Ghost Rider

Mar 28, 2011 Scott rated it 1 of 5 stars

This book is about how Neil Peart, the percussionist/lyricist for the band Rush coped with some massive family tragedies. He is a writer at heart, and wrote this book as he travelled around the continent trying to overcome the tragedies.

I am a huge fan of Rush, and I've always loved dissecting Peart's lyrics for, really my entire life. The book was a huge disappointment for me. Though I know he wrote this book for himself and no one else, his arrogance was frustrating for me to handle.

Some of t...more

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Sep 16, 2010 Brainycat rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: nonfiction, biography, read_in_2010

This was a fantastic read, but I don't know if it will go down in the annals of history as a great book. I'm a LONGtime Rush fan, which was the original impetus to pick it up. Also, I've gone through a number of huge changes in my life recently and since Neil's lyrics have been there for me through good times and bad, I thought I would give this book a try.

Neil Peart is the drummer for the immensely successful band Rush. During the course of a year and a half, he lost his 19yo daughter in a car...more This was a fantastic read, but I don't know if it will go down in the annals of history as a great book. I'm a LONGtime Rush fan, which was the original impetus to pick it up. Also, I've gone through a number of huge changes in my life recently and since Neil's lyrics have been there for me through good times and bad, I thought I would give this book a try.

Neil Peart is the drummer for the immensely successful band Rush. During the course of a year and a half, he lost his 19yo daughter in a car wreck and his wife to cancer. Consumed with soul-crushing grief, he hopped on his motorcycle and traveled over 55k miles across western Canada, the west and southwest of the US, and down through Mexico and Belize. He stashed his bike in Mexico during the latter part of winter, and returned to his home in Quebec through the following spring and summer, then flew back to his bike and rode it home. Two more roadtrips are documented in the ensuing months, though of much shorter and more focused duration. Honestly, though, the roadtrips cease to be an end unto themselves after he gets back to Quebec, and become more scenery for the changes happening inside him.

As a travelogue it works wonderfully for me. He writes about the things I'd notice, though he's much more concerned about food and booze than I am. He's an incredibly well read and thoughtful man and the depth and breadth of his knowledge spills across each page effortlessly. He doesn't just describe the scenery, he places it into ecological and geopolitical context while he ponders his own emotional state with ideas from most of the greatest writers ever. His relationship to his motorcycle and the roads provide a sound material counterpoint to the internal turmoil he wrestles with constantly and makes every mile seem real and vital. He writes about his encounters with strangers and friends and family with equal aplomb, capturing the essence of what he felt at the time without sharing so many details the emotional landmarks get lost.

The format of the book is mostly redacted journal entries and letters he writes to a few close friends, interspersed with short recollections to frame the letters and maintain continuity. For all his protestations of being essentially a shy loner, it's obvious he thrives on the company of people he loves and trusts and it's in his letters where you really see him work through his grief. Most of the letters are to his friend Brutus, who was originally planning to join him for this adventure but unfortunately got himself invited into the US penal system shortly before their planned departure. Brutus begins to take on an almost mythic quality to Neil, a larger than life hero who is equal parts confessional and unquestioning sympathetic listener. Brutus takes on the role of Neil's "better judgement", and several times Neil refrains from too much excess because Brutus isn't there to take care of him.

I've seen several reviews that say the middle of the book is "whiny" - it's a book about a man getting over the deaths of his two greatest loves! What did they think it was going to read like? I feel he does an excellent job of keeping the writing moving and describing the tides of emotion that wash over him, even as he (too slowly for himself to see at the time) processes his feelings and puts himself back together. I felt the ending of the book was rushed (see what I did there?), and frankly, I didn't really need the epilogue. I would have liked to see the book either end one chapter sooner, or expound on how he discovered room in his life for love again in the same sort of detail he used to describe how he put himself back together again.

I can't relate specifically to Neil's situation, but in the last 19 months I've given up a 25 year long relationship with alcohol, gotten divorced, changed jobs, completely changed my living situation, lost my cat companion of 16 years, and basically re-engineered my life from the ground up. The best part of this book, for me, was how he visualized and verbalized his "baby soul"; how he related to it and felt it were a small flame that needed nurturing and protecting. The therapist I talked to when dealing with my alcoholism used a very similar metaphor, so it resonated deeply with me. As Neil learns to cope day to day with the jagged holes in his life, different aspects of his personality emerge and he gives each of them names, not unlike the heroes of greek tragedies who are alternately possessed by different gods (archetypes) as they change through the story.

