Simon] begins to fill in the gaps in his life story that until recently he has never publicly revealed.' Telegraph In TV adventurer Simon Reeve’s bestselling memoir he describes how he has journeyed across epic landscapes, dodged bullets on frontlines, walked through minefields and been detained for spying by the KGB. His travels have taken him across jungles, deserts, mountains and oceans, and to some of the most beautiful, dangerous and remote regions of the world. But it also made me think how different Reeve’s life could have been. The same for many other young boys and girls. Many of them, in this country or another, don’t get the chance to get out of the rut they find themselves in. Many young children leave school with little education and fall into bad places. It saddens me that someone like Reeve, with this curious mind, never got nurtured in school. It was only on landing a job as a journalist that his true skills — including grit and determination — had a chance to fully form and shine.

In TV adventurer Simon Reeve's bestselling memoir he describes how he has journeyed across epic landscapes, dodged bullets on frontlines, walked through minefields and been detained for spying by the KGB. His travels have taken him across jungles, deserts, mountains and oceans, and to some of the most beautiful, dangerous and remote regions of the world. Mu esimene emotsioon (kestis peaaegu pool raamatut) oli tohutu pettumus. Ma olin asunud enda arvates lugema reisiraamatut, aga sattunud hoopis elulooraamatu otsa. Võin selles hooletuses võtta osa süüd küll endale, aga olgem ausad, tutvustus tagakaanel on ikka ka sutike eksitav.Seeing how other people live first-hand is a window into their lives. You can see how culture is formed and how it is lived. You may not agree with some cultures. But walking the streets you can at least understand how it came to be. I’ve always enjoyed Simon Reeve’s BBC documentaries, so as soon as I knew that this book was being published, I had to get copy, especially on audio as he reads it himself. Reeve would travel across mountains, through jungle, deserts and oceans. He would experience the places many of us may not even dream of. The places so remote or deep in conflict that we’d be unlikely to rank them high on our list of holiday destinations. Travel is a journey and to me, it’s all about the adventure of that journey. Reading Reeve’s book was like watching him go on that journey.

Elulooline külg oli nii ja naa. Ehk natuke paljusõnaline ja tarbetutesse kordustesse laskuv, sest sõnumi "kuidas pätipoisist kasvas inimene" oleks saanud kontsentreeritumalt edasi anda. Minu antipaatiat suurendas kahtlemata ka see metslase moodi ebainimlik lõhkumine, rüüstamine, hävitamine, millega ta nooruses tegeles. Ma mõtlen, mis küll peab sellise inimese peas toimuma, et ta läheb selliseid tegusid korda saatma? Mul hakkas ühel hetkel koguni tema keskmisest veidi keevaverelisemast isast kahju, sest no mida sa kahe sellise huligaaniga teed. Kui ma lugesin tema purjus/pilves peaga klassiekskursioonidest, või siis juba vanema noormehena sõpradega nädalalõpureisidest Euroopas, meenusid mulle oma reisidel nähtud briti poissmeestekambad ja... s druge strane, knjigu nisam mogla ispustiti iz ruku. iako počinje s oboljenjem od malarije u gabonu, brzo se prebacuje na same svoje početke te priča o vjetrovima koji su ga kroz život bacali, počevši od odrastanja u siromašnoj i djelomično disfunkcionalnoj obitelji, preko kriminala u ranim tinejdžerskim godinama i, slijedom, depresije i suicidalnosti, do pronalaženja smisla svog postojanja u putovanjima i otkrivanja kutnih dijelova svijeta - bilo perom, bilo okom kamere. In Journeys to Impossible Places, best-selling author and presenter Simon Reeve reveals the inside story of his most astonishing adventures and experiences, around the planet and close to home. He goes over his teenage delinquency and mental health issues. His mental health is really quite serious. After this while looking for a job he gets the advice to ‘Take things step by step’.Fascinating... a very honest account of the world as he has seen it, from Acton to the ends of the Earth * Geographical *

