"I crouched quietly in the patch of tall weeds. Around me fell the shadow of the viaduct that carried a highway over the railroad yards. From the edge of the yards, I squinted as I watched the railroad cars being switched from track to track. Cars and trucks were rolling over the viaduct, but what occupied my attention was the dark, cool corridor underneath it, where I hoped to intercept my train."
Riding the rails, Ted Conover tasted the life of a tramp with companions like Pistol Pete, BB, and Sheba Sheila Sheils. From them he learned survival skills - how to "read" a freight train, scavenge for food and clothing, avoid the railroad "bulls." He was initiated into the customs of their unique, shadowy society - men and women bound together by a mutual bond of failure, camaraderie, and distrust.
Sixty-five freight trains, 12,000 miles, and fifteen states later, Conover chronicles his impressions of their lives in this fascinating piece of first-hand reporting that becomes a thoughtful story of self-discovery.
Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.’s memoir covers his family, student days, travels abroad, and careers in movies, television, and theater, including his share in a Pulitzer Prize. Included is music by his violin virtuoso father and opera diva mother. View...
'To get a job where the only thing you have to do in your career is to make people laugh…well, it's the best job in the world,' said Ronnie Barker. View...
Categories : Politics American 20th Century Biographical
Download Price : $29.95 $17.95
Woodward tells the story of his long, complex relationship with W Mark Felt, the enigmatic former No. 2 man in the Federal Bureau of Investigation who helped end the presidency of Richard Nixon. View...
