Customer Reviews

Passing Gas: And Other Towns Along the American Highway

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

With an excellent blend of humor and superb photographs, Gary Gladstone has produced a visual American travelogue of places along the endless blue highways of the United States.It is a look into the smaller than small towns emphasizing not only the town (one with a population of six) but the ambience of the location as well.Have you ever been behind the scenes of a photo shoot with a professional photographer? If not, this book will tell you about the pre-planning that needs to be done, the struggle for good light (or any light at all) and the trials and tribulations of a photographer "on the road".Grab a good chair, something cold to drink, and get ready to grin!

A fun coffeetable book with great stories and photos alike. Takes you to all of those oddly (aptly?) named places in America that you'd never visit on purpose but often wondered what went on there and what are the people really like? Truth is stranger than fiction when it comes to some of our neighbors in these United States.

When Gary Gladstone began his odyssey crossing and cris crossing the country, little did he know that his delightful and insightful daily journal entries would provide the extra je ne sais quois that makes his book so poignant and actually greater than the individual parts. The photographs are wonderful, made with careful calculations of light and subject; the language is down-to- -- touching passions, fears and joy most of us identify with.

Passing Gas is more than a coffee table book; it's an inspsiration to all of us who make photographs and aspire to being compelling writers at the same time.

"Passing Gas" is a photographic journey through about sixty oddly named towns during the course of 38,000 miles on the back roads of the United States. Gary Gladstone makes a point of photographing a representative person from each town to help capture the mood in that small part of America. The results are some beautiful photos taken in such unusually named towns as Crapo, MD, Yum Yum, TN, and Boogertown, NC.

Gladstone is a very gifted photographer, and his narration and description of the places and people he discovered is to be savored. You will laugh with him, and occasionally feel a bit of pathos, too. This is a truly unique collection of original photographs that most anyone with a sense of humor will enjoy.

This is a good book. I live in Finger, TN (Should have been in the book too! LOL ), which is near Sweetlips TN. I used to tell people I live between Finger and Sweetlips and they would laugh.

This is my grandpa in the picture for Sweetlips. We didn't believe him at first when he said he was going to be in a book. And it is still funny to see his pic here. They also used it on VH1 best year ever. We all got a laugh out of that.

Seeing all the towns in this book makes me want to visit them all.

My wife and I had the pleasure of meeting Gary as he traveled through America. He is exactly what this book represents- thoughful, caring, classic, passionate, interesting, and definately entertaining. We sat in our kitchen while he flipped through his book and, with each perfectly crafted story, poured out his love for American people and their stories. We laughed at and enjoyed every page. We really appreciated the opportunity to reflect on our own life and Gary's vision of America's richness. His book's pictures and stories are an American treasure. Do not pass on this American Highway.

Puns are some of my favorite things. The marvelous interplay of words and pictures make this book amusing when reading by yourself or a leaping off place for very interesting conversations when sharing the colorful vignettes with almost anybody else that has the smallest bit of "a sense of humor". Wonderful entertainment while providing a real glimpse into the heart and soul of small town America.

Kudos to Gladstone for an elegant presentation of a daunting journey and project.

This is a great peek at heartland America--or what we hope it still is... In these days of "homeland security" and carrying the big stick, this warm look at the real crossroads of our country takes us truly back to "kinder and gentler times." The people are real, the pictures are fabulous--This is a fantastic, funny book and one with a lot of heart--it is on my Christmas '03 gift-giving list because it will make everyone who receives it smile!

We were wanting to buy a copy of the book,"Passing Gas." A very interesting book which features rural and unusual places across America. We live less than 50 miles away from the restaurant,"Bonnie's Corner Café", that is featured on the cover. We had lunch there recently and "Bonnie" was our waitress! While we experienced good food and good service they were sold out of the book! So, Amazon was able to help us out!

We found this book funny. So, I bought it and gave it as Christmas presents.