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Call to Adventure!
Sixteen-year-old Idris Galcia Hall was a student at a French convent school in 1922 when she answered an ad in the Riviera Weekly calling for a "Brains, Beauty and Breeches" — an offer for a young woman to join a round-the-world expedition. Be prepared, the notice advised, to "learn to work before and behind a movie camera." Hired as a secretary, the blonde, six-foot teenager renamed herself Aloha Wanderwell and became the face of the team's documentary films. She also developed into an extraordinary filmmaker in her own right, directing and appearing in 11 films, mostly during the 1920s and '30s.
Traveling with the expedition of the charismatic Captain Walter Wanderwell, Aloha circled the globe three times and visited over 80 countries. Along the way, she became a Colonel in the Red Army of Siberia, a hunter of tigers in Indo-China, and a guest of the Maharajah of Gwailor. This memoir of her larger-than-life adventures will stir the hearts of all who sigh for the romance of the early days of car travel and those who savor armchair journeys to the faraway places of a vanished era.
Traveling with the expedition of the charismatic Captain Walter Wanderwell, Aloha circled the globe three times and visited over 80 countries. Along the way, she became a Colonel in the Red Army of Siberia, a hunter of tigers in Indo-China, and a guest of the Maharajah of Gwailor. This memoir of her larger-than-life adventures will stir the hearts of all who sigh for the romance of the early days of car travel and those who savor armchair journeys to the faraway places of a vanished era.
256 pages, Paperback
First published May 7, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
February 21, 2024
This book was great fun. It's well-researched and well-documented. I listened to it in an audio book version provided by LibroFM. LibroFM makes books available to me that I likely never would have discovered. This young woman, who adopted the stage name "Aloha Wanderwell," began her world travels at age 16. She broke many records for women on the road. Insights into the era are especially interesting.
November 23, 2018
At age 16, Aloha (stage name) accepted a position with Cap Wanderwell to be his secretary on the around the world driving adventure starting a couple of years later in 1922. This expanded into her adventure as the first woman to circumvent the globe in an automobile--a Ford flivver. The book is taken directly from the diaries Aloha kept through the years of travel. It is a competent travelogue, letting the reader know of obstacles getting into, out of, and across various countries. She doesn't write larger than life or gloss over experiences.
However, there is an emotional lack to the stories that left me wondering how she felt as this or that happened. There are several photos scattered throughout, which is great, but maps would have helped the reader understand the breadth of the journeys. It is a remarkable read when you think about her age in doing this as well as the era in which it was done.
That noted, I recommend any woman to read this because if you've ever stopped yourself from doing something, Aloha's adventures should impel you forward. This young woman dove into challenge after challenge to tour through over 40 countries. It's well worth it to visit the AlohaWanderwell website and watch the available films. As always when I learn about a woman this remarkable, I think: Why am I this age and only just now hearing of her? Amazing.
However, there is an emotional lack to the stories that left me wondering how she felt as this or that happened. There are several photos scattered throughout, which is great, but maps would have helped the reader understand the breadth of the journeys. It is a remarkable read when you think about her age in doing this as well as the era in which it was done.
That noted, I recommend any woman to read this because if you've ever stopped yourself from doing something, Aloha's adventures should impel you forward. This young woman dove into challenge after challenge to tour through over 40 countries. It's well worth it to visit the AlohaWanderwell website and watch the available films. As always when I learn about a woman this remarkable, I think: Why am I this age and only just now hearing of her? Amazing.
June 2, 2018
Don't Let History Forget
At the age of 16 Aloha Wanderlust persuaded her mother to allow her to leave her French boarding school to sign on as secretary, driver, and Jill of All Trades on an around the world expedition in the 1920's. In the 4 years of her travels, Aloha became many firsts. The first woman to drive a car across many terrains untouched by white people, much less a white woman. She travelled in a time when society was still in transition from wild savagery to a more populace place. She visited a Tower of Silence in India, where the Persaa took their dead to be picked cleaned by 300-400 vultures (a ritual threatened now by urbanization taking over the vultures natural habitat) to African bomas where they slept in their cars and a lion stalked her sister on midnight stroll after dining on an native traveller who was camped near by.
