Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road

Rating:
Summary: Ghost Riding to Remember
Review: I just finished reading a book that anyone who loves riding or has had
loss in their lives will relate to. It is called "Ghost Rider Travels on
the Healing road". It is by Neil Peart. If the name sounds familiar it is
because he is the accomplished drummer for the band Rush. The book however deals very
little with his rock life. Do not buy the book to get a backstage view of a rockers life. What the book deals with is how Peart got through a devastating series of tragic losses in his life. In the time frame of a year his daughter was killed in a car wreck. His wife essentially died of a broken heart over the daughters loss, and to top it off his dog died too. After time stewing in his own misery he chose to find if he could find a way back to life. He chose to try activities that he formerly loved to see if he could still find any happiness in this world. His first step as an avid motorcyclist was to get his BMW R1100GS and travel down what he calls the "Healing Road". Over the time frame of 14 months Peart rode 55,000 miles through his homeland Canada as well as The United States, Mexico and Belize. The book is written in a mix of a biography style as well as letters from the road to friends. His descriptions of loss are heartbreaking, and will have you asking how would I react to such a series of losses in my life. I learned a bit about life and death from Peart. This book is not all on a down note though. It has terrific descriptions of scenery and roads that he traveled. It is an interesting insight into a motorcyclist travels as well as a course in human spirits ability to rebound from misery. It will entertain and teach on a number of levels. I recommend this book highly. The tales this book tells will remain with you long after the last page is turned.

Rating:
Summary: Don't waste your time
Review: As I am planning a long road trip on my motorcycle this summer, I thought this might be a good book to read. I, of course, knew it was about Neil Peart's personal life tragedies. However, it was also a book about a very long motorcycle trip--and that is what intrigued me.
You can call me a hard ass, but I found it quite difficult to feel much morose over Neil's handling of his great losses. The story consists of Neil's letters to friends and family--repeating the same things over and over again in each letter--as if I didn't 'get it' with the first letter. It's a bit difficult to conjure up a lot of sympathy for a man who has the ability to 'take off from life' itself for almost 2 years. He is able to 'tool' around the country while friends and family tend to his homes, business affairs, etc.
Everyone suffers personal loss and tragedy at some time in their lives. However, most of us still need to 'get on with life'--if you know what I mean. While Neil's friends and family took care of all his personal, on-going affairs for him, he rarely expresses gratitude for their help. He seems incapable of reaching out to others, hides in alcohol, and reminds me of a very spoiled, self-centerd teenager.
If you really want to read this book, get it from the library. Don't waste your money buying it.

Rating:
Summary: Truly a Remarkable and Emotional Journey...
Review: This was one of those books I just stumbled across while putting together a list of books to read...I was always a fan of Neil Peart's professional work but, knew nothing of his life. This story was immediately heartbreaking and then to follow his tale of searching for something, anything to help glue the pieces of his life back together was amazing (and often painful). I'm a motorcyclist and know the comfort of long stretches of highway and solitude to help get life back into perspective but, never would I imagine how long one could spend on the road trying to find that inner peace. Quite an parallel from the Bitter Icy corners of North America (and of Mr. pearts mind) to the unwelcome loneliness of the desert (and the sorrow of his mind) to the desperate lost highways of central America (and desperation to "heal") to the chaos and calm of the Southern California Coastline. An amazing journal of recovery after life through a huge obstacle in his way. Great reading and truly inspirational!

Rating:
Summary: Tour de Force
Review: In the wake of an unimaginable double tragedy, Peart shares his personal growth with his readers, which results in a well-written work. The veteren lyricist of Rush produces a book of patient and successful self therapy in the end. Maybe the letters to Brutus seemed excessive at times, but the skilled narration made up for it. The book reads easily, and the scenery that heals the drummer is described in an "unobtrusive" fashion. Each chapter cleverly begins with an excerp of lyrics from previously released Rush song, which I found touching. Yes, touching! Peart's comments about American society are painfully true. Some ignorant minded critics see this as jealousy, but we must remember that Canadians see Americans from a foreign perspective. Peart recognizes that we are not the center of the world, and not everyone likes to admit that.
As far as the other "critiques" of Peart's book, the word snob may be offensive to some, ( I take it as a compliment!) but if you are a Rush fan, you are a snob in the Rock and Roll world, hence, you loathe yourself and your own hipocracy!

Rating:
Summary: A great book.
Review: This truly is a great book. After reading The Masked Rider, I was interested in The Professor's second book. Now, I must admit, the main reason why I got them was because I was, and still am, a die-hard Rush fan. Even though Neil may seem to be self-centered and not very thoughtful of others, he does entertain with his book, Ghost Rider. He may seem to be as this very serious kind of guy, but he makes remarks in his book that are quite entertaining.

