Eccentric America: The Bradt Guide to All That's Weird and Wacky in the USA [Paperback]

Jan Friedman (Author)

Book Description

Series: Bradt Travel Guide Peruvian Wildlife | Publication Date: September 1, 2001

Everything in this extraordinary book is testimony to the fun that author Jan Friedman has had in its compilation. Where else would you encounter a woman who has built her business on ducks wearing diapers? Or a junk modeller legally married to one of his junk robots? Discovering eccentric characters, past and present, and putting on the map the most bizarre events that the USA can offer, Jan has put together an offbeat region-by-region guide to one of the most varied and popular holiday destinations worldwide.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Travel writer and former tour guide Friedman has compiled a list of strange, peculiar, uncommon, offbeat, quirky, bizarre, and wacky festivals, museums, attractions, tours, restaurants, hotels, and stores in the United States. There is even a list of 91 places "too weird to categorize." Each entry includes a description along with an address, and, when available, telephone numbers, web sites, and e-mail addresses. The book is also eccentrically arranged: the Midwest/North Central region is listed first, the South Central Region is listed last, and, within one region, Wisconsin is followed by Minnesota. However, the alphabetic indexes by state as well as entry make up for this confusing arrangement. Since this book covers all 50 states, smaller libraries may want to consider it over more specific titles, such as Sandra Gurvis's America's Strangest Museums (Citadel, 1996) and Jerome Pohlen's Oddball Wisconsin (LJ 5/15/01). Recommended for public libraries. [For more information on this title, go to www.eccentricamerica. com. Ed.] John McCormick, New Hampshire State Lib., Concor.
- John McCormick, New Hampshire State Lib., Concord
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From the Back Cover

The biggest, the best, the boldest, the brashest - America often seems larger than life! In this offbeat look at the USA, Jan Friedman celebrates the irrepressible sense of the absurd that leads apparently ordinary people to turn their backs on convention and let their inventiveness run amok. An entertaining guide to almost a thousand festivals and events, attractions, tours, shopping, restaurants, hotels and eccentric environments, Eccentric America brings you the bizarre festivals, the amazing museums and the wacky characters that populate the fringes of mainstream tourism. In fact, just about the only things that are normal about this travel guide are the boring things like websites and directions. So head for somewhere seriously weird and join the fun! (5 1/4 x 8 1/2, 376 pages, color photos, illustrations maps)

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Product Details

• Paperback: 376 pages
• Publisher: Bradt Travel Guides; 1st edition (September 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1841620238
• ISBN-13: 978-1841620237
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,053,367 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Road Trip, January 14, 2002

By 

Royce Carlson (Prescott, AZ USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Eccentric America: The Bradt Guide to All That's Weird and Wacky in the USA (Paperback)

Pasaquan, a compound in Georgia filled with totems, pagodas and paintings, was designed to house Edward Martin's unique mystic religion. Martin, who proclaimed himself St. EOM, didn't cut his hair for 40 years, dressed in jeweled robes, and stiffened his beard upwards with rice paste. He is just one of many eccentric individuals who have created bizarre roadside attractions across the United States.

Or how about the Bread and Puppet Theater and Art Museum in Glover, Vermont? You can see a surreal collection of huge puppets that are used in political demonstrations, see entertaining puppet performances, and enjoy the free bread that is given out after each show.

You can find information on these and almost a thousand other wacky, out-of-the-ordinary attractions across America in "Eccentric America," a new book by Jan Friedman. The book contains an extensive listing of the weirdest and strangest events, museums, festivals, and attractions in the United States.

Imagine leaving your home in California (for example) and heading out to visit relatives in New Jersey. This doesn't have to be a boring trip. Using Eccentric America as a guidebook, you can create bizarre adventures as you travel across the U.S. Visit the Katydid Insect Museum in Arizona, and, if it happens to be July, you can move on to Roswell, New Mexico where the Roswell UFO Encounter Festival and Intergalactic Food and Fashion Extravaganza is taking place. If you think the drive across the center of the country is dull, you haven't stopped at the right places. From the Totem Pole Park in Oklahoma, to Carhenge in Nebraska, there are plenty of strange things to see on your way and all are listed in Eccentric America.

Friedman writes in an entertaining, tongue-cheek-style style. You can't help but laugh when reading some of the descriptions. When describing the Forevertron, a giant steel sculpture park in Wisconsin, she writes, "Inventive in vision and astounding in scope, the Forevertron is a gargantuan contraption designed to shoot Dr. Evermore into space using some kind of 1890's magnetic lightning beam propulsion that only he understands." The attractions are catalogued not only by state, but also by type and date (if the attraction is an event), so it is easy to find just the kind of weirdness you are looking for.

I found this book not only entertaining but inspiring as well. It's exciting to see what other eccentrics have created given enough time and a place to do it. Eccentric America makes me want to take a road trip!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars wacky and wild - a review of Eccentric America, November 30, 2001

By 

Ted W. Hard (Santa Rosa, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Eccentric America: The Bradt Guide to All That's Weird and Wacky in the USA (Paperback)

A great holiday gift, I found Jan Friedman's "Eccentric America" a marvelous guide book to all the "wierd and "quirky" events, contests, and festivals which occur across the United States on a regular basis. Ever wanted to know about the Burning Man Festival ? How about the World's Cow Chip Throwing Contest ? Or the Running of the Rodents ? Its all there in an extraordinarily well researched compendium of the wacky and eccentric goings-on in America today.
A short section at the beginning lists festivals and competitions by months, including a diversity of events such as the "Calavaras Frog Jumping Contest" (May) or the "Annual Yo-Yo Contest" (October). The main body of the text is divided into geographical regions with well written, frequently humorous descriptions of what's wierd and wild across the United States. Numerous entries have made the Late Night Shows (Letterman, Leno) and many are well publicized items which are frequently described in the daily news. Remember the National Hog Calling Contest ? How about the Fort Fisher Hermit or the Bee Beard Man ?
I don't think there has ever been a guide book quite like this ! I enjoyed reading about the eccentricities of some of the craziest individuals you would ever want to meet and the categorization and locations of these characters are easily found, just in case your passing through and might want to stop by.
Ms. Friedman writes with great aplomb and is a joy to read. An unusual guide book, as entertaining as its title.

T.W. Hard, Santa Rosa, CA.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderfully entertaining, funny ... and poignant !, August 30, 2001

By 

Ellen (Scottdale, Arizona United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Eccentric America: The Bradt Guide to All That's Weird and Wacky in the USA (Paperback)

Never would I have imagined the incredible number of fascinating and passionate eccentrics in these United States! Thumbing through the book, I smiled and laughed alot, amazed at the length to which so many independent souls went to complete their projects, often against the odds of time, money and local opinion. After more reading, the hidden question about what motivates these eccentric souls hit a poignant nerve and it's clear that Jan Friedman treats each eccentric's story with great respect. The very well thought out arrangement of the book - by region and topic - makes it very easy to read and the maps are excellent. I found myself wondering what there was to see in my own state and information on eccentric individuals and festivals was easy to find. Friedman's writing is tight and snaps with humor. The photographs are terrific and important too. Without them, I don't think I could have appreciated what real eccentricity looks like. I also appreciated the author offering a brief interesting analysis of eccentricity in general to put everything in context. Judging by the quality and quantity of entries in Eccentric America, Friedman's thorough research, and her obvious joy in writing the book, jumps up from every page.