Give The Gift Of Freedom For The Holidays!
There is nothing more liberating than to hit the open road and see America’s majestic “wild wild west”….with some of the world’s most stunning imagery…
Time To Meet Some “American Nomads!”
If you are looking for some nice stocking stuffers, how about b books that celebrate the nomadic spirit in all of us?
One Writer has captured the true spirit of what it means to hit the open road and celebrate freedom – with a great book that highlights an idea that has been with us since the beginning of time….
Here is what he says right at the top of the book about America’s greatest explorers…
“Reading the diaries and accounts of the frontiersmen, for example, it became impossible to see them as the proud vanguard of civilization, leading its triumphant westward march across the continent. Nine times out of ten, civilization is what the frontiersmen were running away from.”
Time to look at a terrific book that celebrates the desire to escape, the concept of “wanderlust”, and the American Nomads who live that life…
“American Nomads!”
I have written about Travel Writer Richard Grant before, and will share those links with you at the end of this post. But first, I want to celebrate his terrific book that tells the story of “American wanderlust”…and the “nomads” who roam America’s countryside seeking freedom and “no ties”…
Writer Richard Grant is the perfect writer for this story, as he shares that “wanderlust” in his personal life as well…as he writes in the booK:
“Sometimes I went into the deserts with friends. More often, I ended up going alone, for a few nights or a week, sleeping under the stars…I went feral, you might say, until I tired of my company, or ran out of food or water…”
The book is full of great stories about modern and classic “Nomads” – and their incredible stories of discovery out west in the 1800’s…and these stories are exciting and amazingly dangerous – the lives these people led is unbelievable – and they are vivid examples of what it means to to roam free, without borders, without fences…
This book is full of memorable stories of past and present “nomads”, who explored completely unchartered areas – in many cases assuming they would end up in Asia, since nobody knew there was an ocean called the Pacific waiting for them!
I have written about Richard Grant’s books before…but what I love about this book is that the Author is himself an “American Nomad”, so he knows instinctively what he is writing about…and there are amazing profiles of “mountain men” who lived incredible lives…
Richard Grant is a great writer, and here is my link to an earlier book he published – his terrific journey through Mexico’s Sierra Madre…
It’s a great book and you should check it out…
And Grant also wrote an amazing book about his efforts to navigate Africa’s “Crazy River”…read all about it here:
I also posted a story about the terrific book that Travel Writer Paul Theroux published a few years ago:
Theroux traveled along the US – Mexico border and then south through Mexico…fascinating, probing and insightful…see a tease of what’s in the book by clicking here:
Finally, you MUST read one of the funniest travel writers ever…
J. Maarten Troost writes hilariously entertaining books about living in the south seas…here is a look at his “paradise” trilogy:
Back to “American Nomads”…the subject matter was turned into a film that won Best Picture of 2020:
The film touches on many of the themes in Grant’s book, but is a powerful film on its own…see more about it here – as well as a look at the ghost town it was filmed in:
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Categories: Academy Awards, Art, Books / Media, Cult Movies, Exotic Travel, Great Films, Memoirs, nature, Pop Culture, Talent/Celebrities, Travel, Travel Adventures, Travel Memoir
johnrieber 
yes, the nomadic lifestyle is so fascinating and takes a certain kind of person for sure. loved the film and the book sounds great
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Sounds like good reads – thank you for recommending, John.
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I have a lurking admiration for those people who escape society for a nomadic lifestyle. But I don’t think I have the courage to spend so much time alone in the wilderness. I might go more than a little crazy! 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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