For some, the American Dream is a pre-fab house in the suburbs with 2.5 kids and a two-week vacation at the end of the year. To others, it is working a push fruit cart in Oakland in order to put food on the family’s table in Oaxaca. In The American Dream Harmon Leon draws upon his experiences of adopting personas and disguises to infiltrate the various institutions of everyday life, living among a diverse range of subcultures and learning first hand how they see their vision and utopia. His incursions include working as a marijuana farmer in a hippie commune in Northern California; becoming a carnie in rural Indiana; visiting a tourist attraction in Mexico (that allows people to simulate illegally crossing the border); venturing to Hollywood while trying to climb the ranks in the star-making machine; and working in the strawberries fields of California with newly arrived immigrants. The American Dream is a funny, satirical, and ultimately poignant take on what it means to be an American today.
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CivilianReader
Sprinkled with serious observations and facts, Leon manages to get across the real nature of all these people; describing the difficulties faced by illegals, for example, but also painting honest portraits of his subjects that both entertain and enlighten… And because Leon doesn't focus solely on the usual subcultures (i.e. Christians), The American Dream will surely have something for anyone interested in reading a little more about the less-‘standard’ people in America.”
Sprinkled with serious observations and facts, Leon manages to get across the real nature of all these people; describing the difficulties faced by illegals, for example, but also painting honest portraits of his subjects that both entertain and enlighten… And because Leon doesn't focus solely on the usual subcultures (i.e. Christians), The American Dream will surely have something for anyone interested in reading a little more about the less-‘standard’ people in America.”
Rocky Mountain News
“This book will make your sides hurt…A master of disguise – and literary hijinx – Leon satirizes all that’s comical and commendable about the American Dream.”
Carson Daly, on Last Call with Carson Daly
"Dangerous, endlessly entertaining....Read the book it’s fantastic. Trust me this is great!"
Boulder Weekly
“In a quasi-democratic, pseudo-caplitalistic society like ours, citizens tend to create extremist subcultures, and Gonzo chameleon Harmon Leon has made a career out of infiltrating those eccentric covens.”
The Guardian, UK
“This manic mix of Borat and Hunter S Thompson is amusing”
About the Author
Harmon Leon is an award-winning San Francisco journalist. His first two books, The Harmon Chronicles and Republican Like Me, both won Independent Publisher Awards for humor. His other books include The Infiltrator, National Lampoon’s Road Trip USA, and The Brothers Rjukerooka. Harmon has appeared on The Howard Stern Show, Penn and Teller: Bullshit!, The Jamie Kennedy Experiment, E!, and Public Radio International’s This American Life. His writing as also appeared in Esquire, Cosmopolitan, Maxim, Details, Penthouse, Wired, and more.
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3 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Leon's shtick is to adopt a persona and "infiltrate" unsuspecting organizations by posing as a potential member - with madcap results. In past outings, Leon has worked as a bounty hunter, dined with white supremacists, partied with Promise Keepers and even co-hosted a DVD prank show with O.J. Simpson.
Here, Leon rubs elbows with folks in search of the American Dream, be it carnival workers in the Midwest, pot farmers in northern California, would-be immigrants in Mexico and suburban swingers. He even gets outed - for the first time in his career - at a celebrity impersonator convention, proving that it takes a fake to spot a fake.
Beneath all the humor is a human touch. While mocking the absurdity of particular groups and situations, Leon's writing shows a fondness or at least appreciation for his subjects, be they fundamentalist Christians or carnies running the ring toss. He even lets his targets have their say, introducing each chapter with an essay from a member of the community he's infiltrated-including one penned by Boulder-based Ozzy Osbourne impersonator Don Wrege.
Best tidbit: Leon's 10-page account of his appearance on the television show Blind Date, which involved heavy doses of public intoxication and lederhosen. (Hilarious footage of this is available on YouTube.)
Pros: This book will make your sides hurt.
Cons: The personal essays from Leon's targets disrupt the comic momentum without adding much to the final product.
Final word: A master of disguise - and literary hijinx - Leon satirizes all that's comical and commendable about the American Dream
Here, Leon rubs elbows with folks in search of the American Dream, be it carnival workers in the Midwest, pot farmers in northern California, would-be immigrants in Mexico and suburban swingers. He even gets outed - for the first time in his career - at a celebrity impersonator convention, proving that it takes a fake to spot a fake.
Beneath all the humor is a human touch. While mocking the absurdity of particular groups and situations, Leon's writing shows a fondness or at least appreciation for his subjects, be they fundamentalist Christians or carnies running the ring toss. He even lets his targets have their say, introducing each chapter with an essay from a member of the community he's infiltrated-including one penned by Boulder-based Ozzy Osbourne impersonator Don Wrege.
Best tidbit: Leon's 10-page account of his appearance on the television show Blind Date, which involved heavy doses of public intoxication and lederhosen. (Hilarious footage of this is available on YouTube.)
Pros: This book will make your sides hurt.
Cons: The personal essays from Leon's targets disrupt the comic momentum without adding much to the final product.
Final word: A master of disguise - and literary hijinx - Leon satirizes all that's comical and commendable about the American Dream
4 of 11 people found the following review helpful
By T. Stubbs
Format:Paperback
What a load of garbage. I think he used google for the few "facts" that could be found because the rest is pure imagination, and not good imagination at that.
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