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Untethered: A Woman's Search for Self on the Edge of India - A Travel Memoir
In a quest to prove she can go anywhere, do anything, be anyone she wants, C.L. Stambush sets out on a solo 5-month and 7,000-mile motorcycle journey along the edge of India. Fraught with danger and near-death experiences, she encounters ominous men, confronts culture clashes, and homicidal drivers. Along the way, she crashes her motorcycle, loses her camera, her way, and her self-control—crossing lines she never imagined possible.
In the end, will the price she pays be worth it?
A must-read for fans of Cheryl Strayed, Elizabeth Gilbert, Robyn Davidson, and others.
In the end, will the price she pays be worth it?
A must-read for fans of Cheryl Strayed, Elizabeth Gilbert, Robyn Davidson, and others.
281 pages, Paperback
First published February 21, 2021
12 people are currently reading
74 people want to read
About the author
C.L. Stambush
1 book2 followersC.L. Stambush is a journalist, writer, and, editor who has lived, worked and traveled in more than 20 countries. Her work has appeared in the Chicago Tribune, Cosmopolitan, Far Eastern Economic Review, Travelers’ Tales, as well as national and international newspapers. She is the recipient of awards, scholarships, and residencies from Hedgebrook Writers Colony, RopeWalk Writers Retreat, Split Rock Arts Program, and Indiana University Writers’ Conference, where an early chapter from this book was judged Best Creative Nonfiction by Scott Russell Sanders.
She lived in Europe, Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Asia for six years, traveling by foot, train, truck, bus, boat, camel, donkey cart, and motorcycle. After returning to the United States, she was recruited to become a national motorcycle safety instructor where she trained hundreds of people (many of them women) to ride safely during her fourteen-year tenure.
To inquire about booking C.L. Stambush for a speaking engagement, please contact the author at hello@clstambush.com. Visit the author’s site at www.clstambush.com.
She lived in Europe, Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Asia for six years, traveling by foot, train, truck, bus, boat, camel, donkey cart, and motorcycle. After returning to the United States, she was recruited to become a national motorcycle safety instructor where she trained hundreds of people (many of them women) to ride safely during her fourteen-year tenure.
To inquire about booking C.L. Stambush for a speaking engagement, please contact the author at hello@clstambush.com. Visit the author’s site at www.clstambush.com.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
March 16, 2021
Embarking on a months long trip through a deeply patriarchal country, thousands of miles from home, the author sets out to find the strength that lies dormant within her.
There are plenty of harrowing experiences with men in this book, but for me, the most compelling encounters were with other women. The author is foreign in every way. She stands out in her physical appearance. She is traveling ALONE on a MOTORCYCLE! She is met with surprise, awe, and suspicion.
I was left wondering, had any of the women she encountered been likewise inspired to find their true self?
This is an easy-to-read travel memoir written by a strong woman who started life as a meek and timid girl.
There are plenty of harrowing experiences with men in this book, but for me, the most compelling encounters were with other women. The author is foreign in every way. She stands out in her physical appearance. She is traveling ALONE on a MOTORCYCLE! She is met with surprise, awe, and suspicion.
I was left wondering, had any of the women she encountered been likewise inspired to find their true self?
This is an easy-to-read travel memoir written by a strong woman who started life as a meek and timid girl.
March 13, 2021
I started this book and couldn’t put it down.
It’s a must read. The adventures she has along with the unbelievable situations and struggles she endured are beyond my imagination. I highly recommend this book to everyone especially those that love reading true stories.
Great job on this book C L Stambush!
It’s a must read. The adventures she has along with the unbelievable situations and struggles she endured are beyond my imagination. I highly recommend this book to everyone especially those that love reading true stories.
Great job on this book C L Stambush!
March 25, 2021
Finished “Untethered”. Hard to put down and loved every page of it. I didn’t want it to end. I also don’t give many books 5 stars. But, this one deserves it in my reading universe. It’s also the first time I’ve read a book for pleasure with a pencil in my hand, underlining and marking words, sentences and paragraphs that spoke to my heart and my mind. Thank you, C. L. Stambush. ❤️
September 20, 2021
In Unthethered, C.L. Stambush’s travel memoir, the reader follows her harrowing, joyful experiences around India’s coast on a motorcycle. But her writing is so well crafted that the reader doesn’t just follow along, the reader is right there with her, riding on the back of the bike.
On a search for self, she takes the suggestion of a friend to seek out the shakti peetha temples, dedicated to the goddess, Kali. She names her motorcycle Kali and sets out. It is important to note that Stambush is a tall, blond, American woman who is easily noticeable as different in India.
On her trip she is faced with a multitude of situations that would have caused most of us to cancel the trip and head home (if we’d even had the courage to try this to begin with!). Stambush did in fact think about this at one point, but soldiered on, writing in her journal of the various encounters she had, including getting lost, being intimidated by men who didn’t understand her independence, crashing her bike, among other situations. However, she did meet those along the way who marveled at her determination and were in awe of her.
All of her experiences on the trip led her to personal growth and self-understanding. For those of us who will never have this kind of experience, it was a joy to be with Stambush on the pages of her journey. I highly recommend this book.
