Customer Reviews

Transient Ways

5 star:		(2)
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Seriously scintilating descriptions of a punk|post-modern hardscrabble scraping-by life along the abandoned railroad rights-of-way, written in a no-holds-barred first-hand narrative account. A rare lucid insider's viewpoint of the outsiders world, painfully reminiscent of Jack Black's _You Can't Win_, a poignant tragacomedic commentary on today's modern consume-at-all-costs mainstream society. Bashfully brillant, understatedly illustrated with edgy b&w fotos by the author and trustworthy her companion in mischief. a must read for every wannabe runaway Telegraph Ave gutterpunk.

When I picked up this slim volume (it fit easily into the back pocket of my Carhartt jeans) to read during off-hours on an out-of-state rigging gig, I had no idea it would be worth 20 times as much as it was when I first shelled out a few bux while on a stopover in Portland! I'm surprised, but also bummed, as I now have to scour the internets to find more copies to send to friends.

For what it's worth (a lot) this is a fun book packed with incredible descriptions, frank dialogue, and rich photography. It's very transporting and uplifting, and reminds me of "Boomer Railroad Memories" (a book about a female conductor) or an adult version of "Off the Map", which are a couple of other tales I was able to sink my traveler's teeth into. This is a lovely book for when you're on the road, or simply wish you were...