To Shake the Sleeping Self
A Journey from Oregon to Patagonia, and a Quest for a Life with No Regret
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4.4 • 26 Ratings
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- $15.99
Publisher Description
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “With winning candor, Jedidiah Jenkins takes us with him as he bicycles across two continents and delves deeply into his own beautiful heart.”—Cheryl Strayed, author of Wild and Tiny Beautiful Things
On the eve of turning thirty, terrified of being funneled into a life he didn’t choose, Jedidiah Jenkins quit his dream job and spent sixteen months cycling from Oregon to Patagonia. He chronicled the trip on Instagram, where his photos and reflections drew hundreds of thousands of followers, all gathered around the question: What makes a life worth living?
In this unflinchingly honest memoir, Jed narrates his adventure—the people and places he encountered on his way to the bottom of the world—as well as the internal journey that started it all. As he traverses cities, mountains, and inner boundaries, Jenkins grapples with the question of what it means to be an adult, his struggle to reconcile his sexual identity with his conservative Christian upbringing, and his belief in travel as a way to wake us up to life back home.
A soul-stirring read for the wanderer in each of us, To Shake the Sleeping Self is an unforgettable reflection on adventure, identity, and a life lived without regret.
Praise for To Shake the Sleeping Self
“[Jenkins is] a guy deeply connected to his personal truth and just so refreshingly present.”—Rich Roll, author of Finding Ultra
“This is much more than a book about a bike ride. This is a deep soul deepening us. Jedidiah Jenkins is a mystic disguised as a millennial.”—Tom Shadyac, author of Life’s Operating Manual
“Thought-provoking and inspirational . . . This uplifting memoir and travelogue will remind readers of the power of movement for the body and the soul.”—Publishers Weekly
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Following loosely in the footsteps of his parents, authors of A Walk Across America (first published in 1979), Jenkins tells of his bike trip from Oregon to Patagonia in this thought-provoking and inspirational memoir. He decided on the expedition because he felt his "youth was passing" as he was about to turn 30. He believed travel would resensitize him to life, and also thought the journey would help him square his identity as a gay man with his beliefs as a Christian. Much of his writing focuses on his internal feelings a mix of emotional dives into his past, present, and future rather than the physical journey. Still, there's some fun and vibrant travel writing here, including stories about tripping on mushrooms, seeing a butterfly migration, and exploring Machu Picchu. Jenkins is joined briefly by Weston, an improvising free spirit who loves weed and shuns money and religions; he plays foil to Jenkins and adds levity while challenging the author's beliefs. The narrative is about the journey, not the destination, and though Jenkins doesn't find all the answers, he does feel "a warm direction, a positive pulling toward something else." This uplifting memoir and travelogue will remind readers of the power of movement for the body and the soul.
Customer Reviews
Disappointed
This read like a play by play of a sports game - maybe something that’s interesting to watch in real time but once it’s over you’d rather have some commentary/summaries and learn the outcome. I wanted to love this and kept waiting for the “sleeping soul” to wake up…I don’t know that it did.