Slow Road to San Francisco

I’ve never done a road trip. I’ve always wanted to. For now the best (cheapest and safest too) option is to hitch a ride with someone who’s doing it and take a slow road to San Francisco. Settle in, it’s going to take weeks, and most places you’ll visit along the way will be small towns often with a wealth of historical past, Your driver will be a mild mannered amicable older British gentlemen with a fondness for IPAs and chatting up strangers. Actually, the chatitng up is deliberate, as Reynolds traverses the country following US Route 50 from East Coast to the West, he talks to as many people as he can to understand the results on the 2016 election. Reynolds as a liberal, as an educated man, as a decent humanistic person, etc…is, of course, appalled. But slowly, one conversation after the next, he begins to gain perspective, which is, well basically, that people are just not that smart and are too steeped in their small worlds and prejudices. They also really don’t like when someone calls them out on it. This seems to be the main fault of the qualified candidate, the famous deplorables quote no one forgot or got over. More so than her gender even, seems it was the calling deplorables deplorables that really did the trick. Turns out honesty is so far from the best policy that a constant barrage of mendacity is still preferable. Alas, here were are now, all these years later, who’s happy? Anyway, going way from politics and you got yourself a travelogue, a pretty good travelogue of Americana, vistas and sites, past and present. From the time Reynolds swims in Ocean City Maryland until the time he dips his toes in the Pacific on a San Francisco beach. I actually really enjoyed the author’s historical insights, though American history is much too young and aggressive to be all that interesting in the global range of things, he still managed to highlight a lot of fascinating aspects and figures from it and I liked the way he framed it all within sociopolitical context of the then and now. And now is a really pivoting time in US, a time when history is quite literary being toppled down from its pedestals. Some of which is understandable and some of which is selectively much too far and I say selectively, because how much past can one really deny and try to erase in a (this is a quote from the book) country built on genocide and made wealthy on slavery. No one is out there burning $20 bills, are they. You know, the bills featuring the main who authorized the Trail of Tears. Ok, shoot, turns out it’s really difficult to write an objective unbiased review on a book featuring politics. In fact, Reynolds did a much nicer job of staying objective and unbiased in his interviews and chats, but then again the man is British and thus naturally granted a certain mild calmness. At any rate, I did enjoy his travels and this book. It seems to have represented 2018 well, it represented the middle of the US well, it was educational, it was personal in just the right way (not overpowering) and plenty entertaining. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.

I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review

The book is written like a diary and it tells you with details everything the author saw and experienced during this long trip from Delaware to San Francisco. It isn't exactly what I expected because there's no photos at all and it makes it a little hard to picture the things the books is saying. It's a very long book and there are lots of good informations, tips, and thing the author went through during this trip. This trip is something my husband and I are planning on doing at some point in our lives but we will probably take the Hwy I40 instead, since we live in Raleigh. Some feelings you have during a trip like this are hard to explain and the author managed to write all the details and the book is pretty rich. I just wish they had added some photos because then this book would be perfect.

I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review

I enjoyed this book because I love travel writing. I felt like I was in the car with David. I cannot wait to do this trip myself one day.

Really enjoyed going on this road trip with the author.Especially now when we are locked in it was fun to take the trip from my armchair.I enjoyed all the characters he met on the way. His thoughts and adventure.A book I looked forward to coming back to .#netgalley#Muswellpress

As an avid traveler, I was excited to read this book. I would recommend buying this book if you plan do to the trek across the US. As it provided lots of history and places to visit. I found it especially interesting as the book was written by an Englishman and his perspective. I often wondered throughout the narrative why he did not have a gps and kept getting lost. As someone who travels a lot and has definitive schedules, I found that a bit overwhelming. But others may find great humor in this.

A fascinating travel memoir following route 50 across America. Beginning with a selfie photo standing in the Atlantic Ocean on the East Coast, the author David Reynolds embarks on a solo drive across America.

In David’s new travel memoir he uncovers fascinating stories and events that have shaped American history. Travelling across the country, state by state I enjoyed reading David’s views of the people he met and the ever changing landscape that he sees.

A fabulous read, thought provoking and very enlightening.