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To Shake the Sleeping Self
To Shake the Sleeping Self: A 10,000-Mile Journey from Oregon to Patagonia, and One Man's Quest to Wake Up the Soul | Jedidiah Jenkins
From travel writer Jedidiah Jenkins comes a long-awaited memoir of adventure, struggle, and lessons learned while bicycling the 14,000 miles from Oregon to Patagonia. On the eve of turning thirty, terrified of being funneled into a life he didn't choose, Jedidiah Jenkins quit his dream job and spent the next sixteen months cycling from Oregon to Patagonia. He chronicled the trip on Instagram, where his photos and profound reflections on life soon attracted hundreds of thousands of followers and got him featured by National Geographic and The Paris Review. In this unflinchingly honest memoir, Jed narrates the adventure that started it all: the people and places he encountered on his way to the bottom of the world, and the internal journey that prompted it. As he traverses cities, mountains, and exotic locales, Jenkins grapples with the questions of what it means to be an adult, his struggle to reconcile his sexual identity with his conservative Christian upbringing, and his belief in travel as a way to "wake us up" to life back home. A soul-stirring read for the dreamer in each of us, To Shake the Sleeping Self is an unforgettable reflection on adventure, identity, and a life lived without regret.
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rachelshareex
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👌

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Hooked_on_books
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Pickpick

Jedidiah Jenkins bicycled from the central Oregon coast to Patagonia and details his trip here. Much of this was fascinating, though there was more than I would have liked about his Christian identity and how that clashes with his gayness, though he still doesn‘t fully examine this. Also, his mother is performative in a way that drove me a little nuts. But what an amazing trip!

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StarryBrained
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"Traveling alone, you get to be whoever you want. I don't mean lie. I mean you get to be a blank slate...You can leave your story behind. If you've broken hearts, the new place doesn't know. If you've lost trust in people and yourself, the new place doesn't know...Feeling like your family and the expectations and the traditions and judgements are absent...it can fill your veins with possibility and fire."

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StarryBrained

God's favorite lesson is humility.

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BayouGirl85
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Pickpick

I can say that when I turned 30 there was a moment there when I questioned my life's path and my direction. I felt that similarity with Jenkins. I enjoyed going on this journey with him. It was like a conversation one would have with their friend over coffee recalling an incredible life changing trip.

July Book 10/20 #LitsyLove

21 likes1 comment
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StarryBrained

No one is nicer than Mexicans. When your food's that good, you're nicer. 🌮

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SoniaC
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Pickpick

Doing a little audio crocheting. Just finished up this book. It was quite interesting. I wasn‘t expecting it to be quite so religious though. Overall I enjoyed it. Great biking adventure.

teainthelibrary I love the color! 5y
SoniaC @teainthelibrary thank you. I‘m excited about seeing it take shape. 5y
tpixie Great crocheting 🧶 5y
SoniaC @tpixie Thank you 😊 5y
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Blaire
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Mehso-so

Jed bikes from Oregon to Patagonia when he turns 30 in an effort to find himself. Raised a devout Christian he questions his identity as he pushes himself physically. He is a young 30-many of the questions he asked himself felt more like college discussions and tho he comes to recognize his privilege I don‘t know if he fully got the level of it and some revelations felt shallow. Descriptions of being on road and ppl he met were the strongest.

saguarosally I left my life to engage in long term travel in my late thirties. It seemed like something I should have done after college, but I did it anyway later on. I learned a lot that I should have learned at a younger age, but better late than never. 5y
Blaire @saguarosally I agree. Certainly good to do this at any age. I‘ve always been a questioner of my own life/beliefs/path due prob in part to particular family circumstances and my personality and I‘m glad the author went on this journey I was just surprised how sheltered and unquestioning his life had been to that point despite some obvious conflicts he had not confronted. 5y
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CaitlinByTheBook
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Pickpick

I heard a lot about this book and was really looking forward to reading it (I love a great travel memoir). This one was interesting, entertaining and unique. My biggest complaint is that the author said he went on his cross country bike trip specifically for material to write this book. To me, that takes something away from it and makes it less genuine. In the end though, I still really enjoyed it and gave it 4/5 ⭐️ // #memoir #nonfiction #travel

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CoraHirashiki
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N8ure
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New book, new adventure!

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Shaaaannnn
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Los Angeles Festival of Books was today! Truthfully was kind of bummed with the selection this year but still found some goodies. 🤓📚

Ddzmini Yes I was there had an amazing day and I was at several panels 😋👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼📖📚📚📚 6y
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drew_a._winter
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Pickpick

A perfectly honest and relatable adventure tale. 🚵🏻‍♂️

TheLibrarian Beautiful kitty!! 6y
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Shaaaannnn

When you don‘t know what to do, you travel. You go out and see. You have to rattle the bed, shake yourself out.

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Shaaaannnn
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Extremely excited for this read. I love Jed and all the writing he posts on his Instagram makes me melt into a pile of emotional sap. In a good way though.

janerzy This is on my list to read! 6y
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drew_a._winter
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“If discontent is your disease, travel is medicine. It resensitizes.” Diving in.

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AlexGeorge
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Mehso-so

This was an enjoyable read but ultimately not quite what I had been hoping for. There‘s a quote on the back that says “This is much more than a book about a bike ride,” but actually this is exactly what this is. No great insights or revelations - at least not for me. But still, quite the adventure!

Zelma I snorted at the bike ride comment. 😏 6y
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macaremus
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StarryBrained

Knowledge alone is like an unearned memory, mostly forgotten. Just facts and two-dimensional images. I wanted to physically discover the world, the old-fashioned way.

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Christine
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Pickpick

I liked this one (and feel some might love it). The places he visited along his Oregon to Patagonia route were super interesting to me, and his journey of self discovery and reckoning with his religious upbringing were thoughtfully presented. I guess I just wanted more depth and detail (and sometimes felt he would have happily provided more - maybe they were lost in editing?). A worthwhile read, though; his writing was often lovely.

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StarryBrained

The life before had happened to me as childhood happens to everyone. The mark of adulthood is when we happen to life. Thirty years old. I was now an adult, with or without my consent, and adults are responsible for their lives. I wasn't going to become someone I didn't choose to be.

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StarryBrained
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Do what u love, but stay on the assembly line. There's no time to find what u love, u should be building ur credit score. Take risks, but don't be foolish. Believe in urself, but only if u've proven u should. Haven't u seen those idiots auditioning on American Idol, thinking they can sing? Don't be one of them. Don't embarrass urself. Don't waste time at a job u hate, but magically manifest money to leave that job & chase a dream. Got it? Perfect.