Nowhere for Very Long: The Unexpected Road to an Unconventional Life
- Downloads：2096
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-04-11 08:41:34
- Update Date：2025-09-23
- Status：finish
- Author：Brianna Madia
- ISBN：B098QQY8KV
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
In this beautifully written， vividly detailed memoir， a young woman chronicles her adventures in an orange van named Bertha traveling across the deserts of the American West and reflects on her bold choice to live a big life。
A woman defined by motion， Brianna Madia bought a beat-up van， filled it with her two dogs Bucket and Dagwood， and headed into the canyons of Utah on a journey of discovery。 Nowhere for Very Long is her story of exploration--of the world outside and the spirit within。 From the backroads to the breakdowns， it is the chronicle of a woman in the wild， learning and unlearning。
Brianna knew her path would be different from an early age。 Rejecting the competitive and capitalistic path set out before her， she chose to seek a truer version of happiness， a road scary， uncertain， and entirely her own。 But pursing a life of intention wasn't easy--in fact， it was terribly difficult， boring， and lonely at times when the van overheated， when the weather was bitterly hot or cold， when she was worried about money and the future。 But it was a life of her choosing and that made all the difference。
Nowhere for Long isn't about extreme minimalism or tiny house living or #VanLife。 It's about living a life with fierce intention， about cherishing the moment， about being a woman living a life true to herself。
A woman defined by motion， Brianna Madia bought a beat-up van， filled it with her two dogs Bucket and Dagwood， and headed into the canyons of Utah on a journey of discovery。 Nowhere for Very Long is her story of exploration--of the world outside and the spirit within。 From the backroads to the breakdowns， it is the chronicle of a woman in the wild， learning and unlearning。
Brianna knew her path would be different from an early age。 Rejecting the competitive and capitalistic path set out before her， she chose to seek a truer version of happiness， a road scary， uncertain， and entirely her own。 But pursing a life of intention wasn't easy--in fact， it was terribly difficult， boring， and lonely at times when the van overheated， when the weather was bitterly hot or cold， when she was worried about money and the future。 But it was a life of her choosing and that made all the difference。
Nowhere for Long isn't about extreme minimalism or tiny house living or #VanLife。 It's about living a life with fierce intention， about cherishing the moment， about being a woman living a life true to herself。
Reviews
Colleen
，
This book is wonderful。 Wanted to drop a 5 star review to offset the online bullies who are bizarrely obsessed with defaming Brianna Madia :）
Melissa Smith
，
This beautifully written， brutally honest memoir was impossible to put down。
Nikki-Taylor Olivier
，
brianna， I don’t know if you will ever see this。 but I just needed to tell you this book absolutely changed my life。 you have a way with words that pulled at my heart stings with each flip of a page。 and dagwood’s chapter？ I can’t remember the last time a book made me cry THAT hard。 I love you。 and god， am I fucking SO proud of you。
Claire Anderson
，
I literally felt this book。 Like in my chest and in my heart。 Thank you， Bri， for sharing this。
Hannah
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Heartbreakingly beautiful。 I simply could not put it down。 I’ve following Bri on Instagram even before she moved into the van。 Following her journey has been inspiring to say the least。 How cool is it to physically hold her book in my hands！ Very well done。
Clair
，
Given my long time following of Brianna， I was a little surprised by the shorter form nature of her story telling。 This， no doubt， comes from a place of truly wanting more of her perspective， more stories， and not because the story telling wasn’t enjoyable。 A great read。 I hope she is working on another book already 😊
Carly
，
I first started following Bri through a photographer on Instagram。 This was after Dagwood's accident and before the divorce。 There were several times I was surprised and initially negative towards her decisions。 And I found myself entranced by her friendships and relationships in a way I now recognise as silly （I blame Covid and my own isolation）。 It was only after Bri （and this photographer） reminded me that we only see a few minutes of their lives and that Instagram is not the whole story that I first started following Bri through a photographer on Instagram。 This was after Dagwood's accident and before the divorce。 There were several times I was surprised and initially negative towards her decisions。 And I found myself entranced by her friendships and relationships in a way I now recognise as silly （I blame Covid and my own isolation）。 