Go West, Young Man: A Father and Son Rediscover America on the Oregon Trail by B. J. Hollars is a travelogue of the author, retracing the Oregon Trail with his six-year-old son. Mr. Hollars is a writer, a teacher, and yes, a father.
My rating for Go West, Young Man — 4
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The last several years I had developed an interest in travelogues. At first, I thought it was because my family and I were about to embark on our own mid-west, 3-week, adventure. But even though we came back a few months ago, the genre still fascinates me.
In Go West, Young Man: A Father and Son Rediscover America on the Oregon Trail by B. J. Hollars we join a father and son retracing the path of the emigrants. Henry, the son, is only six, so burying his face in a cellphone for hours on end during the long rides is not an option.
I do commiserate with days of endless driving, and even if you plan stops every 100 miles or so.
Along the way, both father and son rediscover America, and find they American they didn’t know existed. Amazingly, the dynamic duo did this while camping most of the time. On our trip we at least had a hot shower waiting at the end of the day.
As in any trip, whether its 5,000 miles or to the local supermarket, the people you meet will always make or break the day. Much like our trip, the vast majority of people we met were kind, interesting, and helpful. The author pontificates of how his trip would have in any other skin is an interesting realization. This is especially true when the politics and destruction of the westward migration settles in. I’m not talking about the Donner Party specifically, but also about the way Native Americans were treated, and the ridiculousness of “Manifest Destiny”.
Even though there are some heavy parts, this is a fun book. The charm is, of course, the author and his son interacting on such a long trip, as well as learning a bit of history along the way.
Buy Go West, Young Man from Amazon.com*
More Books by B.J. Hollars*
Zohar — Man of la Book
Disclaimer: I got this book for free
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