The ‘Happiness’ of Cross-Country Biking

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David Howell is a humanities professor at the Milwaukee School of Engineering as well as an avid bicyclist. After traveling from Seattle to Milwaukee on a solo bike trip, Howell captures his experiences in a new book The Descent into Happiness: A Bicycling Journey over the Cascades and Rockies and across the Great Plains. This Wisconsinite pedaled across most of the country on his own, reflecting on the landscape as well as his own solitude. 

Part travelogue and part meditation on life, this reflective guide highlights the often interesting individuals that Howell met along the way, as well as his introspection on introversion and societal expectations. The Descent into Happiness is an illuminating portrait of America that highlights one individual’s journey toward self-acceptance and contentment. Perfect for both bicycling aficionados as well as travel enthusiasts, this articulate story sheds new light on the American West, its people and its uplifting potential.

Howell has served at MSOE as a professor and administrator for more than 12 years. He received his MFA in creative writing from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, and his Ph.D. from Washington State University. He currently lives in Whitefish Bay. Howell will host a book launch event at Boswell Book Co. at 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 21.

BOOK HAPPENING:

Felicia Day

7 p.m., Monday, April 25

Boswell Book Co.

2559 N. Downer Ave. 

Smart and sassy Felicia Day is an icon in new media and the creator behind the YouTube channel Geek & Sundry. This fun-loving overachiever is out with a terrific new memoir, You’re Never Weird on the Internet (Almost), that shares her journey from an oddball, home-schooled child of hippie parents to the tech entrepreneur of international recognition. Day will appear at a ticketed event at Boswell Book Co.