Forthcoming from Black Rose Writing.  Release date January 29, 2026

An epic bike ride across the United States that almost turns to tragedy near the finish line.  A rowing journey along the East coast through storms and tidal surges that test physical and mental limits and force a reckoning with life’s priorities.  A five hundred mile pilgrimage across northern Spain that triggers personal and spiritual renewal.

What happens when an educator takes the progressive ideas that have defined his career-- real world problem solving, expeditionary learning, follow your passion-- and turns them on himself?  

In Everest and the Rest of Us:  Four Journeys in Search of Adventure, James Nehring tells a tale of cross-country cycling, coastal rowing, and trekking on the Camino de Santiago, by turns suspenseful and comic, painful and triumphant.  He also examines why we pursue adventure-- the thrill of taking risks and facing danger, pushing our limits, renewal that comes from stepping outside our daily routines, and personal empowerment from a challenge met. He explores the gendered and racialized history of adventure, and how the lure of adventure has been used to justify wars and colonialism.  

Most of us will never climb Mt. Everest, surf a fifty-foot monster wave off the coast of Hawaii, or row single-handed across the Atlantic Ocean.  But everyone loves a good adventure.  Everest and the Rest of us celebrates the adventurous spirit and admonishes that, like so much inherited from a culture of white domination, adventure must continue to evolve until everyone enjoys its rewards.

Advance Praise for Everest and the Rest of Us

"With its beautiful prose, Everest and the Rest of Us is a meditation on meaning, action, and discovering who we are through challenges and overcoming -- no matter how large or small the scale.”

     --James Hibbard, Author of The Art of Cycling: Philosophy, Meaning and a Life on Two Wheels

“Absorbing and thought provoking, Everest and the Rest of Us takes us on a deep dive into the meaning of adventure. It affirms what I've always felt, that my own journey into motherhood was just as life changing/transforming as sailing around the world. 

     --Tania Aebi, first American woman to sail solo around the world and New York Times best selling author with Bernadette Brennan of     Maiden Voyage

“Getting away has never been so tempting. Nehring, with candor and eloquence, explains why a brief respite from the grind of life is so essential (and often so hard to manage). Thoreauvian in spirit, humble yet ambitious, this is a book for ordinary readers, who long to take extraordinary adventures.”

     --John Kaag, Author of Hiking with Nietzsche: On Becoming Who You Are, Editor's Choice New York Times and NPR Best Book

“This is adventure panorama at its best, serving up greater meaning within by turning one's ears, eyes and heart to the open road and all its wild secrets.”

     --Scott V. Edwards, Harvard University Professor and solo cyclist who carried a Black Lives Matter sign across the United States

“Everest and the Rest of Us is a compelling blend of well-crafted adventure tales and critical self-examination.”

     --Tori Murden McClure, first woman and first American to row solo across the Atlantic Ocean and author of A Pearl in the Storm: How I Found My Heart in the Middle of the Ocean

“I loved delving into the deeper meanings of our search for new, challenging experiences. It's a unique and fascinating adventure tale. 5 stars!”

     --Joan Griffin, author of Force of Nature: Three Women Tackle the John Muir Trail

“[Nehring] extends an invitation for readers to tag along, but the invitation does not end with the physical journey.  We are invited also to consider what adventure is, how it is experienced and why we seek it...  A joyful read!”

     --Karen J Fluet Roy, Camino Companions Support, Pilgrim Office, Camino de Santiago