Planetwalker: More Than 100 Recipes and Foolproof Strategies to Help Your Kids Fall in Love

by John Francis

Book Overview

When the struggle to save oil-soaked birds and restore blackened beaches left him feeling frustrated and helpless, John Francis decided to take a more fundamental and personal stand--he stopped using all forms of motorized transportation. Soon after embarking on this quest that would span two decades and two continents, the young man took a vow of silence that endured for 17 years. It began as a silent environmental protest, but as a young African-American...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 142620275X
• ISBN13: 9781426202759
• Release Date: April 2008
• Publisher: National Geographic Society
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 1.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.4" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

Inspiring

A H.D.Thoreau on foot. An emotionally uplifting book. Not for everyone. This book was well written and takes you on an introspective journey targetting our failing environment, racism, life, self-acualization and human interaction. I enjoyed it to it's fullest. I will keep it next to ,"Walden." I will return to it. Dan Williams, author of ,"Above His Shoulders."

A spirituality discovery

John's sensitivity and artistic skills wake memories of past personal low-impact trips (on foot, by bike, hitch-hiking, ...), giving them an unsuspected universal and far-reaching spiritual value and dimension. He helps us re-think our priorities and worries, showing how quiet and "soft" courage can transcend social, ethnic and cultural preconceptions/misconceptions. I have almost finished John's book on a trip to Eastern Europe, and feel somewhat anxious about loosing his warm presence. A great book.

A zen-like journey

An interesting journey, poetically documented (along with wonderful pen & ink sketches) by a man who was distraught by the damage we humans do to our environment. He sought to make a statement by changing his way of life, embodying his own philosophy. Certainly not a "how-to" guide (how did he afford his walkabout across the country? or all of his education? the apartments?), but he was clearly very resourceful, made friends easily, and even entrepreneurial in nature. A zen-like journey toward self-discovery by interacting with the environment & people around him, even in his self-imposed silence. The tone and pacing of the book shifted toward the end, where it seemed the flowing insightful wording from his journals drops away; the pacing fast-forwarding as he re-immerses himself in the "daily grind" of the "real world" -- the wording more stilted, more intellectual, professorial even. At this point, for me, the journey (inward & outward) seemed to disconnect. Up until then, the reading flowed beautifully.

Well worth the read.

While I can't say I'm too fond of his actual writing, the story of this, at the very least, interesting man and his journey makes it well worth the read.

Planetwalker

This was a Library Thing Early Reviewers book, and although it took me a while to get into it, I liked it and recommend it. When I first started it, there was a lot else going on in my life and I could not connect with it. I put it down and picked it up again on vacation and really enjoyed it. John Francis has a minimalist writing style and I found myself looking for more about him and his philosophy, but this is the story of his journey and he is true to that. He is not proselytizing or expecting others to emulate his decisions. He simply tells his story - How he stopped riding in cars, how he stopped talking, and how he managed his journey under those conditions. The glimpses of his travels are sparse, but telling. The style is journalistic, and I expect relies heavily on his journals- all present tense, and briefly descriptive. It is illustrated with his sketches ( I wish they could be larger), and punctuated with quotations from the text. The historical perspective is interesting and a nice juxtaposition to the current trend of paying attention to Carbon Footprints and our personal responsibility to the environment - Francis was 30 years ahead. The story of how his simple decisions (albeit with complex implications for his life) led him to significant accomplishments and allowed him to make a real difference in the world is a good lesson about the impact we each have, or could have. If you are interested in Environmental Studies, travel stories, or personal journeys, give it a try- Don't be surprised if it starts slow- it is worth the effort to stay with it. Francis has a good story and I'm glad I read it.