I just finished Walking the Bridgeless Canyon, and I found myself standing on the bridge!
937254
A decade ago, when Kathy Baldock began her journey of making sense of her long-held, never-questioned "Christian" views on sexual orientation and gender identity, she could not have imagined the twist and turns she would encounter and the number of stories she would hear along the way.

She recounts the moment she was forced to be honest about her beliefs and how shallow and irresponsible she felt when she realized her ignorance about what the Bible had to say on the subject. Faced with the information she had accepted as face value, her deepening friendship with a lesbian raised too many questions, which if answered from her Evangelical worldview rendered God a horribly hateful being.

Kathy shares the process she has gone through to become an outspoken--if not prophetic--voice. You can call her a straight ally, an activist, an advocate for the LGBTQ community, and a thorn in the flesh to those whose fundamentalist, conservative views see her-- and those she is now defending--going straight to hell.

Kathy's learning curve was steep. Spurred on by the hundreds of stories from gays, lesbians, bisexual, transgender and queer persons, she did the research that many of us don't have the time or the ability to do. She weaves their personal accounts into the history of Christian beliefs, and the psychiatric and medical understanding and practices that bring us to where we are today. And she not only does it in a way that is accessible and understandable, she offers hope the animus and rejection of LGBTQ people by the church will be a thing of the past, if but we are willing to engage our hearts and minds.

When you reach the last pages of the book, you realize what an incredible bridge you've just crossed. It's the kind of bridge you will want to cross often so you can appreciate the view it offers. Read it and point others to it!
4634827
I so identified with the main character in The Woodstock Bridge that I felt the book was written for me alone. I couldn't put it down. It shifted something in me and I will never be the same again. I am very thankful for the insights the book provides. What a wonderful, quick read. I hope to live in the warrior spirit way. Thank you so much for writing this book, Gregory Drambour! I also highly recommend The Shaman and His Daughter, also written by Gregory Drambour.
3385547
This book makes me believe that I could really hike the whole Pacific Crest Trail....but since I won't do the whole trail, at least now with this book I can choose the sections of the hike that I am prepared for and that sound the best to me.....great job!
4448884
It was as if I was there! I could see, smell and feel everything! I could see what everyone looked like and I could feel everything they felt!
4957789
We hit a rock a few minutes into our trip and while I was disappointed...I quickly realized the quality when we didn't sink. With the different chambers..we were able to float 6 more hours down the river with no problem! I will definitely patch it and look forward to more adventures!
1678376
I couldn't put it down after I got 30% through. I've never sailed but I feel like I could! I learned so much from this adventure. Now I want to see it on the silver screen. The vocabulary and the philosophies, the adventure, the romance, the time period & customs--everything came to life! This is a gripping and worthwhile read!!
2978262
Very enjoyable reading. I wanted to find out what it was really like to hike the Pacific Crest Trail, from start to finish, and Jim Hill did just that.
His positive attitude, kind compliments of people he met and hiker friendly places he visited ( ate! ) was so refreshing. Moreover, that fact that he truly enjoyed what he was doing and marveled not only at the beauty, but that he had the opportunity to be there, is what I really noticed!
4753589
I've never hiked, but I wanted decent shoes for our 10-yr anniversary trip to Hawaii, where we intended to do several 4-6mi cliff trails. I didn't even have to do much breaking in before the trip. My feet felt amazing, light-as-air, no blisters or impact-soreness at all!
3596381
Man, Mirabal sure has some imagination! It was so cool reading about that part of the Rio Grande Valley, and in two parallels, no less. I was sorry that I ran out of pages to read. Could have just kept reading about Don and his adventures. I was able to picture so much of it in my mind, even the house north of Rio Luna. The map was a great idea and helped me with my vision as I read.
968383
It is difficult to decide how to start this review, as this book moved me in so many positive and beneficial ways. I learned about this book several months ago and put it on my never-ending-list-of-books-to-read, vowing that I would get to it in between working full time, raising six kids, and tending to all of the responsibilities inherent in those roles. It was in March, when, on a whim, I decided that I had to read the book. Now.  I took it with me on a camping trip, and while my husband and stepsons fished, hiked, and trekked in and out of camp, I found my own adventure in Angela's beautiful book. I read it, cover to cover, in a day and a half. The only other book that I have read with such intensity in the recent past was Eat, Pray, Love.  Like Elizabeth Gilbert before her, Angela has managed to tap into the collective psyche of all the women I know and love. In her story, I saw my story, and in her life, I saw my own life reflected in ways that resonated in spaces of my heart I had forgotten existed. As I read this inspiring book, I remembered my own courage; my own resilience; and my old dreams. I felt as if I was reading the journal of a trusted friend, someone who wanted to help me along my own path by having the courage to expose her own journey. I am so happy that I had the opportunity to find and enjoy this book, as well as to pass it on to my beloved friends. I am grateful that I have the chance to learn from a woman who is authentic and who recognizes the universal pain that we as women and we as humans face and must learn to let go of in order to live the blessed life that is our birthright. Thank you, Angela, for putting into words what I have always known in my heart.
2730741
We recently moved to a new area of our city.  Although I have GPS, I wanted something that I could sit down with so I could acquaint myself with the community around me as well as get a perspective on 'the lay of the land.'