While the topic of this book is grieving, and the format is a travelogue, this is ultimately a book full of hope and an homage to the triumph of the human spirit to dig deeper into itself than anyone could believe possible. Neil is a rationalist much like myself, and there aren't enough books by rationalists dealing with deep emotional pain, IMHO. To watch someone go through the healing process without the crutch of superstition was very empowering for me.(less)

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Jul 25, 2008 Laura rated it 4 of 5 stars

Ghost Rider is a memoir of the author's (Neal Peart, Rock Star Drummer, author, etc.) journey from grief to grief as he travels alone across North America on his motorcycle. The reader is brought into his inner thoughts through his journals and letters to dear friends and family. The level of his grief is profound, and for me it meant that I sometimes needed to take a break from the book. And his journey through that grief goes on, and on, just like the Ghost Rider. The author is very gracious f...more Ghost Rider is a memoir of the author's (Neal Peart, Rock Star Drummer, author, etc.) journey from grief to grief as he travels alone across North America on his motorcycle. The reader is brought into his inner thoughts through his journals and letters to dear friends and family. The level of his grief is profound, and for me it meant that I sometimes needed to take a break from the book. And his journey through that grief goes on, and on, just like the Ghost Rider. The author is very gracious for allowing the reader into this tender and painful part of his life. I was amazed at the kindness he displayed toward his own pain-- noting that his grief had splintered him into many characters, each of whom served a different purpose in helping him cope. He seemed to have a tenderness toward these fractured aspects of himself and treated them as if they were all friends. It was a very profound lesson in moving on by keeping moving (but moving in a previously unforseen and unknowable direction). I was relieved and satisfied that eventually he is able to exit "Death Valley" and find access to joy again.

One thing that I found very interesting in the book were the common literary references (didn't expect this from a drummer in a rock band). For example, the title of one of the chapters is "Homeward Angel, On the Fly" is a reference to a Milton poem (possibly also a Thomas Wolfe book entitled Look Homeward, Angel), Lycidas, in which an "uncouth swain" mourns the too-soon passing of a dear one lost at sea,

"Bitter constraint, and sad occasion dear,
Compels me to disturb your season due:
For Lycidas is dead, dead ere his prime,
Young Lycidas, and hath not left his peer"

At the point in the poem where Milton writes, "Look homeward angel" he makes a turning point from describing the bitter sorrow that the whole earth feels at the loss of this friend, noting that the weeping must end as Lycidas has gone home as an angel where heaven is all that much more improved for the presence of Lycidas. And then the shepherd aka "the uncouth swain" moves on...

"And now the Sun had stretch'd out all the hills,
And now was dropt into the Western bay;
At last he rose, and twitch'd his Mantle blew:
To morrow to fresh Woods, and Pastures new. "

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Mar 25, 2007 aleshia rated it 5 of 5 stars

Adam read this book first and if Adam finishes a book, I know it's worth it. And boy was he right! Neil Peart is Rush's drummer who lost his only child and wife in a period of less than one year. It is a sad, yet inspirational book, about the many monthes that followed these two tragedies. In short, Neil sets out on a cross country motorcycle trip after the passing of his wife, which sprawls over a year. During his trip, memories, the natural world and encounters help him come to terms with his...more

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Aug 12, 2007 Genevieve Heinrich rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: anyone who's lost someone close to them

Shelves: favorites

This book blew me away.

I picked it up, of course, simply because I am irrationally obsessed with Rush (the band with which Neil Peart proves his status as greatest drummer in rock history.) I figured I'd like his writing style, since I love his lyrics so much... but the greatness of this book goes far beyond the excellent writing. It is insightful and revealing. He lays his soul bare for the reader, and his struggles on the journey to come to terms the deaths of his daughter and wife cut right...more

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Mar 25, 2013 Stephanie "Jedigal" rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: biography-autobio

My friend's review of a different Peart book reminded me of this one.

I borrowed this from my cousin's bookshelf back closer to its original publication. Sorry to say, I pretty much hated it. Have loved Rush since I was a teen, in large part due to their technically complex yet passionate and moving musical arrangements, and in large part due to Peart's insanely intellectual lyrics, which combine to complement each other perfectly.

But, as I am not the first to say, Peart comes off primarily as...more

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Mar 20, 2013 Marc rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: motorcycle-diaries, survival, memoire

This should have been a great motorcycle book. As an established word monger it should have been worthy reading.

I heard the author interviewed by the late Peter Gzowski when the book first came out. I am not a big Rush fan (I know heresy for a Canadian) and I didn't know who Peart was until the Gzowski interview. His story sounded so complelling.

