Long Way Round: Through the Heartland by River
By John Hildebrand

Hardcover 272 pages, University of Wisconsin Press; 1 edition (October 8, 2019)

Reviewed by Karen Pulver
March, 2020

Those of us who enjoy traveling know that the more slowly you move, the more you will understand your surroundings. This theory is born out in Long Way Round. The author plans a trip around his native state of Wisconsin mapping out a route he can travel by canoe. This is not an extreme physical exercise challenge; he uses a small motor on his canoe and has friends meet him at crucial points to drive rather than to portage long distances. He is in no hurry and actually goes home to Eau Claire on occasion to refresh. Hildebrand camps in a tent, but also stays at friends' homes or in hotels.

His aim is to see his wider neighborhood up close, to meet the locals, to understand the economy and sociology of the region. He endeavors to show the connectedness of community through the idea of a mythical river that travels in a circle.

Hildebrand does not hesitate to express his political opinions, feeling that Wisconsin is now deeply divided and not knowing how to communicate with those whose ideas are so different from his. When visiting small towns he explores the concept of staying, leaving, and returning to them and the mindset of those who stay, leave or return. He applies his ideas to his university students' experiences and adaptations to the larger world.

Like the flow of a river, the narrative flows easily from place to place and topic to topic. John Hildebrand has written several other works of non-fiction, focusing on nature and exploration. I look forward to exploring them.