Finding the Open Road: A Guide to Self-Construction Rather than Mass Production (Roadtrip Nation) [Paperback]

Mike Marriner (Author), Brian McAllister (Author), Nathan Gebhard (Author)

Book Description

Series: Roadtrip Nation | Publication Date: August 1, 2005

A few years ago, buddies Mike, Brian, and Nathan faced the end of college with the realization that, like many a college student, they had absolutely no idea what to do with their lives. Their solution: take a roadtrip and interview people from all walks of life to learn how they got where they are. Their mode of transportation: a clunky, 31-foot green motor home. Three months and 17,000 miles later, they'¬?d met the CEO of National Geographic, the scientist who decoded the human genome, and the conductor of the Boston Philharmonic. They'¬?d talked to bookstore owners, filmmakers, artists, and more than 70 others who had found their callings--their "open roads."Mike, Brian, and Nathan had found their mission: to help others define their own paths based on passion, individuality, and nonconformity. They titled their project Roadtrip Nation, made a documentary, created a TV show, started a magazine, wrote a book, and now send teams of students on roadtrips each summer. FINDING THE OPEN ROAD shares the history of Roadtrip Nation, along with a dozen life-as-road themes, a how-to-roadtrip guide, a personal roadtrip journal, and more than 50 interviews conducted in green RVs. It'¬?s many lives'¬? worth of wisdom for anyone trying to find their way off the beaten path. A collection of Roadtrip Nation'¬?s career-pathfinding wisdom, gleaned from informational job interviews and experiences from their cross-country roadtrips, along with a roadtrip guide and journal. An ideal gift for graduating college students or anyone looking for a new career direction. The new 12-week PBS series starts airing in May 2005. Roadtrip Nation RVs will be touring 100 college campuses in April 2005. Roadtrip Nation will be promoted in 3,100 Starbucks caf?©s in summer 2005. J. Crew will be featuring a Roadtrip Nation T-shirt throughout summer 2005. Information interviews include an astrophysicist with NASA, the founder of Samuel Adams Brewery, a yoga teacher, Jane Smiley, and executive director of Rock the Vote.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

 A collection of Roadtrip Nation’s career-path finding wisdom, gleaned from Informational job interviews and experiences from their cross-country roadtrips, Along with a roadtrip guide and journal.

 An ideal gift for graduating college students or anyone looking for a new career direction.

 Information interviews include an astrophysicist with NASA, the founder of Samuel Adams Brewery, and executive director of the Rock the Vote.

About the Author

College friends MIKE MARRINER, BRIAN McALLISTER, and NATHAN GEBHARD are the founders and directors of Roadtrip Nation. Mike heads up all publishing projects, including the book and the magazine. Brian oversees all educational programs and manages Roadtrip Nation’s partnerships with 100 college career centers across the country. Nathan does the creative work, including the production of the annual TV series on PBS. When they’re not on the road, they operate out of an old house in Laguna Beach, California.

Product Details

• Paperback: 280 pages
• Publisher: Ten Speed Press (August 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580087213
• ISBN-13: 978-1580087216
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 0.7 x 9.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #878,046 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring read filled w/ youthful idealism and great quotes!, May 29, 2005

By 

Gillby "gillbyelpez" (U.S.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Finding the Open Road: A Guide to Self-Construction Rather than Mass Production (Roadtrip Nation) (Paperback)

On the first page of the book is the pencil-scrawled mantra:

"So, what do you want to do with your life? You should be a lawyer, a doctor, an accountant, a consultant," Blah Blah Blah... Everywhere you turn, people try to tell you who to be and what to do with your life. We call that "noise." Block it. Shed it. Leave it for the conformists. As a generation, we need to get back to focusing on individuality. Self-construction rather than mass production. Define your own road in life instead of traveling down somebody else's. Listen to yourself. Your road is the open road. Find it. FIND THE OPEN ROAD."

Rather than the three boys having "absolutely no idea what to do with their lives" as the reviewer stated, it was rather the boys realization that they had been following other's expectations and definition of success, to do A, B, and C so that "one day you can retire and THEN start to live your life." They thought `how can one think their path is "right" if they haven't been exposed to anything else?' They brainstormed and decided to take a roadtrip across the country and "talk to people about how they found their roads in life". It was a daunting task, but surprisingly, they obtained a number of interviews through cold-calling and perseverance.

The book is graphically minimal, mostly black and white with some RV-green sprinkled throughout. It is organized into five parts, beginning with "The Roadtrip Nation Story," an explanation of the start and inspiration of the project. It continues with "Themes From The Road," an inspiring section filled with great questions, thoughts, and selected interview quotes.

A couple of my favorite quotes:

"If everything in your life is characterized as `risk versus safety,' the human instinct is to choose safety. But what if you use a whole different standard for reevaluating your life, such as `necessary versus unnecessary.' Things like happiness, passion, and love are all necessary." From that perspective, the real risk would be not having happiness in our lives."

"Your life is now. Your life is not going to start when you graduate college. Your life is not going to start when you get married. Your life is now. You have to enjoy your life today...otherwise you're going to be miserable."

The third section discusses deciding if you personally need to "hit to road" or not and how to do so. 21 interviews follow, with such diverse people as Larry King, Hugh Hefner, the greenpeace USA director, a NASA astrophysicist, a cartoonist, the "Survivor"/"Apprentice" creator, editor of seventeen magazine, a radio DJ, a poet, and more. The book closes with a journal of their roadtrip.

I like this book because it is simple, straightforward, idealistic, and the interviews give it a `legitimateness' more than simply proposing theories and ideas would. The authors suggest that life is not predictable, that living is about the journey and not the destination, and that one needs a personal definition of success free from the influences of finances and prospects of fame. The most grounding and realistic message of the book is that "hitting the road is less about logging miles on your odometer, and more about changing the way you look at the world... being open to opportunities you wouldn't normally.." I liked this view, because as I read the book I stated to winder if I needed to do something of this magnitude to figure out my passion, like backpacking through Europe living in hostels or living like Thoreau once did. I had never thought that I could gain meaningful experience by simply changing the way I approach life in my hometown by talking to people I normally wouldn't, trying new experiences, etc.

I think this book is ideal for high school students and college/twenty-somethings like myself. It personally moved me and gave me the courage to consider choosing an alternative path in my life. Even though the authors are relatively young and the subject matter may seem simplistic to older readers, I think it speaks to all generations and reminds us to question our approach to life and to find our passions.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Insightful, but considerably unpolished, March 12, 2011

By 

Peter Baldwin - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Finding the Open Road: A Guide to Self-Construction Rather than Mass Production (Roadtrip Nation) (Paperback)

The insights were great, but could have been better organized. By the time I got to the end of the book I found myself struggling to get through "another interview." Would have liked extended comments beyond the insights, more on bios, and perhaps topical categorization.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Finding the Open Road, February 23, 2010

By 

Boodar "Boodar" - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Finding the Open Road: A Guide to Self-Construction Rather than Mass Production (Roadtrip Nation) (Paperback)

Product was as I expected...in good condition and arrived in a timely manner. Thank you.