Peart's tragic losses (no spoilers) should have made me naturally sympathetic to him. He squandered my sympathy with his self-centered selfishness. Mone...more

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Jul 25, 2012 Greg Canellis rated it 3 of 5 stars

[This is a revised version of a review I wrote for this book for another blog - GC]

As a fan of the Canadian rock-trio Rush since 1976, I had read about the heart breaking double tragedy in drummer Neil Peart's personal life: first the death of his only daughter in a car accident, followed by that of his wife to cancer eight months later. Driving home from a recent Rush concert, I felt it was time to delve into Peart's writings, beginning appropriately with _Ghost Rider: Travels of the Healing Ro...more [This is a revised version of a review I wrote for this book for another blog - GC]

As a fan of the Canadian rock-trio Rush since 1976, I had read about the heart breaking double tragedy in drummer Neil Peart's personal life: first the death of his only daughter in a car accident, followed by that of his wife to cancer eight months later. Driving home from a recent Rush concert, I felt it was time to delve into Peart's writings, beginning appropriately with _Ghost Rider: Travels of the Healing Road_.

Constantly surrounded at home by memories of his beloved wife and daughter, while consumed in his misery, loss and anguish, Peart, an empty shell of a man with no will to continue living realized he would die from the ravages of depression, if he did not keep moving "Book One" recounts Peart's motorcycle journey of healing through some of North America's most remote, rugged and majestically beautiful National Parks. Like many of his literary heroes, Peart set off with a writer's eye and journal in hand. When not riding, Peart hiked forest trails, rowed on mountain lakes, anything to keep moving. Peart finds wonder in nature, its beauty, and is a knowledgeable bird watcher. Along the way, he investigates local used book stores, museums and the stomping grounds of some of his favorite American authors. Peart often digresses and recounts the history of a little known piece of Americana and the people who laid claim to a piece of it.

Although a self-professed "saddle tramp," Peart eats at the top of the food chain, and his efforts to satisfy his Champaign tastes (described in minute detail) on beer menus is sometimes comical. It soon becomes apparent that, despite his grieving heart, Peart is a loner, by nature, comfortable in his solitude. Yet, Peart the loner battles loneliness, especially at meal times or in crowded familial settings. Happy to sit alone in a darkened corner, he eats and vents to his journal about overweight tourists with "mullet" hair cuts, name tag wearing conventioneers, or "Califoricators." When he goes as far as to label people "low lifes," however, Mr. Peart apparently has forgotten that this social strata could just as easily buy Rush CDs and concert tickets too. Always polite, in spite of what he really thinks of you, Peart does not warm up to people easily, nor does he choose friends readily. When he does form friendships, however, they tend to be lifelong: his band mates, his wife's relations, and his best friend and riding pal Brutus. After hearing that Brutus was incarcerated for illegal dealings in medicinal-herbal trade, Peart discovers a renewed purpose in the form of describing it through letters to Brutus in jail.

"Book Two" finds Peart in a winter hiatus at home, after a brief but unsuccessful relationship with a woman in California. Here, motorcycle treks are replaced by snowshoes and cross-country skies as Peart re-explores his snow covered winter soulscape, and intimates the process of his healing through more letters to colleagues and friends. Although at times repetitive, Peart's letters are often more personal and revealing; less formal, and more soul bearing than his narrative. Skimming over these letters, one risks missing some of Peart's most insightful self-analysis. Yet, several of the letters to Brutus containing nothing more than adolescent banter and coded insider jokes certainly should have been chopped.

It is said that wisdom is attained through pain. Neil Peart, through grief, and in spite of himself, has gained a wisdom some of us may never hope to grasp. The ancient Chinese general Sun Tzu wrote: "Know yourself, then know others, and you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles." Peart not only possesses the self-honesty to know himself, his human foibles, and character defects, but also came to identify the ghosts and demons that taunt a grieving soul on a daily basis. The more tangible aspects of the book contain a few flaws, though.

Travel narratives offer unique challenges to a writer. Anyone who has attempted to put pen to paper soon realizes that everything surrounding them is called something. Peart's numerous descriptions of flora and fauna, and efforts to research afford the reader the joy of watching a writer in the process of developing his craft. Redundancy is another challenge. Keeping thousands of miles of roads, highways, rivers, valleys, mountains, forests, and Best Western Hotels fresh on every page is a daunting task indeed. The combination of Peart's narrative, journal entries, and too many letters to Brutus, needless to say, created overlap that unfortunately escaped an editor's keen eye. It seems Peart is enamored with the Shift-I keys. Peart's more than generous sprinkling of italicized words, is quite distracting. After a few hundred pages, Peart's final chapters and epilogue take a steep nose dive. One can almost hear Peart's publisher saying, "I need that manuscript tomorrow!"

At the risk of appearing fragmented, this book offers much to a varied audience. Lack of smoother flow and tighter ending is perhaps more the fault of a keen editor than the author's. For map lovers, the absence of a simple rudimentary map outlining Peart's route will surely disappoint. Yet the joy of watching Neil Peart grow both emotionally and literally makes Ghosts a worthwhile read, whether you are a Rush fan or not. (less)

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Jul 23, 2012 Brandon rated it 5 of 5 stars

I have extremely varied musical tastes, but Rush is my favourite band, and Neil Peart is an amazing person: an erudite, well-read, well-spoken, intelligent musician, who in his writing blends travelogue, history, social commentary, philosophy, and biography.

