Scan barcode
maryehavens's review
4.0
I missed the part where Waters introduced the first two parts as fiction so I was shocked by the "Good Ride" chapters until I realized that they were fiction. My bad.
I really, really enjoy Waters non-fiction. I would happily listen or read another one of those. My libraries only have one other book by Waters and it's fiction so I will pass. The fiction was way too sexual for me and I expect the novel to be the same.
The non-fiction: I just love Waters commentary on popular culture and his references. He's a master of American popular culture. I also love his sense of humor. He's so unpretentious when writing non-fiction. His commentary on portion size, chain restaurants, gambling and the like. He loved Ruby Tuesday's and hated Applebee's :) He had never eaten at the Outback Steakhouse which makes me wonder if he doesn't have access to one in his area of Baltimore or he never sought one out. What does he eat every day? Where does he live? I imagine that he doesn't go out to eat much or he just lives in an area of Baltimore that doesn't have many chain restaurants. I live outside of Austin and it's hard to find chains in Austin proper - the suburbs certainly have loads of chain restaurants. Waters isn't slamming the chains either - it's just not part of his life.
My favorite quote of this book went something like "standing underneath that bald hell known as the sun". :)
I laughed many times, especially in the "Bad Ride" and "Real Ride" chapters. I didn't understand the "Good Rides" but that was my fault.
I really, really enjoy Waters non-fiction. I would happily listen or read another one of those. My libraries only have one other book by Waters and it's fiction so I will pass. The fiction was way too sexual for me and I expect the novel to be the same.
The non-fiction: I just love Waters commentary on popular culture and his references. He's a master of American popular culture. I also love his sense of humor. He's so unpretentious when writing non-fiction. His commentary on portion size, chain restaurants, gambling and the like. He loved Ruby Tuesday's and hated Applebee's :) He had never eaten at the Outback Steakhouse which makes me wonder if he doesn't have access to one in his area of Baltimore or he never sought one out. What does he eat every day? Where does he live? I imagine that he doesn't go out to eat much or he just lives in an area of Baltimore that doesn't have many chain restaurants. I live outside of Austin and it's hard to find chains in Austin proper - the suburbs certainly have loads of chain restaurants. Waters isn't slamming the chains either - it's just not part of his life.
My favorite quote of this book went something like "standing underneath that bald hell known as the sun". :)
I laughed many times, especially in the "Bad Ride" and "Real Ride" chapters. I didn't understand the "Good Rides" but that was my fault.
onabug612's review
2.0
I love John Waters, but this book totally fell flat. I hated the best-case and worst-case scenarios that took up the majority of the book. Can't win em all, I guess.
cojack's review against another edition
3.0
The 3 stars is a little generous. Carsick rates a little below a 3 for me, but I like John Waters, so I bumped it up. The construction of this book -- 1st section is fictitious good rides; 2nd is fictitious hellish rides; 3rd section is FINALLY the real rides -- ends up being its downfall. The first section is a pretty hilarious, wild ride. The second section was awful. It reminded me that I don't really dig Waters' gross-out stuff all that much. The "Bad Rides" section had too much disgusting, stomach churning detail for me. I found myself skipping ahead a lot during this part. It was plain unenjoyable. When we finally get to his real rides, the details are a little skimpy. I think he could have carved more page space from the middle section and fleshed out the last part more. The book would have worked better for me if he had sprinkled the good and bad imagined rides throughout the real rides, e.g., imagining what the person pulling over might be like, then giving the real ride.
** This review is of the audiobook version. The main reason I stuck it out is that Waters was reading it. He is fun to listen to. If I had been reading it, I might have tossed it aside midway through.
** This review is of the audiobook version. The main reason I stuck it out is that Waters was reading it. He is fun to listen to. If I had been reading it, I might have tossed it aside midway through.
karenleagermain's review
4.0
I'm a big fan of John Waters, both his films and his books. I love his quirky sense of humor and bizarre characters. His stories are completely outrageous.
As much as I enjoy his fiction, I was even more intrigued by the premise for his latest book, Carsick: John Waters Hitchhikes Across America. In this new mostly non-fiction book, Waters' documents his journey as he hitchhikes from his home in Baltimore to his home in Maryland. Naturally, I wondered if life would imitate his art and if he would be picked up by anyone resembling one of his crazy characters.
Carsick: John Waters Hitchhikes Across America, isn't strictly non-fiction. In the prologue Waters mentions John Steinbeck's Travels with Charley: In Search of America, which was published in the 60's and passed off as non-fiction. However, it turned out that Steinbeck had fabricated his entire journey. Waters' does actually get out there and hitchhike, but the first half of the book is dedicated to his imaginary journey that he wrote prior to setting off on the real adventure.
The imaginary journey is ambitious. It's broken up into two sections, first the imaginary best-case-scenario trip and second, his imagined trip from hell. The characters in both situations are similar, like something ripped from his stories. Since his creations are such colorful characters, I expected Waters' version of hell to be rides with dull people. What could be worse than boring? No, the bad rides are hyper versions of the craziest people from his imagination. It's as if Waters is being tortured by his own creations. It's Waters at his most horrific.
