Subtitle is "9,000 Miles of Dirt and Dreams." This is the story of a young man who discovered that there was more to life than the "normal American family." He was only going to take a couple years off, do some humanitarian aid work in Morocco, then probably return to normal life in America. But, Erik discovered, as so many do, that it's impossible to view things the same way after living in such a drastically different culture. When he was home on a visit, he and his younger brother, freshly graduated from high school, along with another friend, came up with a grand plan: They would have specially outfitted dirt bikes shipped to South Africa, get visas for all the countries along the way, and make a journey all the way to the north of the continent. This book is about adventure, but it also contains undercurrents of brotherhood, loyalty, and seeking for the things that really matter in life (and [to use that maybe over-used cliche] discover they aren't really "things" afterall). In this journal of sorts, there are questions left unanswered for the author, tragedies that cannot be understood, but there's growth throughout. Although recommended by Rob Bell, of Mars Hill Church and author of Velvet Elvis, The Only Road North is not an outright "Christian" book, and should be viewed as more of a biography and memoir.
~Recommended. Younger ones should have a parent read first to approve for individual preferences.
Published by Zondervan, 2007