This book, however, is charged with a deep, dark sadness. This is the story of his motorcycle journeys across North America in search of peace in the wake of the deaths of his wife and daughter, just months apart. It is a heartbreaking story,...more

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Oct 15, 2011 Cj rated it 3 of 5 stars

Lots to like about Neil Peart's story. He is best when he is examining his process of recovery against the backdrop of his experiences while traveling. When he just starts to go on about his situation without that backdrop of travel, to me, it wasn't as engaging, especially when he ends his journey so abruptly. I do like how he describes his experiences and I found his perspective interesting, certainly worth reading over the few bumps and jolts here and there. I'm looking forward to more of his...more

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Sep 05, 2011 Michael rated it 4 of 5 stars

Not much of a review other than to say that it did exactly what I was looking for it to, it broke my heart. Reading about others tragedy can be either a voyeuristic trip down the road not taken or it can ultimately be a cautionary tale that makes you reassess and take stock of the things and people that matter. This book, for me, served the later.

Peart is an engaging and thoughtful writer, and even buried in his own deep pit of sorrow, he still manages to let hope shine through. I don't know if...more

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Aug 22, 2010 Doran Barton rated it 4 of 5 stars

Well, I finished “Ghost Rider” by Neil Peart.

In retrospect, I’m not sure why it took me six years to finally get around to reading it. But, it did. Thom, one of my best friends, was reading “Ghost Rider” while we were traveling through Oregon and Washington many years back. He enjoyed Neil’s commentary on Oregon’s ridiculous laws that mandate that you do not pump your own gasoline. Instead, you must allow a minimum-wage worker to do it for you.

Thom and I share a common heritage of sorts. We both...more

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May 19, 2010 Michelle Cristiani rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: memoirs

This is a touching memoir about Peart's solitary motorcycle journey after losing his wife and daughter. He clocks huge amounts of miles, stopping at his lake house outside Toronto as a home base. The detailed descriptions of each ride read like a travel guide - you could stay and eat at the same places he did - you could even order the same food - it was that detailed. Of course it was well-written, and his frequent cultural and literary references educate as well as entertain.

That said, the boo...more

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Nov 02, 2009 Buck Swindle rated it 3 of 5 stars

As an Ex-Pat Canadian and a motorcyclist, it was in my DNA to read this book.

Good: Neil's writing style is wonderful. He is open, honest and portrays his life and observations in a unique light.

Bad: The events that transpired as the impetus for this journey and book were truly tragic. Things no one should ever be forced to endure. Having said that, the middle of the book gets whiny.

What struck me about this was that because of the authors career and subsequent success, he had the opportunity t...more

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Oct 31, 2009 Chip rated it 5 of 5 stars

Man, some of you people are a tough crowd! I don't see any of you publishing a book or touring the world with a megaband. This book exists for several reasons - its a chronicle of what happened the year his wife and daughter died and how he coped. Why write a book? Maybe he was tired of answering the SAME QUESTIONS a bazillion times. This way he can say 'oh, I wrote this nice book about it, maybe you'd care to read it instead of annoy me?' Second reason - there exists in this world people who ac...more Man, some of you people are a tough crowd! I don't see any of you publishing a book or touring the world with a megaband. This book exists for several reasons - its a chronicle of what happened the year his wife and daughter died and how he coped. Why write a book? Maybe he was tired of answering the SAME QUESTIONS a bazillion times. This way he can say 'oh, I wrote this nice book about it, maybe you'd care to read it instead of annoy me?' Second reason - there exists in this world people who actually enjoy his narrative style and keen observations, and not everything he finds interesting goes into the lyrics. Reading the book(s) (there's more than one) actually expand upon the lyrics of many Rush songs and broaden the impact of the music for those intelligent (and unlazy) enough to find the linkages. Let's take an easy one: the song "Ghost Rider" and this book. You can listen to the song and its catchy, stands okay all by itself, but after you've read the book you understand the imagery of the song. What seems metaphorical lyrically is actual fact put to music... and you wouldn't know that if you didn't read the book. Third reason: this man writes because the enjoys writing, and it *is* a healing process that he can share with others, and by sharing that road he's helping them out too. There's no grief so great that a hundred thousand miles and countless bottles of Macallan won't numb... and from that anesthesia you will arrive at the same point the author did on p. 10: "Or maybe it was more like the Mormon woman's statement, 'the only reason I am alive is because I could not die.'" How many of you one-star whiners can appreciate the depth of grief behind that statement? He didn't write this book for you (no pictures, sorry)! Finally, this book is a closure, a retirement. The author is saying goodbye to his former life, including the fans who expect too much and just won't let go, and he's moving on to happiness with his new family. Ride on, MacDuff! We of intellect salute you and your accomplishments; let the rabble of narrow minds and pea brains be nothing more than a shadow in your rear-view mirror. (less)

