Customer Reviews

At Least in the City Someone Would Hear Me Scream: Misadventures in Search of the Simple Life

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1 star:		(7)

 

 

When was the last time you read a memoir that begins with an angry raccoon perched on the author's head? That's the opening scene of Wade Rouse's new book and one of many, both hilarious and wise, that make this a memorable story about living your dreams and in the process discovering a new life.

Despite the inspiration supplied by his grandmother's passion for Henry David Thoreau's WALDEN, Wade Rouse is an unlikely heir to the mantle of that nature-loving philosopher. Although he grew up in the Ozarks, the flamboyantly gay Rouse confesses that he had transformed himself "from a country rube into a sophisticated city boy, a Starbucks-swilling, pashmina-wearing, catch-a-Parker-Posey-independent-movie kind of guy." Frustrated in his day job as a public relations director at a St. Louis prep school, he yearns to become a full-time writer. So in 2005, he persuades his salesman partner Gary to abandon urban life for a small house they christen "Turkey Run" on three and one-half acres of land just outside the small town of Saugatuck, Michigan, a resort town and burgeoning artist community about a mile from Lake Michigan. Wade and Gary soon discover the chasm that separates life in the tourist season and the reality of a Michigan winter, and the fun begins.

Before embarking on his adventure, Rouse grabs a pile of coffeehouse napkins and compiles a list of "new life goals, one per napkin, that would match the tenets and principles that Thoreau set forth in WALDEN." The book's succeeding chapters end with a scorecard in which he judges his success by assigning a point to "Wade's Walden" or "Modern Society." Rouse's goals range from the mundane ("learn to love the snow") to the practical ("live off the land" and "nurture our country critters") to the profound ("rediscover religion" and "redefine the meaning of life and my relationship with Gary"). What gives his memoir its real zest are the sparks that fly when his wish to "eschew the latest entertainment and fashion for simpler pursuits" meets stiff resistance as he tries to "let go of my city cynicism."

For someone who is used to hanging out at Kenneth Cole and Banana Republic and is a devoted fan of "I Love Lucy" ("What would Lucy do?" is a frequent mantra) and Erma Bombeck, it's an understatement to describe Rouse's immersion into rural life as a culture shock. It isn't long before he has had to shed his normal haunts to frequent the local feed store on Saturday morning ("This is like replacing meth with Bubble Yum") or attend a potluck church supper that inspires a poignant recollection of the painful week he spent at church camp as a teenager. In one unsparing, often riotously funny self-portrait after another, Rouse tells of his grim battle with the relentless Michigan snow, his encounters with the local wildlife (the aforementioned raccoon gets a curtain call later in the book), his stab at ice fishing, and his attempt with Gary to plant a vegetable garden, among other adventures.

Like his predecessor Thoreau, Rouse is a keen, if initially reluctant, observer of natural life. He is able to write about it both lyrically ("Sometimes the fog rolls off the lake, heavy and thick, like a moving curtain, and the morning simply becomes stalled, the sunlight choked in darkness.") and with humor ("Spring arrives one day in Michigan like a forgotten castaway who manages to row his way onto the beach using two coconuts."). He is equally perceptive in the stories he tells of his neighbors, from the artists on whose farm he and Gary pick blueberries to the migrant workers who live, and eventually abandon, the decrepit single-wide trailer next door.

It's evident early in Wade Rouse's memoir that he's able to play a scene for laughs every bit as skillfully as David Sedaris, with whose work this book inevitably will be compared. Rouse's journey isn't an easy one, and for every step forward it seems he suffers a corresponding pratfall along the way. And yet, for all its biting wit, there's a rich, life-affirming message worthy of Thoreau at this story's core: "I have now learned that there is never a wrong time to do something meaningful and courageous in life," Rouse writes, "something that makes you deeply and achingly happy. There is only a right time: a moment to hold your breath, close your eyes and jump."

--- Reviewed by Harvey Freedenberg

Side-splitting, hilarious, yet heartfelt and poignant "misadventures" of a man who hits 40 with a resounding thud and resolves to uproot his life, quit his job and leave the city, cable, culture and consumerism behind in order to move to a knotty-pine cottage in the middle of the Michigan woods to recreate a modern-day Walden. The memoir chronicles ultimate urbanite Wade and his partner, Gary, as they embrace 10 Life Lessons -- sort of a City/Country Smackdown -- based on trying to achieve a simpler life but also rooted in the tenets of Walden (think "Eschew Fashion and Entertainment for Simpler Pursuits," such as living w/o cable and magazines, a nearly impossible task for a man who considers Kenneth Cole to be on par with Gandhi for his contributions to the world, and Kathy Griffin to be his spiritual leader; think "live off the land," although his fave foods are Kashi and Morningstar Burgers; think "embrace your neighbors," though many seem to have night-vision goggles; think "embrace the Pixar-cute country critters, though Wade is attacked by a raccoon.) Yes, Wade buys waders, Wade ice-fishes, and survives blizzards and country stores and country karaoke with two tipsy trollops, but he also rediscovers -- as Thoreau did -- his spirituality, as well as happiness and a home in the last place he thought he'd ever find those things. I laughed out loud on nearly every page, but also was challenged to think about where I wanted my life to head in these tough times. Book is about taking risks, embracing life, getting lost in the woods, and finding yourself in the most unexpected of places. Wade reminds me of a gay Erma Bombeck, and I highly recommend this book as a must summer-read.

A funny memoir about a male (and gay) Carrie Bradshaw wanna-be trying to make it in the woods of Michigan. His descriptions of coastal Michigan and woods surrounding his home were great. Made me want to move to Michigan -- and I already live there. Rouse is at his best when he is being humorous. His description of he and his partner's first foray into Wal-mart is hilarious. However, his attempts at being a deep thinker along the lines of Thoreau miss the mark. He just comes off as disingenuous in his motivations and musings.

...and this is the best laughter ever! While recuperating from a painful surgery I was given this book and almost drove my "night nanny" nuts laughing out loud at passages on each page which she demanded I read aloud until I couldn't speak through laughter. A relocated big city resident myself, I am familiar with the nearby area: author is spot-on in descriptions of transition to rural life, dread Michigan winters, and SNOW that won't go. Do yourself a favor and get this book to read and re-read. I'm after Rouse's other titles now!

This is no Beekman Boys. The author's vanity and affected urban snobbery made me wince. The fish-out-of-water story was terribly cliched and distracting from any real parallel to Thoreau's Walden Pond. There were no meaningful insights into moving to rural America as a gay man and the author failed to make an impression on his country neighbors. Vapid, boring and a nasty stereotype of the gay man as a silly queen.

This man is hilarious! I read a couple of negative reviews and feel those people missed the whole point of his take on expensive clothes, I felt he was poking fun at himself. I have read all of his books and anxiously await the next one. His sense of humor is right on my frequency.

In one of my favorite books, To Kill A Mockingbird, Atticus tells the children several times that they need to walk in someone else's shoes before judging the person.

I have read 3 memoirs by Wade Rouse. That entitles me to say that I have walked in Wade Rouse's shoes whether they be Kenneth Coles or high fashioned waders. In his latest book, At Least in the City Someone Would Hear Me Scream, I have a strong sense of what it might be like to make the dramatic change he and his partner, Gary, made when leaving the big city in search of the simpler life.

This is not just a memoir. It is a beautifully crafted story. When I read each chapter, I didn't feel the effort of reading, rather, I felt that Wade was telling me his story. Each word leapt from the page and worked its way into my brain. I laughed until I cried and then I cried because I realized that life does not have to be as hard as I often make it.

I'm not sure I could ever channel Thoreau, but through Wade Rouse's writing, I imagine I have come very close. This book is an exciting adventure filled with smiles and laughs. The end reward, is how Wade's idea of letting go of the things that may not matter in life, influence where you dare to go with your own.

I recommend this book and suggest you visit his other books.

When in Michigan, I like to curl up with a Michigan author, or a book about something that happened in Michigan. I have the same dream as the author..to live in Northern or coastal Michigan full time, and write. Wade does what many of us would like to do, leave a job that we can no longer stand, and start anew. If you like a humorous and honest voice, this book will not disappoint. I was up late, snickering in bed at his hilarious musings. He uses various quotes from Thoreau which show the depth of his soul and his spiritual thoughts matched my own. I will forever ask myself "what would you do if you couldn't fail?". This book is the answer to a mid life crisis. It will leave you laughing, and thinking long after you are done. I wish I had neighbors like Wade and Gary. Congratulations, Wade Rouse! I missed your book signing in Petoskey by one day. :(

This may be the funniest book that I have ever read. I was thrilled to see that even after moving to the woods, Wade remained as fabulous as ever. (And that, believe me, is pretty darn fabulous!) And I was touched, and thrilled, to see that his experiences with the more simplified life did affect him very positively.

A previous reviewer quoted this passage, which I ended up reading to my husband: "I have now learned that there is never a wrong time to do something meaningful and courageous in life, something that makes you deeply and achingly happy. There is only a right time: a moment to hold your breath, close your eyes and jump." For the last several years, my husband has been working at a job he hates. After reading this book, I became SURE that it is time for us to make the jump, and he is going to quit his job to pursue his dream! THANKS WADE!!

If you are thinking about the meaning of your life, the pursuit of your dreams, taking risks, or being afraid to take risks, this book is for you. You will laugh and laugh-and then think deeply about some very important questions.

I read Confessions of a Prep School Mommy Handler first, and thought it was great. When I looked to see if Wade Rouse had written anything else, I was thrilled to find this new book. First of all, he went out and did something I have always dreamed about - chucking the city life and immersing oneself in rural culture. I read a lot of books on this topic, and this is the funniest one by far, but it's more than funny.

Wade Rouse seemed pretty comfortable in his city life. He wasn't escaping. He was trying something new. This book is above all about taking the leap. He doesn't hold back at all. He sets goals and chronicles the quest to achieve them. Obviously some things will never change - he will always wear fabulous clothes, no matter how inappropriate for the task at hand, and will describe them in meticulous detail. I suspect he will always seek comfort in junk food. But I also think he will courageously place himself in challenging situations and force himself to deal, and grow - not because it might make a funny book, but because it's part of who he is.

Wade Rouse grew up with a grandmother who read Walden to him. He has always had that longing for the simple life within him. He knows it will be a struggle to give up his lattes and designer shopping expeditions, but he wants to try it. Yes, it will also make a good book, and Wade Rouse looooves to make fun of himself. It is funny, touching, and inspiring. And I am so glad that one of the things he learned about himself is that he wants to continue to be a writer of memoirs. This is a guy who can find the humor in anything. Highly recommended.