Dr Noel Rettig

5.0 out of 5 stars Yes You Can!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 31, 2022

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If you are looking for inspiration and a push to venture beyond your comfort zone give UNTETHERED a read. The author leaves a comfortable job, in the heart of the midwest, to do what we all at times think about doing - leaving it behind, even if it's for a short time, in search of what could be. Connie embarked on a solo motorcycle trip around India that tested her skills, her endurance, her patience and her sense of who she was and who she could be. In sharing her story - her adventures, near misses, heartwarming moments - she lets us in on her secret, we are capable of more than we think we are, and are so much better for giving it a shot.

C Havens

5.0 out of 5 stars A brave woman on a remarkable journey to discover herself

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 9, 2022

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What an incredible journey and self-discovery. The author shares her travels through a country where women are often viewed by a different standard than men. Alone, vulnerable, and traveling by motorcycle, the author takes the reader on an amazing trip around India. Personally, I would have stopped at the first indication of trouble, but the author was determined to complete her journey. It was hard to put the book down because I wanted to know what was going to happen next. I can only imagine the sense of accomplishment she must have felt when her journey came to an end.

Ruth Hahn

5.0 out of 5 stars Intriguing, easy to read, self propelling

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on April 2, 2022

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Stambush's explanation on the back cover is a great summary of her book. I was intrigued how a girl who hugged the wall in grade school could go to India on her own.
" the suspenseful and honest prose of Untethered immerses readers in India's diverse culture while vividly conveying the harrowing and triumphant journey of a woman alone, in a world where women don't travel alone, discovering her true grit."
It wasn't easy to put down to do my other responsiblities.

Beth Weigand

5.0 out of 5 stars An inspirational journey of self-discovery

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 3, 2022

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Having never read a travel memoir, I wasn’t sure what to expect when I opened up Untethered. It was a fascinating look into the experience of a different culture (especially as a woman), and as I began to read and immerse myself in this journey I discovered that it spoke to me on a personal level too. I felt like I was accompanying Stambush on her quest— every rainstorm, every encounter, every roadblock and every nail-biting moment. It was a hard book to put down, and at the end I found myself revved-up and eager to begin my own journey. This book gave me the inspiration and courage to become my own badass, and I find myself thinking about it often.

Christy Jochum

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 21, 2022

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UNTETHERED: A Woman's Search for Self on the Edge of India, made me feel as if I was on the adventure along with the author. So many thoughts, feelings and emotions from the book. A definite must read for the all the women out there searching for more.

Sherry L. Groff

5.0 out of 5 stars Awe-inspiring book!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 16, 2021

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Embarking on a months long trip through a deeply patriarchal country, thousands of miles from home, the author sets out to find the strength that lies dormant within her.
There are plenty of harrowing experiences with men in this book, but for me, the most compelling encounters were with other women. The author is foreign in every way. She stands out in her physical appearance. She is traveling ALONE on a MOTORCYCLE! She is met with surprise, awe, and suspicion.
I was left wondering, had any of the women she encountered been likewise inspired to find their true self?
This is an easy-to-read travel memoir written by a strong woman who began life as a meek and timid girl.

Steven B.

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read of a woman's travel adventure!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on September 21, 2021

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I feel like I embarked on an amazing journey that I never wanted to end! I am in awe of this story of determination, challenges, and a fearless adventure by a woman who experiences travel and learns about life along the way. Its a book that you will not want to put down and an adventure that you wish you had the courage to embark on as well.

Darrell Johnston

5.0 out of 5 stars Meek to Mighty!!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 11, 2021

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I've met this author in person and talked with her. She belongs to our ladies networking group. I really enjoyed talking with her and bought her book Untethered! What a spellbounding and hazardous trip she took on! I thought she'd die when she went off after the thief!! Then I remembered "No, I've met her!! She's still alive!" lol That's how she hold your attention throughout her book! You actually take this scary trip with her!

Joann Smith

5.0 out of 5 stars Astounding bravery

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 4, 2022

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What a ride!

Untethered is not a story of traveling to India to spend quiet time in ashrams and in long meditation sessions . Rather, it is a story of a woman who sets herself a daunting challenge: to travel the edges of India by motorcycle and find out what she is made of.

The author does not have much experience riding motorcycles. Nonetheless, she makes up her mind to buy a Royal Enfield Bullet and then takes lessons in maintaining the motorcycle. She will be her own mechanic on this journey, and I couldn't help but recall Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. She will also be traveling alone, not something women typically do in India. Before the author even revs her engine for the first leg of her journey, I was astounded at her bravery.

Connie Stambush names her motorcycle Kali after the goddess who represents destruction and rebirth in Hinduism and who bestows energy, strength, and capability to believers. Auspiciously, CS later learns that the route she planned on taking along India's coast is also a centuries-old route for pilgrims seeking the Kali temples where old selves can be shed and new selves revealed. Everything seemed to fall into place.

As I read Untethered, I stopped over and over again to envision the scenes CS was recounting. Every part of this journey was a challenge -- monsoon rains, dirty hotel rooms, lost equipment, injuries, motorcycle breakdowns, loneliness, leering men. At any point, if she had abandoned the journey, I would have cheered her decision. But CS perseveres. She puts her trust in herself, in India, in Kali, even in strangers, and she completes the harrowing 6,719 mile trip.

Throughout Untethered, CS questions her strength. Despite having lived and worked throughout Europe and India before her motorcycle trip, she wonders if she is brave; she needs to prove something to herself. I hope the author now recognizes just how brave and strong she is; few could have made this journey, and even fewer could have told the story so well.