I haven’t gotten to read as many books as I would have liked to during the summer, but one of the books I made sure I got to was “The Only Road North“, by Erik Mirandette. I started reading it a few weeks ago, and managed to get about 30 pages in before school started again. The last couple days I managed to read the last 270 pages of the book, taking advantage of all the time I was sitting around campus my first couple days.

Here’s what the summary from the back of the book says:

Deserts and jungles, rebels and missionaries, bullets and acts of bravery, heaven and hell on earth — these are all part of a young man’s remarkable, true journey through thirteen African with his brother and two best friends.

Erik Mirandette was completing a two-year stint with a humanitarian organization in Morocco when, continuing his quest to live the life he was created to live, he set off on an unforgettable pilgrimage. Beginning in Cape Town, Erik, his brother, and his two best friends traveled 9,000 miles north by dirt bike, experiencing the poverty, beauty, and dangers of the African continent.

Then in Cairo, having safely reached the end of their perilous journey, a terrorist’s bomb ripped Erik’s world and faith apart. The four travelers were now desperately wounded and on the brink of death.

The book is raw and is a very moving tale. Erik Mirandette has experienced more at age 24 than most people can say in their lives, and his trek through Africa is awe inspiring. He also paints a great picture of his struggle with God in figuring out why such a tragedy could occur on a trip that was about seeking out the life God had for him.

So make sure to put this in your list of books to read.