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Nowhere for Very Long: The Unexpected Road to an Unconventional Life

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In this beautifully written, vividly detailed memoir, a young woman chronicles her adventures in an orange van named Bertha traveling across the deserts of the American West and reflects on an unconventional way of life Nowhere for Very Long is about getting lost and finding yourself along the way. It’s about wearing the go-go boots, swimming naked, and getting a third (or fourth) dog. It’s about falling in love and growing apart. It’s about trauma and fear and guilt and shame. It’s about letting go and living. It’s about healing your inner child. It’s about hope. We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us. —JOSEPH CAMPBELL”

NOWHERE FOR VERY LONG | Kirkus Reviews

I absolutely loved Madia’s memoir. Even Madia will admit that she is a highly flawed person, which makes her a fascinating subject for a memoir. I loved how she dived into her own motivations, parsing out why she made the choices she did, which helps connect her story to life at large. Her discussion about gatekeeping in the van life community and the ridiculous rules we force upon ourselves (and others) to truly “belong” to any community was extremely thought-provoking. What does all of this online drama have to do with her book, the casual unfamiliar bystander might ask? Since the reveal of the truth behind the accident, additional questions have come to light about Brianna, her authenticty, behavior, and whether the story she presents to her viewers is "real". So which is the truth? I suppose it depends who you ask. The people that feel cheated by her believe she's an unreliable narrator who did not legitimately earn this platform, and the people who support her feel she's paid her dues and is currently the victim on an online smear campaign. Never discredit the hard work of another regardless if you like them or not. In a day and age where bullying is so prevalent on the internet, I often wonder how the below would reviewers cope if the same happened to them and with their hard work.Brianna knew her road would be the one less traveled from an early age. Rejecting the competitive and capitalistic path set out before her, she chose to seek a truer version of happiness, a road scary, uncertain, and entirely her own. But pursing a life of intention isn't always what it seems. In fact, at times it was downright boring, exhausting, lonely, and even desperate----when the van overheated and she was forced to pull over on a lonely stretch of Wyoming highway; when the weather was bitterly cold and the water jugs froze beneath her we she slept in the parking lot of her office; when she faced tough choices, hard truths, and inevitable regrets; when she worried about money, her marriage, and the looming question mark of her future. But this life was a life of her choosing and that made all the difference. The desert is such a volatile place that I have often wondered what it is that I find so peaceful about it. Perhaps it’s the silence. Perhaps it’s the ancientness. Or perhaps it’s the sheer intention of anything bold enough to grow there, to thrive there. I wanted to be in the desert, yes, but perhaps more important, I wanted to be like the desert.” But even the most beautiful stories can have tragic endings. They can also have beautiful endings. Though I suspect any story worth telling has a little bit of both.” A middle finger to the only way of life I'd ever witnessed. Grow up. Go to school. Get a job. Get married. Buy a house. Have some kids. Make a lot of money. Buy a bunch of stuff. Work constantly to afford all the stuff. And then hope you're still alive and able-bodied enough to go out and see the world.” Many times I wanted to delete the app entirely, but it felt like people had bought shares in our lives. These people saved my dog's life. I felt I owed them my own in some ways.”

Nowhere for Very Long: The Unexpected Road to an Nowhere for Very Long: The Unexpected Road to an

But depression, addiction, and suicide were a part of our stories as well; the more unspoken, unfortunate hallmark of those who can’t help but base the value of their existence on whether or not it is seen as beautiful or worthwhile.” Most of the decisions I’ve made in my life are products of this formula, of the curiously deep-seated need to be against.” Madia is a skillful writer and a talented storyteller. Every story has moments of crisis, and Madia's is no different. But her telling of it shines with a depth of reflection that may surprise and will certainly inspire readers." — Shelf AwarenessHowever, pursuing a life of intention isn’t always what it seems. In fact, at times it was downright boring, exhausting, and even desperate - when Bertha overheated and she was forced to pull over on a lonely stretch of South Dakota highway; when the weather was bitterly cold and her water jugs froze beneath her as she slept in the parking lot of her office; when she worried about money, her marriage, and the looming question mark of her future. But Brianna was committed to living a life true to herself, come what may, and that made all the difference. I believe the truth of how we become who we are is layered. Not like onions, but like earth. Traceable at the surface, but tumultuous beneath. Tectonic plates of our pasts shifting violently, or more often subtly, causing great rumbling disruptions in the identities we think we’ve mapped so well.” However, pursuing a life of intention isn’t always what it seems. In fact, at times it was downright boring, exhausting, and even desperate—when the van overheated and she was forced to pull over on a lonely stretch of Wyoming highway; when the weather was bitterly cold and the water jugs froze beneath her as she slept in the parking lot of her office; when she worried about money, her marriage, and the looming question mark of her future. But she was living a life true to herself, come what may, and that made all the difference. We simply traded a set of four walls for a set of four wheels on a Tuesday afternoon in September and the world spun on.” However, pursuing a life of intention isn't always what it seems. In fact, at times it was downright boring, exhausting, and even desperate--when Bertha overheated and she was forced to pull over on a lonely stretch of South Dakota highway; when the weather was bitterly cold and her water jugs froze beneath her as she slept in the parking lot of her office; when she worried about money, her marriage, and the looming question mark of her future. But Brianna was committed to living a life true to herself, come what may, and that made all the difference.

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