Nowhere for Very Long: The Unexpected Road to an Unconventional Life (Hardcover)
Staff Reviews
Brianna’s memoir has a bit of something for everyone. She tells of her devastation as a child over her parent’s divorce, going quickly from a middle-class childhood in an upscale neighborhood with two loving parents, to the child being raised by a single mother while her father had drug and reliability issues. She marries a man she has known most of her life. They both had a fierce love of the outdoors and a passion for adventure. Moving from the East Coast, they settled in Utah with all of its high desert and canyon lands it was an ideal environment.
At first, they purchased the van as a weekend getaway vehicle, but the siren call of the out of doors was strong, Brianna leaves her job and they move into the van full time with their two dogs, Dagwood and Bucket. The marriage dissolves after a tragedy makes it too difficult to continue
Brianna became a social media personality, documenting her single travels and adventures on Instagram. She is extremely open about not only the beauty and freedom of her lifestyle, but also the risks and deprivations. It gets cold in the van during winter, bitter cold. She travels to places where no help would be forthcoming in case of emergency.
There is a Bend Oregon connection. When Brianna desperately needs help, she finds it here with some excellent people.
This is an account of a woman choosing to live on her own terms, living a life of adventure with her dogs by her side. It is also an account of a love of the canyon lands and high desert, a joy in the awesome beauty of the land.
— Deon Stonehouse
Description
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLER • USA TODAY! BESTSELLER
In this beautifully written, vividly detailed memoir, a young woman chronicles her adventures traveling across the deserts of the American West in an orange van named Bertha and reflects on an unconventional approach to life.
A woman defined by motion, Brianna Madia bought a beat-up bright orange van, filled it with her two dogs Bucket and Dagwood, and headed into the canyons of Utah with her husband. Nowhere for Very Long is her deeply felt, immaculately told story of exploration—of the world outside and the spirit within.
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.
Nowhere for Very Long is the true story of a woman learning and unlearning, from backroads to breakdowns, from married to solo, and finally, from lost to found to lost again . . . this time, on purpose.
About the Author
BRIANNA MADIA has lived a life of relentless intention, traveling the deserts of the American Southwest in an old Ford van. She made a name for herself on social media with her inspiring captions cum- essays about bravery, identity, nature, and subverting expectations. She lives in Utah with her four dogs. Nowhere for Very Long is her first book.
Praise For…
"Madia’s insights drill deep, as does her knack for carving beauty out of pain. Armchair adventurers will be inspired by this spirited story.” — Publishers Weekly
“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 Awareness
