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ladylizardxvii's review against another edition
5.0
I love books about the Oregon Trail, but this one certainly had a unique twist to it with the author driving a mule team and a covered wagon to Oregon himself! I enjoyed Buck's "pioneer journal" style of writing about his adventures even if he did have some wild opinions about RVers and organized religion. To each his own. The mules were the best characters of the book for sure!
warrensampson's review against another edition
Gave it 100 pages and just couldn't force myself to go further. Any comparison to Bill Bryson is vastly overstating the entertainment-factor of this book.
jbeen21's review against another edition
4.0
Thank you to the Goodreads First Reads giveaways program and Simon & Schuster for the ARC edition of “The Oregon Trail: An American Journey” by Rinker Buck.
Rinker Buck is a born adventurer. At the age of 17, he and his younger brother reassembled a Piper Cub plane and became the youngest aviators to fly coast to coast. As a child, he traveled from New Jersey to Pennsylvania with his family in a covered wagon, a sign advising, “See America Slowly” hanging from the back. As a journalist, he explored the world, chronicling subjects ranging from cattle rustling in Wyoming to politics in the Middle East. So it didn’t seem unusual that in 2011, he set his eye on traveling the Oregon Trail, the 2,000-mile stretch of land that lured thousands of American families and farmers west during the years before the Civil War.
After a winter spent researching mules, covered wagons, trail provisions and topography maps, Buck recruits his brother, Nick, a master horseman, carpenter and mechanic, to accompany him. With Nick’s terrier, Olive Oyl, in tow, they eventually set out overland in a covered wagon pulled by three mules. The fastidious Buck quickly realizes that the Brooks Brothers robe and vegetable steamer he’d thought essential for the trip is deadweight. I enjoyed the interactions between the two brothers, whose comic “odd couple” relationship plays out across as they journey west.
One of my favorite aspects of the book was the way Buck integrated bits of history about the Trail into his own modern-day account. The section about Narcissa Whitman, the first white woman to successfully cross the Rocky Mountains - much of it on horseback - was particularly inspiring. Other chapters, such as the one detailing the various styles of wagons (Conestoga vs. the box wagon), were not quite as interesting to me, but were very detailed and reflect the vast amount of research Buck did before his trip. His epic account of his Oregon Trail journey is best enjoyed as their father’s original wagon sign advised: “Slowly.” There’s so much to take in.
Rinker Buck is a born adventurer. At the age of 17, he and his younger brother reassembled a Piper Cub plane and became the youngest aviators to fly coast to coast. As a child, he traveled from New Jersey to Pennsylvania with his family in a covered wagon, a sign advising, “See America Slowly” hanging from the back. As a journalist, he explored the world, chronicling subjects ranging from cattle rustling in Wyoming to politics in the Middle East. So it didn’t seem unusual that in 2011, he set his eye on traveling the Oregon Trail, the 2,000-mile stretch of land that lured thousands of American families and farmers west during the years before the Civil War.
After a winter spent researching mules, covered wagons, trail provisions and topography maps, Buck recruits his brother, Nick, a master horseman, carpenter and mechanic, to accompany him. With Nick’s terrier, Olive Oyl, in tow, they eventually set out overland in a covered wagon pulled by three mules. The fastidious Buck quickly realizes that the Brooks Brothers robe and vegetable steamer he’d thought essential for the trip is deadweight. I enjoyed the interactions between the two brothers, whose comic “odd couple” relationship plays out across as they journey west.
One of my favorite aspects of the book was the way Buck integrated bits of history about the Trail into his own modern-day account. The section about Narcissa Whitman, the first white woman to successfully cross the Rocky Mountains - much of it on horseback - was particularly inspiring. Other chapters, such as the one detailing the various styles of wagons (Conestoga vs. the box wagon), were not quite as interesting to me, but were very detailed and reflect the vast amount of research Buck did before his trip. His epic account of his Oregon Trail journey is best enjoyed as their father’s original wagon sign advised: “Slowly.” There’s so much to take in.
gustavasofia's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
4.5
robhood's review against another edition
2.0
For the first half of this book, it was a wonderful fun read, but then the author began his intellectual liberal agenda and began pointing out the stupidity of people who disagree with his views. After he mentioned Howard Zinn, the book became quite tedious to read. I take umbrage because I was reading this book for pleasure! If I want to read polemics I prefer Sinclair Lewis, Saul Alinsky, or Ayn Rand! When I read for pleasure, I want no political agendas
mitchthepint's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
jkn303's review against another edition
4.0
This was a great book, but the incredibly intricate detail of everything sometimes got to be a bit much for me.
literarylover37's review against another edition
2.0
Thanks to Goodreads for this book.
I thought it was an interesting concept but the historical portions were almost too in depth. I liked the modern day portions a lot better and enjoyed seeing how the brothers were able to try and traverse the trail with historical accuracy but today's difficulties.
I thought it was an interesting concept but the historical portions were almost too in depth. I liked the modern day portions a lot better and enjoyed seeing how the brothers were able to try and traverse the trail with historical accuracy but today's difficulties.
asurges's review against another edition
5.0
I wish Goodreads had two rating categories: how the work stands and how much I liked it as a reader. This is one of those books. I can't not give it five stars: Rinker Buck (and how much do we love that name?) is a good writer, and he takes a ton of information about the Oregon Trail--which he and his brother covered in 2010, in an authentic covered wagon pulled by three mules--and makes the information easy to read and follow. And it's interesting stuff, like dysentery and people dying on the trail and how there's a whole Mormon group that does an Oregon Trail camp, etc.
However, I think I like more emotional memoirs, the kind that dig deeper. Just my thing.
Good book, though. I gave it to my dad, who read it quickly and enjoyed it immensely.
However, I think I like more emotional memoirs, the kind that dig deeper. Just my thing.
Good book, though. I gave it to my dad, who read it quickly and enjoyed it immensely.