Books Worth Reading #3: 'The No. 9 Bus To Utopia' by Dr David Bramwell

 

I'll be honest. I am a bit biased when it comes to rating this book as David is a good friend of mine and we've done a lot of speaking gigs together. In particular we did a series of talks back in 2015-2016 where we toured the UK with a 'collective' of speakers: Robert Llewellyn (Red Dwarf, Fully Charged), Sir Tim Smit (The Eden Project), Abi Aspen Glencross (Foodsquared) and Professor Nicole Pohl (Society for Utopian Studies). Our subject was 'Utopia and how to achieve it'. We're so used to seeing dystopian views of the future in TV and films that we've perhaps lost sight of the fact that we could, so easily, get it right.

David's book is based around a kind of road trip. After a painful break up with his girlfriend he sets off in search of happiness and a new life by visiting a number of places around the world that claim to have 'got it right'. It takes him to Damanhur in Italy, an extraordinary underground temple the size of St Paul's Cathedral that was built in complete secrecy. He stays in Copenhagen's anarchist suburb of Christiania and explores free love communities in California. He experiences the spiritual life in a caravan park in Scotland and visits the unfinished new age city of Arcosanti, partly-built deep in the Arizona desert.

Inspired by what he had seen and experienced, he returned home to Brighton with a desire to change - not just himself but also his neighbourhood and the city. It's a wonderful, uplifting book.

The best travel books are witty, clever, informative and fascinating - think Last Chance to See by Douglas Adams and Mark Carwardine, or Bill Bryson's Notes from a Small Island. David's book (and, indeed, all of his other books) are right up there with the best.

If you fancy a quick precis of the book (with photos) do check out David's TEDx talk here:

There's also a five part retelling of the book on David's Youtube channel (click here). But, trust me, the book will always be the best vehicle for his stories.