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Dec 31, 2012 Richard rated it 3 of 5 stars

In Ghost Rider Canadian Peart tells the story of his multi-year cross country trips on his motorcycle following the tragic deaths of his 19 YO daughter and his wife slightly more than a year apart. The book takes the form of an extended interior monologue interspersed with letters to his missing friend and former riding companion (Brutus) who finds himself in prison in NY State as the result of a drug deal gone bad. These letters sans replies from Brutus are intercut with excerpts from his journ...more In Ghost Rider Canadian Peart tells the story of his multi-year cross country trips on his motorcycle following the tragic deaths of his 19 YO daughter and his wife slightly more than a year apart. The book takes the form of an extended interior monologue interspersed with letters to his missing friend and former riding companion (Brutus) who finds himself in prison in NY State as the result of a drug deal gone bad. These letters sans replies from Brutus are intercut with excerpts from his journals that tell in great detail the roads, weather, motels and food at just about every stop along the way of this extended journey.

The book is separated into three main parts followed by a coda that puts a neat bow on his ceaseless travels and search for peace. The first trip west from his home in Quebec occurs almost immediately following his wife’s death variously described as form cancer but according to Peart she died as a result of a broken heart. A brave trip for a relatively inexperienced rider, he goes all the way from Quebec to Alaska as far as the Dempster highway, a boggy two lane road on the way to the North Slope where he manages to dump the bike in the mud and is saved by the timely arrival of a trucker who helps him right it and get back on his way. His travels take him all the way through the western US to Mexico City where he again crashes the bike and leaves it with the local BMW dealer to be restored whereupon he flies back to Quebec to stay in his winter hideaway located on Lake something or other that he refused ot name to preserver his privacy.

To dramatize the Ghost Rider theme during the ride Peart starts taking shots of his 1100GS alone on the road pointed into an anonymous landscape - a clever contrivance but this is one of the more trite themes of the book, the other being his repeated reference to the need to nurture his “little baby soul” – understandable for a guy who has experienced the depths of despair and has hit the road to get away and sort things out but over the course of 460 pages it becomes hackneyed. And while you feel sorry for him you can’t help but be reminded of the fact that he is traveling for months on end, riding a fine/expensive bike, staying in numerous hotels and eating his meals out every day of the week while owning a beautiful home being cared for by his man-servant Keith while he goes wherever the hell he wants to go.
The second phase covers his winter back in Quebec at the house on the lake ruminating on his thoughts, skiing and snow-shoeing and writing the ever present letters to his friend Brutus languishing away in prison. The challenge of reading this book is that you NEVER hear a response to any of his letters; it’s all a one way monologue so you never get the balance of a complete conversation and the feedback one expects to these missives. And, paradoxically, as much as Brutus is his best friend he NEVER mentions traveling the relatively short distance from Quebec to Buffalo to visit him while in prison. Given that schedule and money don’t seem to be limitations I can never understand how he fails to make a stop in Buffalo to visit his pal Brutus who clearly is stuck in jail for the foreseeable future – instead he sends endless letters reciting the wonderful meals, great roads etc. I don’t know about you but I was in jail this would be nothing short of cruel and inhumane punishment.

When summer arrives restless and not able to deal with his grief Peart returns to Mexico City and resumes his peripatetic travels through Mexico and the American SW and all around western Canada before ultimately returning to Quebec. This is followed by another long but comparatively short trip by the standards of the previous rides on a new bike (BMW K1200RS) through Nova Scotia and down to NYC and back to Quebec. So while you feel sorry for the guy you have to appreciate that he has the cash to burn on new bikes and travel whereas anyone else in this situation is left along with their grief and if lucky, their day job.

One of the running motifs in the book is his love for reading and the authors whose work he discovers and ultimately sends to Brutus in prison including Ed Abbey, Tim O’Brien, Saul Bellow, Bruce Chatwin et al. Peart also makes a note of places he visits including the home of Sinclair Lewis in Minnesota and Salinas, California home of John Steinbeck and draws the parallel with now being the “Ghost Writer” – lame.

