The Lost Cyclist–David Herlihy

Book: The Lost Cyclist

Author: David Herlihy

Publisher: Mariner Books

326 pages

 

Frank Lenz was a young man with a bright future. As one of the more famous bicyclists of his day, Lenz was ambitious and wanted the notoriety that some of the other more well-known cyclists were enjoying. His taste for adventure had him seeking out a sponsor to help him take a bicycling trip around the world. He found that sponsor in Outing magazine. In 1892, Lenz set out on his trip around the world. He left his Pittsburgh home and began his worldwide trip by crossing North America before boarding a ship for Japan. For two years, Lenz braved the dangers of bad weather, civil unrest, and illness. As he approached Europe, Lenz knew that the danger of passing through the Middle East would be one of the more harrowing parts of his trip. If he made it through the region, he would find Europe on the other side and be near home. Sadly, he never made it. Lenz disappeared in Eastern Turkey in 1894. The pleas of Lenz’s family and friends convinced Outing magazine to send a correspondent to search for Lenz and find out what happened to him.

 

I had heard of this book some time ago and thought it sounded interesting, but it wasn’t until a coworker recommended it for our Rogue Book Club book that I finally picked it up. I actually looked forward to reading this book because non-fiction is something that I should read more of and for some reason never get around to picking up. I was not disappointed. Herlihy wrote an terrifically interesting book that gives a little bit of history of the bicycle and the climate surrounding it’s development and also tells an amazing tale of several men that pushed the limits of the human experience.

 

This book was part travelogue and part mystery. I enjoyed reading about Lenz’s travels through North America, Japan, and China. It was interesting to see how people reacted to a man on a safety bicycle—most had never seen one and didn’t know quite what to think. I also found the cultural exchange interesting. In today’s society, it is so easy to expose yourself to other cultures just by clicking a button on your mouse or television. So much information is at our fingertips. This was not the case in the late 19th century. Lenz was a trailblazer in reaching out to the world to see what it had to offer. He was working fairly blind in some respects relying on information he read in newspapers and gaining information from people he talked to. I kept thinking how daunting it would be to embark on a trip such as this—travelling solo around the world on a bike!

 

The writing is newspaper reporting style. I saw a few reviews that said it was dry. I found it interesting and liked the directness of the writing style. There is a little bit of disconnect emotionally since it is written in a reporter style, but it also made the book a little more likable in my eyes because it wasn’t overwrought with emotion. The only part of the book that left me scratching my head was the epilogue. Herlihy seemed to be struggling with his own thoughts of the case and it appeared he was working through his own feelings about his research in this epilogue. It is interesting to see his point of view and how he felt about all involved in the search for Lenz. I just wish that he had put this in the rest of the book rather than save it for the end. He brought up some interesting points that made me reconsider some of what he had written earlier in the book. Even with this misgiving, I still enjoyed The Lost Cyclist quite a bit and would recommend it to anyone that enjoys travelogues and mysteries. The book provides both a mystery/true crime element with the excitement of worldwide travel.

Lost on Planet China - J. Maarten Troost

Book: Lost on Planet China
Author: J. Maarten Troost
Publisher: Broadway Books (division of Random House)
382 pages
My Rating: 5/5 stars

It is the start of Book Read 'Round the World and I am the first stop on the tour! Our group voted to read Lost on Planet China by J. Maarten Troost, and I have to say, this was a fantastic pick for the event. I will be mailing the book to Carly at Writing from the Tub in England next, so check back in a few weeks for a link to her posts on the Book Read 'Round the World event HERE.

J. Maarten Troost decided to go to China because it was simply the place to be. The country is developing rapidly and is possibly the world's most exciting country to be right now. A well-traveled man, Troost did not expect to be such a fish out of water in this mysterious country, but from the moment he walked off the plane, he was thrust into a world that was foreign in every sense of the word. His initial impression of the country was only the prevalence of pollution and communism, but he forged on to learn about a country that saw him only as a laowai (Caucasian foreigner). He was limited by his inability to understand and read the language and relied on contacts he had made throughout the years to help him on his journey so there is never a time when he truly felt comfortable in his surroundings. His journey took him across the entire nation: from Beijing to Hong Kong and all the way up to Harbin, Troost wanted to experience it all, and in the end, he left China a changed man.

I have to say, I really enjoyed this book. China is such a dynamic nation that has become a world industrial leader. Sure the country has its problems. There is the looming cloud of pollution that sits over every city due to China's passion for coal and Communism envelops the country on many levels, but above that the country is changing so fast that if you blink your eyes you might miss something profound. Troost's writing about this change is quite insightful even as it seems to boggle his mind. As a Westerner, Troost definitely has some preconceived notions about the country and in a lot of ways his ideas are not without merit. The Cultural Revolution was not friendly to the history of the nation nor its people on a large level. However, as Troost meets and talks to other Westerners and locals, he finds out the true complexity of the country and the resilience of its people.

Harbin, China (ChinaHighlights.com)There are moments that challenged me as the reader--when I read a travel book I want the author to be open to the ideas of the place he's visiting. At times, Troost seemed rather negative about the experience but when I thought about it, I appreciated his honesty because there were some situations that were quite difficult to get through. I asked myself, "What would I do in the same situation?" and the result would most certainly not be handled with the humor with which he tended to handle himself. Many times there was nothing Troost and his  companions could do but laugh or make comments tinged with a little sarcasm to each other. In the end, it didn't bother me because despite the cultural and language divide, Troost ultimately took a journey that seemed to have a profound impact on him. I like it when travel books accomplish this very thing, and I look forward to reading Troost's other books, The Sex Lives of Cannibals and Getting Stoned with Savages.

**Book Read 'Round the World Questions for Carly at Writing from the Tub**
(Others in the Lost on Planet China group are also welcome to answer these questions)

1. How did you feel Troost represented Westerners? In particular, did you notice how he described people from the UK? 
2. What was your favorite place that Troost visited?
3. What was the thing that surprised you most while reading the book? 
4. If you could ask J. Maarten Troost one question, what would it be?

Check out this video from J. Maarten Troost's travels to China