America
Unchained ,
by Dave Gorman
Most people either love this book or hate
it. In my view, the premise was incurably flawed, but
the execution of the book was accomplished in generally
an acceptable manner. America Unchained: A Freewheeling
Roadtrip in Search of Non-Corporate USA was given
to me by Peter Thody,
one of my favorite road trip chroniclers, and I am positive
that my assessment of this book is flavored by the positive
association with his work. The reasoning behind this
new book by Dave Gorman goes something like this: "…The
plan was simple. Go to America. Buy a second-hand car.
Drive coast-to-coast without giving any money to THE
MAN…" In the generation of my youth, "the
man" was always a more-or-less euphemism for the
local police, but Gorman defines "the man"
as being "a generic name for the owners of multinational
chain stores, brands and trademarks."
To begin with, I fail to see how managers
working for "Mom and Pop" small businesses
are any more "American" than managers working
for Chevron, Marriot hotels or Best-Buy. A writer who
sets out to discover the real America by ignoring creative
corporate companies in favor of small independent operations
is certainly a form of Don Quixote windmill tilting
at best. But one of the great things about road trips
is that each person gets to make up his own rules about
what constitutes a "real" road trip. And there
is no question that the author succeeds in leading us
on wild road trip. His efforts to find independent cafes,
gas stations and motels are sometimes laugh-out-loud
funny. I also found myself cringing several times as
the story unfolded, and his appalling lack of knowledge
about basic automotive functions led to some near-disastrous
incidents. No one can describe the sounds of an engine
about to seize up better than Dave Gorman.
Without giving away too much of this zany
adventure, I can tell you that Gorman succeeds in completing
his cross-country odyssey in a vintage 1970 Ford Torino
Estate (station wagon). The vehicle came with a very
appropriate license plate number: 1JWV666. The number
of the beast was as perfect for the author as the car
itself. Along the way, Gorman does manage to find some
very creative and independent business owners, and the
descriptions of the ensuing adventures will keep you
chuckling for hours. I thought his treatment of some
of the folks he met in the south was harsh, but it was
unquestionably entertaining. I also enjoyed the numerous
descriptions of how he and his traveling companions
were rescued by folks who went out of their way to get
his aging station wagon back on the road.
The best road trip sagas are those where
the reader feels like they are sitting in the front
seat and seeing the world through the writer's eyes.
And this book certainly delivers that virtual road trip
experience. I have no doubt that you will share the
exhilarating terror that Gorman felt when used the zip
line at the tree house hotel in Oregon or when he failed
to use a lower gear when descending from Whitney's Portal
in California. The book is an enjoyable time-out and
one that will probably make you laugh. I certainly did.
Mark
Sedenquist
8/22/08
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