Walking: One Step at a Time by explorer Erling Kagge may just be the best book about walking you’ve ever read ... an important secret will reveal itself via beautiful, flowing prose, as wise and soothing as the voice it suggests ... you’ll be hooked. You’ll see that this is not an ordinary book about walking, precisely because it’s just, as in only, about walking. And though the concepts of meditation and inner peace are present and in some places suggested, this is not a new age book, nor one about meditation, nor about the evils of rushing and the big city ... [This is] a book that is part rumination, part walking coach and companion, a small book of thought, only a few minimal illustrations sprinkled throughout like crumbs on a path, and one that might just do more for your health and happiness than your treadmill alone ever could.
The book has a bit of everything, including beautiful stories like the all-day walk a 35-year-old blind woman in Kenya took with her 6-month-old child to visit the doctor who was in town for just one day. Kagge philosophizes a bit, refuting arguments that 'risky expeditions [are] playing with death' ... There’s the obligatory criticism of screen time and the pace of modern life that any writing about something as age-old as ambulation will contain, but this is far from familiar recitation. And above all it’s sincere, Kagge’s love of walking leaping off the page as he argues that 'walking expands time rather than collapses it.'
This translation by Crook draws upon works by numerous writers, combining their insights with Kagge's own questions to create a work that challenges readers to take steps toward a better understanding of one's self and finding a peaceful place in the scheme of life ... Recommended for all libraries, especially collections on the environment. The poetic and inspirational words will remind readers of Henry David Thoreau's work by the same name
...this book is not about the thrill of adventure or perilous journeys. Rather, Walking reads much like the act of wandering itself as Kagge’s narrative meanders through different thoughts with short vignettes about his life and candid take-aways from his varied experiences. Kagge’s purposeful lack of plotlines and direction is meant to challenge readers to let go of traditional constraints and take pleasure in his lyrical and sometimes philosophical prose, just as he encourages people to walk for pleasure without hurry. Kagge’s intimate relationship with walking and the natural world resonates throughout this reflective book, and his awe and wonder are contagious. A brief read, Walking is meant to be savored at a leisurely pace and is a perfect companion for those who seek mindfulness and meditation in their everyday lives.
Throughout this brief but eloquent meditation, the author makes a convincing case for the importance of walking. For him, walking is not simply taking a series of steps; it is something thrilling and amazing ... Kagge also offers a too-short but fascinating section on Nan Madol, 'a forgotten city in the Western Pacific Ocean that is reminiscent of Venice.' A thoughtful book-length essay on a taken-for-granted human activity.