Reccommended for anyone who is looking for a good read, or is a Rush fan.

Rating:
Summary: A story of redemption
Review: This is a story of tragedy and redemption by a man who is forced to deal with the tragic deaths of first his daughter and shortly after, his wife. His only way of escaping his pain is to keep moving, and because a motorcycle demands such intense concentration it becomes his vehicle of choice.
I enjoy Peart's writing style and found that the pages went by all too quickly. I felt as though I was there riding with him, staying in the hotels, having dinner, enjoying the countryside, and sharing his grief. I also realized that I liked Peart as a person. He is honest in his writing and he doesn't try to gloss over his feelings, although some reviewers seem to wish he would. Who among us has never had thoughts of superiority or prejudice?
I, like many who have purchased this book am a long time rush fan. I regard Peart as the world's premiere rock drummer and lyricist. I admire his willingness to share his story with us, and look forward to his next writing endeavor.
I highly recommend this book to any who enjoy a good travel story, but not to those who are easily offended by another's opinions.

Rating:
Summary: THIS IS A GREAT BOOK BY A GREAT MAN
Review: This book is wonderful. It captures Neil in his most vulnerable and troubled time. The pain and agony he had to endure must have been most heart breaking. I read a couple of the reviews here and one person had the nerve to say "he wrote the book from his point of view, not the reader". It's his life and life that he had to go through, it's HIS book in HIS words. We are lucky to have such a brilliant man share such a personal tragedy with us! not many people would talk of such things so openly with people that love Rush or strangers in general. Everyone who has lost someone they love can relate to a degree with what Neil went through. I lost my mother in June of 04, from cancer and I was devestated and still wish she was here. For Neil to lose his wife and only child in a span of months is well, more than a man can endure. This book is under rated! it needs to be circulated more and to more than just Rush fans. Neil, you're a great man to share something so personal with us and I thank you very much for it. PLEASE PICK UP THIS BOOK AND READ IT.



Rating:
Summary: Therapy for the soul
Review: I found this book to be a surprisingly candid look into the life of someone who has experienced unimaginable tragedy. It is a combination travelogue, diary of deep personal feelings, and a chronicle of the letters Neil writes to various friends (mostly his best friend Brutus who is in jail).

The author does an excellent job of sharing his innermost thoughts as he travels his healing road. You get the good, the bad and the ugly. Everything from those first glimpses of allowing himself to enjoy something, to the nasty thoughts about why the unattractive people around him were allowed to live while those he loved were not. He puts on paper the thoughts that we would all think, but maybe not be open enough to share. You have to appreciate such openness, especially as he deals with the reactions of in-laws and other family when he starts to date again, etc.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who has every had to deal with grief or for anyone who has ever wondered how they would deal with such tragedy.

I wish that there would have been more narrative about the time from when the Ghost Rider stops riding to the present day but you are given enough information to share in his recovery and rebirth - Ah the things that love can do.


Rating:
Summary: Disappointed
Review: The loss is indeed tragic, and I have been more than your typical fan of both he and his band for over 23 years.

I am finding it hard to complete this book, but I can't choose a reason. It could be that, as someone else said, each day that goes by is filled with what my days consist of, NOTHING.
It could be that this is a page from Mapquest, repeated for 400+ pages.
Neil had said years back, that people (fans) have no idea who he really is. And he is right, sadly. He has a problem with people who are not like him, and especially those people who have a weight problem.
This has changed my view of him, even taking into account his losses.
Rush fans, stay away.

Rating:
Summary: Remarkable Journal
Review: Although I'm not yet through with the whole book, my opinion on this endeavor is clear: Neil Peart already came across to me as a very talented, dry-witted and insightful writer in his earliest book, The Masked Rider. Having been in Africa myself for quite a while, I could underline lots of his statements, fascinations and critizicms.
The honesty with which he desribes his emotional state is remarkable; and I'm sure, most of us go through stages in life where the cynical ideas somebody has about the direction the world takes or the lifestyles lots of people have are not always pleasant. Still, they are there, and often enough, they have truth in it. Expressing them is a means of overcoming internal anger, and everybody's entitled to express that. I don't see the point why he should be bashed for making cynical remarks on "fat" and loud people in a particular scene. After all, he never forgets to add humoristic words (even aimed at himself), which tells the reader that not every letter is to be taken literally.
I'm deeply impressed with the way he connects with his friends via writing letters. So even if things get repetetive, they are there for a reason. Peart's language art is so amusing to read, that I don't care to hear about the same day's adventures twice.
He hooked me, and as a lyricist he is as fascinating as as a musician. Now, I can't wait for the next Rush album to come out. Before I encountered his books, I tended to prefer their earliest albums. Now that I listen better to their lyrics, I suddenly enjoy the former bummers like Roll the Bones.