Way Off the Road: Discovering the Peculiar Charms of Small-Town America [Audiobook, CD, Unabridged] [Audio CD]

Bill Geist (Author), Patrick Lawlor (Narrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 19, 2007

Celebrated roving correspondent for CBS News Sunday Morning and bestselling author Bill Geist serves up a rollicking look at some small-town Americans and their offbeat ways of life."In rural Kansas, I asked our motel desk clerk for the name of the best restaurant in the area. After mulling it over, he answered: 'I'd have to say the Texaco, 'cuz the Shell don't have no microwave.'"Throughout his career, Bill Geist's most popular stories have been about slightly odd but loveable individuals. Coming on the heels of his 5,600-mile RV trip across our fair land is Way Off the Road, a hilarious and compelling mix of stories about the folks featured in Geist's segments, along with observations on his twenty years of life on the road. Written in the deadpan style that has endeared him to millions, Geist shares tales of eccentric individuals, such as the ninety-three-year-old pilot-paperboy who delivers to his far-flung subscribers by plane; the Arizona mailman who delivers mail via horseback down the walls of the Grand Canyon; the Muleshoe, Texas, anchorwoman who delivers the news from her bedroom (occasionally wearing her bathrobe); and the struggling Colorado entrepreneur who finds success employing a sewer vacuum to rid Western ranchers of problematic prairie dogs. Geist also takes us to events such as the Mike the Headless Chicken Festival (celebrating an inspiring bird that survived decapitation, hired an agent, and went on the road for eighteen months) and Sundown Days in Hanlontown, Iowa, where the town marks the one day a year when the sun sets directly between the railroad tracks.Along the wacky and wonderful way, Geist shows us firsthand how life in fly-over America can be odd, strangely fascinating, hysterical, and anything but boring.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Bill Geist is a regular commentator for CBS News Sunday Morning and The CBS Evening News and the bestselling author of six books, including The Big Five-Oh! and Little League Confidential. Before joining CBS, Geist was a columnist for the New York Times and the Chicago Tribune. An AudioFile Earphones Award winner and Audie Award finalist, Patrick Lawlor is also an accomplished stage actor, director, and combat choreographer. His recent audio includes the New York Times bestseller The Last True Story I'll Ever Tell (Tantor). "Lawlor is masterful." ---The Philadelphia Inquirer

From AudioFile

CBS News personality Bill Geist, known for his quirky enthusiasms, has shown viewers a stand-still parade, a cow photographer, a one-woman town, and many other scenes of small-town life. Geists audiobook re-creates some of his reports, along with a few rants on airports, motels, and rental cars. Patrick Lawlors cheerfully excited narration brings out Geists descriptions of such experiences as eating at a Texas barbecue joint. Lawlor also adds a sarcastic tone to Geists stories and projects Geists occasional dislike for some of his topics, such as figure-eight school-bus racing. Fans of Geists reports might prefer to hear his voice, but, for the most part, his anecdotes of rural America are still entertaining as delivered by Lawlor. J.A.S. © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Product Details

• Audio CD
• Publisher: Tantor Media; Unabridged edition (June 19, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 140010467X
• ISBN-13: 978-1400104673
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,717,971 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good for a road trip, July 17, 2007

By 

Moon over Moon (Moon, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Way Off the Road: Discovering the Peculiar Charms of Small-Town America (Audio CD)

While the stories are entertaining, many of them are simply audio renditions of stories Mr. Geist has done for the Sunday Morning television program. The most disappointing thing about me for this was that Bill Geist did not narrate the CD! While the reader was fine, I missed it not hearing Bill's voice. After all, I purchased the CD thinking he was the narrator.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well worth listening to, November 8, 2007

By 

J. Wilson (Warrenton, VA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Way Off the Road: Discovering the Peculiar Charms of Small-Town America (Audio CD)

I thoroughly enjoyed this audiobook. The stories were very engaging and Bill Geist is just plain funny! The narrator was just right for this book. I would recommend it.