Status
Available
Call number
Collections
Publication
Ebury Press (2008), 384 pages
Description
"The plan was simple. Go to America. Buy a second-hand car. Drive coast-to-coast without giving any money to The Man . What could possibly go wrong? Dismayed by the relentless onslaught of faceless American chains muscling in where local businesses had once thrived, Dave Gorman set off on the ultimate American road trip in search of the true, independent heart of the U S of A. He would eat cherry pie from local diners, re-fuel at dusty gas stations and stock up on supplies from Mom and Pop s grocery store. At least that was the idea. But when did you last see an independent gas station? Gamely, Dave beds down in a Colorado trailer park, sleeps in an Oregon forest treehouse, and even spends Thanksgiving with a Mexican family in Kansas. But when his trip mutates into an odyssey of near-epic proportions and he finds himself being threatened at gun point in Mississippi, Dave starts to worry about what's going to break down next. The car... or him?"… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member Phurge
Dave Gorman - the master of the the "Stupid boy project" airport novel disappoints in this one. He is a talented writer and can obviously engage his subjects. This novel unfortunately turns into a story of how to drive a 1970's rust-bucket from one gas station to the next. Very disappointing
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considering the potential of the idea - drive west to east USA without using a chain-store. Show Less
LibraryThing member WarlockUK
This was a very good and profound project to write a book about and Dave Gorman is just the type of guy that would try and pull it off. The writing is witty, pithy and often self-deprecating but the futility of the project seems almost clear from the outset. Much of the book concerns the personal
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ups and downs of Dave as he tries gamely to stick to his rules and you can almost feel the desperation and the joy. Ultimately the book and the project lose their way, neither being the fault of the author. This is entertaining but depressing in its content which, of course, was the intent Show Less
LibraryThing member BoundTogetherForGood
This is the type of book I am very drawn to. Adventure, travel, wit. And yet Dave Gorman got a bit whingey (whiney)...in fact he threw a positively cry-like-a-baby-girl-fit at one point. That was the only thing that tempered my like of the book. Duffy and I, I dare say, could have done a better
Funny though, I have only sat and flipped through British tv channels two or three times. The other night I did so, perhaps the second time I ever recall doing it. And up pops this face of a person wearing a dorky cardigan. I just knew it was him. It was. He happens to host a show called 'Genius'. For those familiar with my brother Scott's Sidewalk-Not a Sidewalk, it is simliar to that! As David came to bed the show was winding down and we finished viewing it together and the end of that epiosde was pretty funny. By the way, the sound of his voice is rather dorky. (I'm not usually tough on people this way, but I think he takes a stab when he's able so I think it's fair that I just say what I think.) ;)
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job, and we even discussed how we'd have set about to do it.Funny though, I have only sat and flipped through British tv channels two or three times. The other night I did so, perhaps the second time I ever recall doing it. And up pops this face of a person wearing a dorky cardigan. I just knew it was him. It was. He happens to host a show called 'Genius'. For those familiar with my brother Scott's Sidewalk-Not a Sidewalk, it is simliar to that! As David came to bed the show was winding down and we finished viewing it together and the end of that epiosde was pretty funny. By the way, the sound of his voice is rather dorky. (I'm not usually tough on people this way, but I think he takes a stab when he's able so I think it's fair that I just say what I think.) ;)
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LibraryThing member richardgarside
A missed oportunity. A great idea for an interesting book but not carried through, becomes a filling station to filling station saga with rare bursts of average characterisation and in the last US states simply runs out of ideas.
PS all the people in Kansas are saints and all those in Missippippi
PS all the people in Kansas are saints and all those in Missippippi
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completely thye opposite - I doubt it! Show Less
LibraryThing member AJBraithwaite
I liked the premise of the road trip, although I did find it slightly ironic that Gorman was rejecting the idea of big chains and brands, while managing to milk the trip and his own personal brand for all it was worth, by making a documentary as part of it. The filming itself caused problems and
It was a funny book, though, with plenty of laugh-out-loud moments which reminded me in many ways of Bill Bryson's writing.
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threw the author into what can only be described as a full-on strop when he got to Moab in Utah. I lost a fair bit of respect for him there, and again at the point when the car's water pump failed and he acted like a spoilt child. At these moments, the celebrity shone through and my sympathy for him faltered.It was a funny book, though, with plenty of laugh-out-loud moments which reminded me in many ways of Bill Bryson's writing.
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LibraryThing member ownedbycats
well written book about a road trip from coast to coast. he tried to stay away from chains, and did a great job. i would have loved there to be more photos.
LibraryThing member foolplustime
I've read this one before, twice in fact, so this isn't really a review so much as an - even though I've read it before, twice in fact, it's still really readable and really enjoyable.
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2008
Physical description
384 p.; 5.28 inches
ISBN
0091899338 / 9780091899332