On a search for self, she takes the suggestion of a friend to seek out the shakti peetha temples, dedicated to the goddess, Kali. She names her motorcycle Kali and sets out. It is important to note that Stambush is a tall, blond, American woman who is easily noticeable as different in India.
On her trip she is faced with a multitude of situations that would have caused most of us to cancel the trip and head home (if we’d even had the courage to try this to begin with!). Stambush did in fact think about this at one point, but soldiered on, writing in her journal of the various encounters she had, including getting lost, being intimidated by men who didn’t understand her independence, crashing her bike, among other situations. However, she did meet those along the way who marveled at her determination and were in awe of her.
All of her experiences on the trip led her to personal growth and self-understanding. For those of us who will never have this kind of experience, it was a joy to be with Stambush on the pages of her journey. I highly recommend this book.
March 21, 2021
CL Stambush's story will inspire anyone who's set out to grow beyond their innate limitations. After living as a meek person, and then masquerading as a bold person, Stambush set herself the challenge of traveling solo on a motorcycle around India. She's honest about the challenges she faces and about her moments of doubt, and it's satisfying to see her gradually transform into a stronger person. Anyone interested in personal journeys, in India, or travel, will love this book! It's often funny or moving, and always interesting.
September 20, 2021
I enjoy any book that takes me to another country or culture, but this book had the bonus of the writer's keen observation of fellow travelers and residents. She offers just enough facts about her various destinations to be real, but mainly focuses on the interplay of her conspicuous but unconventional tourist identity and the charming and complex characters she meets along the way.
Courage, resilience and adventure all in one book!
Courage, resilience and adventure all in one book!
September 21, 2021
As I read Untethered I lived vicariously through the author, I could not put this book down ... it was a page turner! I found myself staying up late to discover what the next adventure would bring. I also referred to the map often to keep track of CL's travels. I recommended this book for our adult senior book club and they loved it. I highly recommend UNTETHERED: A Woman's Search for Self on the Edge of India
September 15, 2021
I loved this book. What an adventure I was able to participate in with the author. I would recommend it to anyone who loves to travel, see new things, try new foods, experience new cultures. Highly recommended!
April 1, 2024
I could not put this book down! The power of the human spirit is fascinating. I had the opportunity to be in C. L. Stambush's motorcycle safety course years ago. I heard about her travels around India, but had no idea how many things she faced. Very well-written and so much detail. This account of her experiences proves that we can do anything we set our heart and mind to do. The things she endured and survived are a source of empowerment for all of humanity. Thank you, C. L. Stambush for writing such an intimate account of your experiences. The good, the bad, the infuriating, and the empowering. You are an inspiration.
August 22, 2024
Ms. Stambush declared herself to be an honest person, she said she found lying unprofitable. That is remarkable in this age.
May 27, 2022
My three favorite travelogues:
West With The Night by Beryl Markham
Sailing Alone Around The World by Joshua Slocum
Untethered by C.L. Stambush
A great travelogue makes us feel as though we have entered the traveler’s world. We experience faraway places through the traveler’s five senses along with her or his ability to discover and articulate meaning and personal growth from those unfamiliar sensory stimuli.
C.L. Stambush (I’ll call her “Coney” for the remainder of this review; please read the book to understand why) has experienced adventures in distant lands in ways that most of us never will. She draws us into the her five-month, 7,000-mile journey around the perimeter of India on her black 350cc Royal Enfield Bullet motorcycle that she named Kali after the supreme Hindu goddess. Coney experiences moments of riding down the road in both good weather and bad, and she contends with few mechanical problems with Kali. Coney often experiences creature comforts that most Americans would consider to be far less than adequate. She encounters people of kindness as well as those whose do not have her best interests at heart. We see India as a nation where women are treated as being far less than equal to men. All of these elements combine to make a riveting tale of a woman who seeks to find her own potential in a part of the world where a woman’s potential is rarely allowed to flourish.
The first two books I listed above are time-honored classics that I enjoyed many years ago and still remember with great fondness. All three books now sit together on my bookshelf and Coney’s new classic stacks up most favorably alongside those other two longtime favorites.
West With The Night by Beryl Markham
Sailing Alone Around The World by Joshua Slocum
Untethered by C.L. Stambush
A great travelogue makes us feel as though we have entered the traveler’s world. We experience faraway places through the traveler’s five senses along with her or his ability to discover and articulate meaning and personal growth from those unfamiliar sensory stimuli.
C.L. Stambush (I’ll call her “Coney” for the remainder of this review; please read the book to understand why) has experienced adventures in distant lands in ways that most of us never will. She draws us into the her five-month, 7,000-mile journey around the perimeter of India on her black 350cc Royal Enfield Bullet motorcycle that she named Kali after the supreme Hindu goddess. Coney experiences moments of riding down the road in both good weather and bad, and she contends with few mechanical problems with Kali. Coney often experiences creature comforts that most Americans would consider to be far less than adequate. She encounters people of kindness as well as those whose do not have her best interests at heart. We see India as a nation where women are treated as being far less than equal to men. All of these elements combine to make a riveting tale of a woman who seeks to find her own potential in a part of the world where a woman’s potential is rarely allowed to flourish.
