A Ride Across America

‘From overheated bras to over doctored coffee, America’s charming oddness summed up in a blast of entertainment and information. A wonderful companion to America, thoughtful, fun and always willing to be surprised by a nation of dizzying complexity’ BBC

‘What sets Simon Parker’s book apart is his motivations, more specifically his desire to see whether the America he envisioned as a teen really exists. This makes it so much more than a merely observational book, he’s genuinely determined to take a deep dive into today’s USA. In doing so, he also provides a fascinating insight into the workings of tourism across the pond’ Independent

‘A fabulous book. Simon Parker’s cycling odyssey takes you to the heart of modern America’ Express

‘Parker magnificently chronicles the America he encounters, a divided, disfranchised collection of states he fears for but comes to love for their generosity, community spirit and sense of hope’ Ben East, Observer

‘An absolutely brilliant book! Our book of the week. And one of the best books I’ve read all year’ Paul Ross, talkSPORT

‘I am in awe of his achievement, and by that I do not mean the long, difficult days of riding… What truly amazed me was the breadth and diversity of the encounters he relates, often verbatim; the journalism that weaves in the voices of the unhoused, migrants and marginalised with whom he shares the road… What Parker has managed with this book is a journalistic and a physical feat: it is the book I wish I’d written’ The Tablet

‘The most entertaining travel writing book I’ve read in quite a while, and an enthralling portrait of an enormously diverse country we routinely over-simplify’ The Bookseller

Simon Parker is a British travel writer, author, filmmaker, public speaker and broadcast journalist, working across a wide range of themes and subjects. He has reported on stories as diverse as ‘migrant crisis’ in Greece and social inequality in the barrios of Northern Colombia. He’s paraglided solo through the Andes and driven a rickshaw the length of India. His first book, Riding Out, was published in 2022. All his travels and adventures are shared with his followers on social media: @simonwiparker