I'll
Be Damned If I'll Die in Oakland: A Sort of Travel Memoir
by Al Martinez
For every rule, there is at least one valid
exception. It has been our policy since the inception of RoadTrip
America to review and recommend only those books that have direct
relationship with road tripping in North America. Al Martinez'
new book I'll Be Damned If I'll Die in Oakland: A Sort of
Travel Memoir technically crosses that line since some of
the travel tales he shares with us drew their inspiration, if
not actual itinerary from places like France, England, Tanzania
and Greece. Nonetheless, Martinez is an accomplished road wanderer
and any journey with this long-time LA Times columnist is certainly
worth taking.
The part of a road trip that
I like the most is when the unexpected happens and one has
to adjust to whatever is happening, Al Martinez seems to attract
those moments with the regularity of a lightning rod. Snorting
bears, hungry lions, sudden snowstorms, dangerous-looking
road angels and inexplicably delayed flights from terminals
in China and other places are all handled with the Martinez
sense of humor and derring-do. Although it becomes abundantly
clear that without Al's remarkable wife Cinelli and her calm
approach to dealing with life's minor emergencies, Martinez's
career, if not his life, might have been much shorter, and
our literary lives would have been the poorer.
While I might not willingly
have chosen Martinez's approach to his worldly wanderings,
this book will delight you with his adventures in Baja California,
Barrow, Alaska, New York City, and one particularly funny
tale surrounding his dog Barney's penchant for running away.
Cinelli chased him down a Louisiana highway late one night
in her sheer nightgown while the author tried to catch both
of them in a too-hastily packed camper. Actually, one cumulative
effect of reading I'll Be Dammed if I'll Die in Oakland
is a slight chuckle arises as soon as one reads the words
"Add…(x) to the list of things I will not eat…"
because this ever-growing list of both food and drink is a
common thread throughout the book. Martinez's prose has the
unique ability to make even commonplace events and seemingly
minor gastronomical events wildly humorous. If you ever have
the occasion to prepare a martini for this author, be warned.
He takes a dim view toward anything sweet.
There is pervasive curmudgeonly quality to this
memoir that seems a bit overwhelming, in places, but after
all is said and done, Martinez shares some very personal observations
about growing up and the often tortured process of acquiring
wisdom. The lively dialogue and the author's funny observations
about marriage, sex and work all blend into a wonderful road
trip read. Now, if we could just get him to stay in North
America…
Mark
10/31/04
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