BOOK REVIEWS
I
Rebirth
Mark Holmes
2019
Following the loss of his wife and
business Mark Holmes sets out to
ride around the world aboard the
world’s largest production motorcy-
cle, the Triumph Rocket X. Initially
with the intent of setting a world re-
cord Mark soon finds that motorcycle
travel and adventure is more about
discovery.
Rebirth is Mark’s story of what he
discovered, often more about himself
rather than the unknown countries
he was visiting.
Riding such a large bike might be
considered crazy however, Mark soon
realised that it was a great catalyst to
meet people, open dialogue and learn
about his surroundings. Through this
he learnt how he was dealing with
grief and the impact that would have
on others. Rebirth is not so much
E
W
Little riding experience was no
reason for Eglė Gerulaitytė to not ex-
plore South America what she’s pro-
vided is a book that only comes along
occasionally, a book so compelling
you won’t want to put it down.
From the very first page Eglė has
you gripped, her beautifully descrip-
tive accounts of life in various com-
munities within South America is
fresh, warm and honest. The reader
feels as she feels, lives and she lived
and with it comes a want, no, a need,
to be in South America.
Tales From South America isn’t a
recount of riding from one town to
Tales From South America the next, it’s much, much more; a
lesson in history, in geography, in the
EGLĖ GERULAITYTĖ
political situations … this is living the
2019
South American life.
Eglė makes the reader feel a vul-
TRAVERSE 119
about book about exotic lands but
more about self-discovery and per-
haps what the true meaning of the
word love is.
Mark discovers a love for others, to
love himself and love of a very special
kind.
Self-published, Rebirth, is at times
a little raw, perhaps unpolished, yet
it is a unique story offering a differ-
ent perspective to motorcycle travel.
Rebirth provides the reader with a
unique view of what makes travelling
the world by motorcycle so unique,
especially a motorcycle the size of
the Rocket X. It’ll open your heart,
perhaps find love and eliminate hate
from your life … maybe it’s time for a
Rebirth …
S
nerability that one only feels when
alone, in a different land, aboard a
motorcycle … this is adventure mo-
torcycle travel at its realest.
Tales From South America is writ-
ten in a way that many other travel
books should be; honest, raw, real in-
terspersed with detail enough to keep
everything in context, it’s beautifully
written in a way that will leave you
wanting for more … much more.
There’s little doubt that Tales From
South America is one of the standout
travel books of 2019, perhaps even
the decade, a must for anyone who’s
travelled or dreamt of travel.