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With a Single Step
This is the story of a non-motorized circumnavigation of the earth. The author made his way around the world in stages over several years using whatever means of forward progress were appropriate to the terrain and season. En route he walked, ran. bicycled, mushed dogs, climbed, kayaked, sailed and swam, and in the process became the first person to swim from Russia to Alaska.
284 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 21, 2017
There is no way I can even pretend to be objective about this book, because the author is my father.
In the early '90s, he began a project which would take him several years, cost him significant money, and give him memories to last his lifetime; in _With A Single Step_ he shares those memories of his non-motorized circumnavigation of the Earth - the Northern Hemisphere, to be precise.
He didn't do it all at once, nor in strict sequence, but he put together the legs that went around the world. Yes, he used motorized transportation to get to the legs, but they joined up (more or less), and he did it.
It began with running across Siberia, during the Soviet era. In the text, Dad refers to it as "the chance of a lifetime," and it does indeed seem to have been just that. A couple of Russian promoters (who turned out to be, shall we say, more than a little shady) had put together an event where runners from a variety of countries would start at Lake Baikal and follow the train right-of-way to Irkutsk. The Soviet government had their own reasons for wanting to expose Siberia a bit more to the outside world at this point.
This caused Dad, who had dreamed of this for years, to begin assembling, in his head, plans to make the around-the-world sort-of-event happen. Over the next four years, he ran, biked, swam, kayaked, skiied, sailed, and mushed in a series of personally-designed events that would, with the Siberian event, amount to the planned circumnavigation. In a few cases, he moved links north or south - for example, having run across the United States, he began his sail across the Atlantic considerably south of the US.
He broke only a few laws along the way, mostly involving questionable or outright illegal entry into Country X for himself, members of his team, or both. The funniest of these, to my mind, was his sneaking a Russian citizen, who only had a visa for the United States, into Canada; the most dangerous was sneaking into militarized Russian territory to swim from Big Diomede Island to Little Diomede Island in the Bering strait.
One of the things that struck me as I read this was how damned lucky he had to be to do this at all. I'm not talking about the successful business career he'd retired from (he was around 60 during the time frame of this book), but things falling into place, people being available, *things* being available, at the right time in the right place. This is not to denigrate his planning; he thought things through carefully with the information available to him. But there is always information *not* available to someone planning such a feat; and things change, sometimes rapidly.
Another thing that struck me, and it's clear that Dad intended it to strike people, is that people around the world are generally decent and friendly if you give them the chance to be. There are bad people, and many of them have power, but they are the exception, not the rule.
Dad writes in a breezy style that suits the anecdotal nature of the story: it's like having someone (the Ancient Mariner, perhaps...?) grab you by the hand and say, "Let me tell you a story."
And that is what Papa Joe does best.
In the early '90s, he began a project which would take him several years, cost him significant money, and give him memories to last his lifetime; in _With A Single Step_ he shares those memories of his non-motorized circumnavigation of the Earth - the Northern Hemisphere, to be precise.
He didn't do it all at once, nor in strict sequence, but he put together the legs that went around the world. Yes, he used motorized transportation to get to the legs, but they joined up (more or less), and he did it.
It began with running across Siberia, during the Soviet era. In the text, Dad refers to it as "the chance of a lifetime," and it does indeed seem to have been just that. A couple of Russian promoters (who turned out to be, shall we say, more than a little shady) had put together an event where runners from a variety of countries would start at Lake Baikal and follow the train right-of-way to Irkutsk. The Soviet government had their own reasons for wanting to expose Siberia a bit more to the outside world at this point.
This caused Dad, who had dreamed of this for years, to begin assembling, in his head, plans to make the around-the-world sort-of-event happen. Over the next four years, he ran, biked, swam, kayaked, skiied, sailed, and mushed in a series of personally-designed events that would, with the Siberian event, amount to the planned circumnavigation. In a few cases, he moved links north or south - for example, having run across the United States, he began his sail across the Atlantic considerably south of the US.
He broke only a few laws along the way, mostly involving questionable or outright illegal entry into Country X for himself, members of his team, or both. The funniest of these, to my mind, was his sneaking a Russian citizen, who only had a visa for the United States, into Canada; the most dangerous was sneaking into militarized Russian territory to swim from Big Diomede Island to Little Diomede Island in the Bering strait.
