Riding with Strangers: A Hitchhiker's Journey

Ink19

"This book tells a wonderful tale of people, places, and things in a completely engaging way."

San Francisco Chronicle

"Wald has written a clear and compelling ballad, not a legal brief.As such it's a winning one."

Publishers Weekly

There are those who travel just to get somewhere, and those who value the journey as much as (or more than) the destination. Wald (Narcocorrido) is fervently in the latter camp. He declares early on in this celebration of hitchhiking that while the voyage is enlightening, the people one meets along the way enhance the journey; hitchhiking is a method of traveling that is "a perfect antidote to alienation." Wald's book tracks his cross-country ramble from Boston to the Pacific Northwest, a trip he makes seem easy and, at times, unexciting. Wald describes his more personable encounters, explaining that the immigrant truckers-like Martina, a chatty, 30-something Czech-were more likely to pick up hitchers. While working his way west, Wald passes along a thumbnail history of hitching, as well as a few pointers for those keen on practicing this mostly lost art: dress in a clean and unthreatening manner, chat up drivers at rest stops instead of sticking out your thumb on the interstate, don't expect an SUV to pull over for you and avoid Nebraska, lest you wind up joining the "stripped and desiccated bones of myriad marooned wayfarers." (May) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

Two artists use the same canvas to present their impressions of contemporary American travel: one sits in a souped-up Corvette, the other waits patiently on the ground for a ride that may never come. Fifty years after President Eisenhower launched his bold plan to give our country the most extensive road system ever developed-a series of multilaned expressways that would eliminate the need for driving over poorly maintained state and county roads-Smith (English, Ohio Northern Univ.) sets off in his red Corvette to drive over as many of these Interstates as he can. He wants to gauge the feelings of the ordinary citizens whom the Interstate project just happened to affect: truck drivers, prostitutes, restaurant owners, motel operators, highway patrols, and, yes, hitchhikers. What he offers is some of the best of contemporary travel writing: humorous, insightful, depressing, challenging, nostalgic, and surprisingly upbeat all at once. These same Interstates almost put an end to the quaint custom of hitchhiking. Once a sign of freedom and rebelliousness, hitching has become one of those activities parents caution their children against (and indeed it is prohibited on virtually all U.S. Interstates). Nevertheless, Wald (Narcorrido) set out to unearth its status at the end of the 20th century. While he did find his share of kooks and weirdos, he also found to his surprise a largely untapped reserve of kindness, courtesy, respect, and friendliness. He emerges victorious with this look at a vanishing way of life. Both books are highly recommended for public libraries for their outstanding travel writing and unique look at the modern America that most of us barely glance in our rearview mirrors as we whiz along at 70 miles per hour.-Joseph L. Carlson, Allan Hancock Coll., Lompoc, CA Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

Adult/High School-Formative years that included reading Kerouac and listening to Woody Guthrie led to Wald's becoming a writer, musician, and sometime hitchhiker. Here, he describes a recent hitch from Boston to Seattle. His guitar often turned out to be key to somebody stopping-after all, as a musician he must be both entertaining and harmless. Wald briefly relates some experiences, gives a little hitchhiking history, tells the best places to stand for a likely ride, and explains that there is more hitching going on in this country than is readily apparent, as many rides are arranged at truck stops. These diversions are nicely woven into the tale of this particular cross-country trip, which took Wald less time than it would have on a bus. There were rainy waits, but also gloriously sunny ones. There were long hauls with truckers, many of them immigrants, and shorter rides in pickups. All of the drivers had something interesting to say, and no one tried anything. A just-right combination of travelogue, culture peek, and hitching tips, the author, a veteran of 40 years of hitchhiking, says that his experience refutes the scare messages served up to the public for the past 30 years. He reminds readers that "Americans are getting stereotyped as violent and paranoid...and it is a relief to be reminded how many of us are helpful and friendly, ready to interrupt our daily rounds at the solicitation of a random wanderer."-Judy McAloon, Potomac Library, Prince William County, VA Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

Tedious chronicle of a cross-country hitchhiking trip. Now in his 40s, music-writer Wald (Escaping the Delta, 2004, etc.) has been hitchhiking since he was a teen. The freedom and surprise of thumbing thrill him. He loves the instant intimacy he finds with drivers. He delights in finally arriving at a truck stop and getting a shower. On the particular trip chronicled here, he meets many interesting people, among them a Russian trucker, a Mexican man who sells used cars over the border and an affable missionary who attempts to proselytize him. Wald spells out the etiquette: If the driver wants to talk, listen; speak when spoken to; try to stay awake. Interspersed throughout is a history of hitchhiking. Though the word is relatively recent, the idea is ancient; even Odysseus did it. The 1960s and '70s were a unique era when folks hitched for pleasure, but during the '80s, fewer and fewer people took to the road, and hitchhiking gained a reputation as dangerous rather than carefree. Men tend to hitch more than women, but Wald notes the curious fact that current pop stars who like to thumb a ride are mostly women, including Ani DiFranco, Michelle Shocked and Courtney Love. A vignette about a cop who sternly reminded him that hitchhiking is illegal is mildly engaging, a visit to Hannibal, Mo., prompts reflections on Mark Twain that are mildly insightful-but pretty much everything else Wald relates is tepid at best and his attempts at profundity and depth lame: "Hitchhiking is an exercise of faith," "Faith is a beautiful thing," "In every journey there are moments of doubt," "With freedom comes responsibility." The concluding poem is just embarrassing. "The hitchhiker's most constant,implacable enemy," writes Wald, "is simple boredom." Readers of his book may share the feeling.