The Bear Went Over the Mountain-Finding America. Finding Myself. [Paperback]

Carll Tucker (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 15, 2008

After reaching age 50, author and publisher Carll Tucker knew he needed to make some changes. To figure out his new life, he took to the American road alone in an RV for nine months. His plan was to locate all the graves of our presidents and vice presidents and find his own new self and direction. Join Tucker as he uncovers fascinating new information about famous and forgotten leaders. Who knew that one of our vice presidents was an American Indian or that another was believed to be African-American? Why were we never taught that a president and vice president were gay? From Wal-Mart to Disneyworld to Mount Rushmore to the Grand Ole Opry to RV parks, Tucker experiences an America both familiar and unexpected and revels in a treasure trove of intriguing information. At the same time, he achieves his goal of self discovery, which has enabled him to make meaningful changes and set him on a new road for his own future. Hilarious, poignant, and provocative, this is history as joyride, and a provocative personal journey that will resonate with travel aficionados as well as those who want to make positive, though difficult, changes in their lives.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A page-turner. Poignant, hilarious, surprising. Walden on wheels. The writing's so good you want to read it aloud to a friend. --Jane Bryant Quinn

To know where you're going you ve got to know where you've been. Tucker's journey to America is an astonishing eye-opener and a delight to read. --George Soros

From the mountains to the prairies, from sea to shining sea, Carll Tucker has seen the greatness of America and the astonishing variety of our presidents and vice presidents. Tucker offers surprising views of familiar leaders and brings forgotten leaders back to life. This is a trip no American will want to miss. --Governor George Pataki

About the Author

Carll Tucker was editor and publisher of Trader Publications, which published newspapers and magazines in New York State. Prior to that, he was Editor and Publisher of Saturday Review magazine and a staff writer and theater critic for The Village Voice in New York City. His work has appeared in The New York Times, The New Republic, The Patent Trader, and other magazines and newspapers.

Product Details

• Paperback: 340 pages
• Publisher: Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.; 1st edition (March 15, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0913113433
• ISBN-13: 978-0913113431
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,573,161 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A tour of the country, of our presidents and vice-presidents, and through Tucker's life, March 9, 2008

By 

Craig Matteson (Saline, MI) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Bear Went Over the Mountain - Finding America. Finding Myself. (Hardcover)

Carll Tucker was going through the kind of restlessness that many people feel in their 40s and 50s. During mine, I went and got an MBA from the University of Michigan. Tucker's approach was much less conventional. He decided to get a motor home and head out on the road for nine months visiting the graves of all the Presidents and Vice-Presidents. The Vice-Presidents is the especially cool part. Heck, I didn't even know who most of them were. Do you?

It turns out that the one thing I thought would end up being a drag turned out to be quite an enjoyable aspect of the book. Tucker is kind of a grumpy guy who tends to look down his nose on the non-New York, non-Ivy League world most of us occupy and find quite nice. His political views are also quite different than mine. But sometimes, having a traveling companion who sees things differently, and is willing to call things as he sees them is much more fun and worthwhile than having someone who simply reflects what you already know and believe. His love for America is quite clear and I enjoyed his reasons for loving her. When he expressed frustration with the America bashers like Howard Zinn I was with him 100%.

Yet, this isn't a book just about his visits to the graves and a certainly not a systematic catalogue of those visits (although the book includes a nice presentation of his photographs of the graves great and small). Tucker provides his views of other graves he visited and his thinking through his own life. I was touched by his discussion of Thoreau and the father figure he became for him when his own father died when he was 16. Tucker clearly has many unresolved issues with his father. What he says about the figures varies. He tries to fill us in with information we are unlikely to know or can't look up easily. And he is willing to provide a bit of humor. He seems a bit obsessed with the possibility that Buchanan was homosexual and passes on the historical gossip about his relationship with a former VP named King. Does this gossip really count as news in 2007?

I am glad that the book has a list of the Presidents and Vice-Presidents that also shows when they served. However, the book really could have used an index. Yes, I realize the book is meant as a story about a journey and that what he provides isn't really about being a formal study. But if I don't remember where so and so is buried, but I want to find a passage I really liked, it isn't that easy to find it again. But this is a minor quibble.

At the end of the book, we realize that we saw a lot by going over the mountain with this bear. Sadly, his marriage is over, but he does seem more at peace with himself at the end than he was at the beginning. We learned some things we didn't know. Some of it from Tucker and some of it with him. And Tucker's opinions, views, and comments caused us to think through our own opinions, views, and mutter our own comments. We shared some laughs, were annoyed a few times, and we agree with the author that America is beautiful, a great gift, and our responsibility to preserve her whether we disagree with each other or not. It was a GREAT trip. Thanks, Carll, for taking us along and sharing it with us.

Reviewed by Craig Matteson, Ann Arbor, MI

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a magnificent read for thoughtful boomers and beyond, June 10, 2008

By 

Regal One "regalone" (Newbury Park, CA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Bear Went Over the Mountain - Finding America. Finding Myself. (Hardcover)

I was immediately attracted to this book, as it is so easy to relate to someone who just wants to get in a vehicle and take off. Explore both his country and his own life. Mr. Tucker does some of both and has a wonderful way of taking you along with him on both journeys. He needed an excuse to go and stay on the road, given how he's lived life so far. He couldn't possibly just go, he must have a goal. I thought his goal, visiting all the gravesites of Presidents and V.P.s was a worthy, and unique rationale. I've not enjoyed a road trip as much since Bill Bryson's "Lost Continent"...although that is a very different view of America. After you read this book check what has happened to Mr Tucker since writing this book, I think you'll be very happy for him given all
his pondering of his marriage to find out where is personal road has led him.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Travels With Charley" for the 21st Century, June 3, 2008

By 

Thomas J. Mulak (Brooklyn Heights) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Bear Went Over the Mountain-Finding America. Finding Myself. (Paperback)

Baby Boomers Rejoice: perhaps for some for you the Steinbeck book (the subtitle was "In Search of America") was the first travel(ogue) book you read. I read it at age 13th and at age 60, I have discovered a worthy successor, this in-search-of-myself book by Carll Tucker. What an inspired idea to visit the grave site of every President and Vice President of the U.S. of A! The soul-searching complements the trivial-pursuit aspect of the book. Bottomline: a terrific read!

Brooklyn Baby Boomer