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Chasing Lions
Chasing Lions is an empowering and captivating memoir. It shows that a lack of self-confidence doesn’t have to stop you from living the life you want and finding the love you deserve.
When Amanda is mugged by a gang of schoolkids, she knows things have to change. She decides to go in search of her inner lion.
It proves to be a bruising experience both physically and mentally. But she perseveres, and surprises herself by becoming a truck-driving tour leader in the bohemian and male-dominated world of overland expeditions.
Over three years and 55,000 miles, Amanda faces her feelings of inadequacy as she strives to discover her roar. On her journey, she watches the moon rise over the Serengeti and the sun set behind Egypt’s pyramids, she rafts with Zambezi river gods and communes with gorillas, she faces lions in the wild, has her fortune told by a crab sorcerer . . . and meets her soulmate?
Chasing Lions is a compelling tale of inner transformation through immersion in the natural world and being open to the rich diversity of life. Amanda encourages us to live life to the full, be brave, and choose love.
When Amanda is mugged by a gang of schoolkids, she knows things have to change. She decides to go in search of her inner lion.
It proves to be a bruising experience both physically and mentally. But she perseveres, and surprises herself by becoming a truck-driving tour leader in the bohemian and male-dominated world of overland expeditions.
Over three years and 55,000 miles, Amanda faces her feelings of inadequacy as she strives to discover her roar. On her journey, she watches the moon rise over the Serengeti and the sun set behind Egypt’s pyramids, she rafts with Zambezi river gods and communes with gorillas, she faces lions in the wild, has her fortune told by a crab sorcerer . . . and meets her soulmate?
Chasing Lions is a compelling tale of inner transformation through immersion in the natural world and being open to the rich diversity of life. Amanda encourages us to live life to the full, be brave, and choose love.
252 pages, Paperback
Published February 17, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
March 4, 2022
It won’t come as any surprise to anyone who knows me when I say I’m not adventurous. I’m very much into my home comforts and prefer to live vicariously and learn about different experiences and parts of the world by reading. Chasing Lions, by Amanda Marks, is one of those books that gave me a satisfying taste of the wild life from my cosy bed.
In 1987, Marks was in her early twenties, working in advertising and dreaming of a more exciting life, when she attended a talk from the director of a company that ran international overland tours. After a gruelling training programme involving a lot of diesel mechanics, she became a HGV driver and tour guide herself, taking British tourists on long truck journeys to see the sights and sample the culture of a range of countries in Asia and Africa. While they were the trip of a lifetime for the guests, glamorous it was not, with everyone ‘roughing it’ and being expected to perform some sort of labour to keep the group’s basic needs met and the vehicle moving.
Although she was on the clock and responsible (alongside a co-driver) for driving and maintaining the truck as well as her passengers’ health and happiness, Marks nonetheless got a huge amount from the voyages herself. Her expert use of language brings to life not only the many sights, sounds and cultural experiences of the two continents, but also her sense of wonder as she encountered them. More than thirty years on from the journeys she describes, and having had a career full of travel, it’s clear that her enthusiasm hasn’t faded, and the places she’s now visited multiple times remain just as special to her.
But, as Marks is careful to point out, the beautiful panoramas, exhilarating experiences, and hospitable local people weren’t the whole story of these trips. She also describes the effects of abject poverty and tyrannical dictators that she witnessed, as well as the far-reaching legacy of slavery and colonialism. There were times when she had to deal with corrupt officials, or change the itinerary on the fly due to developing international situations. You often hear about these things in the abstract, so it was really interesting to see how they actually affected people on the ground.
More than this, Chasing Lions is about overcoming fear. As hinted in the blurb, Marks was (first) mugged at the age of 22 and, having frozen on that occasion, became determined to become more active in the face of danger. Subsequently, she demonstrates her new-found bravery on a number of occasions: for example, responding calmly, practically and creatively to setbacks (including when her truck is in a collision), rowing down the Congo from Kisangani to Bumba in a pirogue, standing up to sexist border guards, and confronting a tour group whose dynamic has soured. I would probably just panic in many of the situations she ended up in, so I really admired her and loved seeing her step into her power!
Chasing Lions is a fascinating and exciting account of world travel and learning to roar.
