The Centennial: A Journey Through America's National Park System

by David Kroese

The Centennial is the first published narrative covering all 400+ National Park Service sites, a two-year adventure across every state and territory through America’s diverse landscapes and their fascinating human and natural history. Your journey begins!

About the Author

Born in St. Louis and raised in southern Illinois, David Kroese enjoyed a 25-year career in the biotechnology sector after earning a degree in chemical engineering from the University of Illinois. Finding personal growth and development stalled in the second decade of his work tenure, David chose not to start anew in the corporate world. Instead, he turned to his lifelong personal interests to fill the void.

Since childhood, history and places of natural beauty fascinated him, naturally drawing him into physical and literary exploration. Having subjugated these interests to his career, David flipped his priorities. Maintaining a job assignment that could often be completed remotely during off-hours with a laptop and mobile phone, David set out to achieve personal fulfillment with the adventure of a lifetime, visiting all of America's National Park units.

David lives in Chicago with his wife, Kareen.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction

586 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 10, 2019

Reviews

[Christina Bunner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely worth the read

This book was a great book if you are truly interested in all the national parks our country has to offer but can't make it to them in person. I felt like I was travelling right beside the author and cheering him on through his journey. . It was wonderfully written and I would highly recommend it

[Rose Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

transformative
The journey with David is eye opening .An opportunity to experience places that you may never see. His passion for the parks inspires you. His love of nature and the journey he embarked on is riveting.

[Ayelet · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I first heard about this book I thought it would be a coffee table book with mostly pictures. I wish that he had put an insert with color pictures rather than the occasional black and white one. Most of the pictures lost their impact without color and some were just indecipherable. The parts I enjoyed the most were parks that I had personally been to and could picture (I highlighted those names). While the journey itself was considerable, I didn't need to read about every meal eaten. I wonder how he kept track of everything, which he obviously did. I was also annoyed by his continuous use of the phrase "in route" instead of "en route." I corrected those and a few others in my book.

[Jason · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't end up finishing this, as it just felt like a list of parks. The author's journey was very cool, but the book felt like a personal journal for someone to remember their trip, not something I found interesting.

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting but a very long read.