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A review by earlyandalone
Rolling Nowhere: Riding the Rails with America's Hoboes by Ted Conover
2.0
I thought a book about hoboes would be more compelling, honestly. I liked the idea--a young, privileged, white college student takes to the rails to find out what it's really like to live this lifestyle. What's most compelling, to me, is that Conover didn't have a book deal or a travel stipend--he just wanted to do it, so he did it. The book came later.
However, I was hoping for more analysis, more context. What I got was a day-by-day account of Conover's experiences on the rails. In the introduction, Conover says he was reluctant to publish his inner thoughts, so I was expecting more interiority, more rumination on what drove him to take this kind of trip. Nearly halfway into the book, I wasn't getting anything I came for, so I abandoned it. I think Ted would understand. Life's too short.
However, I was hoping for more analysis, more context. What I got was a day-by-day account of Conover's experiences on the rails. In the introduction, Conover says he was reluctant to publish his inner thoughts, so I was expecting more interiority, more rumination on what drove him to take this kind of trip. Nearly halfway into the book, I wasn't getting anything I came for, so I abandoned it. I think Ted would understand. Life's too short.