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Rolling Nowhere

Riding the Rails with America's Hoboes

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Rolling Nowhere

Written by: Ted Conover
Narrated by: Ted Conover
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About this listen

"I crouched quietly in the patch of tall weeds. Around me fell the shadow of the viaduct that carried a highway over the railroad yards. From the edge of the yards, I squinted as I watched the railroad cars being switched from track to track. Cars and trucks were rolling over the viaduct, but what occupied my attention was the dark, cool corridor underneath it, where I hoped to intercept my train."

Riding the rails, Ted Conover tasted the life of a tramp with companions like Pistol Pete, BB, and Sheba Sheila Sheils. From them he learned survival skills - how to "read" a freight train, scavenge for food and clothing, avoid the railroad "bulls." He was initiated into the customs of their unique, shadowy society - men and women bound together by a mutual bond of failure, camaraderie, and distrust.

Sixty-five freight trains, 12,000 miles, and 15 states later, Conover chronicles his impressions of their lives in this fascinating piece of first-hand reporting that becomes a thoughtful story of self-discovery.

©2001 Ted Conover (P)2005 Brilliance Audio, Inc. Adventure Travel Engineering North America Poverty & Homelessness Social Sciences Sociology Travel Writing & Commentary United States Adventure Railroad
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I really loved this book. I listened to Newjack (his other book about being a guard at Sing Sing) a few months ago and loved that too. I love Ted’s approach to storytelling: a hybrid between journalism and anthropology.

Granted, there were some problematic elements of his approach and his story, in my judgement he did an excellent job of telling a balanced story and recognizing his hubris and fallibility in trying to “become a tramp.”

Also, loved the narration!

10/10

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