Like all the best travellers, Reeve carries out his investigations with infectious relish, and in the realisation that trying to understand the country you're in is not just fascinating, but also hugely enjoyable' Daily Telegraph

My goodness, it is brilliant. Searingly honest, warm, bursting with humanity. Such brave and inspiring writing.’ Kate Humble s druge strane, knjigu nisam mogla ispustiti iz ruku. iako počinje s oboljenjem od malarije u gabonu, brzo se prebacuje na same svoje početke te priča o vjetrovima koji su ga kroz život bacali, počevši od odrastanja u siromašnoj i djelomično disfunkcionalnoj obitelji, preko kriminala u ranim tinejdžerskim godinama i, slijedom, depresije i suicidalnosti, do pronalaženja smisla svog postojanja u putovanjima i otkrivanja kutnih dijelova svijeta - bilo perom, bilo okom kamere. I have always been taken by a line used by Archbishop Desmond Tutu about the arrival of Christianity on the continent: ‘When the missionaries came to Africa they had the Bible and we had the land. They said “Let us pray.” We closed our eyes. When we opened them, we had the Bible and they had the land.’ (Simon Reeve). Simon Reeve, a man whose very name is a guarantee of interesting television. Outstanding. * Observer *

Summary

In TV adventurer Simon Reeve’s bestselling memoir he describes how he has journeyed across epic landscapes, dodged bullets on frontlines, walked through minefields and been detained for spying by the KGB. His travels have taken him across jungles, deserts, mountains and oceans, and to some of the most beautiful, dangerous and remote regions of the world. He goes over his teenage delinquency and mental health issues. His mental health is really quite serious. After this while looking for a job he gets the advice to ‘Take things step by step’. He was so open about these issues that I wanted to give him a big hug and tell him everything would be okay. He talks about how desperately depressed he was, how disinterested he was with school and his future. I encountered Simon Reeve via his programmes on the BBC. In them he introduced me to some places I was aware of and a number that I was not. In both cases he always opened my eyes to aspects I was unaware of and often things that were unsettling. He did this openly and with good humour. He always seemed to respect and be concerned about the people who featured in the programmes. The idea of reading his biography was enormously appealing.

Mu esimene emotsioon (kestis peaaegu pool raamatut) oli tohutu pettumus. Ma olin asunud enda arvates lugema reisiraamatut, aga sattunud hoopis elulooraamatu otsa. Võin selles hooletuses võtta osa süüd küll endale, aga olgem ausad, tutvustus tagakaanel on ikka ka sutike eksitav. See on võrratult hea raamat. Kuna mulle Simon Reeve'i saated meeldivad, siis ootasin pikisilmi selle raamatu eesti keelset versiooni. Pean ütlema, et sama muhe nagu ta on kaamera eest, on ta ka kirjutades. Temas lihtsalt on tohutult südamilikkust ning oskust näidata nii head, kui halba, ilma seda otseselt kellelelegi ette hõõrumata. Kõik otsused ja järeldused saad sa teha ise. Like all the best travellers, Reeve carries out his investigations with infectious relish, and in the realisation that trying to understand the country you’re in is not just fascinating, but also hugely enjoyable’ Daily Telegraph My goodness, it is brilliant. Searingly honest, warm, bursting with humanity. Such brave and inspiring writing.' Kate Humble Fascinating... a very honest account of the world as he has seen it, from Acton to the ends of the Earth * Geographical *After this the book takes a turn. He spends a lot of time going over a couple of his first TV documentaries, ‘Meet the Stans’ and ‘Places that Don’t Exist’. All very interesting indeed. He goes over his ‘Equator’ journey. That is where it ends even though he has done a lot more travel docs.

makar globalno poznat i cijenjen prvenstveno kao bbc lice dokumentaraca, čini mi se da je mnogo vještiji kao autor. piše spretno i duhovito, pismo mu je prožeto iskrenošću i empatijom. nalazi pravi omjer između javnog i privatnog, politike se dotiče taman onoliko koliko treba da bi prosječan čitatelj dobio sveukupnu sliku (iako je politika njegova prva ljubav, još tamo iz redakcijskih dana i kada je, na svojevrstan način nakon prvog napada na blizance 1993. predvidio ono što će se dogoditi 2001.) i tekst ležerno klizi, bez obzira piše li o čudnovatim običajima neke zabiti, o tragediji siromaštva, o opasnosti terorizma ili o važnosti brige za prirodu. In the last decade, he's made a name for himself as British TV's most adventurous presenter. He's hunted with the Bushmen of Kalahari, hung out with biker outlaws in Australia and been taught to fish by the president of Moldova. * Radio Times *Ning mulle meeldib ka Simoni meeldetuletus, et kui sul on võimalik reisida (eriti veel lennukiga ja kaugetesse eksootilistesse paikadesse), siis pea meeles, et see on tegelikult väga väheste privileeg. Ära võta seda enesestmõistetavana. I discovered Simon Reeve only in 2019 on BBC. I think he is virtually unknown in the US for his work on travel documentaries, which is a shame. These are not touristy travel guides but in-depth explorations of various fascinating areas of the world. While the scenic parts are covered, the series show the day-to-day living conditions, political and economic issues of every area Simon visits and does it through his eyes and his interactions with local 'real' people. He was working as a freelance writer and author when an acquaintance who worked for the BBC suggested that Reeve audition for a role of documentary presenter,. He went to their head office for an interview....and thus began his television career.....which has been such a success. The book ends with marvellous descriptions of some of his early documentaries. Not only are the countries he visits fascinating, but he also has so much respect for the people he encounters - and I find that most inspiring. Equal parts an inspiring account of Reeve’s determination and adventurous spirit, as well as a field guide to some of the most remote parts of the world, Step by Step is a vivid and fascinating title. Readers may be surprised to learn of his early life struggles with mental health, owing to his onscreen persona, but this traces his journey to inner peace.’ Independent