Book & Film Reviews

A review of the documentary short film All Backwards, which considers an unlikely journey walked literally backward.

A review of Alder Allensworth’s “The Camigas Scarf: Crone” the last in a three-part fictional series inspired by an actual scarf that has created a special bond among women across many Caminos. This book follows 80-year-old Dot on the Camino Portugués.

A review of The Camino Compendium, Dave Whitson’s deep-dive into forgotten histories, unlikely miracles, and cultural oddities to explore along the Camino Francés. Whitson also bursts a few bubbles on some of long-lived myths along this long-traveled pilgrim route.

A review of two guides by Sybille Yates. Pilgrim Tips & Packing List offers the prospective Camino pilgrim practical tips on what to know beforehand, what to take, and what to leave at home. Taking the Camino Home is a thin volume packed with advice and gentle admonition on how to continue to live the simple life of a pilgrim back home.

A review of Camino de Santiago: The Pilgrims Speak, a documentary short film by Rich Henkels. Every pilgrim has a story to tell of their reasons for making a pilgrimage, and Henkels helps several pilgrims tell theirs, which range from spiritual and religious to recreation and personal growth.

A distinctive Camino guide by Scottish husband-and-wife duo David and Debbie Mercer. Reviewer Jerald Stroebele, who has walked several lesser-traveled Camino routes himself, considers this book especially noteworthy for the 144 pages the authors dedicate to sharing practical information and personal insights on the 17 different Caminos routes they have walked.

A review of The Way of the Wind, a memoir by John W. Pearson, a man walking the Camino Francés after suffering profound personal and physical loss. A geologist by profession, Pearson lends a scientist’s observant eye to his detailed descriptions of the human, natural, religious, cultural, and historical encounters of his journey, while managing to deliver them with humility and a touch of humor. Reviewer Jerald Stroebele regards Pearson’s story as “easy to read and hard to stop reading.”

A review of A Rising Sun on the Scallop Shell, a memoir by Mike Guest, a Canadian-born, Japanese-enculturated man. This account of his interactions with his fellow pilgrims on the Camino Francés offers his unique perspective on intersecting cultural identities, modern Japan, and the experience of pilgrimage itself.

A review of The Traveler’s Path by Douglas J. Brouwer, which explores a question common among pilgrims: “Why are you doing this?” Brouwer extends that question beyond pilgrimage, and applies it to the whole scope of human movement.

A review of Jackie Saxon’s Tales from the Trail, a humor-infused collection of 53 short essays that offer both pilgrim wisdom and disenchantments, along with a glimpse into the unique challenges the author faced as an African American woman walking the Camino.