"Dying Out Here is Not an Option is as wonderful a read as it is a wild ride. Connelly uses his luscious narrative style like a magic boat to transport readers effortlessly into his epic journey. With all the skills of an accomplished novelist, he vividly builds the universe he transects, detail by fascinating detail. You can feel the sun on your back and the cold water in your face as the struggle proceeds. It is a brilliant and engrossing tale of true grit and adventure, and the apotheosis that comes from an heroic effort. I'm so glad he survived to tell the shape of his waters."

-Richard Bangs: Contributor, The New York Times, Slate, Huffington Post, Host of PBS Richard Bangs' Quests and Richard Bangs' Adventures with Purpose

"From the first page, Connelly puts you in the boat with him, feeling nature's rough edge; testing his mettle. The telling of his 1500 mile 75 day solo adventure at age 60, with no ibuprofen, has highs and lows as well as laughs. Reading his account of 800 canoe and 700 kayak miles across such varying landscapes and seascapes is a grand adventure with many twists and turns. You will come away with appreciation and respect for our wild rivers, lakes, streams and oceans. Times of serenity and immense beauty to violent storms and high seas alone, dying out there was indeed possible many times. Glad he made it to tell the tale."

-Kevin Fedarko: Contributor, Outside, Esquire, National Geographic Adventure, Time and author of The Emerald Mile

"I read scattered dispatches of John Connelly's aquatic expedition on Facebook as it happened but now we have a full accounting of his remarkable voyage in both fresh and salt water. Amidst the rapids and tides, exertion and exhaustion, what jumps out is Connelly's incredible drive, a purpose matched by impressive physical prowess. He reveals himself to be a paddler's paddler in some of the most challenging waters of the Northeast. Let's face it, a single day of such kayaking or canoeing and dealing with the elements would be the stuff of a story that other paddlers would retell for their rest of their lives. Connolly had 75 such days in a row, an unbelievable daily roll call of challenges, discomfort and triumphs. Thank goodness for beer, cheeseburgers and an extraordinary assortment of friends who seemed to emerge from the woods to help when help was needed. Not to mention the unflagging support of his wife, Nicole. Read it as diary of determination, even if your own paddling adventures are confined to the occasional afternoon in a canoe on a mill pond."

-Everett Potter: Contributor, Forbes.com, Editor, Everett Potter's Travel Report

"Few people can tell a story like John Connelly, and many fewer have stories to tell like this one! On tax day 2016 -- just after ice-out -- John launched his canoe on a punishing 1,500-mile, 75-day paddling odyssey. The trip included the entire Northern Forest Canoe Trail, St. John River, Bay of Fundy, and Maine Island Trail. (Picture a lasso from upstate New York looping around the state of Maine.) Through his real-time tracking device, fans were able to follow his virtual rooster tail... and wonder anxiously every time the dot on the chart stopped moving, though it rarely stopped for long.

Dying Out Here Is Not an Option gets in John's head for 75 days of challenging on-water conditions and decisions - days of great inspiration and immense challenge even for an extraordinarily accomplished paddler. So pack your dry-bag and get ready!"

Doug Welch, Executive Director, Maine Island Trail Association