Partners in Grime by Neil Anderson

I recently purchased and received a copy of Neil Anderson's "Partners in Grime". Once I started reading this 256 page book I was absolutely hooked and I ended up consuming it in a single day of reading. It's been a long time since any book, including ones about bicycle touring, has had that kind of effect on me.

It wasn't one particular element of the book that made it great but rather a vast collection of them.

First of all there was the constant humour. I can't recall reading even one page without laughing at least once. On several occasions I found myself finishing a page with the start of tears in my eyes from having laughed so hard.

One example of this humour occurred when crossing the border from the US back into Canada at Port Huron/Sarnia. Now, anyone who has crossed an international border can likely recall feeling a little nervous and even hesitant upon reaching the border guard. Sharon, however, went on the offensive and in a fit of inspiration told the guard she was "from over there" while pointing with an outstretched arm when asked where she came from. Apparently the guard didn't know what to say and let the two travellers pass. Having crossed the US/Canada border by bicycle several times myself I laughed my butt off when I read that. Later on in the book Neil demonstrated a different technique for crossing the border that led to another incident that, while very funny for us readers, likely wasn't as much fun to experience firsthand!

Another element is his ability to clearly communicate the good and bad times that he experienced with his wife while touring across Canada. There were numerous incidents that showed not only their love of the great adventure that they were embarked upon but also their love for one another.

Their tour had its rough moments and its great moments, like when they experienced sailing for the first time ever while in the middle of gale force winds on Lake Superior and when their decision to continue around the Gaspe peninsula to "check out the leaves" despite the onset of winter led to some very interesting sleeping choices.

Along the way they encountered friendly people who did their utmost to make their tour better, including one family in the Gaspe region who helped them to decide on how they should fly to Europe. I think that my favourite encounter in the book was when they met Pat near Sarnia, Ontario. Pat was a very kind woman who gave them a considerable amount of friendly advice about marriage upon learning that they were newlyweds. A very funny section that served Neil right for giving her the impression that they were freshly married rather than 10 year veterans at that point.

For me personally my favourite sections of the book were the parts that overlapped with my Round Lake Huron and Round Lake Erie tours. It should be no secret how much I enjoyed those two tours and reading about another transit through the same areas as seen by different eyes was a very enjoyable experience for me.

About the only mildly negative comment I could make is that Neil sees the world through glasses that aren't quite as rose coloured as mine. What exactly do I mean by that? I prefer to see people as genuinely good while Neil points out in his book a few cases where the people perhaps aren't as nice and friendly as I would typically see them to be. This doesn't mean his comments are demeaning or wrong but rather that we see things slightly differently sometimes and it should be pointed out that he was in the situation whereas I am sitting outside looking in.

Such a very, very minor comment does not prevent me from wholeheartedly recommending this book! I don't make this kind of statement lightly and in fact I would make this statement for only three bicycle touring authors so far, Neil Anderson, Bernie Howgate and Joe Kurmaskie. If you had the ability to only purchase one or two books that talk about bicycle touring by sharing an experience then I would recommend that one of those books be "Partners in Grime" by Neil Anderson.

This isn't a paid endorsement since in reality I receive nothing for my comments but rather a simple statement of my personal belief based on my very strong enjoyment of his book. I have gone back to the book several times since my initial reading to enjoy some favourite sections for a second, third or even fourth time.

I've placed the reference to Neil's web site here for two reasons.

The first is so that you can go to the site and check out his excellent pictures as well as read some excerpts from his various books and decide for yourself.

The second reason is that I've heard from other authors that often the author makes more money from direct sales than when it's purchased through third parties. Since I enjoyed reading his book I would like him to be sufficiently rewarded so that he can write some more! :)

Comments and quotes from other tourers that have also read Neil's book:

Do you have an opinion about Neil's book too that you would be willing to share? Please send me an email so that I can add it to this page.

"Jamie's not exaggerating about how funny Partners in Grime is. You should hear our parents. When the book arrived, they debated over who got to read it first. To make matters worse, the loser (mom) had to suffer and listen to Dad laugh and laugh, and we all get interrupted all the time so dad can explain the funny parts. Now it's mom's turn to read the book. She'll read it at work during lunch, and make her co-workers suffer! Seems it's sure a funny book, but we don't understand some of the jokes. Must be an adult thing."

Submitted by Stefan and Tristan Feldmann

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