It was only after Bri （and this photographer） reminded me that we only see a few minutes of their lives and that Instagram is not the whole story that I took some space。 I bring this up because Nowhere For Very Long is everything we don't see on Instagram。 She is a beautifully flawed woman trying to discover the best version of her life。 Mistakes and oversights are going to happen to anyone。 The stakes are just higher when you're in a tiiiny slot canyon or driving in the middle of the desert。 Who here hasn't taken advantage of the good nature of someone we love？ Who here hasn't accidentally hurt someone we love？ Thank you Brianna for showing us what went right and wrong。 For showing us the best and worst of yourself。 Perhaps we can all learn to dream a little bigger and be more forgiving for the things that don't work out as we planned。 I know I needed the reminder not to settle for the life we are told is the only option， to love again after heartbreak， and to never leave the dogs behind。 。。。more
Sarah Herschel
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The tears are still dried to my face as I sit here to review Nowhere for Very Long。 I finished it in two sitting as I just couldn’t get myself to stop。 I’ve been a Brianna Madia fan for years， and will be forever supporting and consuming anything she writes。 Her writing has way of resonating with me through each season on my life and invoking such beautiful and raw emotions like I haven’t experienced before。 Thank you， Bri， for your honestly， your bravery， your bad assery， and overall #titstothe The tears are still dried to my face as I sit here to review Nowhere for Very Long。 I finished it in two sitting as I just couldn’t get myself to stop。 I’ve been a Brianna Madia fan for years， and will be forever supporting and consuming anything she writes。 Her writing has way of resonating with me through each season on my life and invoking such beautiful and raw emotions like I haven’t experienced before。 Thank you， Bri， for your honestly， your bravery， your bad assery， and overall #titstothewind attitude。 。。。more
Nicole Tenzer
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I really love this book。 Brianna is one of the only influencers I follow on Instagram so I’ll admit I came into this book with a bias。 Though I’ve only met her once， I， like many others， felt I knew her by the snippets of her life she shares in photographs and captions。 The book fills in some of the gaps of her stumbling through her life just like all of us， but in her own unconventional way。 I’ve always thought of her as some sort of alter ego for me。 I love to be outside！ I love dogs！ I could I really love this book。 Brianna is one of the only influencers I follow on Instagram so I’ll admit I came into this book with a bias。 Though I’ve only met her once， I， like many others， felt I knew her by the snippets of her life she shares in photographs and captions。 The book fills in some of the gaps of her stumbling through her life just like all of us， but in her own unconventional way。 I’ve always thought of her as some sort of alter ego for me。 I love to be outside！ I love dogs！ I could live like that。 And maybe I could， but not in her way。 That’s what I loved about the book。 It was HER story。 Of how she lives and loves and makes mistakes。 And she makes a lot of mistakes。 But she’s human， just like all of us。 And when someone else tells their story， with all the messy details and lies and regrets and vulnerabilities， it allows us to feel more comfortable in our own stories。 I read this book in less than 2 days。 It’s short， concise and so beautifully written I really couldn’t put it down。 She really does have a way with words。 Descriptive and lyrical and raw， I hope she writes many more books。 。。。more
Jude Michaud
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Enjoyed everything about this book。 The writing is so descriptive and really puts you into the moment。 I loved the open honesty about life struggles。 We all may thing our struggles don’t mean anything because “other people have it worse。” But this book does a good job of reminding you that you’re inner battles are valid。
Katie Blake
，
An excellent memoir。 Thought provoking， moving， and a story of resilience。
Alanna Thornton
，
I’ll start off by saying you know the book is amazing when you can’t put it down and finish it in less than a day。 Brianna’s writing is incredible。 It’s descriptive and magical。 If you have ever felt lost in the conventionality of what “life should look like” this book will give you peace， hope， and courage to make life what you want it。
Madison
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3。5。。。 i think？
Rebecca
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A talented writer and enjoyable story but expected more。
Erica
