. Añado que a mí me ha parecido bastante imprudente dedicarte a dormir en las cunetas de las carreteras pero los americanos son así.
Es un tebeo bonito, muy bonito, aunque al principio pienses: "esto lo dibujo yo". Y la historia que cuenta es un poco americana, un poco rollo "Salvaje", de superación, pero con la que conectas mucho porque ella ni se pinta guapa, ni atlética, ni montando en bici feliz y sin renegar de los dolores. Añado que a mí me ha parecido bastante imprudente dedicarte a dormir en las cunetas de las carreteras pero los americanos son así.
July 28, 2025
Just excellent. Forgot how much I love a graphic novel, how necessary that form can be to communicate certain experiences.
December 17, 2017
Eleanor Davis decided to bike from her parents' house in Tucson, Arizona to her house in Athens, Georgia. She documents the journey in this book, and while I would never argue that someone else is mentally or spiritually dumb just based on if they don't love something I think is a pure immaculate vision, possibly you might have some problems you should go to a therapist about if you read this and don't find the small quiet bird of your psyche suddenly kicking long wild legs up you totally forgot it was lazily nestling on, cackling and crying with gooey billowing thrilled delight because of the bright bare world it just cracked its little skull against, the certain and present and only world that you forget all the time till something remembers it to you.
A PERFECT BOOK. You sort of toodle along with her through the first bit and then you get to the page where your eyes flood with tears and you caw-laugh like the blast of light that you are, which honestly is the whole point of everything everyone's doing here, in my opinion which is the correct opinion. Really a good great beautiful beautiful book please buy some copies and distribute to your beloveds.
A PERFECT BOOK. You sort of toodle along with her through the first bit and then you get to the page where your eyes flood with tears and you caw-laugh like the blast of light that you are, which honestly is the whole point of everything everyone's doing here, in my opinion which is the correct opinion. Really a good great beautiful beautiful book please buy some copies and distribute to your beloveds.
October 6, 2024
review from october 2024:
more things i like in this book: the way eleanor davis talks about injury. the image of her stick-figure upper body and every muscle of her legs. crying, again (uhhuuhuuhuuhuuhhuu). biking against the wind.
i want to bike forever and draw beautifully, and if i can’t, what am i going to do? stop?
review from may 2023:
things that i like in this book: i like the lumpy and imperfect way she draws bodies, i like the way her words and text play off each other like pages from a journal, i like her bold all-caps handwriting and the way you can tell it was all drawn in pencil. i like seeing how she becomes familiar with drawing bikes. i like that she stops to pay attention to, to draw, the wildflowers. i like the sound effects: da-dun, da-dun, da-dun for a racing heartbeat, huuuu huuuu huuuu for sobbing in an unkind pine forest. what a marvel.
review from feb 2022:
i think this is maybe one of the most beautiful books i’ve ever read in my life. i cried in the library because of this book. review to come maybe?
more things i like in this book: the way eleanor davis talks about injury. the image of her stick-figure upper body and every muscle of her legs. crying, again (uhhuuhuuhuuhuuhhuu). biking against the wind.
i want to bike forever and draw beautifully, and if i can’t, what am i going to do? stop?
review from may 2023:
things that i like in this book: i like the lumpy and imperfect way she draws bodies, i like the way her words and text play off each other like pages from a journal, i like her bold all-caps handwriting and the way you can tell it was all drawn in pencil. i like seeing how she becomes familiar with drawing bikes. i like that she stops to pay attention to, to draw, the wildflowers. i like the sound effects: da-dun, da-dun, da-dun for a racing heartbeat, huuuu huuuu huuuu for sobbing in an unkind pine forest. what a marvel.
review from feb 2022:
i think this is maybe one of the most beautiful books i’ve ever read in my life. i cried in the library because of this book. review to come maybe?
August 28, 2017
I love this book. Davis captures the atmosphere and setting so well. The book is rich with well-observed details about her experience biking across the southwest and southern United States. The people that she meets on the road keep her journey interesting and add the feeling of being away from home and having adventures. Davis' cartooning is gorgeous, gestural, thoughtful, and expressive. I found the ongoing theme of personal strength inspiring and moving. It's a stunning graphic novel that I plan to gift to quite a few people in my life. It makes me want to travel!
September 18, 2017
this was delectable and inspiring, and I found it to be an interesting examination of the border in some respects. subtle social commentary and sparse illustration gave it a unique effect and reminded me of the therapeutic take on cycling and how we still achieve our goals even when we don't finish them completely. a feel-good hour or two spent on a chilly day.
April 25, 2025
I read this a few years ago and enjoyed it, I found more depth here than I did before.
Read
April 23, 2023It makes me mad how beautifully written and drawn this is.
November 11, 2023
This is what I wanted Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance to be like, but it’s better.
