Laura Everett

The premise of this book was promising, and I liked the first few pages okay. My story of becoming a bicycle commuter also partly stemmed from my car dying, and I understand the process of falling in love with riding and having God teach you lessons via the bike. I've been off-bike for a while now due to chronic illness, and I missed hearing bike-speak, so these pages made me want to go out riding again (though any book that even briefly mentions cycling will do that...).

Unfortunately, that's really the only good in the book.

Firstly, Laura Everett does not have a gift for storytelling. She can put grammatical sentences together just fine, but that has never made anyone a talented writer. Much of her writing reminded me of my high school essays, being forced, formulaic, and lacking depth. It was also disjointed and repetitive.

Secondly, the profanity she used was not only unnecessary but it stood in stark contrast to the "spiritual" vibe she was putting out with her other word choices; it just didn't mesh.

Thirdly, I found her theology troubling. She hardly ever references actual Scripture, preferring instead to quote Brother Lawrence (a 17th century monk who wrote [b:The Practice of the Presence of God|498641|The Practice of the Presence of God|Brother Lawrence|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1347467147s/498641.jpg|2133549]) and seems to believe that God is whomever we want Him to be – she mentions that we call God by different names including "Higher Power," and seems to deem all religions as equally valid (which, of course, is incorrect, according to the Bible).

It became clear to me that Everett loves the idea of spirituality more than she loves Truth. If you're looking for a book that will inspire joy in cycling, there are other books that can accomplish that without the skewed theology. If you're looking for a book to help you become mindful of noticing the spiritual/eternal importance in your everyday life, just reading [b:The Practice of the Presence of God|498641|The Practice of the Presence of God|Brother Lawrence|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1347467147s/498641.jpg|2133549] yourself, or the Bible, for that matter, would be better than reading this book.… (mere)

Rev. Laura is someone I know, mostly from Twitter, but occasionally at church or out biking the streets of Boston. This is a book about bicycling and as it's set in Boston, it's very familiar to me, especially the growing community of bike users that has become more active in the past decade, as well as the more somber remembrances of people who have been killed riding their bikes in recent years. Everett writes about the spirituality of bicycling, beginning with her own conversion to commuting by bike. Her ministry to the city grows as she travels the streets of the most vulnerable communities, seeing them up close without the windshield view. And biking also gives an understanding of vulnerability to the rider as bicyclists are generally maligned community, their bodies always at risk, and any protections gained despite fighting tooth and nail are generally still insufficient. It's a beautiful book that touches on many things, cities and bikes, faith and justice. I highly recommend it.… (mere)

"There is always an unexplored neighborhood somewhere in the city.
There is always more of the infinite mystery of the Holy to explore.
There is always a new road to ride."

Reverend Everett captures the joys, challenges, and inspirations for a bike commuter. Being a fellow bike commuter in Boston, who attends church semi-regularly, the book is targeted right at me.

Rev. Everett uses the parts of the bike as a metaphors for her inspiration and spirituality. Then she weaves her own memories into context.

Bike commuting is not without its challenges. But it also comes with great rewards. You get a connection to the city that you can't appreciate when trapped in 3,000 pounds of steel and traffic. Unlike walking, you get the wind in your hair and the speed to beat traffic.

I've met Rev. Everett a few times. The first time was at a Ghost Bike ceremony. She has had to perform too many of those for cyclist who have been killed on the road. Hopefully, she will have to perform fewer of those.… (mere)