Synopses & Reviews
A powerful memoir about a young woman who discovers the allure of motorcycles as she forges her own path.
At twenty-one-years-old, Lily Brooks-Dalton is feeling completely lost; returning to New England after three years traveling the world, she finds herself without the direction or the drive to move forward. When a friend starts talking about buying a motorcycle, Brooks-Dalton is intrigued, and before long she is diving headlong into the world of gearheads, channeling all her energy into a quest for the perfect ride. At first, her passion for these powerful machines is a diversion, but what she finds riding and maintaining her own motorcycles is the momentum she had been seeking all along.
Forced to confront her limitations new and old, real and imagined Brooks-Dalton learns focus, patience, and how to navigate life on the road. As she builds confidence, both on her bike and off, she begins to find her way, ultimately undertaking an epic journey that leaves her strengthened, revitalized, and prepared for whatever comes next.
Honest and lyrical, raw and thoughtful, Motorcycles I've Loved is a bold portrait of one young woman's empowering journey toward confidence, independence, and her own wide-open road.
Review
“Lily Brooks-Dalton is wonderful, fresh on the scene with a big heart, a fierce spirit, a writer's eye, and a lovely sense of humor.” Anne Lamott, New York Times bestselling author
Review
“Lily Brooks-Dalton has given us an honest and lovely memoir about learning to keep the shiny side up and the dirty side down. This is a book for seekers, wanderers, wayward souls, devotees of the open road, and anyone who loves being swept along by the performance of a beautiful writer at work.” Philip Connors, author of Fire Season: Field Notes from a Wilderness Lookout
Review
“Like all great quest stories, Motorcycles I've Loved depicts a journey that demands the daring and determination to defy those voices (including our own) that try to tell us were not cut out for the journey. Lily Brooks-Dalton has blazed a trail all her own, and the resulting memoir is as forthright as a well-worn leather motorcycle jacket, and as beautiful as a country road rolling out just up ahead.” Rosie Schaap, author of Drinking with Men
Review
“In her reflective prose, Brooks-Dalton captures the nearly mesmerizing quality of solitary, long-distance riding. She offers some useful tips on maintenance and repair, and overall she portrays a satisfying journey to a very American sense of selfhood and autonomy.” Publishers Weekly
Review
"A young woman of passion and...velocity, Brooks-Dalton has written a bright, brisk ode to her beloved two-wheelers." ELLE
Review
"What the Pacific Crest Trail is for Cheryl Strayed, the open road is to Brooks-Dalton." Cosmopolitan
Review
"Who doesn't love a type-trumping lead female character? That's what you get in this memoir." The Riveter ("10 Books by Women to Get Excited for in 2015")
Review
"The motorcycle...challenges the cutesy girl identity [Brooks-Dalton] feels that society keeps foisting upon her...this memoir is an engaging one." Bust Magazine
Review
"A compelling story...readers will likely see a glimmer of themselves in this quest for inner strength and identity." Booklist
Review
"A road trip book in the literal and figurative sense as the author takes readers on a scenic ride through the backcountry roads of being a woman in what is often considered a man's world." Library Journal
About the Author
Lily Brooks-Dalton was born in southern Vermont. She received her associate's degree at seventeen, then moved to Ireland; after working her way around the world for three and a half years, she returned to the United States and bought her first motorcycle. She currently lives and writes in Portland, OR.