January 8, 2018
A few months back I reviewed Norwegian cartoonist Jason's On the Camino, a faintly tedious portrait of his hike over a traditional pilgrimage route across northern Spain as something to do to mark his fiftieth birthday. He keeps everything, from the theological resonance of the journey to his own stumbling attempts at human connection, at arm's length, with his dry, self-regarding wit and careful clear-line depictions of interesting landmarks. By contrast, in this book, a documentation of her 2016 bike trip from Tucson, AZ to Athens, GA, Eleanor Davis throws herself passionately into everything she encounters, from despair and anger at the physical limitations of her body, to astonished joy at the kindness of strangers, to a kind of hopeless paralysis at the sleepless injustice of the border patrol. The result is a much more complete, vivid, and truthful work of art. Jason may have walked the Camino, but he never gets out of his own head: Davis is always engaged with the world around her, to her great joy and great sorrow.
Her fluid, organic artwork, drawn directly onto paper using pen or pencil as a sort of journal during the trip itself, is a testament to the ever-changing, endlessly-yawning landscape of the American Southwest and South, where cities sprawl like cancers because there are no natural borders. There are no panel borders, but her brilliant sense of flow and composition means that following the thread of the page, where the eye should fall next, is never in doubt: she's a master cartoonist working at the top of her game, striking off casual images that lesser artists could slave for weeks at and never master.
Eleanor Davis is in my estimation one of the top five cartoonists working in the world today, and on most days I'd be comfortable putting her squarely at #1. This book is a beautiful, human, even necessary document. I didn't read enough new comics in 2017 to have a best-of list, but I've kept my eyes open, and it's hard to conceive of any that would come near toppling it as my favorite.
Her fluid, organic artwork, drawn directly onto paper using pen or pencil as a sort of journal during the trip itself, is a testament to the ever-changing, endlessly-yawning landscape of the American Southwest and South, where cities sprawl like cancers because there are no natural borders. There are no panel borders, but her brilliant sense of flow and composition means that following the thread of the page, where the eye should fall next, is never in doubt: she's a master cartoonist working at the top of her game, striking off casual images that lesser artists could slave for weeks at and never master.
Eleanor Davis is in my estimation one of the top five cartoonists working in the world today, and on most days I'd be comfortable putting her squarely at #1. This book is a beautiful, human, even necessary document. I didn't read enough new comics in 2017 to have a best-of list, but I've kept my eyes open, and it's hard to conceive of any that would come near toppling it as my favorite.
March 26, 2018
In 2016, Eleanor Davis decided to bike from the state of Texas back home to Athens, Georgia. During that time, she kept a journal diary where she chronicled the ups and downs of the trip.
I was taken aback when I first opened this. For some reason, I was under the impression that Davis had created this comic AFTER her trip (not during), so I was surprised (and mildly disappointed) when this didn't look anything like her work How To Be Happy. However, once I got my expectations in check, I really enjoyed this.
Davis travels in Texas often brought her to the U.S. border; her observations in these treks are poignant and timely. The rest of the work is very feel-good as we get witness Davis' lows, but also the wonderful highs as she makes friends and overcomes the hurdles of such an arduous trip. Davis puts her vulnerability on full display in a way that kind of reminded me of Leslie Steins' Present. Reading this gave me a similar feeling of hanging out and talking with a close friend.
Highly recommended if you enjoy memoir/travel comics.
I was taken aback when I first opened this. For some reason, I was under the impression that Davis had created this comic AFTER her trip (not during), so I was surprised (and mildly disappointed) when this didn't look anything like her work How To Be Happy. However, once I got my expectations in check, I really enjoyed this.
Davis travels in Texas often brought her to the U.S. border; her observations in these treks are poignant and timely. The rest of the work is very feel-good as we get witness Davis' lows, but also the wonderful highs as she makes friends and overcomes the hurdles of such an arduous trip. Davis puts her vulnerability on full display in a way that kind of reminded me of Leslie Steins' Present. Reading this gave me a similar feeling of hanging out and talking with a close friend.
Highly recommended if you enjoy memoir/travel comics.
November 10, 2018
I tend to love travel writing. There is something about being away from the comforts of home that opens people up in unexpected ways.
The author's dad makes her a bicycle, and instead of shipping it home she decides that it would be easier to ride it there herself. Hence begins this solo bike trip from Tuscon, Arizona to Athens, Georgia.
There is something about this book that slowly charmed me. At first I was disappointed with the sketchy, almost hastily done art style, as it in sharp contrast to the art on the covers, which was what I was expecting to also find on the inside. Instead, there are daily, pen and ink sketches about there trip, the challenges she faces, the people she meets, an America we tend not to hear much about in the news. Any traveler will tell you that a solo trip can be both exhilarating and daunting, and when you are moving by your own steam it takes on an entirely different dimension. In a world where lines are clearly drawn between Red and Blue States, and civil discourse seems to be forgotten, this graphic memoir is a reminder that life is not what happens on social media. Get outside. Challenge yourself. Interact with strangers. It's about the journey not the destination.
The author's dad makes her a bicycle, and instead of shipping it home she decides that it would be easier to ride it there herself. Hence begins this solo bike trip from Tuscon, Arizona to Athens, Georgia.
There is something about this book that slowly charmed me. At first I was disappointed with the sketchy, almost hastily done art style, as it in sharp contrast to the art on the covers, which was what I was expecting to also find on the inside. Instead, there are daily, pen and ink sketches about there trip, the challenges she faces, the people she meets, an America we tend not to hear much about in the news. Any traveler will tell you that a solo trip can be both exhilarating and daunting, and when you are moving by your own steam it takes on an entirely different dimension. In a world where lines are clearly drawn between Red and Blue States, and civil discourse seems to be forgotten, this graphic memoir is a reminder that life is not what happens on social media. Get outside. Challenge yourself. Interact with strangers. It's about the journey not the destination.
February 11, 2025
Taken from her journal, Eleanor Davis gives us a memoir of her biking trip from her parent’s home in Tucson, Arizona to her husband and home in Athens, Georgia. Her dad built the bike for her and she thought to bike home would be easier than shipping it. Also, her mood lately is only good while being on her bike.
This is a sparsely drawn book, without too many words either, but conveys ample meaning. Can’t help but root for her, and not just to finish this biking cross-country trip on her own terms.
She encounters aggressive border patrol and amazing wonderful strangers that looks out for her and help her, even when she never asked.
I don’t read many graphic art books, but after reading this one, I do want to include more of these types of books. And of course, more of Eleanor Davis, maybe her artist husband too.
This is a sparsely drawn book, without too many words either, but conveys ample meaning. Can’t help but root for her, and not just to finish this biking cross-country trip on her own terms.
She encounters aggressive border patrol and amazing wonderful strangers that looks out for her and help her, even when she never asked.
I don’t read many graphic art books, but after reading this one, I do want to include more of these types of books. And of course, more of Eleanor Davis, maybe her artist husband too.
September 10, 2017
Eleanor Davis kept a sketchbook diary during a cross-country bicycle trip and the end result is an inspiring and insightful look at aging, depression, immigration, the beauty of the American landscape and the great kindness of which humanity is capable. I've read 286 graphic novels so far this year, and this one is the best.
January 20, 2018
An interesting GN about a woman who decides to ride her bike across country. She does this as a personal challenge on her own. Sometimes sleeping in the rough, sometimes staying with people, one of her biggest challenges is the pain that reoccurs in her knees en route. Her story was interesting but the style of sketching that she used was off-putting to me.
August 14, 2017
A wonderful diary of one cartoonist bike ride. A quick read, but worth it as she shares the beauty of the dessert, strangers, and overcoming your body and mind.
September 19, 2017
I think I just need something different from the books I read. More words mainly, or if not that, at least detail, color, beautiful pictures. I guess I'm shallow that way.
November 14, 2019
This book stands out.
I always feel guilty that I often don't review books immediately after I've read them. Unless I diligently take notes, I don't always remember nuance or brief moments I appreciated or not.
But sometimes, I come to a day when I need to review a stack of books, and there's one that looms over the rest. A book I Remember.
And for the last few months, this is my standout graphic novel.
Not everyone will respond to this book the same way I did. I have an established, long-term interest in traveling stories (Graphic Novel Travelogues is my GR shelf for keeping a record of the many books along these lines I've read, with a thought towards some thesis I'll probably never actually write). The art is Davis at their least polished - generally, each day's art was created as the journey was happening. Don't go in expecting the lush colors of the cover or of many of Davis' other works - we're talking a drawing implement and a page.
We follow Davis on a journey they wanted to take because their window for this adventure was about to close, due to other goals happening in their life. They travel along the southern-most continental United States - Arizona, New Mexico, Texas... Parts of their journey come quite close to the US/Mexico border, so patrols check in on them a time or two. There are times when they doubt their commitment to completing the journey.
The whole thing makes me think about intentionality, life goals, midlife, decision making, the perception of adventure vs. reality, the eco-benefits of bike travel, the gritty realities of physical effort, and much more.
I admire Davis for undertaking this journey, and am incredibly grateful that they kept a record and let us see it.
I always feel guilty that I often don't review books immediately after I've read them. Unless I diligently take notes, I don't always remember nuance or brief moments I appreciated or not.
But sometimes, I come to a day when I need to review a stack of books, and there's one that looms over the rest. A book I Remember.
And for the last few months, this is my standout graphic novel.
Not everyone will respond to this book the same way I did. I have an established, long-term interest in traveling stories (Graphic Novel Travelogues is my GR shelf for keeping a record of the many books along these lines I've read, with a thought towards some thesis I'll probably never actually write). The art is Davis at their least polished - generally, each day's art was created as the journey was happening. Don't go in expecting the lush colors of the cover or of many of Davis' other works - we're talking a drawing implement and a page.
We follow Davis on a journey they wanted to take because their window for this adventure was about to close, due to other goals happening in their life. They travel along the southern-most continental United States - Arizona, New Mexico, Texas... Parts of their journey come quite close to the US/Mexico border, so patrols check in on them a time or two. There are times when they doubt their commitment to completing the journey.
The whole thing makes me think about intentionality, life goals, midlife, decision making, the perception of adventure vs. reality, the eco-benefits of bike travel, the gritty realities of physical effort, and much more.
I admire Davis for undertaking this journey, and am incredibly grateful that they kept a record and let us see it.
May 21, 2017
These are often very simple stylized drawings that originate from the author's cross-country bike trek from her parents' home in Tucson, Arizona to her own home in Athens, Georgia in 2016. Eleanor Davis documents her daily travels along the planned 2,000 mile or so journey through border states such as New Mexico and Texas and the people and events she encounters along the way.
The impact and the stories behind the pictures are not simple at all though and often have dark underpinnings such as the "I saw a man get arrested in Fort Hancock yesterday" sequence which can be seen excerpted at
Slate online May 15, 2017.
There is joy and exhilaration alongside the occasional pain and darkness. You are left understanding why the cover image, which could have been an all bright and sunny bike ride panorama, is left somewhat obscured by the black stylized trees.
The impact and the stories behind the pictures are not simple at all though and often have dark underpinnings such as the "I saw a man get arrested in Fort Hancock yesterday" sequence which can be seen excerpted at
Slate online May 15, 2017.
There is joy and exhilaration alongside the occasional pain and darkness. You are left understanding why the cover image, which could have been an all bright and sunny bike ride panorama, is left somewhat obscured by the black stylized trees.
November 21, 2022
Eleanor Davis sets out to ride from her parents’ place in Tucson, Arizona to her home in Athens, Georgia, which would mean also crossing New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Alabama & Mississippi…. She makes it as far as Jackson, MS.
It’s refreshing to read something about sport and physical activity that unpacks the love-hate relationship, the fear of failure, the resignation to failure and all those contradictions of movement and sport. Davis’s style here is sparse, almost rough sketch-like, off-set by tidy lettering. Along the way she meets helpful, generous and friendly people, sees the pervasiveness of the Border Patrol, confronts questions of migrant rights and weaves into the narrative in a banal way the challenge of touring by bike, managing safety and sleeping – all the challenges of just getting there, wherever there may be.
All in all, hauntingly disarming.
It’s refreshing to read something about sport and physical activity that unpacks the love-hate relationship, the fear of failure, the resignation to failure and all those contradictions of movement and sport. Davis’s style here is sparse, almost rough sketch-like, off-set by tidy lettering. Along the way she meets helpful, generous and friendly people, sees the pervasiveness of the Border Patrol, confronts questions of migrant rights and weaves into the narrative in a banal way the challenge of touring by bike, managing safety and sleeping – all the challenges of just getting there, wherever there may be.
All in all, hauntingly disarming.
October 5, 2021
i remember when these drawings were getting tweeted out in real time in 2017 (or was it 2016…)!! beautiful pencil and ink illustrations; i love the way she draws human figures. so loose and soft. just the right amount of sparseness and detail that conveys the vastness/austerity of the landscapes and what i imagine biking on open roads by yourself for weeks is like. ms. davis encountered so much kindness and beauty and sadness along her journey that i found myself tearing up at times! especially loved the portions in texas (marfa, big bend, austin) but i’m biased. lovely little book
August 26, 2018
Umas das leituras mais agradáveis do ano, a partir de algum momento começou a me dá uma vontade terrível de tirar umas férias, pegar uma bike e ir atrás de aventura assim como a autora fez... Achei bonito a segurança que ela teve pra determinar que seu objetivo fora alcançado... Eleanor é uma das minhas artistas favoritas, gosto muito do traço minimalista dela, me trás sempre uma sensação de intimidade e de modernidade.
November 18, 2025
What a lovely little journey with whimsical drawings and beautiful verses woven throughout.
Five stars. A perfect read.
//
Also, a shout out to these particular verses:
"Your sovereign body,
God's thrilling indifference"
If I could ever write a couplet that strong I'd retire from the game, man.
Five stars. A perfect read.
//
Also, a shout out to these particular verses:
"Your sovereign body,
God's thrilling indifference"
If I could ever write a couplet that strong I'd retire from the game, man.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 470 reviews