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abitters's review against another edition
5.0
For those who love Krakauer, this book has similar themes to Into the Wild, but is written in a much more riveting style. Conant, the focus of the book, is of mythical proportions but the author tracks every story down to corroborate them. A heckuva story. Highly recommend.
amr316's review
DNF 20 pages in. The author is a magazine writer and this is his first book; his writing style left me really struggling to feel emotionally invested in Dick Conant. I was simultaneously bored and confused — there were lots of names/places dropped, without a clear emotional thread. I gave up after a few chapters.
liberrydude's review against another edition
4.0
I started this with some misgivings. My initial reaction of condescension about this mentally ill hobo has moved into a respect and empathetic view of his life. Dick Conant left memories wherever he went.
Mostly good. He touched a lot of people. Only negative views of him were with the librarians in Bozeman. As a librarian I get that. If your behavior is enough to get you banned from the library then it’s with some anxiety and trepidation your arrival at the library is greeted with by the gatekeepers. I’ve dealt with lots of homeless patrons and some characters just like Dick. I think his size just intimidated some people. I think if Dick had come into my library he wouldn’t have had any problems at all.
The author, Ben McGrath, does a good job of telling Dick’s story. His narrative completely shifted my initial assessment of Dick. It’s a mystery adventure. It’s a travel saga. Dick loved to travel and did what lots of us wish we could do. There’s a romantic aspect as well as the harsh reality. Dick was a hoarder. He never threw anything away. We meet his family. We try to unravel his journey on the rivers as well as his life’s path. What was the trigger that caused the “barnacle” effect on him? What happened to him? Why couldn’t the authorities find his body?
Dick Conant was a modern day tall tale. He did what he did because he loved doing it. Life was good for Dick on the move. He only got into trouble when he was stationary or hibernating.
Mostly good. He touched a lot of people. Only negative views of him were with the librarians in Bozeman. As a librarian I get that. If your behavior is enough to get you banned from the library then it’s with some anxiety and trepidation your arrival at the library is greeted with by the gatekeepers. I’ve dealt with lots of homeless patrons and some characters just like Dick. I think his size just intimidated some people. I think if Dick had come into my library he wouldn’t have had any problems at all.
The author, Ben McGrath, does a good job of telling Dick’s story. His narrative completely shifted my initial assessment of Dick. It’s a mystery adventure. It’s a travel saga. Dick loved to travel and did what lots of us wish we could do. There’s a romantic aspect as well as the harsh reality. Dick was a hoarder. He never threw anything away. We meet his family. We try to unravel his journey on the rivers as well as his life’s path. What was the trigger that caused the “barnacle” effect on him? What happened to him? Why couldn’t the authorities find his body?
Dick Conant was a modern day tall tale. He did what he did because he loved doing it. Life was good for Dick on the move. He only got into trouble when he was stationary or hibernating.
trippalli's review
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
An emotional adventure of philosophical freedom living a life on rivers. Such a great compilation of stories, such vivid descriptions and characters from this true story. A real life Huck Finn
library_ann's review against another edition
4.0
A drifter floats into and out of people's lives in his plastic kayak. In some ways he's a person who never met a stranger. But how does anyone know when a person with a mobile lifestyle goes missing?
The story bogged down for me in the middle, when it was less about Dick Conant's actual journeys, and on to the tributary stories of some of the people he encountered on his travels.
I have my own little tributaries to go down though -- one of my college profs once told us how, as a teen, he and a friend had rafted down the Mississippi from somewhere, Minnesota.
The story bogged down for me in the middle, when it was less about Dick Conant's actual journeys, and on to the tributary stories of some of the people he encountered on his travels.
I have my own little tributaries to go down though -- one of my college profs once told us how, as a teen, he and a friend had rafted down the Mississippi from somewhere, Minnesota.