The first two books I listed above are time-honored classics that I enjoyed many years ago and still remember with great fondness. All three books now sit together on my bookshelf and Coney’s new classic stacks up most favorably alongside those other two longtime favorites.
October 3, 2022
This is a well-written memoir which allowed me to live vicariously through the author as she rode her motorcycle around the perimeter of India. Her writing is very poetic, often philosophical and always engaging. Unfortunately, the picture she paints of the people she encounters left me with absolutely no desire to visit the country. Aside from a few random acts of kindness from strangers, almost all the people she meets are dishonest and desperate for money or sex. She is hustled, or nearly hustled, by almost every person she meets in every town, large or small. Not being Indian or having ever visited India myself, I cannot directly challenge the accuracy or her depictions, but my interactions with many Indians over the years makes me wonder if the picture she paints is accurate. For example, I found it odd that during her nearly five month trip she did not encounter any Indians with a college education. She does encounter a few Indian medical doctors but she does not describe having any meaningful conversations with them and she does not say kind things about one of them. I was largely left with a picture of an uneducated people, mostly dishonest and desperate for money or sex.
September 22, 2021
I thoroughly enjoyed this story of a brave women, and her motorcycle, traveling the coast of India. Untethered is a relatable tale of how we must tackle the fear that hold us back from fully embracing the life we may desire. Mechanical difficulties, romance, theft, and humor are detailed in colorful, cultural communication, as CL Stambush reveals her vulnerabilities and her reliance on strangers along her journey that contribute to her end goal. Readers will see this story come full circle and cheer the author’s grit, determine, and self-reliance!
September 26, 2021
If you enjoy travel memoirs, add CL Stambush's "Untethered" to your list! I could envision the sights and smells of India based upon her detailed descriptions. I was awed by the sheer guts she had to embark on a trip like this, a woman alone in a foreign country. One thing I found particularly heart-warming was how many people she encountered who helped her in some way or welcomed her into their homes. Although her trip was not all sunshine and rainbows, the goodness of humanity was evident in her tale, the desire of people to help one another and to be kind to each other.
October 7, 2021
I Immensely enjoyed this travel memoir. This book reveals the determination, strength, and honesty of a woman whose quest to live outside herself sets her on this remarkable journey. As Stambush travels the coast of India she learns that completing the expedition will require self-reliance, courage, and a willingness to trust herself and others. The wonderful detail Stambush uses in her descriptions invites readers to use multiple senses to fully experience the pursuit with her. Each of us can learn from Stambush as she shares what it means to challenge ourselves to live our best lives.
December 23, 2021
I received a copy of the book as a birthday present. Once I started reading it, I found I didn’t want to put it down because I had to know what was going to happen next.
The author was honest about her travels (the good and the bad). I found myself in awe of her and what she accomplished. I can’t imagine traveling alone in a foreign country. I’m inspired by her courage, struggles, adventures, ingenuity and honesty. It’s a must read.
The only thing that could have made the book even better would have been pictures, especially of Kali.
The author was honest about her travels (the good and the bad). I found myself in awe of her and what she accomplished. I can’t imagine traveling alone in a foreign country. I’m inspired by her courage, struggles, adventures, ingenuity and honesty. It’s a must read.
The only thing that could have made the book even better would have been pictures, especially of Kali.
October 9, 2021
A very engaging book. Makes you feel you are witnessing the action not just reading it. It presents a picture of the country with its landscapes and characters that makes you feel you went along in the trip. The book presents what makes India so unique, its people and its traditions without a negative tone just fair and honest.
The author, a modern and liberated woman dealt with the male female philosophy of India in a very tactful way. Her search for self was certainly accomplished.
The author, a modern and liberated woman dealt with the male female philosophy of India in a very tactful way. Her search for self was certainly accomplished.
March 28, 2022
Connie takes her readers on quite the adventure as she zips about India on her Bullet motorcycle, navigating treacherous driving conditions, cultural nuances, and finding herself along the way.
I was instantly hooked once I started this book. Anyone that loves travel, adventure, or pure female empowerment is sure to be as well.
I was instantly hooked once I started this book. Anyone that loves travel, adventure, or pure female empowerment is sure to be as well.
October 10, 2021
I was very anxious to read this book by my high school classmate and I was not disappointed.I found myself glued to every page and and eagerly wanting to know what was going to happen next.I am in awe of Ms.Connie and really got a lot of enjoyment out of her book.
September 27, 2021
Witty, funny, and a just plain enjoyable read about a woman’s determination to test her comfort zone on a journey around India on her motorcycle. Very engaging.
January 5, 2022
What a ride! The daring spirit of this woman is to be admired as much as her wonderful writing.
February 7, 2022
C. L. Stambush writes with clarity and her descriptive language paints colorful pictures that put the reader vicariously on her remarkable journey.
September 4, 2022
Such a good story. She shares her adventure in such a real sense. You feel like you are there with her.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews