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.