Although extremely creative and often humorous, the fictitious journey section failed to completely hold my interest. I read several other books, while I was trying to get through the first half of this book. I just couldn't read it in large chunks. However, once I made it to the real journey, I read it straight through. The non-fiction stole the show.
What made the non-fiction so compelling was Waters venerability. Sure, he brought credit cards and a phone. If he had ever been in real trouble, he had the means to get out of it. He made this clear. He wasn't going to be completely nuts in the name of getting a story. However, he still had fears and discomforts. He spent a lot of time out in the elements and although all of the drivers were harmless, a few had barely concealed checkered pasts. Occasionally he was recognized by a fan, but often people had no idea who they were picking up and sometimes didn't believe that he was a famous filmmaker. He came close, but he never bailed on the project.
What really touched me about his travels, was the overriding theme of kindness and decent people that he met on the road. More than once, people tried to give him money, because they thought the he was in need. One woman even refused to take no for an answer and he had to find a way to pay-it-forward.
This creative endeavor was very much in line with the quality about Waters work that endears me to him. The characters that he creates, good/bad, no matter how outlandish have this quality of living their authentic selves in a out and proud way. I felt like Waters highlighted the people that picked him up in a similar fashion. For the most part, no one that was too much of a "Character" picked him up...there was a ministers wife, a mayor, a police officer...fairly ordinary people that would not find their way into a Waters movie. However, with each chapter he gave these people their due and I liked the way that Waters interacted with them, even though some of them clearly had disparate social and political ideals. Waters connected with each person in a meaningful way.
I'd pick up Waters if I saw him on the side of the road and like many of his friends, I was relieved when he made it safely to his destination!
Like my review? Check out my blog!
As much as I enjoy his fiction, I was even more intrigued by the premise for his latest book, Carsick: John Waters Hitchhikes Across America. In this new mostly non-fiction book, Waters' documents his journey as he hitchhikes from his home in Baltimore to his home in Maryland. Naturally, I wondered if life would imitate his art and if he would be picked up by anyone resembling one of his crazy characters.
Carsick: John Waters Hitchhikes Across America, isn't strictly non-fiction. In the prologue Waters mentions John Steinbeck's Travels with Charley: In Search of America, which was published in the 60's and passed off as non-fiction. However, it turned out that Steinbeck had fabricated his entire journey. Waters' does actually get out there and hitchhike, but the first half of the book is dedicated to his imaginary journey that he wrote prior to setting off on the real adventure.
The imaginary journey is ambitious. It's broken up into two sections, first the imaginary best-case-scenario trip and second, his imagined trip from hell. The characters in both situations are similar, like something ripped from his stories. Since his creations are such colorful characters, I expected Waters' version of hell to be rides with dull people. What could be worse than boring? No, the bad rides are hyper versions of the craziest people from his imagination. It's as if Waters is being tortured by his own creations. It's Waters at his most horrific.
Although extremely creative and often humorous, the fictitious journey section failed to completely hold my interest. I read several other books, while I was trying to get through the first half of this book. I just couldn't read it in large chunks. However, once I made it to the real journey, I read it straight through. The non-fiction stole the show.
What made the non-fiction so compelling was Waters venerability. Sure, he brought credit cards and a phone. If he had ever been in real trouble, he had the means to get out of it. He made this clear. He wasn't going to be completely nuts in the name of getting a story. However, he still had fears and discomforts. He spent a lot of time out in the elements and although all of the drivers were harmless, a few had barely concealed checkered pasts. Occasionally he was recognized by a fan, but often people had no idea who they were picking up and sometimes didn't believe that he was a famous filmmaker. He came close, but he never bailed on the project.
What really touched me about his travels, was the overriding theme of kindness and decent people that he met on the road. More than once, people tried to give him money, because they thought the he was in need. One woman even refused to take no for an answer and he had to find a way to pay-it-forward.
This creative endeavor was very much in line with the quality about Waters work that endears me to him. The characters that he creates, good/bad, no matter how outlandish have this quality of living their authentic selves in a out and proud way. I felt like Waters highlighted the people that picked him up in a similar fashion. For the most part, no one that was too much of a "Character" picked him up...there was a ministers wife, a mayor, a police officer...fairly ordinary people that would not find their way into a Waters movie. However, with each chapter he gave these people their due and I liked the way that Waters interacted with them, even though some of them clearly had disparate social and political ideals. Waters connected with each person in a meaningful way.
I'd pick up Waters if I saw him on the side of the road and like many of his friends, I was relieved when he made it safely to his destination!
Like my review? Check out my blog!
jennie_cole's review
2.0
After about half of the first third of the book I just skipped to the Real Ride section. The fictional stories are not my type but the real section is great.
andrea_c's review against another edition
4.0
All things being equal, I would rate this lower than Role Models. All things were *not* equal however, as I had the good foresight to get the audio copy for this book. John Waters is delightful as always, I will never turn down an opportunity to hear him engage is hitchhiking disaster fantasies.
jeneraptor's review
3.0
Overall, I enjoy John Waters's voice, and his truthful account of his trip was delightful. Listening to that part of the book, read by John Waters, was a lot of fun. However, I could have done without the fictional good and worst accounts. But that's just me.