BOOK REVIEWS
1969 And Then Some Robert Wintner 2014 ISBN 978-1-6315801-9-2
A forty-five-year-old retrospective of what the author describes as a memoir of romance , motorcycles , and lingering flashbacks of a golden age ... 1969 . It ' s a cliche that sees many younger generations cringing that the Boomers can ' t move on , and 1969 And Then Some in many ways personifies the sentiment .
Robert Wintner has a charismatic way with the written language , slipping to and from form and style that keeps the reader mesmerised . Yet 1969 And Then Some lacks something , trying almost too hard to seem cool with generations that might not care of a time long gone .
The bikes are Triumph ' s , the lifestyle of sex and drugs , the politics of Vietnam , all viewed with a tint of rose and the benefit of hindsight . 1969 And Then Some tries to be rock and roll , it doesn ' t work . What does is the way Wintner finds a way to selfdeprecate while analysing his own past and the effects it has had on his future life .
As a self-indulgent tome , 1969 And Then Some is worth a read for an insight into what it perhaps was like back then ... because as they say , if you can remember 1969 , you weren ' t actually there .
To Dakar And Back Lawrence Hacking 2008 ISBN 978-1-5502280-8-3
At the age of 46 , Lawrence Hacking took part in the 2001 Dakar , back then still in its spiritual home of western Africa becoming the first Canadian to finish the gruelling marathon in the dunes of the Sahara Desert .
Written with the help of journalist Wil De Clercg , To Dakar And Back is a vivid account of Hacking ' s event including all of the good , the bad , and the ugly of an event such as Dakar .
To Dakar And Back is an emotional account that includes many details that such books neglect to speak of , searching for toilets , long mundane transport stages , and reports of other competitors . Too much detail ? No , it ' s a perfect insight into what it takes to finish the world ' s toughest rally .
At times To Dakar And Back comes across as a little elitist , where riders are godlike amongst the locals ... what is the real truth ?
It ' s a well written account of an adventure that many of us dream of others actually do and are prepared to tell the tale .
To Dakar And Back is a little old now but is still very relevant of an event that is considered the toughest . If you want adventure at a competitive level then To Dakar And Back is for you .
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