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A review by bethaniekay
Kamikaze Kangaroos!: A trip around Oz in a van called Rusty by Tony James Slater
2.0
2.5 stars
I've had this on my Kindle for so many years, and decided to finally read it. I knew mostly what to expect from reading a previous book from this author, but I think in the years since I purchased this book, I have matured, and so have my views on what is or is not funny.
I guess it's to be expected, but I found much of the author's commentary to be sexist, racist, disrespectful, or just completely tone-deaf. I was horrified when he ignored all the rules/signs and decided to climb Uluru (which he cluelessly still called Ayers Rock), without any care for the fact that not only is it dangerous, but it's a sacred site for the native culture. Most of his actions seemed motivated by the thrill-factor, which may be fine when you're 15, but not as an adult.
Also, I suppose others will think his lifestyle is adventurous and carefree, but he seemed lazy and irresponsible to me. Granted, I'll give him (and the girls) credit for taking up practically any odd-job just to get a paycheck, and I admire the desire to explore a country -- but again he seemed like a reckless 15 year old rather than an adult. The level to which they were utterly unprepared for driving across the most dangerous parts of Australia, or hiking a long-distance trail without the proper safety or survival gear/food, just made me cringe. It was truly not funny. It was also not funny how many times they left an employer high and dry and seemingly ran off in the night just to get on to their next adventure. Yeah, totally mature.
On the plus side, there were some funny stories, and I enjoyed the camaraderie between the three of them. I also did enjoy their more genuine moments of discovery as a traveler would make about the places and people they encountered. Australia is a vast, beautiful, interesting country with warm, gregarious people - and they at least captured some of that.
I think I've grown past this author's humor, so I won't be reading any more of his books.
I've had this on my Kindle for so many years, and decided to finally read it. I knew mostly what to expect from reading a previous book from this author, but I think in the years since I purchased this book, I have matured, and so have my views on what is or is not funny.
I guess it's to be expected, but I found much of the author's commentary to be sexist, racist, disrespectful, or just completely tone-deaf. I was horrified when he ignored all the rules/signs and decided to climb Uluru (which he cluelessly still called Ayers Rock), without any care for the fact that not only is it dangerous, but it's a sacred site for the native culture. Most of his actions seemed motivated by the thrill-factor, which may be fine when you're 15, but not as an adult.
Also, I suppose others will think his lifestyle is adventurous and carefree, but he seemed lazy and irresponsible to me. Granted, I'll give him (and the girls) credit for taking up practically any odd-job just to get a paycheck, and I admire the desire to explore a country -- but again he seemed like a reckless 15 year old rather than an adult. The level to which they were utterly unprepared for driving across the most dangerous parts of Australia, or hiking a long-distance trail without the proper safety or survival gear/food, just made me cringe. It was truly not funny. It was also not funny how many times they left an employer high and dry and seemingly ran off in the night just to get on to their next adventure. Yeah, totally mature.
On the plus side, there were some funny stories, and I enjoyed the camaraderie between the three of them. I also did enjoy their more genuine moments of discovery as a traveler would make about the places and people they encountered. Australia is a vast, beautiful, interesting country with warm, gregarious people - and they at least captured some of that.
I think I've grown past this author's humor, so I won't be reading any more of his books.