鈥淲heel the World: Travelling with Walkers and Wheelchairs鈥�
Written by Jeanette Dean
Published by Your Nickel鈥檚 Worth Publishing
Review by Shelley A. Leedahl
$19.95聽 ISBN 9-781988-783505
I鈥檝e just spent a pleasant afternoon with Jeanette Dean鈥檚 book Wheel the World: Travelling with Walkers and Wheelchairs. As the entire world鈥檚 currently anchored with the Coronavirus pandemic, we need travel books like Dean鈥檚: over a few hours and 202 pages, she took me on well-described journeys around the globe, across Canada, and through my home province of Saskatchewan while I practiced social isolation on my comfortable couch. The title infers that this might be a 鈥淗ow To鈥� book, but I鈥檓 suggesting it鈥檚 a wonderful armchair- adventure title for people with mobility issues or fully able bodies.聽聽
In her latter years, Dean鈥檚 arthritis has seen her transition from walker to wheelchair, but these challenges have not metaphorically slowed her one iota. She states: 鈥淎bove all, this book is intended as an expression of the joy of travelling itself, regardless of the challenges.鈥� Planning, she advises, is the key to successful travel for those with limited mobility, and one should 鈥渞ecognize what [one] cannot do easily and enjoy the rest without whining鈥�.
I made copious notes while reading this well-written, interesting, and often light-hearted book. I reminisced as Dean described places I鈥檇 been, ie: Melbourne and Moose Jaw, and made notes about the destinations I鈥檇 like to visit. Dean鈥檚 anecdotes about a 鈥渟afari-like park鈥� in small-town Glen Rose, the River Walk district in San Antonio, and Moody Gardens in Galveston compel me to visit Texas.
With our aging population and contemporary society鈥檚 penchant for travel, the subject of mobility-challenged travelling will become increasingly topical.聽聽
