Chuck Thompson (2)

I bought this book for 50 cents at a thrift store, and although it was a bit dated it is still laugh out loud funny. Chuck Thompson talks about growing up in Juneau and the city evolving from a sleepy town to a tourist attraction. I understand the feeling having watched that happen to my hometown of Austin, TX. Chuck is a travel writer, but a brutally honest one which I appreciate. Even your bad experiences can be funny later, such as his trip to Tortula. I been on this island excursion which included their traffic light, their garbage incinerator, and their bamba hut. Chuck teaches a cautionary lesson to travelers, you can be conned by all different types that are just working their hustle.… (mer)

I agree with other reviewers in that the first half of the book is very readable. Perhaps not great but generally funny, well written and insightful. However the second half of the book is just so much self-indulgent prattle. The author is one of those people who feel as though being articulate lets them spout off trite little sentences (homelessness is unacceptable in America!) about just about any complex social topic and have their particular world view be taken any more seriously than the guy at the local bar. Combine this relatively non-appealing trait with typical self-aggrandizing liberal taking points and a self-congratulatory tone and you get just so much regurgitated pseudo anti-Americanism. I can appreciate any point of view but booking a month long trip to Africa does not give you any particular authority to analyze American social ills. I wonder how his point of view would have changed would his scooter ride in India turned out differently.… (mer)