Neil Peart's travel memoir of thoughts, observations, and experiences as
he cycles through West Africa reveals the subtle, yet powerful writing
style that has made him one of rock's greatest lyricists. As he
describes his extraordinary journey and his experiences -- from the
pains of dysentery, to a confrontation with an armed soldier, to
navigating dirt roads off the beaten path -- he reveals his own
emotional landscape, and along the way, the different "masks" that he
discovers he wears. "Cycling is a good way to travel anywhere, but
especially in Africa. You are independent and mobile, and yet travel at
people speed -- fast enough to travel on to another town in the cooler
morning hours, but slow enough to meet people: the old farmer at the
roadside who raises his hand and says, 'You are welcome, ' the tireless
women who offer a smile to a passing cyclist, the children whose
laughter transcends the humblest home."