Because of his notoriety anonymity is paramount to Peart - to an extent I can understand that especially as he has zero interest in creating music during this time and is running from everything including his identity as the member of a relatively well known rock band, but I find the way he handles the few instances he cites where someone recognizes him in a public setting including his encounter at the bar in Grand Central Station in NYC toward the end of the book to be off-putting: “Despite 20 years or so of modest celebrity, I had never grown comfortable with such encounters, but now, after the terrible events in my private life, it seemed exactly twice as bad. Whoever I was, I was definitely not the person those people thought they knew. I commented in my journal, ‘Upsetting more than ever these days – I’m not that guy’”. No matter how famous you may be (and to me any member of the band Rush doesn’t even register on this scale) you need to be prepared to graciously handle the encounter and excuse yourself, not too difficult, eh? The first encounter I ever had with someone arguably famous was when I bumped into Kurt Vonnegut at the Chemical Bank at what I later realized was near his home in mid-town Manhattan. If anyone could be expected to be rude, dismissive and obnoxious to a fawning stranger I can’t think of anyone more likely than Vonnegut yet he was anything but polite, gracious even delighted to talk with my friend and me for a few minutes. I can’t help but think if Peart tried a similar approach it might have helped him heal and find his way back into the world sooner.

This book will appeal to long distance bike riders, people interested in the band Rush and anyone that hasn’t read Thoreau’s “On Walden Pond” since high school but likely few others. Never having heard a Rush song in my life my interest was in vicariously travelling the roads during these winter months while my bike sits idle but I almost gave up on the book until I realized that Peart’s sensibilities and reading lists are similar to my own and discovered that the second bike Peart purchased is identical to mine - I kept on thinking he might reveal something about its ride-ability and handling characteristics but these turned out to be few.

Ironically unlike every other rock star Peart manages to steer clear of temptation of the female kind even going so far as to sneer at the Harley riders who stop at Nevada’s Bunny Ranch (Always Open!) or at least says he does to preserve the ghost persona. But fear not, he manages to find love after succumbing to the relentless hounding of a friend who hooks him up with a dame in California that he later marries and according to Wikipedia went on to live happily ever after as well to reconnect with his music. I can’t help but think that this book which runs 460 pages never would have been printed by a U.S. based publisher but because he is an artist upholding the voice of “Oh Canada” ECW in Toronto was willing to put it out. Hey, wait a minute - if Canada is sooo great why do Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Leonard Cohen AND Neil Peart all live in California? Hmmm…
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Jun 22, 2012 Ryan Holiday rated it 4 of 5 stars

The best description of this book is one I saw in a review or blurb I saw a few years ago, which compared Peart's motorcycle journey through North America after the loss of his wife and daughter to Teddy Roosevelt's trip West - "Black care," Roosevelt wrote, "rarely sites behind a rider whose pace is fast enough" - after the simultaneous death of his wife and of his mother. Peart, probably the greatest drummer who ever lived, wrote the books as a series of journals as he attempted to make sense...more

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Aug 20, 2009 Scott rated it 5 of 5 stars

I admit, I started reading this book because I had been a fan of the band Rush (which the author is part of), for over 20 years. I knew nothing of Neil Peart, other than he's an amazing musician and an incredible lyricist. I foolishly assumed he was just another rocker with a story to tell. I could not have been more wrong. I started reading it using the 'preview' capability on Amazon.com, and read the first few pages. When I got to the part where he says "In the gray twilight of morning we put...more

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Mar 29, 2011 Aileen is currently reading it Recommends it for: People needing to work through grief

So far so good. At just over 2/3 through I can pretty much guess how the rest of the book is going to go. I'm not going to give a precis, you all know what the scoop is.

One thing that strikes me in this book is how blunt Neil Peart is about his feelings toward, well, everything. Sometimes I find myself taken aback at the vitriol, but then I remind myself that this is a book written by a man in pain more deep and dark than I can even imagine. "I knew it was a snake when I picked it up." (meaning-...more

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Jul 28, 2010 Andrew rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Rush Fans

Recommended to Andrew by: Sordos the Defenestrator

Shelves: my-interests

Like most people, I was attracted to Ghost Rider because the author, Neil Peart, is a member of the Canadian rock band Rush, of which I am a fan. As it turns out, Peart is also a capable author with a fairly interesting story to tell. I wouldn’t call it an excellent book, but it was certainly worth picking up for a fan of the band.

First off, this book is not about Rush. As the title suggests, the story here is one of healing. After the tragic death of his wife and daughter, Peart embarks on a fa...more Like most people, I was attracted to Ghost Rider because the author, Neil Peart, is a member of the Canadian rock band Rush, of which I am a fan. As it turns out, Peart is also a capable author with a fairly interesting story to tell. I wouldn’t call it an excellent book, but it was certainly worth picking up for a fan of the band.

