Free Ride

Heartbreak, Courage, and The 20,000-Mile Motorcycle Journey That Changed My Life

By: Noraly Schoenmaker

Narrated by: Imani Jade Powers

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

By the YouTube sensation with three million followers, the inspiring account of a young woman who, in a moment of personal crisis, embarked on an epic, transcontinental motorcycle ride—and along the way found a new sense of purpose.

Noraly Schoenmaker was a thirtysomething geologist living in the Netherlands when she learned that her live-in partner had been having an affair. In desperate need of a new beginning, she decided to quit her job and jet off to India. But her plans were dashed when she fell quickly and helplessly in love: with a motorcycle. Behind the handlebars of a Royal Enfield, a short tour of the Himalayas quickly morphed into an epic 20,000-mile journey. She would cover remote and utterly unfamiliar territory, break down on impossibly steep mountains, and push too many miles down empty roads. But through her travels, she discovered the true beauty and simplicity of the world’s open spaces, the kindness of its people, and a newfound, unshakable belief in her capabilities.

Free Ride is a “no-frill, from-the-heart” (BBC) story of self-discovery and renewal that is filled with unforgettable figures and hilarious disasters, showing what happens when you open your heart and let the world in.

Raw Emotion Behind the Scenes

The book was a lot like watching a season, but with a lot more detail. It was fascinating to hear about each leg of the journey and the raw emotion behind each of those adventures. The writing is fantastic and the narrator is very talented. I hope you will write another book.

This woman is amazing

I love how she keeps doing it when others might turn back. I’m just impressed with her perseverance

A journey of personal growth. And a motorcycle.

There are plenty of motorcycle adventures tales to satisfy any avid or aspiring motorcyclist, but this one exceeds many in its sense of raw adventure. It’s a story of human relationships, and kindness, and the common thread that runs through all of humanity.

Self Awareness

Amazing person on an amazing journey of honesty and self awareness. Out of my 1,000 book Amazon audio library this title belongs in my favorite book list. What a novel person, adventure and life.

Good story, needed different narrator.

The whole entire book I wished Noraly was narrating it. We travel along with her in her YouTube videos and I wanted to hear the book in her voice and her accent. She would have correctly pronounced all of the mispronounced words and place names in the book that really bothered me. I loved her story, but the narrator really detracted from it. I had such a hard time getting into the story and a lot of the time I was paying attention to the narrator’s voice instead of what was happening. I hope that if she writes another book she will narrate it. My recommendation for others is to buy the actual book and read it yourself instead of listening to it.