You and a Bike and a Road

by Eleanor Davis

Overview

A two-wheeled journey across the landscape of America, and through the heart and mind of an artist.

Eleanor Davis’s bike tour from Tucson, Arizona to Athens, Georgia is a quest of epic proportions — not just geographically, which it surely is, but inwardly as well. While facing off formidable headwinds, drivers with reckless abandon, and screaming knee pain, the author confronts an even greater challenge — her own mind. Life on two wheels teaches her many lessons, and she narrates them with keen observation and self-deprecating candor through a series of funny, touching vignettes. Companionship from fellow travelers and the generosity of colorful strangers propel Davis along the open road. A tale of serendipitous encounters, surprising friendship, perseverance, and tenderness, Eleanor Davis’s You and a Bike and a Road reveals the power, and truth, of the most efficient mode of human transportation — a bicycle.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781683969419
Publisher:	Fantagraphics
Publication date:	07/02/2024
Pages:	172
Product dimensions:	6.50(w) x 9.40(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Eleanor Davis is an award-winning cartoonist and illustrator. In 2009, Davis won the Eisner's Russ Manning Most Promising Newcomer Award and was named one of Print magazine's New Visual Artists. Her books include How To Be Happy (2014), Why Art? (2018), and The Hard Tomorrow (2019), which won the LA Times Book Prize for Graphic Novels and Comics. She lives in Athens, GA, with her husband, fellow cartoonist Drew Weing.

Editorial Reviews

"Davis’s comics have an immediacy that pulls the reader in. That even these on-the-go comics demonstrate her mastery of line and shape is testament to how superb a cartoonist she is."— Zainab Akhtar The Guardian

"You and a Bike and a Road is a lovely, slow book about going on a journey — not an epic, world-dominating circumnavigation, but something quieter and more intimate."— Jon Day The New York Review of Books

"You and a Bike and a Road is Eleanor Davis’ personal exploration of roadside America, US immigration politics, and the autobiographical comics form."— Chris Gavaler PopMatters

"You and a Bike and a Road offers a refreshing take not only on long-distance cycling, but also about the psychological benefits of doing hard things and getting out of your rut."— The Arts STL

"Although Davis’s cycling journey takes place in the spring several years ago, her descriptions of nature and the nature of the trip itself have that end-of-summer feeling to them that make you want to grab a bike and go."— Ania Hull Santa Fe-New Mexican

"Davis’ use of perspective makes for an engaging read as we’re left to study the nuances and charm of each page. The townsfolk, bikers, and other people we meet are interesting windows into the vastness of the American south. It’s all so rich that you might consider taking a bike ride of your own across the country."— The Beat

"[You and a Bike and a Road is] done in beautiful and simple graphite illustration, and captures day-to-day moments touching on border patrol and racism, mental and physical health, and the kindness of strangers."— Colleen Kolba Entropy

"Sometimes, it’s the small things that count, and Davis’ travelogue of a cycle trip between states — from her parents house back home, off-road and by bicycle — is a celebration of that impulse, focusing on the tiny triumphs (The kindness of strangers, the surprise of riding further than expected on a given day) and the frailties of us all in such a way as to turn a specific experience into something universal, and charmingly heartwarming."— Graeme McMillan The Hollywood Reporter

"Ultimately, Eleanor Davis gives us a quiet reminder that women can execute big plans for themselves, push their physical limits, and come back home to their perfectly unconventional lives. This feels like a big deal in the midst of the exhausting, continuing political debates that afford us less agency than most children."— Jennie Law Women Write About Comics

"Everything Davis put out in this decade demands attention, but her personal connection to You and a Bike and a Road sets it apart."— Oliver Sava The A.V. Club

"Full of hope and anxiety and the desire to grind the badness out of your own head by brute force, You and a Bike and a Road is a testament to the human spirit."— Alex Hoffman Solrad

From the Publisher