The Oregon Trail: A New American Journey - Rinker Buck
The Oregon Trail: A New American Journey - Rinker Buck
Non-Fiction
Pages: 464
Oh, I really enjoyed this book. If ever a modern-day travelogue could have been written with me in mind, this would have been it. Think Bill Bryson on the Oregon Trail, and you've got something close to this.
Rinker Buck (and could there be a more American name?) and his brother Nick decide to trek across the American West by mule wagon, retracing the old route of the pioneers across the Oregon Trail. It's a midlife crisis kind of event. Too old, too out-of-shape, too broken-down, too naive, but they go anyway. It's a real journey of the heart, the kind of thing, as Buck himself confesses, only 'crazyass passion' could inspire. Along the way they suffer floods, broken wheels, runaway mules, lost possessions, misdirections - in true pioneer style. Whether they make it to Oregon or not...well, I'll leave you to discover that.
What I enjoyed most about this book is that it's both a journey across the historical West and modern America. Throughout the book Buck intersperses historical accounts of pioneers on the Trail with a look at modern America, and how much the latter has been shaped by its pioneer history. Whilst I found some aspects a little too corny for my tastes and his 'humble-bragging' grating on occasion, it was a real pleasure to experience his journey across America. This book is a real love song to America and its history.
Non-Fiction
Pages: 464
Oh, I really enjoyed this book. If ever a modern-day travelogue could have been written with me in mind, this would have been it. Think Bill Bryson on the Oregon Trail, and you've got something close to this.
Rinker Buck (and could there be a more American name?) and his brother Nick decide to trek across the American West by mule wagon, retracing the old route of the pioneers across the Oregon Trail. It's a midlife crisis kind of event. Too old, too out-of-shape, too broken-down, too naive, but they go anyway. It's a real journey of the heart, the kind of thing, as Buck himself confesses, only 'crazyass passion' could inspire. Along the way they suffer floods, broken wheels, runaway mules, lost possessions, misdirections - in true pioneer style. Whether they make it to Oregon or not...well, I'll leave you to discover that.
What I enjoyed most about this book is that it's both a journey across the historical West and modern America. Throughout the book Buck intersperses historical accounts of pioneers on the Trail with a look at modern America, and how much the latter has been shaped by its pioneer history. Whilst I found some aspects a little too corny for my tastes and his 'humble-bragging' grating on occasion, it was a real pleasure to experience his journey across America. This book is a real love song to America and its history.