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erikbergstrom's review against another edition
5.0
I am not a conquistador, nor am I a mountain man. Or a cowboy or Indian, for that matter. Not even a hobo, believe it or not, and though I am the son of a trucker I am not one. I'm also not a bulldrider, though I do watch it on TV sometimes.
Even with all of that against me, I still loved this book and the unique description of every type of nomad from the last few hundred years. America truly is a nomans land. I hope to actually discover it someday, in all the same ways as the author of this book, Richard Grant. Except I don't really want to ride in a rail car.
Even with all of that against me, I still loved this book and the unique description of every type of nomad from the last few hundred years. America truly is a nomans land. I hope to actually discover it someday, in all the same ways as the author of this book, Richard Grant. Except I don't really want to ride in a rail car.
amy_haynes's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed about a third of this book the rest was a bit of a slog. I think my biggest problem was with the readability; I read a fair amount and have a decent vocabulary but found myself having to look words up frequently, the sentence structure was also often needlessly complex which made the whole thing more hard work than I'd hoped for.
There was a lot more history and information about various Native American tribes than I expected which wasn't really what I was after, however a lot of the more recent and present day information was interesting. Strangely enough (perhaps unfairly) I also found myself not liking the author/narrator; I found many of his thoughts, opinions and behaviours jarring, so that didn't help matters.
There was a lot more history and information about various Native American tribes than I expected which wasn't really what I was after, however a lot of the more recent and present day information was interesting. Strangely enough (perhaps unfairly) I also found myself not liking the author/narrator; I found many of his thoughts, opinions and behaviours jarring, so that didn't help matters.
wordwrestler's review against another edition
2.0
I found the subject matter fascinating and the writer's attitudes frustrating. It's been pointed out to me that Grant has mainly written for Esquire, and so expecting any kind of approach that took women into account as full human beings was, perhaps, overly optimistic of me. The INS "thank you" is a joke that falls flat about how it took the fear of deportation to make him finally get married. There's no real examination of what would make a person choose to be a nomad, and there's an explicit exclusion of women as independent wanderers, except for one token inclusion in the final chapter. Grant knew what he wanted his story to be, so he put on some blinders and went out looking for it. Meh.
chgoange's review against another edition
4.0
I read this book while researching a trip to the American Southwest. I find the desert and it's draw for nomadic types and outcasts interesting. Grant takes the reader thru an entertaining history of various "nomadic cultures" from the native peoples to todays rodeo circuit and outsider cultures, such as the rail riders and Rainbow gatherings. And of course, the retired RV'ers. Can't forget them.
amekatz's review against another edition
4.0
Very intriguing, want to read more by Grant. He does a really good job of bringing in historical events that parallel current ones. The only complaint I have is some chapters are very dense, lots there and a little hard to get through. Still great reading.
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