In 1987, Marks was in her early twenties, working in advertising and dreaming of a more exciting life, when she attended a talk from the director of a company that ran international overland tours. After a gruelling training programme involving a lot of diesel mechanics, she became a HGV driver and tour guide herself, taking British tourists on long truck journeys to see the sights and sample the culture of a range of countries in Asia and Africa. While they were the trip of a lifetime for the guests, glamorous it was not, with everyone ‘roughing it’ and being expected to perform some sort of labour to keep the group’s basic needs met and the vehicle moving.
Although she was on the clock and responsible (alongside a co-driver) for driving and maintaining the truck as well as her passengers’ health and happiness, Marks nonetheless got a huge amount from the voyages herself. Her expert use of language brings to life not only the many sights, sounds and cultural experiences of the two continents, but also her sense of wonder as she encountered them. More than thirty years on from the journeys she describes, and having had a career full of travel, it’s clear that her enthusiasm hasn’t faded, and the places she’s now visited multiple times remain just as special to her.
But, as Marks is careful to point out, the beautiful panoramas, exhilarating experiences, and hospitable local people weren’t the whole story of these trips. She also describes the effects of abject poverty and tyrannical dictators that she witnessed, as well as the far-reaching legacy of slavery and colonialism. There were times when she had to deal with corrupt officials, or change the itinerary on the fly due to developing international situations. You often hear about these things in the abstract, so it was really interesting to see how they actually affected people on the ground.
More than this, Chasing Lions is about overcoming fear. As hinted in the blurb, Marks was (first) mugged at the age of 22 and, having frozen on that occasion, became determined to become more active in the face of danger. Subsequently, she demonstrates her new-found bravery on a number of occasions: for example, responding calmly, practically and creatively to setbacks (including when her truck is in a collision), rowing down the Congo from Kisangani to Bumba in a pirogue, standing up to sexist border guards, and confronting a tour group whose dynamic has soured. I would probably just panic in many of the situations she ended up in, so I really admired her and loved seeing her step into her power!
Chasing Lions is a fascinating and exciting account of world travel and learning to roar.
March 16, 2022
This is a memoir of a young girl, only five foot two and a quarter when she stood up very straight, lacking confidence and very shy, who followed her dream and drove adventure-hungry folk in a sixteen-ton truck through the Middle East and Africa. Being advised she would need a heavy vehicle driving licence and knowledge of diesel mechanics, the far more academic than practical Amanda took it upon herself to become efficient and worthy of taking adventurers across continents.
Amanda Marks fills the pages of this memoir with tales of excitement, hardships, developing friendships and discovering different cultures. Travelling to areas that only those seeking the unusual want to visit, managing different characters within the groups, shopping and preparing meals, being a co-driver and a driver, and leader of these tough expeditions, she also discovers herself and the man to share her future with.
“Overlanders’' as these intrepid expedition leaders call themselves, find it hard to settle after a life of endless challenges and responsibility. Amanda acknowledges some of her colleagues who have gone on to other lifestyles, many helping with charities in the field. She and her husband now advise and arrange trips for other adventurers.
CHASING LIONS is a fun read, with excellent descriptions of the terrain and scenery of the countries she traversed through her 55,000 mile journey of exploration and discovery.
Amanda Marks fills the pages of this memoir with tales of excitement, hardships, developing friendships and discovering different cultures. Travelling to areas that only those seeking the unusual want to visit, managing different characters within the groups, shopping and preparing meals, being a co-driver and a driver, and leader of these tough expeditions, she also discovers herself and the man to share her future with.
“Overlanders’' as these intrepid expedition leaders call themselves, find it hard to settle after a life of endless challenges and responsibility. Amanda acknowledges some of her colleagues who have gone on to other lifestyles, many helping with charities in the field. She and her husband now advise and arrange trips for other adventurers.
CHASING LIONS is a fun read, with excellent descriptions of the terrain and scenery of the countries she traversed through her 55,000 mile journey of exploration and discovery.
February 20, 2022
Lovely trip down memory lane for me having done some parts of the Africa. Route that Amanda travelled.
I loved that she took on such a bold move to leave being account exec and going to learn to drive an HGv and learn mechanics skills. Love that she made this happen.
Enjoyed all of the background info on different countries and all of the exp.
The only thing that I didn’t like… was the cover marketing tag of ‘one woman’s 55k journey to find her inner Lion’. Before I started I thought oh gee another book about a down trodden woman trying to get her life back on track nexuses women can’t have adventures unless they’re depressed, lacking inconfidenxe or getting divorced. I was so so delighted that the book wasn’t about this… it was about a year of overlandong in Africa 30 years ago. Phew!