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I've followed Brianna on Instagram for years now and I've been moved by almost every single caption she's posted。 This book felt like getting to know a friend but beyond the light， safe stuff。 Like being trusted with the dark， vulnerable things we all carry。 Loved it， can't wait for the next！ I've followed Brianna on Instagram for years now and I've been moved by almost every single caption she's posted。 This book felt like getting to know a friend but beyond the light， safe stuff。 Like being trusted with the dark， vulnerable things we all carry。 Loved it， can't wait for the next！ 。。。more
Taylor Disselhorst
，
i heard about brianna when #TalkToDagwood went viral and i followed her because she could say everything i couldn’t about what it’s like to love a dog。 i spent hours that day reading her posts about them， praying for a dog i didn’t know to make it。 and i stayed following her because of how she talks about life and loss and how those things coexist。 after hearing about the accident， i had always suspected that what happened to dags was a version of the truth but not the whole。 but it didn’t bothe i heard about brianna when #TalkToDagwood went viral and i followed her because she could say everything i couldn’t about what it’s like to love a dog。 i spent hours that day reading her posts about them， praying for a dog i didn’t know to make it。 and i stayed following her because of how she talks about life and loss and how those things coexist。 after hearing about the accident， i had always suspected that what happened to dags was a version of the truth but not the whole。 but it didn’t bother me because i cannot think of a thing i wouldn’t do to save my dogs。 i can’t imagine carrying around that much guilt and still trying to put the opinions of strangers first。 her bravery before during and after dags accident is inspiring and badass。 i often go back through her instagram when i look at my dogs and lack the words to tell them how much i love them， to tell myself how much。 it was comforting to re-read passages， as i’ve seen them on her instagram before and to be reminded how genuine and unique her voice is。 i really can’t imagine the unnecessary hate aimed at her that others carry。 the space she takes up in their minds， the time they dedicate to trying to make her life difficult。 i’ve never written a book review before， but i have to write one here because any negative one is from someone who hasn’t read her book and has preconceived notions of who she is based off no more than 15 minutes shown on instagram every other day or on one traumatic incident。 this book， like most things bri writes， is beautifully written。 i loved it。 。。。more
Kat Lea
，
There is a lot of venom in these comments from people who have a lot of rage to supplant but they are not too far off when they say the bulk of this book is made up of content very similar to her instagram。 I mean they were beautifully written captions on instagram and they are beautifully rewritten in this book but when it ended I thought I had missed some portion of the book because it was short and didn’t necessarily feel fully realized。 But it is well written well timed and I think her story There is a lot of venom in these comments from people who have a lot of rage to supplant but they are not too far off when they say the bulk of this book is made up of content very similar to her instagram。 I mean they were beautifully written captions on instagram and they are beautifully rewritten in this book but when it ended I thought I had missed some portion of the book because it was short and didn’t necessarily feel fully realized。 But it is well written well timed and I think her story and manner of telling it are beautiful 。。。more
Jenny Bremer
，
This book。 A tender account of what I feel like is both the difficulty and gift of life; beautiful tragedy and tragic beauty。 A book that made me cry and makes me want to barrel through my life with nothing but heart， abandoning any logic that may be left。 A book that affirms the necessity of telling the truth。 I’ve followed Brianna for years on Instagram， and I can only hope I feel as emotional about my own book I’m going to write someday as I do getting to reading hers。
E
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A beautifully crafted story of a unique human experience。 It’s raw， unfiltered， heartbreaking and full of hope at the same time。 The story shifted （no spoilers） about 2/3 of the way through and， although in real life it was devastating for her， she gracefully navigated the shift in the book with both tenderness and utmost care and linguistic finesse。 I’ve been following along with Bri and her pups since 2018 and it was so cool to read the more in-depth details behind the snippets I’ve had the pr A beautifully crafted story of a unique human experience。 It’s raw， unfiltered， heartbreaking and full of hope at the same time。 The story shifted （no spoilers） about 2/3 of the way through and， although in real life it was devastating for her， she gracefully navigated the shift in the book with both tenderness and utmost care and linguistic finesse。 I’ve been following along with Bri and her pups since 2018 and it was so cool to read the more in-depth details behind the snippets I’ve had the privilege of watching for 4 years。 I laughed， I cried， I mega ugly cried at the end。 Be sure to read all of the acknowledgements。 I can’t wait for her second book！！！！ 。。。more
Stacy Evans
，
I have been following Brianna for years and have always been impressed by her ferocious spirit。 She is an incredibly self-aware and courageous woman， who loves so deeply。 Her sensitivity is what makes her such a delight to learn from。 I love the way she loves her dogs and the way she pushes to do things her way， and essentially tells society to "f$%& off" because arbitrary rules are meant to be broken。 Her writing leads me to often think "wow" when I finish a sentence。 I devoured this book。 I hi I have been following Brianna for years and have always been impressed by her ferocious spirit。 She is an incredibly self-aware and courageous woman， who loves so deeply。 Her sensitivity is what makes her such a delight to learn from。 I love the way she loves her dogs and the way she pushes to do things her way， and essentially tells society to "f$%& off" because arbitrary rules are meant to be broken。 Her writing leads me to often think "wow" when I finish a sentence。 I devoured this book。 I highly recommend！ 。。。more
Lana
，
A beautiful memoir。 I've followed her for years on Instagram and really enjoyed hearing more insights into the stories I've seen her share， and hearing stories I'd never heard。 Some of her adventures had me feeling mega anxiety， and I cried with her as she recounted the story of Dagwood's famous accident。 I dog-eared many a page to remember a beautifully written passage， or because she connected the dots beautifully for something I've experienced myself。 Her straight to the point honest and real A beautiful memoir。 I've followed her for years on Instagram and really enjoyed hearing more insights into the stories I've seen her share， and hearing stories I'd never heard。 Some of her adventures had me feeling mega anxiety， and I cried with her as she recounted the story of Dagwood's famous accident。 I dog-eared many a page to remember a beautifully written passage， or because she connected the dots beautifully for something I've experienced myself。 Her straight to the point honest and real writing style is my favorite kind。 Because I can always see the realness and can connect to the heart of the storyteller that way。 I love a story of how a human came to be， and this one is a good one。 Plus。。。dogs。 。。。more
Amberly Hauger
，
Maybe it’s the romantic it in me but the love you had and will always have for “Neil” is so strong。 I value your ability to show him respect in spite all that you both have been through。 My heart aches for you and the loss of that part of your life。 I know this book isn’t a love story per say， but I think it kinda is。 not your traditional love story but It’s a love story about you falling in love with yourself。 Through all your strengths and weaknesses， through all desert things， family dynamics Maybe it’s the romantic it in me but the love you had and will always have for “Neil” is so strong。 I value your ability to show him respect in spite all that you both have been through。 My heart aches for you and the loss of that part of your life。 I know this book isn’t a love story per say， but I think it kinda is。 not your traditional love story but It’s a love story about you falling in love with yourself。 Through all your strengths and weaknesses， through all desert things， family dynamics， marriage and divorce， dogs that are like kids， and endless van breakdowns。 I can see （and feel ） you fall love with yourself after ， to become more in tune with your heart and soul。 to believe and trust in yourself。 and that’s the most beautiful thing about the whole book。 I think writing your book and the sincere honesty that is the core of the book is the bravest thing anyone could do。 Every feeling you wrote， I felt。 Every view you described， I saw。 Every raw gods-honest truth you told， I felt in my soul。 The ability to tell a story in the way you do， with such captivating imagery， to make me feel all the things that you are describing is …i don’t know how to describe it…powerful？ Beautiful？ That doesn’t seem to be a enough…。 Magic， I think。 Pure magic。 Thank you for sharing even more of yourself with the world。 You inspire us all。 To never leave the dogs behind， always wear the cow print anything， to be scared but to do it anyways， to be tits to the wind， to go to therapy， to cry， to be honest and authentically ourselves， and to take the road alone。 I hope you continue to share your world and your words with all of us for many years to come。 。。。more
Ashley
，
