A review by jfranco77
Rolling Nowhere: Riding the Rails with America's Hoboes by Ted Conover
4.0
Rolling Nowhere was originally written in 1984, so it might not be quite as relevant today. This edition (published in 2001) has a foreword from the author acknowledging as much.
Conover took a few months to "ride the rails" as a tramp. He lived the tramp life, talked and rode with fellow tramps, and took notes to share his story.
The story has a lot of waiting around and times between train rides. The descriptions of the train rides themselves are better than the descriptions of tramp life, but both are interesting. Conover seems like he really immersed himself in their world - which is equal parts dangerous, boring and difficult.
Conover occasionally gets preachy about how the tramp problem could be "fixed" - at one point he even wanders into the world of illegal Mexican farm workers and explores their plight - but mostly keeps himself under control and doesn't get intrusive about it.
Conover took a few months to "ride the rails" as a tramp. He lived the tramp life, talked and rode with fellow tramps, and took notes to share his story.
The story has a lot of waiting around and times between train rides. The descriptions of the train rides themselves are better than the descriptions of tramp life, but both are interesting. Conover seems like he really immersed himself in their world - which is equal parts dangerous, boring and difficult.
Conover occasionally gets preachy about how the tramp problem could be "fixed" - at one point he even wanders into the world of illegal Mexican farm workers and explores their plight - but mostly keeps himself under control and doesn't get intrusive about it.