First off, this book is not about Rush. As the title suggests, the story here is one of healing. After the tragic death of his wife and daughter, Peart embarks on a fairly epic motorcycle tour of North America, hoping to find some solace in the soothing power of motion. I’ve always harbored a bit of a fantasy about hitting the open road and leaving all my troubles behind, and it was fun to live a little vicariously through this book. I did find myself a tad irritated at times when the author remained steadfastly dour and miserable despite going on an epic two year vacation, but that’s not really fair. Considering the incredible loss he endured I suppose he earned his misery. He describes the journey as more of a desperate exile than a vacation, with the emphasis not on fun, but on staying alive. In spite of the grumpy narration, I still managed to imagine all the fun I would be having if I was doing what he was, so as a vicarious-travel-fantasy type experience this book does still work. Kind of.

After spending two years on a motorcycle with Peart, you come to learn a lot about him as a person. I found I could relate to him in a lot of ways. The feelings of social inadequacy, the pseudo-arrogant distain for large portions of society, even the love of winter are all things that Neil displays and I see in myself. Obviously readers who don’t share these feelings won’t have quite the same experience with this book, but it’d still be interesting to know.

I felt that things were getting a little long in the tooth in the end. I’m not up on my United States geography (I’m Canadian, Eh?) so the endless stream of unfamiliar town names started to get a bit dry. Still it was interesting to watch the healing process even though it was, as you might expect, very slow. In the end it was a decent tale, well told. I don’t think this book is quite strong enough to recommend to non-Rush fans, but for people who are interested in getting to know a little more about the man behind the kit, this book delivers.
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Apr 19, 2013 David rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: kindle-e-reader

What do I write... Wife gave me this book a couple of years ago before she was diagnosed with lymphoma. I started reading it (after she finished) and was struck by Peart's loss of his daughter then his wife. The thought of losing Daughter was too much for me and I couldn't slug my way through. A few months later, Wife was diagnosed with lymphoma and there began a two-year trial that she ultimately lost.

After Wife died, I was devastated. I knew what was coming. I prepared myself as best I could....more

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Mar 01, 2011 Jennifer rated it 5 of 5 stars

Peart's story consists mostly of his journal entries on his motorcycle trip to "soothe his little baby soul" after a year of incredible loss and devastation. This is Peart's second book the first is The Masked Rider: Cycling in West Africa, which I could never go back and read having read this one. (It is another story about his travels, but it's also before tragedy strikes his life, and I just couldn't bear to read it knowing what's coming in his life.) He is beautifully articulate even in his...more

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Feb 14, 2013 Du rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction

I think this is a 3.5 star book, and other than choosing 3 stars as opposed to 4 I am not sure I can state why I rounded down. The travel aspects of this book were really fun and I enjoyed the descriptions. I am not a motorcycle person, but it was great to read a book about someone who clearly is. The roadtrip from Toronto to Alaska was very cool, and the second leg from Alaska to Belize was pretty unreal as well.

The middle portion of the book, and much of the third trip from Mexico north, was...more

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Jan 25, 2013 Andy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: imperative-novels

OK, so I'm an obsessive Rush fan. They are a big part of my life. When Neil went through his tragedy, I literally wept for him and his family. I hope I never have to lose people in the manner like he did. You spend a good part of your life idolizing someone, then to realize how fallible they really are. Reinvention has always been a big part or fascination in my life. As you age, you realize how important it is to change to become better, or to even survive. Neil goes through absolute heartbreak...more

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Jan 10, 2011 Naomi rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: memoir, 2011

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. From my journal: Finished reading Ghost Rider today. Was struck by how he stayed true to his essence through the whole experience. He went deep inside himself and picked up the things he liked, but he never tried to change anything. I found that really remarkable. He accepted himself and his patterns exactly as is, embraced them, and worked through them to find a way to become “whole.” He also embraced other people’s ways of being themselves; never judged lifestyles of his friends or families as...more From my journal: Finished reading Ghost Rider today. Was struck by how he stayed true to his essence through the whole experience. He went deep inside himself and picked up the things he liked, but he never tried to change anything. I found that really remarkable. He accepted himself and his patterns exactly as is, embraced them, and worked through them to find a way to become “whole.” He also embraced other people’s ways of being themselves; never judged lifestyles of his friends or families as he stopped in at various places. I was especially struck by how he described, with joyful relish, the cluttered chaos of he drum teacher’s house, and how very contented he felt to be in it (even though the reader may note how different it is from his own space). To strive to be that way…

On the whole, it was an enormous book, to cover the grief and the miles and everything in between. It took me a long time to read it (over a few years) because I kept stalling out. The "story" just didn't move fast enough, but really, how could it? So unfair of me. It was interesting the way he put together letters and journal entries to bring the story along, and in some ways it helped to break things up and add interest, but in many ways it became repetitive (similar recap to different people), and as he tried on different "voices" some of them just kind of grated. However, it was illustrative, an intimate window to his inner selves. And the non-letter writing was beautiful. And I especially appreciated how he used his own lyric quotes, a glimpse into the context a songwriter puts to his OWN words, how he plays his own soundtrack.