See on võrratult hea raamat. Kuna mulle Simon Reeve'i saated meeldivad, siis ootasin pikisilmi selle raamatu eesti keelset versiooni. Pean ütlema, et sama muhe nagu ta on kaamera eest, on ta ka kirjutades. Temas lihtsalt on tohutult südamilikkust ning oskust näidata nii head, kui halba, ilma seda otseselt kellelelegi ette hõõrumata. Kõik otsused ja järeldused saad sa teha ise. A common theme running throughout this book, and in his travels, that Reeve alludes to is ‘the light and the shade’ – the idea being that in every story and every place there’s good, and there’s struggle. Reeve presents travel documentaries, mostly for the BBC, and while I’m no connoisseur of his programmes, what I had seen before reading his book suggested his life was immensely privileged with a dream job. While those things are true, this book underlines the shade and extraordinary difficulties he has faced. I confess that I haven't watched any of Simon Reeve's tv documentaries nor read any of his other books, but I will be seeking them out after reading this account of his life so far. Then two things happened that had a massive effect on his life - to the extent his life was completely turned around. If you’ve watched any of his travel documentaries, you’ll remember his enthusiasm for meeting new people and travelling to dangerous countries around the world. He always comes across as excited and full of life with not a worry in the world. This book opens up his early life to reveal a completely different person who struggled with mental health issues and problems with his father’s authority as a teenager, something that you’d never imagine from his on screen personae.

Summary

By reporting the conversations he had with people across the globe, facing truly desperate situation, we understand his past difficulties all the more better Like all the best travellers, Reeve carries out his investigations with infectious relish, and in the realisation that trying to understand the country you’re in is not just fascinating, but also hugely enjoyable’ Daily Telegraph makar globalno poznat i cijenjen prvenstveno kao bbc lice dokumentaraca, čini mi se da je mnogo vještiji kao autor. piše spretno i duhovito, pismo mu je prožeto iskrenošću i empatijom. nalazi pravi omjer između javnog i privatnog, politike se dotiče taman onoliko koliko treba da bi prosječan čitatelj dobio sveukupnu sliku (iako je politika njegova prva ljubav, još tamo iz redakcijskih dana i kada je, na svojevrstan način nakon prvog napada na blizance 1993. predvidio ono što će se dogoditi 2001.) i tekst ležerno klizi, bez obzira piše li o čudnovatim običajima neke zabiti, o tragediji siromaštva, o opasnosti terorizma ili o važnosti brige za prirodu. war-torn countries killing each other with machetes, guns or anything they could get their hands on. Like all the best travellers, Reeve carries out his investigations with infectious relish, and in the realisation that trying to understand the country you're in is not just fascinating, but also hugely enjoyable' Daily Telegraph

After this the book takes a turn. He spends a lot of time going over a couple of his first TV documentaries, ‘Meet the Stans’ and ‘Places that Don’t Exist’. All very interesting indeed. He goes over his ‘Equator’ journey. That is where it ends even though he has done a lot more travel docs. What better way to broaden the mind than through travel. Bringing history to life has a way of making it far more engaging than sitting reading it in a textbook. Doing your research is important don’t get me wrong. Doing it first allows you to truly appreciate the places you see. I’ve loved watching all of Simon Reeve’s programme on BBC, transporting me to these far flung places, many of them I know I would not dare visit. He is such a natural TV presenter. Even although you are watching the programmes through a screen, it feels like he has taken you with him on his journeys. After ever episode I always say I wish I could be like him (knowing that I could never be like him). But to be able to see so much of the world through your own eyes must be truly incredible.My goodness, it is brilliant. Searingly honest, warm, bursting with humanity. Such brave and inspiring writing.' Kate Humble He was working as a freelance writer and author when an acquaintance who worked for the BBC suggested that Reeve audition for a role of documentary presenter,. He went to their head office for an interview....and thus began his television career.....which has been such a success. The book ends with marvellous descriptions of some of his early documentaries. Not only are the countries he visits fascinating, but he also has so much respect for the people he encounters - and I find that most inspiring. Equal parts an inspiring account of Reeve’s determination and adventurous spirit, as well as a field guide to some of the most remote parts of the world, Step by Step is a vivid and fascinating title. Readers may be surprised to learn of his early life struggles with mental health, owing to his onscreen persona, but this traces his journey to inner peace.’ Independent You can be sure to trust Simon to find a fun story. Simon might just be the best tour guide in the world. * Sun * Fortunately it came up to expectations! So if you want to know how much someone might get for their kidney in Moldova or the price of a (fake) diplomatic passport in Somalia this may interest you. It goes far beyond that taking in arms dumps in what was part of the Soviet Union which was scary and fascinating. However interesting - to me - was the parts about him personally and his thoughts on modern travel and tourism. He left school with virtually no qualifications and almost committed suicide.