I love this thing!  It sounds dumb, but I was so surprised to look at the map and see that our street angled the way it did - no wonder I would get off-track when I drove somewhere without the GPS on!

I found nearby parks, accesses to the river near us, lightrail stations, etc.  Things that I just wouldn't have known about without driving around and bumping into them or looking up each one specifically.

Who knew maps could be so wonderful?  (Besides Lewis & Clark, of course...)
1889443
On my way to a place I am sure is going to make the Jersey Shore look as small as my backyard, I wanted a serious, yet easy-to-understand-and-follow guide, and here it is!  It made me feel like I'd already been there!  And now I really can't wait!  If you're planning a trip here, you'll want to read this wonderful guide first.  Enjoy!  And trust me, you will!
3192584
I loved following Kyle's (aka The Mayor) journey along the AT.  He paints a picture of the ups and downs of the trail, mind, body, spirit and altitude.  It had me yearning for a simpler life with an awareness of more complex connections.  It is a very easy read, I laughed out loud many times and chuckled to myself even more.  This book is good for the entertainment but seems that it would also be a good reference for anyone planning to hike the AT.  I love to read in hard cooy but if you appreciate the vibrant colors of the cover photo you should also get the Kindle version which has many beautiful photos.  I am waiting impatiently for the sequel from the POV of CatFox.
1330872
For those of us who have also completed hiking the PCT, this book recalls and well expresses the challenges, and parallels the emotions some of us experienced and quietly detailed only in our own personal daily diaries.  It accurately and clearly describes all the emotional swings, the dangers and amazement's at the thousands of challenges we experienced.  The feeling that this is what really living on the edge of the unknown and the complexities of the brotherhood bond with other hiker's is like.  Hiking our own hike, is one way in today's society, that we can truly feel fully alive, to be out there, on the trail.  Thank you for your courage and well written, Ms. Quinn.
1929686
Made me feel like I was right there living and experiencing everything, even seeing the countryside in front of me. Such a great book! Looking forward to book 2!
3829014
I'm half way through and loving it!  Next best thing to being there.  Having backpacked around myself, I can relate to many of the situations.
3040654
I can't even begin to describe my feelings! I simply devoured this book and am currently fighting the urge to turn back to page one and do it all again.
I also really look forward to digging up and rereading my old journals I kept while on my own backpacking trip through Australia. There was so much I found myself relating to, from the joy of being alone as well as the immediate bonding with fellow backpackers. I also 1000% understand Monster and everything that entailed!! There's so much I could say, but in short, I felt a very fond closeness with the words on these pages.