To Shake the Sleeping Self by Jedidiah Jenkins (4 stars)

To Shake the Sleeping Self: A Journey from Oregon to Patagonia, and a Quest for a Life with No Regret by Jedidiah Jenkins

I was so pleasantly surprised by this book in the beginning. I must’ve been recommended it by a travel page while I was half asleep one day because it just appeared in my Holds List from the library. When it was finally available for me to check out, I almost postponed it because something about the title and the cover just made it seem dry and long and I wasn’t sure I was in the mood. I’m so happy that I was wrong!

To Shake the Sleeping Self is the true story written by Jedidiah Jenkins about his bike ride from Oregon to Patagonia. I have read a few walking and hiking books by now but this was my first thru-biking experience and I was pleased by how warm and funny Jenkins is. He also gets bonus points for being a gay man and weaving aspects of his past and experiences into the story of his trip. He is a white guy and his forays into discussing his privilege are short and unsatisfying, but not surprising for a book of this kind.

I thought the writing was smart and insightful. Once, I was complaining to my partner out loud about how self-centered this dude was that he didn’t even realize that maybe his idea to bike across the continents may have been inspired by the fact that his parents were on the cover of National Geographic in 1979 for walking across America, and then right after I said that the following paragraphs offered a thoughtful look into how he could’ve ever presumed that he wasn’t influenced by them. I was impressed.

I felt better and inspired by the fact that he didn’t start his journey until the year he turned 30 and that the bike trip was to take 18 months. It spoke to a quiet fear in me that I’m quickly getting too old for long-term backpacking or a nomadic lifestyle. He definitely comes across as very immature for his age, though. The kind of introspection he gets into was much more what I would expect from a young 20 year old. There are long insights into his battle with religion and I’ll be honest, I was really rooting for him to come out of the trip denouncing his Christianity, but the book doesn’t really come to any stunning conclusions, which I suppose is more true to life.

I loved how realistic he was about his trip being honestly, at many times, really boring and discouraging. He got sick multiple times, his companion’s bike broke down multiple times, the days were hot and the miles were hard. There was a lot about the trip he did not enjoy, but it was still meaningful and important and it didn’t make him quit.

I loved his descriptions of his companion Weston and how he seemed both exasperated by and to truly grow to love him. It reminded me again of Bill Bryson’s A Walk in the Woods but without ever being mean-spirited. Even though Jenkins went to REI and bought all the best equipment to be prepared for their ride, Weston bought a cheap bike on Craigslist the day before they left. I would be annoyed too, but it was so funny to read. They offer a good contrast to each other. As with other books like this, I was a bit uncomfortable with how open he was about his friend, going into way too much detail about the kind of drugs he was doing, how often, how much he paid for them, and more. It probably wouldn’t have come across as so judgemental if the author was taking part in any of it, but other than one (admittedly sweet) experience with mushrooms, he mostly stayed away from it all.

There are a few too many times where he’s just way too forthcoming with transcripts of gross, weird, or just plain stupid conversations. Like this exchange:

“How was the Swedish girl?” I asked immediately.

“Oh, oh,” he said, smiling wildly, “she drained me right up. She’s incredible. I am empty, if you know what I mean. Empty.”

“Dude, you’re gonna get someone pregnant,” I said, thumping him on the back and laughing.

“I hope so,” he said.

An actual quote from this book. Ew.

It was a bit funny/sad/prescient when Jenkins began seeing articles about the Ebola outbreak happening while he was on trip and speculating about what the virus would mean for the world. And then, as many of us have done in the middle of this pandemic, he and his friends settled down to watch the movie Contagion.

For all his flaws and immaturity, I liked Jenkins and I really liked his writing style. Probably not enough to read his next book any time soon, but this was a decent read, especially for anyone who loves to bike. A great beginning and then it winds down toward the end. 18 months is a long time to be on a bike. A solid 4/5.