Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Memoirs of a Gas Station / Sam Neumann


Reviewed by: BigAl

Genre: Travel/Memoir

Approximate word count: 80-85,000 words

Availability    
Kindle  US: YES  UK: YES  Nook: NO  Smashwords: NO  Paper: YES
Click on a YES above to go to appropriate page in Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords store

Author:

Newmann describes himself as “a writer, photographer, video producer, and all-around good guy.” This is his first book. For more, visit his website.

Description:

“Early one May, Sam Neumann arrived in the breathtaking wilderness of Denali, Alaska with a smile on his face and adventure in his heart. But less than 24 hours later, both had evaporated as he stood behind the counter of a filthy gas station —his new place of employment— and tried to piece together what exactly had gone wrong.

Memoirs of a Gas Station is a quirky personal account of a summer trapped in a convenience store on the edge of Denali National Park. It is a journey across the Alaskan tundra and headlong into the ridiculous world of seasonal employment.”
Appraisal:

Memoirs of a Gas Station is part travel book, part personal memoir, and part exposé of the world of seasonal employment. I learned a lot about Alaska (especially the area around Denali National Park) and got an interesting glimpse into what it’s like to work as a seasonal employee, both the good and the bad. Traveling vicariously when I’m stuck at home and getting glimpses of what life is like for people in situations I haven’t experienced are both things I enjoy, and Memoirs of a Gas Station delivered. I deducted a single star for issues with editing and proofing.

FYI:

Some adult language and mild sexual content.

Format/Typo Issues:

A large number of mostly minor proofing issues, primarily missing or extra words.

Rating: *** Three stars

1 comment:

Walter Knight said...

I knew a professor who would get a job during the summer washing dishes at small restaurants as a way to connect with real people, and be more grounded.

Living vicariously through books is much easier. I don't think I'll ever get to Alaska, but I want to. This looks like a good book.