MAKING STRIDES FOR GREEN TIME OVER SCREEN TIME
BOOK REVIEW - TAKE ME OUTSIDE
Take Me Outside, Running Across the Canadian Landscape That Shapes Us reads like a love letter. A love letter to Canada, to the benefits of spending time outside, and to the family, friends, supporters (and husky!) who cheered on the author as he ran 7,600 kilometres across Canada in pursuit of chasing a lifelong dream. Written with earnest vulnerability, engaging storytelling, and a passion for meaningful change, Colin Harris delivers a book worthy of being cherished by all Canadians.
Book Review
Title: Take Me Outside, Running Across the Canadian Landscape That Shapes Us
Author: Colin Harris
Publisher: Rocky Mountain Books
On its face, it’s a story about a Canadian educator who found a way to combine his childhood goal of running across the country with his convictions from adulthood around raising awareness of the increasing amount of time we spend on our screens, instead of out in nature. However, after the reader gets through the start line of learning about Harris and his upbringing, including some pretty heartwarming (mis)adventures in the wild, we begin to have the same curiosity for the big questions he’s asking at the heart of the book. What does it mean to be Canadian? How does our connection to the land affect us as individuals and as Canadians? What does it mean if we’re not spending as much time outside on the land that unites us all?
Chronicling his journey from St. John’s, Newfoundland to Victoria, B.C., he lets us in on every breakdown and jumpstart of his RV, body, and mind as he ran the equivalent of 181 marathons in nine months. In between his first and final steps, we learn about the tension that can come between friends tiny living on the road (to be a fly on that RV’s wall!) as well as the groundswell of encouragement for the outdoor learning movement in the education system (he visited more than 80 schools!). He doesn’t shy away from using his sense of humour and humility either, especially when it comes to learning the lengths he would go to for a homemade Manitoban chocolate milkshake.
In addition to milkshake stands, Harris paints a rich and fulsome picture of the landscape he soaked in from the Trans-Canada Highway and introduces us to the kind characters who helped him along the way. Notable ones are his parents, who come to their son’s rescue after he hits a significant roadblock five months in. It touched us to read about how they helped to fill his tank at a time when he was close to running on empty.
Harris also takes time to thoughtfully reflect on the Indigenous perspective throughout Take Me Outside by weaving in cultural values and histories. In a time where this conversation can be hard to have because of our painful past, Harris offers the landscape as a common ground and a place where non-Indigenous Canadians can learn to be better stewards of this land.
At 240 pages, Take Me Outside could be described as a weekend read and its straightforward narrative lends itself not only to adults, but to junior high and high school students. It should really be required reading for everyone though, as it has left us feeling inspired to unplug from our devices and ready to connect to fresh air and sunshine.
A NOTE FROM WILDLY: You, the reader, are responsible for your own safety and gathering the information you require to tackle these trips. Please adventure safely.