It’s week 3 of Nonfiction November already! I can’t believe how the time is flying. Our host this week is the always wondering Doing Dewey, who writes:
Three ways to join in this week! You can share 3 or more books on a single topic that you’ve read and can recommend (be the expert); you can put the call out for good nonfiction on a specific topic that you’ve been dying to read (ask the expert); or you can create your own list of books on a topic that you’d like to read (become the expert).
These were all very enticing options, but I’ve decided to put on my expert hat, but rather than pick books on a specific topic, which I did in my previous Nonfiction November post, I decided to take a slightly different take on the theme and highlight three nonfiction titles that have a similar spirit, if not a similar subject matter. Today we’ll be looking at three books that feature an individual doggedly pursuing a strangely specific and quirky goal, taking us the reader along with them on their curious quest.
52 Loaves: One Man’s Relentless Pursuit of Truth, Meaning and a Perfect Crust
How far would you go to learn the secret to baking the perfect loaf of bread? Author William Alexander dedicates an entire year to recreating the perfect loaf he tasted once in a New York City restaurant, and his dedication will take him through the entire process of break making, including growing, harvesting, winnowing, threshing, and milling his own wheat, and all the way to a monastery in France, where he will come to realize that his quest for the perfect loaf of bread might not really be about the bread at all.
Author and admitted non-athlete Bill Bryson sets out to hike the Appalachian Trail, which runs from Georgia to Maine. Along the way, Bryson and his colourful companion meet some interesting characters, share fascinating stories about American geography, ecology and history, and even encounter a bear or two. Will Bryson actually complete the trail? There’s only one way to find out – and no, watching the film adaptation most certainly does not count.
Andrew Blackwell is a man on an unusual mission – to visit the world’s most polluted places. From the Albertan oil sands to radioactive Chernobyl to a city in China thought to be the most polluted place on Earth, Blackwell serves readers a fascinating, and at times harrowing, look at the the destruction man hath wrought upon our home planet.
There you have it, three very different nonfiction reads with one thing in common – the determination of their authors to complete their unusual quests.
And because I just can’t help myself, a few more books written by authors on a mission:
The Curse of the Labrador Duck – Bird biologist Glen Chilton circles the world in a zany attempt to account for each remaining preserved specimen of the extinct Labrador duck.
Tony Wheeler’s Bad Lands – Tony Wheeler, founder of travel guide company Lonely Planet, sets out to visit the nations included in the infamous “Axis of Evil” – Afghanistan, Albania, Burma, Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea and Saudi Arabia.
Pole to Pole / Around the World in 80 Days / Full Circle – As the names suggest, Michael Palin journeyed around the world in 80 days, from pole to pole, and around the world. I grew up watching Michael Palin’s travel TV series and admiring the corresponding coffee table books that my parents owned. Highly, highly recommended, even if they are a wee bit dated.
I hope you’re enjoying Nonfiction November so far, we’re in the home stretch now!
Oh, I love this take on this topic! Gretchen Rubin’s happiness project is the book that got me blogging, so I have a special place in my heart for this kind of book 🙂