One of the things that struck me as I read this was how damned lucky he had to be to do this at all. I'm not talking about the successful business career he'd retired from (he was around 60 during the time frame of this book), but things falling into place, people being available, *things* being available, at the right time in the right place. This is not to denigrate his planning; he thought things through carefully with the information available to him. But there is always information *not* available to someone planning such a feat; and things change, sometimes rapidly.
Another thing that struck me, and it's clear that Dad intended it to strike people, is that people around the world are generally decent and friendly if you give them the chance to be. There are bad people, and many of them have power, but they are the exception, not the rule.
Dad writes in a breezy style that suits the anecdotal nature of the story: it's like having someone (the Ancient Mariner, perhaps...?) grab you by the hand and say, "Let me tell you a story."
And that is what Papa Joe does best.
October 1, 2025
Joe's dream and his tale of its fruition are fun to read, but I wonder where the funds came from
August 29, 2014
A single step is an enjoyable and entertaining, contemporary, romantic suspense novel, which I highly recommend.
It is well written with easily flowing prose, which invites the reader to sail into the smooth narrative. The author is in no rush to expose the plot, spending the first part of the novel gradually showing us where the action takes place, and who the characters are.
It is not a fleeting romance in which love at first sight leads to a brief and intense affair, followed by lifelong commitment, which often proves to be too escapist. Quite the opposite, the romance is compelling, yet presented in a ‘no rush’ approach. Tension is gradually built up, with a few twists and turns, until the incipient romance between two complex characters materializes. This well-devised, progressive build up becomes part of the enjoyment.
The suspense elements keep us gripped to the story, avidly turning page after page (I couldn't put it down), as the characters' motivations and backgrounds are slowly revealed. Many surprises await the reader as nobody is who they seem, even the idyllic location where the story develops, holds surprises.
I don’t want to give anything away, because I hope all of you who are looking for a cozy afternoon-evening read, will spoil yourselves and read this lovely story, but one of the characters says: ‘I enjoy the chase, and let’s face it, no one has had to chase a girl as much as I have had to chase you.’ And that’s how the readers will feel, that they have been chasing Grayson, too.
Emma Grayson, the narrator, is the most developed character. We feel we understand her tormented feelings, and sympathize with most of her actions, by the end of the novel. On the other hand, I thought it was a pity that the other characters did not come fully to life, and served mainly to support Emma. When this happens, especially when one of the characters is the only narrator, I often feel sorry for the other characters we’ve been introduced to, but are unable to get to know.
Although there is no cliffhanger ending, there are some untold stories, within the novel, and most importantly, the reader has built up an interest in Grayson, and what happens to her. As it is part of a trilogy, I trust we will discover more about the characters and events in the following installments, which I look forward to reading.
I was gifted a complimentary copy by the author in exchange for an honest review.
It is well written with easily flowing prose, which invites the reader to sail into the smooth narrative. The author is in no rush to expose the plot, spending the first part of the novel gradually showing us where the action takes place, and who the characters are.
It is not a fleeting romance in which love at first sight leads to a brief and intense affair, followed by lifelong commitment, which often proves to be too escapist. Quite the opposite, the romance is compelling, yet presented in a ‘no rush’ approach. Tension is gradually built up, with a few twists and turns, until the incipient romance between two complex characters materializes. This well-devised, progressive build up becomes part of the enjoyment.
The suspense elements keep us gripped to the story, avidly turning page after page (I couldn't put it down), as the characters' motivations and backgrounds are slowly revealed. Many surprises await the reader as nobody is who they seem, even the idyllic location where the story develops, holds surprises.
I don’t want to give anything away, because I hope all of you who are looking for a cozy afternoon-evening read, will spoil yourselves and read this lovely story, but one of the characters says: ‘I enjoy the chase, and let’s face it, no one has had to chase a girl as much as I have had to chase you.’ And that’s how the readers will feel, that they have been chasing Grayson, too.
Emma Grayson, the narrator, is the most developed character. We feel we understand her tormented feelings, and sympathize with most of her actions, by the end of the novel. On the other hand, I thought it was a pity that the other characters did not come fully to life, and served mainly to support Emma. When this happens, especially when one of the characters is the only narrator, I often feel sorry for the other characters we’ve been introduced to, but are unable to get to know.
Although there is no cliffhanger ending, there are some untold stories, within the novel, and most importantly, the reader has built up an interest in Grayson, and what happens to her. As it is part of a trilogy, I trust we will discover more about the characters and events in the following installments, which I look forward to reading.
I was gifted a complimentary copy by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews