Midwest Book Review
“The Biography/Memoir Shelf”
April 14, 2026
When Michael Yang bought his first motorcycle, he was a teenager who’d just moved to America. He knew little English and had few friends. Still, whenever he rode that green Yamaha, he felt more in touch with life’s possibilities. The bike was stolen a few months later, but Yang never forgot the feeling.
It wasn’t until later in life that Yang got back on a motorcycle. By then, he’d settled into Silicon Valley amidst the technology revolution; and founded, scaled, and sold a half-billion-dollar tech startup. Then, during the upheaval of the dot-com bubble burst and a few failed attempts to get new companies off the ground, Yang felt a strong pull to re-engage with himself. Sensing that this midlife crisis was an opportunity to do something fun and exciting, he revved up his bike and began riding into unfamiliar landscapes.
Covering more than 40,000 miles of his travels, from California’s coast to the upper reaches of Alaska, Canada’s far eastern edge, and more, “Coming Alive on the Ride: A Memoir of Motorcycle Travel, Self-Discovery, and Korean Heritage” is Yang’s personal account of his ride…
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