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Bezig met laden... Looking for America on the New Jersey Turnpike (1989)door Angus K. Gillespie
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Meld je aan bij LibraryThing om erachter te komen of je dit boek goed zult vinden. Op dit moment geen Discussie gesprekken over dit boek. Ever wonder what toll collectors do when a motorist pulls up with no money? Did you know that it is against the law to take pictures on the New Jersey Turnpike? Want to know how the sensors work that are embedded in the road to help monitor traffic flow? Looking for America on the New Jersey Turnpike is not a book one would normally rush out to read, but after reading several favorable reviews I gave it a chance and discovered to my delight it was impossible to put down. The authors, two Rutgers professors, have written a charming short book on the history and problems of that 12-lane corridor through which 197 million vehicles pass annually. Each car, in the process, enriching the New Jersey Turnpike Authority, a totally independent body answerable to virtually no one. While the authors have a tendency to allow their personal gripes to intrude into the narrative, chances are their complaints mirror those of other travelers. If you've ever been as terrified as I while whipping through the northern half trying to enjoy the bountiful scenery of airports, refineries, swamps, cesspools, harbors, dumps, and smog, you'll enjoy this microcosm of America and the Garden State. ( ) Most people would have no interest in reading about the history, culture and sociology of the New Jersey Turnpike. I'm not most people. I found this book fascinating and times frightening. Who knew what control the turnpike authority had over the people who use the road. The turnpike itself is an engineering marvel, the triumph of function over form, and its route through the ugliest parts of the state encourage New Jersey's bad reputation. Yet, the turnpike has also inspired poets, musicians, and artists. Crazy, wonderful stuff. geen besprekingen | voeg een bespreking toe
Two American Studies professors from Rutgers University here show how the New Jersey Turnpike--that "ugly icon,'' America's "widest and most traveled'' road--has found its way into the minds, if not the hearts, of artists and drivers alike. In poet Allen Ginsberg, singer Bruce Springsteen, commuters and roadside home owners lulled to sleep by its drone of traffic, this 12-lane asphalt monster has inspired powerful reactions, from admiration to anger. The authors consider the first asparagus patch plowed up to lay the road; the $70,000 salary a contemporary toll-taker can earn with hefty overtime; and the not infrequent lawlessness of the highway patrol. From the gray-flannel-suit diligence that built it, to the mixture of necessity, practicality and venality that maintains it, the New Jersey Turnpike proves to be an enthralling though unlikely subject. Geen bibliotheekbeschrijvingen gevonden. |
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Google Books — Bezig met laden... GenresDewey Decimale Classificatie (DDC)974.9History and Geography North America Northeastern U.S. New JerseyLC-classificatieWaarderingGemiddelde:
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