Whether you have travel plans this summer or are just looking for something new to read, these books span a range of styles and genres. Some are practical, some are personal, and some are thought-provoking. Each offers a different way to think about our favorite activity.
If you’d enjoy a big-picture look at walking:
A Walking Life: Reclaiming Our Health and Our Freedom One Step at a Time by Antonia Malchik, 2019.
Antonia Malchik weaves together reflections on science, history, anthropology, and current events to make a case for walking—a critical part of our humanity that has been undervalued in our car-centric, fast-paced society. Although humans have walked for six million years, Malchik argues that most Americans now lack access, time, and often the desire to walk, and have become more sedentary, lonelier, and less connected to each other as a result. Written in a clear and engaging style, this thoughtful book offers intellectual stimulation without feeling dense.
In Praise of Walking: A New Scientific Exploration by Shane O’Mara, 2019.
Concerned that our lives are becoming too sedentary, neuroscientist Shane O’Mara offers an analytical, science-based perspective on the benefits of walking, including studies showing how regular walking slows aging, improves heart health, and reduces depression. O’Mara also uses research to document the benefits of walking in nature and walking in groups. Packed with solid evidence and innovative ideas, In Praise of Walking could convince even the most committed skeptic that walking is good for you.
If you’re looking for a short, nonfiction anthology:
Wanderers: A History of Women Walking by Kerri Andrews, 2020.
Featuring the stories of ten notable women whose walking often sparked their creative expression, this book spans three hundred years and conveys what the author calls “a sense of the female tradition of walking”—a tradition she argues has long been missing from published accounts dominated by male writers. Notable portraits include the 18th-century English linguist and poet Elizabeth Carter; the French novelist and essayist Anaïs Nin; and the English writer Virginia Woolf. Because each woman’s story is a discrete chapter, this is an easy book to dip in and out of when time permits.
If you’re in the mood for a memoir:
Wild: A Journey from Lost to Found by Cheryl Strayed, 2012.
Cheryl Strayed’s lyrical, beautifully written account of her 1,100-mile solo trek along the Pacific Crest Trail is engrossing and inspiring. With no significant hiking experience, the 26-year-old Strayed impulsively decided to tackle one of the most difficult trails in North America at a time when she felt broken and alone: her beloved mother had died, her marriage had ended, and she found herself struggling with addiction and self-destructive choices. As her body adapts and grows stronger after weeks on the trail, so, too, does her spirit. A New York Times bestseller, this story will motivate you to take on new challenges on foot.
If you’re seeking a guide to mindful walking:
Afoot and Lighthearted: A Journal for Mindful Walking by Bonnie Smith Whitehouse, 2019.
If you’ve always wanted to establish a mindful walking practice, this journal is an inviting, easy-to-use tool to get started. Before setting out on your walk, simply choose one of the book’s many clever and thoughtful writing prompts, most of which encourage self-reflection and sensory awareness while walking. Use the space next to each prompt to write or sketch your response. Inspiring quotations peppered throughout the book will also prime you for reflection—everyone from Nelson Mandela to Mary Oliver to Bruce Springsteen. A compact and beautifully designed book, this journal can easily be tucked into a bag or purse for mindful walking whenever inspiration strikes.
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