An incredible jaunt into history told by this strong, vivacious woman. A woman history doesn't seem to remember. A woman who's story should be heard and appreciated by women, and men, everywhere.
At the age of 16 Aloha Wanderlust persuaded her mother to allow her to leave her French boarding school to sign on as secretary, driver, and Jill of All Trades on an around the world expedition in the 1920's. In the 4 years of her travels, Aloha became many firsts. The first woman to drive a car across many terrains untouched by white people, much less a white woman. She travelled in a time when society was still in transition from wild savagery to a more populace place. She visited a Tower of Silence in India, where the Persaa took their dead to be picked cleaned by 300-400 vultures (a ritual threatened now by urbanization taking over the vultures natural habitat) to African bomas where they slept in their cars and a lion stalked her sister on midnight stroll after dining on an native traveller who was camped near by.
An incredible jaunt into history told by this strong, vivacious woman. A woman history doesn't seem to remember. A woman who's story should be heard and appreciated by women, and men, everywhere.
July 24, 2017
This book is not the best written travel narrative I have read by am long shot, but Aloha Wanderwell is just so fascinating one wants to keep reading of her adventures. Until I saw some clips of the films that she made at a recent San Francisco Silent Film Festival, I had never even heard of her. I enjoyed tagging along on her journey vicariously, knowing that I would never have had the gumption to do what she did, but I am profoundly grateful that she looks the risks so that I could read about them! Her story is also of its time, so there are many stereotypical descriptions of Asians and Africans that will out off some readers, but the author clearly had great affection for the people she met, and the novelty of her journey entertained them as well.
February 2, 2018
3.5 Thanks to a Goodreads’ friend for making me aware of this historical book. Aloha Wanderwell Baker (Idris Galicia Hall) is the “World’s most Traveled Girl”. She was the first woman to travel around the world by car. She began her quest when she was 16 ( 1922 ). She traveled to 43 countries on 4 continents. This book is a travel log done by Aloha, cataloging her 8 year adventure. She highlights the people, and their culture from so many remote places. She gave lectures and made movies, besides writing books on her journeys. The content was eye opening, though her writing style was not quite as enticing . Aloha was a very remarkable person.
June 1, 2018
Aloha was an original adventurer who endeavored to accomplish daring feats in spite of tremendous obstacles - inhospitable terrain, wars, floods, illness, freezing temperatures, poverty, forest fires, slavers, deserts, crooked police and customs officials, storms at sea, lions stalking their camps and charging elephants. That she and her team were able to accomplish all they did at that time is nothing short of incredible. It might be hard to believe her stories if there weren't photos and films of it all!
November 16, 2022
While the story itself was amazing, the telling was uneven, sometimes hard to follow, and left large gaps of time. Many terms were not explained, and the links between places were not clear. That said, this woman lived an extraordinary adventure!
February 21, 2024
Such a treat to listen to this book! Accurate and enlightening about the pre-Depression Era period and the post WWI fascination with travel. Thank you to LibroFM for making this audio book available to me!
October 3, 2017
Not really the best written travel log by any means. However, the story itself is fascinating! I think it would be much better portrayed as a movie, and frankly, I'm shocked that it's not one!
February 20, 2019
I am amazed that Aloha Wanderwell isn't very well-known. Her life is deeply interesting and very exciting. I found this book to be captivating and thought-provoking.
June 11, 2019
Loved it. It should be a movie. Or a TV series.
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June 11, 2020This is a very nice travelogue. My only regret is that it is so short compared with what it ought to be---let's say at least 600 pages in small font! I wish I could go....
July 29, 2020
This was one fascinating story and I was completely captivated from the start! (And kinda jealous, to be honest.) But I really wanted to know more, it felt like the story was cut too short.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews