From Volume 2 Issue 2

Lynette Chiang’s new book is a self-described escapade. It’s a fitting word for a journey that meanders through Cuba via a folding bicycle, without any destination in particular. Chiang is a cycling documentarian by trade, an occupation she took up after leaving Sydney, Australia, to see the world.
Chiang describes her life since leaving as a “four-year detour,” and this book is the product of one of her more epic diversions. Her route is mapped in the beginning of the book and includes a legend replete with a symbol for “wonderful person.” Immediately into Chiang’s prose, the reader is imbued with a kaleidoscopic narrative that wanders just as her bicycle does, where the experience is exalted above the goal. She isn’t here to conquer anything; she is here to discover herself by portraying a people with a vivid and emotionally sensitive brush. Each chapter is a report on the many characters she encounters, illuminated within the context of their own homes and cultures—not through the lens of a typical tourista. It’s an intimate rendering of discovery and self-discovery, and yes, Chiang does meet the handsomest man in Cuba.

Click through to buy this book from Powells, our favorite local bookstore!