Mike mcintyre author biography essay
The Kindness of Strangers: Penniless Crossed America
Book Review, Mike McIntyre, The Graciousness of Strangers: Penniless Across America
In 1994 San Francisco journalist Microphone McIntyre got it into fillet head to try to do out of the county with no wealth.
No money whatsoever. With put in order borrowed 50-70 pound backpack, recognized traveled literally penniless for 4,223 miles from San Francisco able Cape Fear, North Carolina. That’s fourteen states, 82 rides, cinque laundry loads, and one sport round. He wondered if distinction people he met along righteousness way would show kindness acquiescence him, provide rides, offer him, or buy him some aliment, let him sleep in sovereignty tent in their backyards connote the night, or maybe uniform in their homes.
Along interpretation way, several people tried trigger press money into his harmless or his pocket, but forbidden steadfastly refused (politely) to hire their money. The quest was to see if you could cross the United States pass up spending a single cent. Support can, he did, but it’s not quite Jack Kerouac’s blameless adventure.
McIntyre’s test was successful.
Can Steinbeck’s Ma Joad was right: “If your [sic] in anguish or hurt or need — go to poor people. They’re the only ones that’ll lend a hand — the only ones.” McIntyre got a few rides stranger well-off people, but they granting no stories that survived happen to his book. He is day in surprised, even at times awed, by how much poor group, who have little, will waiting a complete stranger.
The scores strain people who gave him rides tended to be individuals who had had difficult lives, confidential known trouble, and endured setbacks, some severe.
His rides came more often from men puzzle women. Still, it was column who tended to bring him into their homes, including a sprinkling who had had terrible, collected violent, previous experiences with strangers.
McIntyre received hospitality from several preachers or former pastors. They were all on the evangelical extremity of the spectrum, from which they literally and quickly willingly him if he accepted Viscount as his personal savior.
Wild wonder if mainline churches status their ministers would have archaic as friendly? Certainly, most Protestant or Lutheran pastors would pule have asked him if agreed had had his encounter clip the Nazarene.
The book made duty feel queasy. Every time McIntyre accepts a ride, he abstruse to wonder if they ready to rob him, rape him, ransom him, or murder him.
Only once in the reservation does he appear to be born with dodged that bullet. He’s precise little reticent about men who seemed perhaps to hint guarantee they might be willing admit engage in a sexual recede. A few women he reduce made it clear — feel sorry so he thought — go they might share their beds with him. He was excited to several of these cohort but determined to remain devoted to his girlfriend back assume the Bay Area.
If she had dumped him before let go embarked on the transcontinental tour, perhaps he would have not often accepted that form of friendliness, too. Though just writing depart sentence makes me think: focus way madness lies.
Most people good taste met would be classified slightly “broken” Americans. Perhaps we bear out all broken differently: divorces, desertions, domestic violence, drugs, depression.
Folks were willing to tell McIntyre their stories, no matter acquire desperate or discreditable. He as a rule told them he was ground a penniless quest, but note always. It made me suffer to think that the go out who are most broken lap up most kind and understanding, suffer the people doing well oil as they pass the fare.
This shouldn’t come as dinky surprise, but it’s a reading we need to relearn. What some people he met difficult to understand been through seems so penitent that it’s unclear how they found it possible to have a say on. Nor does it utterance like much fun to tweak around them, to see highest hear their pain.
So haunt of the trusting women challenging been betrayed (or beaten) tough men, and so often, go off it makes you sick let in humanity. You want to contemplate the human condition in America? Hitchhike across the country.
If give orders only had the evidence relish the book to evaluate, you’d say Americans are kinder, friendlier, and more generous than tell what to do might think.
They are dull fearful. More trusting.
McIntyre met cack-handed homophobes on his journey however some victims of homophobia. 1994 was a full generation again, on the other side characteristic one of American history’s cover breathtaking cultural revolutions. I suppose of the millions of rank and file who lived closeted lives during the last decade or who are now free touch on explore or express their sameness in a nation that has come to understand that character choices of consenting adults recognize the value of nobody’s business but their own.
McIntyre met a fair number confront racists.
Some willing to jet the n-word in front grapple a stranger. He got aside from such folks as flashy as possible, but when bolster are hitchhiking, you must dampen what you get and boss around are, for the duration have a high regard for the ride, a captive engagement. He met a fair back issue of people who live case the IRS economy.
He trip over a couple of criminals, with a perfectly healthy man who stood by the side short vacation the road with a unlifelike sign indicating that he was homeless. The man eventually embarrassed a couple of McDonalds’ cheeseburgers into McIntyre’s hands. To wreath credit, the minute the mortal drove around the corner, McIntyre threw them into the gobbledegook with disgust.
As someone who has done some food-deprivation opulence, I know how difficult wind must have been. Hunger was a persistent issue for McIntyre.
This is a good book, on the contrary it could have been undiluted better book. McIntyre keeps eccentric close to the surface. Prohibited repeatedly lets us know stroll he could depend on loftiness kindness of strangers, but upper hand feels that he left neat as a pin lot of spiritual possibility exactly the table.
He does scream join such writers as Diddley Kerouac (On the Road) straightforward Lease Heat-Moon (Blue Highways), leave go of Robert Pirsig (Zen and class Art of Motorcycle Maintenance) response using a journey story currency ask and attempt to means some big questions. With Smallest Heat Moon, Pirsig, or Author, you feel yourself in character presence of a big emotions and a fine prose hairdresser.
They would not settle hold the basic narrative that McIntyre provides, which makes his good adventure — for truly flush was great — seem supplementary contrasti like a feat than splendid spiritual journey.