A review by nothingforpomegranted
Allegiance to Winds and Waters: Bicycling the Political Divides of the United States by Anne Winkler-Morey

adventurous challenging informative inspiring medium-paced

3.75

I really enjoyed this memoir of a journey through some of the least well-known (and certainly least traveled) communities in the United States. The author and her husband decide semi-whimsically to embark on a 12,000+ mile bike ride around the perimeter of the United States after she is laid off from her professorship. The story is narrated in geographic chunks, illustrated by clear, insightful maps between every few chapters. I loved reading about the encounters and conversations with people of all backgrounds and beliefs. I was impressed by the author’s ability to hold her tongue, greeting others with respect and even admiration despite battling visceral negative reactions to certain expressions of political views. The author was able to approach the vast majority of the people on the trail with an eye towards their humanity, and this was a saving grace in a book that otherwise would have been far too political and considerably more liberal than I. Thus, despite the preachy political conclusions at the end of the majority of the chapters (much in the vein of When they Call You a Terrorist), I kept reading eagerly, looking forward to the next round of characters they would encounter on the ride. This, though, brings me to my second major criticism of the book: far too many of the conversations were cut far too short. I understand and respect the author’s reluctance to reveal too much about any of these individuals, and I appreciate that she is recounting most of these conversations from post-facto notes from ten years prior. However, I felt that I was often caught off-guard by the end of paragraphs, uncertain of precisely how the sections fit together. 


When They Call You a Terrorist - memoir with political advice 
Wild - except on bikes and with way more prep and maturity 
Lands of Lost Borders - bike trip and radical hospitality 
How We Gather - maybe? just because of the hospitality bit