On the Back Roads

January 4, 1999
Graves, a retired navy captain, journeys the back roads and quirky small towns of the West that few have heard of, intentionally straying from the big cities and tourist meccas visited by "average Americans." Experiencing a newfound freedom after the end of his 24-year marriage and bored with retirement, Graves set out from Southern California in his motor home on an eight-month, eight-state sojourn. Crisscrossing the West's diverse landscape (from California's coastline to Utah's rugged wilderness), he descriptively captures the essence of towns that boast bizarre claims to fame (the largest producer of soda ash; the film site of more than 50 westerns; the town farthest from a railroad). In towns distinguished for their pea soup or for laws requiring all citizens to be armed, Graves discovers a pioneering spirit among townsfolk that's missing in big cities--as well as a willingness to give up luxuries most of us take for granted. He attends fairs and rodeos, eats in small-town diners and walks through the ruts left by wagons on the Oregon Trail. While Graves's narrative might have flowed more nicely by focusing on fewer towns, readers should warm to his easygoing nature.

March 1, 1999
Graves, a retired naval officer and military consultant to the film industry, bought an RV and set out to explore the western United States. His first stop is the California desert, where he visits an 83-year-old retired schoolteacher. She tells him that the small towns of America are the country's last hope and that visiting them always recharges her optimism. Perhaps in need of some recharging himself, Graves heeds her words and sets out. His trip is unplanned, and he drives from city to city, stopping along the way to read historical markers, tour museums, and talk to anyone he can find. Graves has written several articles for Trailer Life magazine, and the book's chapters would be more interesting as individual articles, for they do provide a quick glimpse of each town and its residents. As a whole, though, the book is less successful. Graves seems to have no particular point of view--he apparently believes that small towns are interesting because of their mere existence, for he never explains what makes these places special. Not recommended.--Julia Stump, Voorheesville P.L., NY