I loved that she took on such a bold move to leave being account exec and going to learn to drive an HGv and learn mechanics skills. Love that she made this happen.
Enjoyed all of the background info on different countries and all of the exp.
The only thing that I didn’t like… was the cover marketing tag of ‘one woman’s 55k journey to find her inner Lion’. Before I started I thought oh gee another book about a down trodden woman trying to get her life back on track nexuses women can’t have adventures unless they’re depressed, lacking inconfidenxe or getting divorced. I was so so delighted that the book wasn’t about this… it was about a year of overlandong in Africa 30 years ago. Phew!
March 2, 2022
'𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧'𝐬 𝟓𝟓,𝟎𝟎𝟎-𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧'
...And what a wonderful journey it was!! I really enjoyed reading this memoir by the lovely @andnaturewrote
It all begins from the moment she was mugged in her early twenties. Amanda knew at this moment she needed to search for her inner lioness and so made a phone call which began the journey of a lifetime...
The book is full of courage, perseverance and emotional endurance. Through highs and lows she talks so candidly or her experience and you can't help but root for her all the way. On her 55,000 mile journey you witness Amanda's transformation as she begins to embrace the natural world... every chapter is dripping with rich detail. From the golden sand dunes in Aswan to the sun setting in the Serengeti, you're almost on the journey with Amanda and it's absolutely unforgettable....
...And what a wonderful journey it was!! I really enjoyed reading this memoir by the lovely @andnaturewrote
It all begins from the moment she was mugged in her early twenties. Amanda knew at this moment she needed to search for her inner lioness and so made a phone call which began the journey of a lifetime...
The book is full of courage, perseverance and emotional endurance. Through highs and lows she talks so candidly or her experience and you can't help but root for her all the way. On her 55,000 mile journey you witness Amanda's transformation as she begins to embrace the natural world... every chapter is dripping with rich detail. From the golden sand dunes in Aswan to the sun setting in the Serengeti, you're almost on the journey with Amanda and it's absolutely unforgettable....
March 7, 2022
Adventure, romance, inner transformation, and more adventure. What's not to like? A wonderfully written book that will sweep you away to the most beautiful and remote parts of Africa and the Middle East and take you the kind of journey that we can now only dream of. This book will inspire you to grab life with both hands and maybe do things you never thought you would. Traveler or not you can be sure to get itchy feet after reading Chasing Lions, you can almost feel the warm desert breeze on your skin and hear the leaves rustling in the trees as you read Amanda Marks' beautifully written prose. I couldn't put it down and I'm certain that I will read it again soon!
February 19, 2022
Absorbing book based on Amanda's travels through Africa. It gripped me from page 1. She writes evocatively of the countries they visited and huge respect to Amanda for leading the trips, and driving and maintaining the huge truck, and coping with all sorts of encounters. A wonderful travelogue and love story. Highly recommended
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 19, 2022
My review for this intrepid & irresistible book is on my blog https://thefallenlibrarian.wordpress....
February 28, 2022
A nice mash up of nature, travel writing and memoir. More detailed review on the blog tour.
June 12, 2022
Loved this book.
This is a memoir of a Dragoman tour leader who led overland tours through Africa for three years from 1988-1991. I am a travel junkie myself and have participated in overland travel, including with Dragoman. I have wondered how these adventures must feel from the tour leader perspective - very much working 24/7, but trying to have an adventure themselves. Amanda Marks pulls the curtain back, shows us that the tour leader is often only one step ahead of the tour participants, winging it and hoping the stars align.
This was very much the early days of Dragoman - itineraries were flexible and arriving at destinations many days behind schedule was just part of the fun. It was also interesting to see the travel through parts of Africa that have since become off limits (the Algerian-Moroccan border) or fraught with difficulty (Zaire - now DRC, and the CAR, for example). It was also interesting to see the impact of leading these tours on family life and friendships - as Dragoman took over as a surrogate family. Amanda's experiences chimed in very much with the conversations I had with Dragoman tour leaders on my tours.
