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ONE YEAR LIVED
FROM THE BACK OF THE BOOK:
"I'm not angry. I don't hate my job. I'm not annoyed with capitalism, and I'm indifferent to materialism. I'm not escaping emptiness, nor am I searching for meaning. I have great friends, a wonderful family, and fun roommates. The dude two doors down invited me over for steak or pork chops--my choice--on Sunday, and I couldn't even tell you the first letter of his name. Sure, the producers of The Amazing Race have rejected all five of my applications to hotfoot around the world--all five!--and my girlfriend and I just parted ways, but I've whined all I can about the race, and the girl wasn't The Girl anyway.
All in all, my life is pretty fantastic.
But I feel boxed in. Look at a map, and there we are, a pin stuck in the wall. There's the United States, about twenty-four square inches worth, and there's the rest of the world, seventeen hundred square inches begging to be explored. Career, wife, babies--of course I want these things; they're on the horizon. Meanwhile, I'm a few memories short.
Maybe I need a year to live a little."
FROM THE PUBLISHER:
During his 29th year, spending just $19,420.68, less than it would have cost him to stay at home, Adam Shepard visited seventeen countries on four continents and lived some amazing adventures. “It’s interesting to me,” he says, “that in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Europe, it’s normal for people to pack a bag, buy a plane ticket, and get ‘Out There.’ In the U.S., though, we live with this very stiff paradigm—graduate college, work, find a spouse, make babies, work some more, retire—which can be a great existence, but we leave little room to load up a backpack and dip into various cultures, to see places, to really develop our own identity.”
Shepard's journey began in “the other Antigua”—Antigua, Guatemala—where he spent a month brushing up on his Spanish and traveling on the “chicken bus.” During his two months in Honduras, he served with an organization that helps improve the lives of poor children; in Nicaragua, he dug wells to install pumps for clean water and then stepped into the ring to face a savage bull; in Thailand, he rode an elephant and cut his hair into a mullet; in Australia, he hugged a koala, contemplated the present-day treatment of the Aborigines, and mustered cattle; in Poland, he visited Auschwitz; in Slovakia, he bungee jumped off a bridge; and in the Philippines, he went wakeboarding among Boracay’s craggy inlets and then made love to Ivana on the second most beautiful beach in the world.
His yearlong journey, which took two years to save for, was a spirited blend of leisure, volunteerism, and enrichment. He read 71 books, including ten classics and one—slowly—in Spanish. “If you can lend a hand to someone, educate yourself about the world, and sandwich that around extraordinary moments that get your blood pumping, that’s a pretty full year,” Shepard writes.
Can everybody take a year to get missing? “Maybe, maybe not,” he says, “though that’s not really the point. I’m just concerned that some of us are too set on embracing certainty. We want life to be cushy and regimented, but that’s not how we can create a lasting impact on our lives or the lives around us. There’s only so much you can learn in the classroom. Sometimes you have to get out there to experience it, to touch it, to feel it, to see it for yourself. It’s fascinating the perspective we can gain when we step out of our bubbles of comfort, even just a little bit.”
"I'm not angry. I don't hate my job. I'm not annoyed with capitalism, and I'm indifferent to materialism. I'm not escaping emptiness, nor am I searching for meaning. I have great friends, a wonderful family, and fun roommates. The dude two doors down invited me over for steak or pork chops--my choice--on Sunday, and I couldn't even tell you the first letter of his name. Sure, the producers of The Amazing Race have rejected all five of my applications to hotfoot around the world--all five!--and my girlfriend and I just parted ways, but I've whined all I can about the race, and the girl wasn't The Girl anyway.
All in all, my life is pretty fantastic.
But I feel boxed in. Look at a map, and there we are, a pin stuck in the wall. There's the United States, about twenty-four square inches worth, and there's the rest of the world, seventeen hundred square inches begging to be explored. Career, wife, babies--of course I want these things; they're on the horizon. Meanwhile, I'm a few memories short.
Maybe I need a year to live a little."
FROM THE PUBLISHER:
During his 29th year, spending just $19,420.68, less than it would have cost him to stay at home, Adam Shepard visited seventeen countries on four continents and lived some amazing adventures. “It’s interesting to me,” he says, “that in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Europe, it’s normal for people to pack a bag, buy a plane ticket, and get ‘Out There.’ In the U.S., though, we live with this very stiff paradigm—graduate college, work, find a spouse, make babies, work some more, retire—which can be a great existence, but we leave little room to load up a backpack and dip into various cultures, to see places, to really develop our own identity.”
Shepard's journey began in “the other Antigua”—Antigua, Guatemala—where he spent a month brushing up on his Spanish and traveling on the “chicken bus.” During his two months in Honduras, he served with an organization that helps improve the lives of poor children; in Nicaragua, he dug wells to install pumps for clean water and then stepped into the ring to face a savage bull; in Thailand, he rode an elephant and cut his hair into a mullet; in Australia, he hugged a koala, contemplated the present-day treatment of the Aborigines, and mustered cattle; in Poland, he visited Auschwitz; in Slovakia, he bungee jumped off a bridge; and in the Philippines, he went wakeboarding among Boracay’s craggy inlets and then made love to Ivana on the second most beautiful beach in the world.
His yearlong journey, which took two years to save for, was a spirited blend of leisure, volunteerism, and enrichment. He read 71 books, including ten classics and one—slowly—in Spanish. “If you can lend a hand to someone, educate yourself about the world, and sandwich that around extraordinary moments that get your blood pumping, that’s a pretty full year,” Shepard writes.
Can everybody take a year to get missing? “Maybe, maybe not,” he says, “though that’s not really the point. I’m just concerned that some of us are too set on embracing certainty. We want life to be cushy and regimented, but that’s not how we can create a lasting impact on our lives or the lives around us. There’s only so much you can learn in the classroom. Sometimes you have to get out there to experience it, to touch it, to feel it, to see it for yourself. It’s fascinating the perspective we can gain when we step out of our bubbles of comfort, even just a little bit.”
- GenresNonfictionTravel
290 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 31, 2013
5 people are currently reading
106 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
April 15, 2013
Yeah like this is really what anyone wants to hear right before they bungee jump off of a bridge. “Just in case line break and you not stop before ground, we really enjoy know you.” This is exactly what Adam heard right before he jumped. As you can tell he survived and the line did not break. Otherwise if it had then I would not have been contacted by the author himself (well I am pretty sure it is the author.) Can’t really say as I have not met him in the flesh. Well anyways if the line had broke then I would not have been made aware of this book and would not be sharing it with my readers.
Mr. Shepard has dreamed of traveling. So he saved so that he could travel for a year. A year to live. His journey starts in Guatemala City. The way Mr. Shepard writes and describes everything in detail, it was like I was with him as he went from place to place. I could hear the roar of the crowd at the soccer game, worked with poor children in Honduras, ran with the bulls in Spain and not just 1 bull but 3 bulls. Yes, as Mr. Shepard states himself he is a risk taker. I call him more of an extreme risk taker. However this is not a bad thing. It means that you will have more exciting stories.
Mr. Shepard encourages people especially young people to get off their butts and travel the world. As Mr. Shepard’s friend, Scott states “The world has one hundred and ninety-seven millionish square miles.” So you need to get out there and cover lots of those miles. I am more then inspired after reading about Adam’s experiences and journey to get my passport and start filling it up.
Mr. Shepard has dreamed of traveling. So he saved so that he could travel for a year. A year to live. His journey starts in Guatemala City. The way Mr. Shepard writes and describes everything in detail, it was like I was with him as he went from place to place. I could hear the roar of the crowd at the soccer game, worked with poor children in Honduras, ran with the bulls in Spain and not just 1 bull but 3 bulls. Yes, as Mr. Shepard states himself he is a risk taker. I call him more of an extreme risk taker. However this is not a bad thing. It means that you will have more exciting stories.
Mr. Shepard encourages people especially young people to get off their butts and travel the world. As Mr. Shepard’s friend, Scott states “The world has one hundred and ninety-seven millionish square miles.” So you need to get out there and cover lots of those miles. I am more then inspired after reading about Adam’s experiences and journey to get my passport and start filling it up.
July 26, 2013
When I first saw Adam W. Shepard's One Year Lived I thought it was probably a story about some poor ill-stricken guy who was given a year to live and made the most of it. I guess that's why they tell you not to judge a book by its cover! So yeah, I was wrong. Its actually about a young man who saves his money to travel to various destinations around the world and through his experiences he develops a new perspective of his country and of others.
Adam Shepard's writing style is basically as if he were recalling all of these events to his best friend. He has a great sense of humor which he adds to the majority of the situations he describes. I really enjoyed this style at first, and I remember thinking of how clever and entertaining it was because it made you feel like he was sitting there next to you telling you everything he went through.
About halfway through the book I got tired of it. I started to feel like Adam was that one annoying friend that goes on and on about his amazing trip around the world and how he went bungee jumping in Slovakia, mustered cattle in Australia, and fought with 3 bulls in Nicaragua. I wanted to tell him to just shut up already! Regardless, since I cannot leave a book unfinished, I managed to read it to the end but it took 2 weeks and much procrastination.
I will admit that I did learn a lot from it. It was interesting to read about the different cultures and how they survived. Yes, it did make me want to travel as well....but then I just ended up depressed because I am not able to. I would only recommend this book if you are thinking about traveling and need that extra boost to get you going.
Adam Shepard's writing style is basically as if he were recalling all of these events to his best friend. He has a great sense of humor which he adds to the majority of the situations he describes. I really enjoyed this style at first, and I remember thinking of how clever and entertaining it was because it made you feel like he was sitting there next to you telling you everything he went through.
About halfway through the book I got tired of it. I started to feel like Adam was that one annoying friend that goes on and on about his amazing trip around the world and how he went bungee jumping in Slovakia, mustered cattle in Australia, and fought with 3 bulls in Nicaragua. I wanted to tell him to just shut up already! Regardless, since I cannot leave a book unfinished, I managed to read it to the end but it took 2 weeks and much procrastination.
I will admit that I did learn a lot from it. It was interesting to read about the different cultures and how they survived. Yes, it did make me want to travel as well....but then I just ended up depressed because I am not able to. I would only recommend this book if you are thinking about traveling and need that extra boost to get you going.
April 18, 2013
This book describes a journey of a young man trying to find himself and figure out how to really live his life in full. He has a very good writing style of describing events and situations during his travels that makes the reading of his book very pleasant.
It is very impressive how much he was able to travel with limited financial resources. All situations are described in detail and some flashbacks are also brought into context, like his relation with his first basketball coach (Jack) and how that affect his future life. If he wants he has enough experience to write a very useful travel guide for most of the places he visited, with recommendations like "get the chicken bus" or variants on this line. His description on the passion for soccer in Guatemala is very precise and applies to all South America. He is a good character's observer and definitely an excellent story teller. All his stories are told with great passion, like something coming directly from his soul.
Excellent reading, I recommend this book to the permanent library of all readers who enjoy adventures, travels and a good entertainment for some hours. You definitely will be inspired to travel like never before. It took me around 10 hours to read the whole book.
This book was written by Adam Shepard and published by Scratch Beginnings Press on April 2013. I received a copy from the author for reviewing and I was not requested to give a positive review. Opinions expressed here are my own.
It is very impressive how much he was able to travel with limited financial resources. All situations are described in detail and some flashbacks are also brought into context, like his relation with his first basketball coach (Jack) and how that affect his future life. If he wants he has enough experience to write a very useful travel guide for most of the places he visited, with recommendations like "get the chicken bus" or variants on this line. His description on the passion for soccer in Guatemala is very precise and applies to all South America. He is a good character's observer and definitely an excellent story teller. All his stories are told with great passion, like something coming directly from his soul.
Excellent reading, I recommend this book to the permanent library of all readers who enjoy adventures, travels and a good entertainment for some hours. You definitely will be inspired to travel like never before. It took me around 10 hours to read the whole book.
This book was written by Adam Shepard and published by Scratch Beginnings Press on April 2013. I received a copy from the author for reviewing and I was not requested to give a positive review. Opinions expressed here are my own.
August 28, 2019
This—right now, today— this is our time to live, yours and mine. Quality years ahead, presumably, and we’ve already had some great experiences, met some great people, and created some great memories. Life is
good. We ain’t mad. But I still felt boxed in. Maybe I’d gotten a little soft. Maybe I’d neglected the best parts of life. Maybe I’d become too regimented. I needed a little perspective. I’d be home soon to find a wife and conceive kids and construct a career, but right then I wasn’t worried about any of that. I needed to get out there, just for a year.
I needed a year to live.
-- One Year Lived
Adam W. Shepard
good. We ain’t mad. But I still felt boxed in. Maybe I’d gotten a little soft. Maybe I’d neglected the best parts of life. Maybe I’d become too regimented. I needed a little perspective. I’d be home soon to find a wife and conceive kids and construct a career, but right then I wasn’t worried about any of that. I needed to get out there, just for a year.
I needed a year to live.
-- One Year Lived
Adam W. Shepard
April 25, 2020
It is a good entertainment reading. It took me a while to finish, it is literally Adam's experiences in the countries he visited. I especially liked the reflections in the before-last chapter "Europe" and the main message in the book is nice (travel more, get out of your shell and preconceived ideas). I liked to learn more about the differences in how Australians view and treat the indigenous population in comparison to how New Zealanders treat and view their community.
Some things that particularly bothered me were the "America is the greatest country in the world" part, which I strongly disagree (but that's a matter of opinion), many Americans would disagree (greatest for whom?) and an even larger number of non-Americans would disagree. Going so many places and experiencing so much and coming back to say something like that makes it sound like he's missing the point. Americans have it good, often times at the expense of other nations and other citizens working rights, which brings me to the relation of Adam and Raf, his Indonesian "employee". At one point Raf is treated as a completely disposable item: fast, reliable, gets the job done and can be disposed easily in the blink of an eye. It is a relation that favors both individuals, but one has a much better perspective of future and system of support than the other, who has to sell its work force for cheap, no retirement plans, no insurances whatsoever. Americans will hire offshore workforce to pay less and not have to worry about rights and that says a lot about what kind of "help" is being offered, it looks a lot like exploitation. If Americans had to pay Americans to do the job their illegal immigrants or their offshore "employees" do they'd be in trouble. It is not that they're saving these people for "offering" these jobs, it is that they need these people for no country can stand by itself. Which brings me to the last point I'd like to consider: "Life is only as satisfying as the vibe we put out into the world". It sounds pure and simple and beautiful, but real life in third world countries isn't as pretty. The ability people have for seeing the good in life (and thus putting this "good vibe" out there) is directly impacted by how much good you've seen and experienced in life. Which means that it will be hard to be so positive coming from a slum in Rio or places where your effort won't be as rewarded. It is dangerous to think and live for this maxim. One thing I liked about the book was that Adam was humble to say he doesn't see himself as someone especial for being to so many places, or smarter. Or more experienced than others. Or that he knows what life is about. He knows and acknowledged it was just a glimpse of how it is out there, but he's been there and seen it and wrote a book about it. Which is good.
