A review by docpacey
Rolling Nowhere: Riding the Rails with America's Hoboes by Ted Conover
5.0
Conover was a recent college grad in '81, and decided to see the world through the eyes of freight-hopping tramps, or hobos as they are commonly called. What follows is an eye-opening exploration of the underbelly of american society.
Conover spends a summer and fall crisscrossing the american west alone or with every sort of companion, riding the rails, sleeping in the jungles (railyard camps) or missions, dumpster diving or getting handouts at the sally (salvation army). He has every sort of adventure as he learns the ropes, and in the process he learns a lot about the tramping life, life on the streets, loneliness, trust and america from the perspective of its least wanted citizens.
Surprisingly, he spends a week or so in Everett, Wa., and it seems that not much has changed in the 30 yrs since he was here.
Insightful if not poetic, it's realism is its strength.
Conover spends a summer and fall crisscrossing the american west alone or with every sort of companion, riding the rails, sleeping in the jungles (railyard camps) or missions, dumpster diving or getting handouts at the sally (salvation army). He has every sort of adventure as he learns the ropes, and in the process he learns a lot about the tramping life, life on the streets, loneliness, trust and america from the perspective of its least wanted citizens.
Surprisingly, he spends a week or so in Everett, Wa., and it seems that not much has changed in the 30 yrs since he was here.
Insightful if not poetic, it's realism is its strength.