The story telling is superb. Just the right blend of anecdote and scene setting. For seven hours, I was immersed in Amanda's world. I could feel the excitement at seeing lions and mountain gorillas, I could feel the slog of digging Huey (the truck) out of giant muddy ditches in Zaire, I could sense the celebration of the occasional meal at a restaurant that did not involve setting up the cooking station or flapping the plates dry at the end. I wondered whether this would feel hime-spun but it wasn't. Amanda's writing and story telling is fully professional - you'd think she had been writing all her life.
I should also add that I 'experienced' this book through the Audible audio version. Amanda narrates the book herself and does it so very well. Her reading is every bit as engaging as her writing and the time slipped by without my noticing. This was a day spent in very agreeable company.
At the time of writing this review, Dragoman on pause. I hope it comes back to life because it brought so much fun and adventure to so many people, taking them out of their comfort zone while providing some semblance of a safety net. This novel has made my already itchy feet that bit itchier.
I cannot recommend Chasing Lions highly enough.
This is a memoir of a Dragoman tour leader who led overland tours through Africa for three years from 1988-1991. I am a travel junkie myself and have participated in overland travel, including with Dragoman. I have wondered how these adventures must feel from the tour leader perspective - very much working 24/7, but trying to have an adventure themselves. Amanda Marks pulls the curtain back, shows us that the tour leader is often only one step ahead of the tour participants, winging it and hoping the stars align.
This was very much the early days of Dragoman - itineraries were flexible and arriving at destinations many days behind schedule was just part of the fun. It was also interesting to see the travel through parts of Africa that have since become off limits (the Algerian-Moroccan border) or fraught with difficulty (Zaire - now DRC, and the CAR, for example). It was also interesting to see the impact of leading these tours on family life and friendships - as Dragoman took over as a surrogate family. Amanda's experiences chimed in very much with the conversations I had with Dragoman tour leaders on my tours.
The story telling is superb. Just the right blend of anecdote and scene setting. For seven hours, I was immersed in Amanda's world. I could feel the excitement at seeing lions and mountain gorillas, I could feel the slog of digging Huey (the truck) out of giant muddy ditches in Zaire, I could sense the celebration of the occasional meal at a restaurant that did not involve setting up the cooking station or flapping the plates dry at the end. I wondered whether this would feel hime-spun but it wasn't. Amanda's writing and story telling is fully professional - you'd think she had been writing all her life.
I should also add that I 'experienced' this book through the Audible audio version. Amanda narrates the book herself and does it so very well. Her reading is every bit as engaging as her writing and the time slipped by without my noticing. This was a day spent in very agreeable company.
At the time of writing this review, Dragoman on pause. I hope it comes back to life because it brought so much fun and adventure to so many people, taking them out of their comfort zone while providing some semblance of a safety net. This novel has made my already itchy feet that bit itchier.
I cannot recommend Chasing Lions highly enough.
February 24, 2022
This cover is so vibrant it draws you in. The earthy colours and tones go well with the title and the animal they represent. Chasing Lions is about Amanda's journey from a boring job to an adventure of a lifetime travelling 55,000 miles across Africa. A beautifully written memoir. The descriptions of the places makes you feel you are sitting alongside Amanda and at the pyramids.
April 12, 2022
An engaging, honest, beautifully written travelogue and journey of self discovery. Thoroughly enjoyed and wholeheartedly recommended.
February 21, 2022
Oh this book! Oh my goodness!! To say I loved it is an understatement! I devoured this book in one go, I didn’t want to put it down. I loved every word! It was so fantastic to goto the authors website and be able to see so many photos of all the adventures described in the book. If you love any of the following - history, geography, drama, pushing the limits, challenging yourself, nature, animals, friendships, love and certainly Adventure - then this book is certainly for you!! I think so many of you would adore this book, it’s wonderful!! I am certainly going to be keeping a close eye out for anything else by this amazing author.
September 8, 2023
I really enjoyed reading this book. It is quite unique because it has a combination of autobiography, history, and self-development, all embraced in a very well-written narrative. I really liked that the book takes the reader through all stages of Amanda’s career at Dragoman because it allows to understand the value of what she was able to accomplish and the value of the lessons she shares in the book. I also found the amount of history included in the book to be an impressive addition. The detail about the history of the places she travels adds value, meaning, and uniqueness. However, I do have to admit that some of the segments on the history of the places are quite lengthy, so it is not a very easy read at some points because of the amount of information. Nevertheless, this was not a problem for me because I found it all fascinating and enjoy reading all the details Amanda wanted to share.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews