Snowshoeing Through Sewers: Adventures in New York City, New Jersey, and Philadelphia [Paperback]

Michael Aaron Rockland (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1994

"Rockland isn't just 'observing' America objectively, he's in it, all the way, fighting the old clichés with jokes and insights about everything he sees and about himself. It's a very refreshing book."--Robert M. Pirsig, author of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance "Rockland is one of the most exuberant men on earth and a raconteur of genius, and those qualities enliven every chapter, every sentence, every step of the way. Snowshoeing through Sewers is both funny and wise, and a damn good travelog to boot! One of the most unusual and entertaining books I've read in a long, long time."--Tom De Haven, author of Freaks' Amour and Funny Papers In these ten alternately poetic and comic tales of adventure in the New York/Philadelphia corridor, the most densely populated chunk of America, Rockland walks and bikes areas meant only for cars and paddles through waters capable of dissolving canoes. He hikes the length of New York's Broadway, camps in New York City, treks across Philadelphia, pedals among the tractor trailers of Route 1 in New Jersey, and paddles around Manhattan and through the dark tunnels under Trenton. Whereas Henry David Thoreau built his cabin on Walden Pond to get out of town, for Rockland, the challenge is to head into town. As he writes, "in the late twentieth century, a weed and trash-filled city lot . . . may be a better place than the wilderness to contemplate one's relationship to nature." Michael Aaron Rockland is a professor of American Studies at Rutgers University. His many books include Looking for America on the New Jersey Turnpike (Rutgers University Press) and a novel, A Bliss Case.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Rockland (Looking for America on the New Jersey Turnpike) finds adventure and wonder in the most commonplace surroundings. Chair of American Studies at Rutgers University, he lives in central New Jersey and considers nearby New York City and Philadelphia as prime fodder for his quixotic wanderings. First, he intrepidly circumnavigates Manhattan island in a canoe. His other Manhattan endeavors consist of walking the length of Broadway (275 city blocks) in one day and canoeing from New Jersey to Manhattan, staying overnight on Ellis Island, a trip that is both hilarious and sobering. In New Jersey, he competes in the Delaware River Raft Race in the Snuffle-upagus; then, as he did in New York, he walks the length of Philadelphia and manages to canoe to it also. Rockland is an everyman and his escapades will delight readers.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Library Journal

The author (Looking for America on the New Jersey Turnpike, Rutgers Univ. Pr., 1989) has written a delightful series of adventures. Instead of following Thoreau's trail to Walden and solitude, Rockland sees adventure in unlikely urban settings. He and a friend circumnavigate Manhattan island by canoe. He bicycles Route 22 in New Jersey, walks across Philadelphia, and travels down Broadway from one end of Manhattan to the other. On the way he encounters what one might expect: difficulties in walking across a divided highway or bicycling on a freeway. He also encounters unexpected obstacles, such as kids throwing rocks at him and his friend as they were canoeing a creek in Trenton. Roackland's amusing comments reveal much about him while giving thumbnail glimpses of urban Americans one wouldn't find elsewhere. He makes you want to try the walks yourself, if you can stand the hardships. Highly recommended for academic and public libraries.
George M. Jenks, Bucknell Univ., Lewisburg, Pa.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 184 pages
• Publisher: Rutgers University Press (October 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 081354355X
• ISBN-13: 978-0813543550
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,316,781 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining tales of urban adventures, July 10, 2001

By 

Jeffrey Jotz "You'll know him when you find him" (Rahway, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Snowshoeing Through Sewers: Adventures in New York City, New Jersey, and Philadelphia (Hardcover)

I gotta give the author some credit for participating in activities than millions of Americans do every day - canoeing, biking, hiking, etc. However, very, very few Americans do this along overdeveloped NJ highways or in urban drainage ditches that were once bucolic streams, so I give Mr. Rockland many bonus points for originality.

Rockland has a sharp, entertaining writing style that held my interest throught this book, and this collection of stories was a great complement to Looking for America on the NJ Turnpike, his first work.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book... Great Urban Adventures, April 19, 2005

By 

Dawn L. Gilliland "bronowyn" (Bensalem, PA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Snowshoeing Through Sewers: Adventures in New York City, New Jersey, and Philadelphia (Hardcover)

I was assigned this book back in 1998 when I took Prof Rockland's Urban Adventure course at Rutgers University one summer. I always got very nervous when the professor assigned a book that (s)he wrote. Was I pleasantly surprised! I was inspired, I was in awe of the adventures.

I recommend this book to anyone who wants to get insprired to take an urban adventure - just walk out your door, and explore your hometown, see what you discover!