doings | ten for may | I married adventure

Meet my new favorite book.

A friend recommended this book to me.  She said it was one of her favorites and that it reminded her of an "Abbe book" and that I needed to read it.  I was instantly intrigued by the name.  I Married Adventure.  It sounded so romantic, and exciting and, well, adventurous!  I already knew I was going to love it.  Waiting for my Amazon order was pure torture, I spent the time reading anything I could find on Martin & Osa Johnson.

This book was just as incredible as she said it would be.  It's the story of a darling, plucky, 16 year old, girl who falls in love with a man who travels the whole world over.   Her husband, Martin was a filmmaker in the early 1900's and captured some of the earliest footage of headhunters and African wildlife and she not only goes along with his crazy plans, she fully embraces them.  I cried more than once as I read of her escapades, because her courage and joie de verve was so very inspiring!

At one point, Martin tells her that he's giving up his dreams of Africa and taking her home to Kansas and he's buying her a house with a picket fence.  She looks up at him and says "that's the dumbest thing you've ever said".  (Okay, I'm paraphrasing, can't find her exact quote...)  She knew that that wasn't the life for them and she loved living the adventure as much as he did.  She learned how to fly her own plane, which I might add, was painted with giraffe spots!  She shot wild animals, managed an entire camp full of men and scientists, never got seasick, hiked up mountains and still dressed for dinner.  She wrote that "it seemed to me that I owed it to Martin to look my very best no matter what the circumstances".

I love biographies because they tell the true story of someone who those who went before me.  I can see in the span of 400 pages, life, love, struggle, failures, success, happiness, and grief, a real telling of how real people lived and breathed.  You find similarities in your own life and it builds courage in your heart.  Far better than any novel.  In probably the sweetest paragraph in the book, Martin smiles and says "It's all nonsense"  "What's all nonsense?" Osa replies.  "This thing about cake.  Not being able to eat it and have it too.  We've been doing it all along."

Postnote:  Just because I'm a little crazy and did waaaay too much research.  This is the cover of her first edition book.  Isn't it gorgeous!  This book is now a prized collectors item and very spendy.  I'm on the lookout for my very own copy.

Have you read "I Married Adventure"?