Ed Griffin-Nolan

I did some hitchhiking and freight-hopping in my younger years, and I love reading travel stories more than pretty much anything, so I was very much looking forward to this book. All in all, the story didn't disappoint. Though it's a quick and matter-of-fact read, it's also an engaging and insightful narrative of a contemporary hitchhike adventure across (most of) the continent. I appreciated the straightforward character portraits that the author drew, and enjoyed overlaying those with memories of my own travels, and thoughts about the differences between various regions of America. And I loved the premise behind the author's project ... though I was a little disappointed to discover that he muddied the purity of it a bit by giving himself a deadline, and a budget for motels and such.

There were places where I longed for a little more description, but mostly, I just wished his journey had been longer. This is definitely a recommended read for anyone who enjoys American travel writing.… (meer)

This was a quick and enjoyable read. In short, the author, in his 60s, set out to retract a hitchhiking trip he made with a friend 40 years earlier. It's a great story for anyone who enjoys travel, as the author vividly describes the places he passes through and the people he meets along the way. You don't quite feel like you're there, which, in some cases, is a good thing. You do, however, very clearly get an idea of what life on the road is like. The author intersperses the travelogue descriptions with personal reflections and insights, both relating his own personal story as well as drawing connections between the people he meets and the larger American society of 2019 and 2020 - that is, pre-COVID-19. A reccuring theme in the book is dispelling the myth that you'd have to be crazy to hitchhike today, because the road is full of dangerous strangers. In the end, the author seems to conclude that the road really is just full of people like us, but at the same time, full of people you'd only meet by getting out of your comfort zone and getting out on the road.… (meer)