Heart of America, The

Rating:
Summary: Too much religion, not enough cycling
Review: Don't bother with this one if you want to read about his experiences cycling. Get it if you want to reinforce your Christian faith, or be converted. Unfortunately, I was interested in the cycling angle. This book is not much more than an advertisement for Focus on the Family, the author's employer.

Rating:
Summary: Too much religion, not enough cycling
Review: Even though I am a fan of Focus on the Family, and Mike Trout was the co-host of the broadcast when I read this book, I found it did not hold my attention. His descriptions of the places he stopped could have been enlarged, as well as the people he met and the sights he saw. He was accompanied by his son in law, and planned the coast to coast route which was not necessarily the easiest, but one which passed through Colorado, home of Focus on the Family.

I agree that this could have been a full length magazine article instead of a book and certainly I would encourage readers to borrow it or check it out of the library. It is not a keeper in my opinion. Sorry Mike, I liked you as co-host, but as author, well, you are just so so.

Rating:
Summary: Mike Trout's Cycling is less than Awe-inspiring!
Review: Even though I am a fan of Focus on the Family, and Mike Trout was the co-host of the broadcast when I read this book, I found it did not hold my attention. His descriptions of the places he stopped could have been enlarged, as well as the people he met and the sights he saw. He was accompanied by his son in law, and planned the coast to coast route which was not necessarily the easiest, but one which passed through Colorado, home of Focus on the Family.

I agree that this could have been a full length magazine article instead of a book and certainly I would encourage readers to borrow it or check it out of the library. It is not a keeper in my opinion. Sorry Mike, I liked you as co-host, but as author, well, you are just so so.

Rating:
Summary: Great Book, but with a few qualifications
Review: I purchased this book with interest since I, too, have taken cross-country bike trips. And I did find that two of Trout's messages rang clear. Those being that a person does need to pursue challenges of some kind or risk being absorbed by our spectator society, and that at heart people are basically kind and good-willed. I also found that some of Trout's "people he met" stories were interesting to read, and did bring back some personal memories. I was, however, disappointed with the overall flavor of the trip and the book. Trout's concern with getting to the end in as few days as possible was a little disconcerting to me. He needed to "stop and smell the flowers" a little more. Also, his constant mention of who was paying for his nightly motel room and the frequent credit given to the Focus on the Family ministry was a little too self-serving. In addition, I would have to agree with a previous reviewer in that there was too much relianc! e on Scriptural quotes and sharing of the Focus on the Family/Christian party line. This 190-plus page book would have been a much better magazine article than a book since there were not nearly enough fresh insights or stories to fill a book. I wish that Trout would have spent more time writing about his feelings as he looked up at a New Mexico sky, or as he talked to a Kansas farmer. I encourage Trout to keep journeying and writing. Only next time, I hope that he writes a little more for himself and not for the Walmart/Focus on the Family audience.

Rating:
Summary: Something is Missing
Review: I purchased this book with interest since I, too, have taken cross-country bike trips. And I did find that two of Trout's messages rang clear. Those being that a person does need to pursue challenges of some kind or risk being absorbed by our spectator society, and that at heart people are basically kind and good-willed. I also found that some of Trout's "people he met" stories were interesting to read, and did bring back some personal memories. I was, however, disappointed with the overall flavor of the trip and the book. Trout's concern with getting to the end in as few days as possible was a little disconcerting to me. He needed to "stop and smell the flowers" a little more. Also, his constant mention of who was paying for his nightly motel room and the frequent credit given to the Focus on the Family ministry was a little too self-serving. In addition, I would have to agree with a previous reviewer in that there was too much relianc! e on Scriptural quotes and sharing of the Focus on the Family/Christian party line. This 190-plus page book would have been a much better magazine article than a book since there were not nearly enough fresh insights or stories to fill a book. I wish that Trout would have spent more time writing about his feelings as he looked up at a New Mexico sky, or as he talked to a Kansas farmer. I encourage Trout to keep journeying and writing. Only next time, I hope that he writes a little more for himself and not for the Walmart/Focus on the Family audience.

Rating:
Summary: Don't bother with this one
Review: I'm not sure what expectations I had about this book, but I was disappointed anyway. Trout, co-host of the Focus on the Family broadcasts, takes a cross-country journey by bicycle along with his son-in-law. It could have been a great cycling book, a great travelouge, or a great inspirational classic, but it is none of these. The description of cycling is weak, the thoughts aren't all that insightful, and scripture is thrown in as an afterthought. You can almost hear the editors saying "Hey, Mike's a Christian guy, and we've gone ten pages without a bible verse -- anybody know a verse about 'persevering'?"

If you just insist on reading this book, either borrow it or check it out of the library, because you'll kick yourself if you spend your hard-earned dollars on it.

Rating:
Summary: Great Book, but with a few qualifications
Review: If you are looking for a technical/tour guide type manual about crossing the country by bicycle, skip this one. If you are looking book written by an evangelical Christian bicyclist about his journey across our great country, this is the one. Mike Trout, co-host of the Focus on the Family radio program, shares his experiences as he meets other Christians while doing something many of us only dream about. The hospitality and graciousness of the people he met along the way, gave me as a reader a renewed faith in the values that made this country such a great place to live. Some readers may be turned off or offended by the continual reference to scripture through out this book. But to the true believers, it is an example of how we should do all things in our lives with reverence to God and scripture. This is a book to be enjoyed be both cyclist and non-cyclist alike. The only criticisms I can find, I wish this book had more technical information, i.e. a route map, etc. and more detail about the eastern half of the trip. But as said before, there are other books written for those purposes. Another excellent book about cross-country bike travel is Over the Hills, by David Lamb. Written by a newspaper journalist, it also chronicles the trip of a man approaching mid life and unbarring on a life-changing journey. Very similar to Trout's book, but with out the religious overtones.

Rating:
Summary: What an Encouragement!
Review: Living life to the fullest is something we all talk about but rarley do. This book is a great testimony of a man who actually did just that. My husband and I are coming up on age 50 and have talked about doing something adventurous for the past several years. Mike's book has definitely encouraged and motivated us to step up our plans. There is so much to experience in life if we just take that first step. We have made arrangements to backpack across the entire Appalachian trail next year. I can't wait. This book is a great tribute to all of us who dare to step out of our box a little, and to the great people of this country. I highly recommend it!