Some things that particularly bothered me were the "America is the greatest country in the world" part, which I strongly disagree (but that's a matter of opinion), many Americans would disagree (greatest for whom?) and an even larger number of non-Americans would disagree. Going so many places and experiencing so much and coming back to say something like that makes it sound like he's missing the point. Americans have it good, often times at the expense of other nations and other citizens working rights, which brings me to the relation of Adam and Raf, his Indonesian "employee". At one point Raf is treated as a completely disposable item: fast, reliable, gets the job done and can be disposed easily in the blink of an eye. It is a relation that favors both individuals, but one has a much better perspective of future and system of support than the other, who has to sell its work force for cheap, no retirement plans, no insurances whatsoever. Americans will hire offshore workforce to pay less and not have to worry about rights and that says a lot about what kind of "help" is being offered, it looks a lot like exploitation. If Americans had to pay Americans to do the job their illegal immigrants or their offshore "employees" do they'd be in trouble. It is not that they're saving these people for "offering" these jobs, it is that they need these people for no country can stand by itself. Which brings me to the last point I'd like to consider: "Life is only as satisfying as the vibe we put out into the world". It sounds pure and simple and beautiful, but real life in third world countries isn't as pretty. The ability people have for seeing the good in life (and thus putting this "good vibe" out there) is directly impacted by how much good you've seen and experienced in life. Which means that it will be hard to be so positive coming from a slum in Rio or places where your effort won't be as rewarded. It is dangerous to think and live for this maxim. One thing I liked about the book was that Adam was humble to say he doesn't see himself as someone especial for being to so many places, or smarter. Or more experienced than others. Or that he knows what life is about. He knows and acknowledged it was just a glimpse of how it is out there, but he's been there and seen it and wrote a book about it. Which is good.
September 15, 2013
I agree with others who preferred the first half of the book to the second and thought it dragged on. There are some incredibly cool stories here ... the bull fighting for example is ridiculous. I hope to get the chance to watch some other gringo equally make a fool of himself the next time I'm in Nicaragua. His relationship with the Slovak girl is also interesting and charming.
The end of the book is quite unsatisfying. For someone who has now written two books about major life experiences, you'd expect a little more wisdom rather than trite platitudes we get at the end of it.
"America has a broad range of talent, but so does China. Wouldn't you like to meet that talent? Exchange a few ideas? See for yourself why China resides with us at the top of the food chain? Maybe, on the way there, swing by Cambodia to investigate why they hang desperately at the bottom? Little innovation comes out of Peru, but they have talent too, right?"
I remember reading this passage and just shaking my head. I've only been to 8 countries so far, so I can't claim to be an accomplished world traveler yet, but even I know you don't just swing by Cambodia for a few weeks and figure out why there economy clings "desperately at the bottom." Good luck either learning Khmer or finding English speakers there in the lower class who would actually enlighten you as to why their economy has struggled. And what's with the dig at Peru -- which has been South America's fastest growing economy for quite a few years now?
On a side note, I still can't believe he bought a plane ticket to Guatemala instead of Antigua (the country). I'm the least organized traveler I've ever met, and even I've never planned an itinerary to the wrong country before. Impressive, I guess.
The end of the book is quite unsatisfying. For someone who has now written two books about major life experiences, you'd expect a little more wisdom rather than trite platitudes we get at the end of it.
"America has a broad range of talent, but so does China. Wouldn't you like to meet that talent? Exchange a few ideas? See for yourself why China resides with us at the top of the food chain? Maybe, on the way there, swing by Cambodia to investigate why they hang desperately at the bottom? Little innovation comes out of Peru, but they have talent too, right?"
I remember reading this passage and just shaking my head. I've only been to 8 countries so far, so I can't claim to be an accomplished world traveler yet, but even I know you don't just swing by Cambodia for a few weeks and figure out why there economy clings "desperately at the bottom." Good luck either learning Khmer or finding English speakers there in the lower class who would actually enlighten you as to why their economy has struggled. And what's with the dig at Peru -- which has been South America's fastest growing economy for quite a few years now?
