The Man Who Would Stop at Nothing by Melissa Holbrook Pierson

A beautiful story of passion and reclamation for anyone who has ever lost the way. Her riding days long dormant, Pierson credits meeting and befriending the charismatic distance rider, John Ryan with guiding her back to bikes and in the process, reminding her of who she is and what makes her sing. Her stately, lyrical prose, profound respect for the machinery, and sympathy for the extreme adventurers will transport even the most unlikely readers.Įloquent and probing, Pierson brings us back to the future with the reawakening of her love for motorcycles. Pierson's marvelously engaging account of her resumption of long-distance motorcycling after years of hiatus proves pure pleasure for the aficionado. and the way that an avocation-even one that seems incomprehensible to outsiders-can give life meaning. deeper concern is with reinventing the self at midlife. Books that take you to motorcycle netherworlds and make you look differently at life are even more rare. Good motorcycle books don't come along often enough. In this candid, eloquent, sharply observed book, Melissa. In electric, pitch-perfect prose, Pierson gives us rare insights into not only a subculture but also the deeply human craving for something more that drives it. Worlds Toughest Motorcycle Riders-long-distance motorcycling is not a pastime but an obsession. The Man Who Would Stop at Nothing offers an intimate glimpse of an unusually independent yet supportive community as well as a revealing, unforgettable portrait of its most daring member. But why? Pierson, who rediscovered the joys of motorcycling in the midst of a personal crisis, puts on her helmet and joins Ryan in his element in order to understand his singular desire and discipline, his passion and his obsession. Perhaps the most determined of them is John Ryan, a magnetic, enigmatic man who loves nothing better than breaking records of amazing distance-at no small risk to himself and his health. In this candid, eloquent, sharply observed book, Melissa Holbrook Pierson introduces us to this strange endeavor and the men and women who live to ride impossibly long distances, eating up road, almost without cease. 'World's Toughest Motorcycle Riders'-long-distance motorcycling is not a pastime but an obsession.

The Man Who Would Stop at Nothing by Melissa Holbrook Pierson