I loved so much of this book。 I've been an Instagram follower of Brianna for many years now and her beautiful writing has led me to tears on a number of occasions so I knew her book would be good and I wasn't disappointed。 I relate to so much of the spirit behind her adventures just with a different focus （I hate heat and could never imagine living in a desert- give me the woods）。 The desire to have more than the conventional life and making steps to avoid it。 There were plenty of times I cringe I loved so much of this book。 I've been an Instagram follower of Brianna for many years now and her beautiful writing has led me to tears on a number of occasions so I knew her book would be good and I wasn't disappointed。 I relate to so much of the spirit behind her adventures just with a different focus （I hate heat and could never imagine living in a desert- give me the woods）。 The desire to have more than the conventional life and making steps to avoid it。 There were plenty of times I cringed at her choices and how badly they could have gone but I'm sure the handful of people viewing my life would have winced at my decisions too （moving to a small Scottish island to work a job after a 15 minute long phone conversation， moving to Norway for a useless degree， hitchhiking around Iceland and hiking the Fimvorduhals trek on a whim， etc）。 I have， at least for the moment returned to the 'normal' life but will get back out on the road eventually。 And this time bring my dog。 I read a lot of memoirs and I loved this one。 I have a different philosophy of dog ownership than Brianna but I'd be willing to bet my dog would choose her dogs' life any day （thought he is a Northern breed so also wouldn't suit the desert）。 Just because you disagree with a person there is no excuse for the constant online harassment and vitriol Brianna is subject to。 I couldn't imagine how shitty a person's life must be to spend so much time spreading hate about someone- participating on message boards， calling her Airbnb hosts， etc。 And for what？ I remember the day of Dagwood's accident。 I remember the horror and the uncertainty of the following weeks and listening to Brianna recount in this book what happened was heartbreaking。 But the thing is， I had seen videos of the dogs running alongside the van hundreds of times。 I knew they did it out in the middle of nowhere with no one else around。 Anyone with two braincells to rub together could have realized that it must have been their vehicle that ran over Dags。 And you know what that's called？ An accident。 An unfortunate accident that will haunt his owner forever- not something to be thrown at them as a weapon constantly。 If you felt duped by the gofundme- learn some common sense， grow up， and fuck off。 Get your own life instead of wasting it hating on someone else's。 。。。more
Morgan McCartney
，
A fantastic quick read！ Brianna writes as if she’s speaking to you & her honestly， emotions， & vulnerability are so potent & refreshing。 One of my absolute favorites！
Allison
，
This is a moving book full of real grief， happiness， and life lessons。 I really enjoyed hearing Brianna tell her story。 Her book was thoughtful， self reflective， and her gift for storytelling is clear。 There were so many moments where I just wanted to wrap my arms around her and many times where I saw myself and my own struggles in what she described。 This is a book for anyone who wants to discover themselves in deeper ways and for anyone who needs to know that it will be okay。 Time allows us di This is a moving book full of real grief， happiness， and life lessons。 I really enjoyed hearing Brianna tell her story。 Her book was thoughtful， self reflective， and her gift for storytelling is clear。 There were so many moments where I just wanted to wrap my arms around her and many times where I saw myself and my own struggles in what she described。 This is a book for anyone who wants to discover themselves in deeper ways and for anyone who needs to know that it will be okay。 Time allows us distance from wounds and it does get better。 It was also amazing to hear the beautiful way Brianna uses language。 She has a knack for writing truly descriptive passages and I felt I could imagine all of the ins and outs of the desert。Also to the haters — seriously？ You have nothing better to do with your time？ Get outta here and start living your own damn life。 。。。more
Katie Gardner
，
Brianna’s words speak directly to your soul and leave you ready to embark on your own journey towards an unconventional life。 Her book is raw， vulnerable， and doesn’t shy away from the hard stuff — but it’s also filled with stories of the beautiful and oftentimes funny and wild ride we call life。 You don’t have to be outdoorsy， or live in a van， or even like dogs （although dogs are highly encouraged！） to pick up Nowhere For Very Long and not want to put it down。
Julie
，
Loved this book。 I have followed Brianna’s journey on Instagram for years so there were no big surprises here but far more detail and insight into the complexities of van life in the desert with 4 dogs。
Tiffany
，
An amazing writer！ Everyone has their own story and Brianna has told hers with passion。
Susan Crane
，