I couldn't help but wonder, in the end, if having his friend absent from his journey was really a blessing in disguise (not the REASON he was absent mind you), because he did end up just having to stand up and face the whole thing on his own, but he "spoke" with his friend all the time without ever having any of those unfriendly moments that can happen on a long road trip when people spend too much time together. Ha!

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Dec 29, 2012 Pat rated it 4 of 5 stars

Read this book during a time of loss for our family and found this to be a great companion during that time. Neil's loss was tragic and it nearly dragged him down into a pit of poison he would otherwise never have gotten out of unless he found a way to "escape" and heal.

My only real complaint about this book is the same I would level against some of the Steven King books, that is the story is so compelling and detailed for 93% of the book – how will he survive? Will he get better. Then, out of n...more

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Sep 21, 2012 Matt Perkins rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

With such a compelling and tragic back story (death of Peart's daughter and wife less than a year apart), I was expecting a much more engaging read. Instead, this is an over-long, disorganized book that required me to sift through reams of text to find the few nuggets of insight and wisdom it contains. Peart can't seem to decide if he's writing an autobiography, a travel book, or a purely self-indulgent personal diary. He only truly succeeds at the latter.

The flow of the narrative is constantly...more With such a compelling and tragic back story (death of Peart's daughter and wife less than a year apart), I was expecting a much more engaging read. Instead, this is an over-long, disorganized book that required me to sift through reams of text to find the few nuggets of insight and wisdom it contains. Peart can't seem to decide if he's writing an autobiography, a travel book, or a purely self-indulgent personal diary. He only truly succeeds at the latter.

The flow of the narrative is constantly interrupted by Peart's insertion of unedited journal entries and letters to friends and family, most often to his friend "Brutus" in prison. I found the change in tone between straight prose and the letters to be unwelcome, like being forced to listen in on a dull private conversation between two strangers on a bus or in a restaurant. The reader lacks years and years of context that the two friends share, and feels like a third wheel as a result. Peart isn't a good enough writer to pull off the transition between the narration and the letters, and to say he tends to ramble in his letter writing is an understatement. Ghost Rider is about twice as long as it needs to be, and would have benefited from a good (and ruthless) editor.

Rush fans will find the book mildly interesting, but it doesn't reveal much that can't be gleaned from a Google search. Travel literature fans will no doubt be disappointed by the paradoxical combination of slow pace and lack of detail. Those looking for insight into grief and loss will find some points of interest in this book (points that saved this from being a one star review), although they are buried under mountains of self-indulgence and redundancy.

Neil Peart is a man who clearly knows how to write a good song, and all good songs - like all good books - have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Ghost Rider has a promising beginning and an abrupt, unsatisfying end. In between is a huge, chaotic ramble that barely captures interest. The tender moments where Peart truly lays bare his pain are few and far between, but they are there, and it is these moments of vulnerability where we get a glimpse of his true potential as a writer. It's a shame he was unable to sustain this level of feeling through the entire book.(less)

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May 22, 2013 Steven Enslow rated it 5 of 5 stars

In August 1997, Neil Peart and his wife Jackie received news that their daughter Selena had died in a car accident. Not even ten months later, Jackie got sick and passed away. Neil had nothing left to live for. Ghost Rider follows Neil Peart's travels on his motorcycle, from his home in Quebec to Alaska, all the way down to Mexico. Over the course of two years, Neil learns to live and love again as he travels on the "healing road."
This isn't a movie. Don't even talk to me about Nic Cage. Eww . ....more

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Jan 26, 2013 Greg Sumers rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: travel

Really liked the travelling dimension to the book, though that's only about 40% of the narrative, and Peart isn't consistent at all in his detailing and summarizing of points along the way. Actually enjoyed the personal struggle to grieve and begin again dimension of the book more than I thought I would, but there were certain flaws. Peart doesn't come across, at least to me, as "committed" to his trek nor as "tormented" as he probably actually was, in his writing. More simply, I think I was tur...more

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Jun 01, 2010 Melinda rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: bike enthusiasts, Rush fans, people in mourning

This is the memoir that Neil Peart, best known as the drummer and lyricist for the rock band Rush, wrote in the aftermath of two horrible family tragedies. He dropped out of his life and went on an epic motorcycle trip from Quebec to Vancouver and finally to Belize.

Mr Peart is a really amazing writer and I enjoyed this book a lot...my only quibble with it was maybe a few too many descriptions of deserted desert roads. I really don't know (or really care) anything about motorcycles, but I was ab...more

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