On a side note, I still can't believe he bought a plane ticket to Guatemala instead of Antigua (the country). I'm the least organized traveler I've ever met, and even I've never planned an itinerary to the wrong country before. Impressive, I guess.
January 27, 2014
I had ready "Scratch Beginnings" Adam Shepard's 1st book and loved it. So when I went looking for travel books on adventure and saw he had written another one about the precise thing we are planning to do, I was excited. I listen on Audible.com so not sure if it was the reader's tonal inflections or Adam's particular brand of writing but the arrogance behind the words turned me off. I didn't sense this same attitude in his first book. While it's true, he does acknowledge a couple instances of his stupidity with a couple personal relationships, I'm talking about the style of writing.
I'm sure there are some that will enjoy this book. It wasn't for me and I didn't make it past the tickets he gave away. Just couldn't finish. It may have something to do with the fact I paid good money for the audio version.
I'm sure there are some that will enjoy this book. It wasn't for me and I didn't make it past the tickets he gave away. Just couldn't finish. It may have something to do with the fact I paid good money for the audio version.
May 1, 2016
Mixed feelings... I enjoyed many parts of this book and would have given it more stars except for all of the randomness and tangents that at times just confused to story instead of adding to it. The politics and history lessons were not needed and, in my opinion, detracted from the concept of the book. I was going to give it two stars and was looking forward to it just ending when it started coming back together and he redeemed himself with the ending. Very much enjoyed the section on Slovakia and everything he wrote about Ivana, I hope things work out for them.
May 1, 2013
This is a series of essays that give us the story of his trip, musings from his life that relate to his travels, lessons he learned, and some history of the places he visited. He is quick to point out his own shortcomings and poke fun at himself. It is all done with humor, in a style that is very readable. I very much enjoyed this. Had me contemplating my own travels and making me want to plan more. Made me think. I highly recommend this book, even if you're normally a fiction reader.
April 28, 2013
Thoroughly enjoyed this story of one guy living everyone's dream. To travel the world for a year.
I thought the book was a great read. He keeps things interesting, tells a great story, and had some amazing adventures. In fact, this book inspired me so much that I'm now looking into volunteering in Honduras with Honduras Child Alliance.
The book isn't perfect, of course, but it's definitely one not to miss!
I thought the book was a great read. He keeps things interesting, tells a great story, and had some amazing adventures. In fact, this book inspired me so much that I'm now looking into volunteering in Honduras with Honduras Child Alliance.
The book isn't perfect, of course, but it's definitely one not to miss!
May 2, 2013
And what a 'one year' it was. He went to places off the beaten path. He did things most of us wouldn't do. He met people most of us wouldn't have. And he'll be able to tell some great stories for the rest of his life.
It's not a long read, it's an easy read and one that you can do on your next get way. I just love reading travel books when the traveler lets go of the safety rope. Dare to live a wonderful life.
It's not a long read, it's an easy read and one that you can do on your next get way. I just love reading travel books when the traveler lets go of the safety rope. Dare to live a wonderful life.
August 19, 2013
I won't go so far as saying that this book changed my life, but it has led me to change my plans for a trip I am planning and that says a lot. Definitely recommend this book to those who love to travel and want to do something with their life. The book reads easily and will hold your attention with some great stories and compelling observations on life.
May 18, 2013
I read this book about a guy traveling the world for a year while I was... traveling the world for a year. I enjoyed it pretty well. Some interesting philosophical musings and great for people to read if they need some inspiration to travel themselves!
January 14, 2014
It was actually more enjoyable than some recent travel books I've read, but it seems like the first half was very detailed and exciting, while the second half was rushed. I almost wish he didn't meet ivana...
May 20, 2013
Really good book about a dream to see thus world. He visits 17 countries on 20000 dollars. I find that amazing.
December 6, 2014
I enjoyed the journey.
This was a good read that was orderly and sequential. It made me explore some questions about myself but was not compelling.
This was a good read that was orderly and sequential. It made me explore some questions about myself but was not compelling.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews