America the Beautiful?
One Woman in a Borrowed Prius on the Road Most Travelled
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Narrated by:
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Kendra Hoffman
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By:
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Blythe Roberson
About this listen
NATIONAL BESTSELLER
Best Book of the Year —NPR, Vulture, Book Riot, B&N
"America the Beautiful? is so funny and special and illuminating that it makes even me, a person who cannot tolerate trees or weather, wish I could've tagged along in the back seat."—Samantha Irby, author of Wow, No Thank You. and We Are Never Meeting in Real Life.
The author of How to Date Men When You Hate Men examines Americans’ obsession with freedom, travel, and the open road in this funny, entertaining travelogue that blends the humorous observations of Bill Bryson with the piercing cultural commentary of Jia Tolentino.
For writer and comedian Blythe Roberson, there are only so many Mary Oliver poems you can read about being free, and only so many times you can listen to Joni Mitchell’s travel album Hejira, before you too, are itching to take off. Canonical American travel writers have long celebrated the road trip as the epitome of freedom. But why does it seem like all those canonical travel narratives are written by White men who have no problems, who only decide to go the desert to see what having problems feels like?
To fill in the literary gaps and quench her own sense of adventure, Roberson quits her day job and sets off on a Great American Road Trip to visit America’s national parks.
America the Beautiful? is a hilarious trip into the mind of one of the Millennial generation’s funniest writers. Borrowing her Midwestern stepfather’s Prius, she heads west to the Loop of mega-popular parks, over to the ocean and down the Pacific Coast Highway, and, in a feat of spectacularly bad timing, through the southwestern desert in the middle of July. Along the way she meets new friends on their own personal quests, learns to cope with abstinence while missing the comforts of home, and comes to understand the limits—and possibilities—of going to nature to prove to yourself and your Instagram followers that you are, in fact, free.
The result is a laugh-out-loud-while-occasionally-raging-inside travelogue, filled with meditations and many, many jokes on ecotourism, conservation, freedom, traffic, climate change, and the structural and financial inequalities that limit so many Americans’ movement. Ultimately, Roberson ponders the question: Is quitting society and going on the road about enlightenment and liberty—or is it just selfish escapism?
©2022 Blythe Roberson (P)2022 HarperCollins PublishersListeners also enjoyed...
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More than just an adventure book...
- By Scott Shepherd on 04-19-20
By: Darcy Gaechter
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In the Land of Good Living
- A Journey to the Heart of Florida
- By: Kent Russell
- Narrated by: Kent Russell
- Length: 10 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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A wickedly smart, funny, and irresistibly off-kilter account of an improbable thousand-mile journey on foot into the heart of modern Florida, the state that Russell calls "America Concentrate".
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Wanna be writer and other fools
- By E on 08-11-20
By: Kent Russell
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Skywalker
- Highs and Lows on the Pacific Crest Trail
- By: Bill Walker
- Narrated by: Bill Walker
- Length: 7 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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The Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail (PCT )is the perfect place for an average person to do something extraordinary. Bill Walker ("Skywalker"), who stands 6'11", might seem like anything but average. Yet in a brutally honest tone, he lays to bare all his considerable weaknesses and fears. Among these are crushing weight loss and fatigue, along with a fear of getting lost or a bear stealing his food. Nonetheless, he is bound and determined to hike the PCT which - at 2,663 miles - runs all the way from Mexico to Canada.
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One persons account
- By Virginia on 03-30-15
By: Bill Walker
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In the Valleys of the Noble Beyond
- In Search of the Sasquatch
- By: John Zada
- Narrated by: Pete Cross
- Length: 8 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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On the central and north coast of British Columbia, the Great Bear Rainforest is the largest intact temperate rainforest in the world, containing more organic matter than any other terrestrial ecosystem on the planet. The area plays host to a wide range of species, from thousand-year-old western cedars to humpback whales to iconic white Spirit bears. According to local residents, another giant is said to live in these woods.
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Not a relatable book
- By RJK on 07-14-19
By: John Zada
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The Road to Little Dribbling
- Adventures of an American in Britain
- By: Bill Bryson
- Narrated by: Nathan Osgood
- Length: 14 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Twenty years ago, Bill Bryson went on a trip around Britain to discover and celebrate that green and pleasant land. The result was Notes from a Small Island, a true classic and one of the bestselling travel books ever written. Now he has traveled about Britain again, by bus and train and rental car and on foot, to see what has changed—and what hasn’t.
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No Bryson?? Alas, another disappointed fan
- By Rick on 01-25-16
By: Bill Bryson
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The Longest Road
- Overland in Search of America, from Key West to the Arctic Ocean
- By: Philip Caputo
- Narrated by: Pete Larkin
- Length: 11 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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Philip Caputo, who had just turned 70, his wife, and their two English setters took off in a truck hauling an Airstream camper from Key West, Florida, en route via back roads and state routes to Deadhorse, Alaska. The journey took four months and covered 17,000 miles, during which Caputo interviewed more than 80 Americans from all walks of life to get a picture of what their lives and the life of the nation are really about in the 21st century.
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Very Disappointing
- By Amazon Customer on 03-25-18
By: Philip Caputo
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Wonderlandscape
- Yellowstone National Park and the Evolution of an American Cultural Icon
- By: John Clayton
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 9 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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Yellowstone is America's premier national park. Today Yellowstone is often a byword for conservation, natural beauty, and a way for everyone to enjoy the great outdoors. But it was not always this way. Wonderlandscape presents a new perspective on Yellowstone, the emotions that various natural wonders and attractions evoke, and how this explains the park's relationship to America as a whole.
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Fascinating blend of history and storytelling
- By NC on 02-08-21
By: John Clayton
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The End of Night
- Searching for Natural Darkness in an Age of Artificial Light
- By: Paul Bogard
- Narrated by: Paul Bogard
- Length: 10 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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A deeply panoramic tour of the night, from its brightest spots to the darkest skies we have left. A starry night is one of nature's most magical wonders. Yet in our artificially lit world, three-quarters of Americans' eyes never switch to night vision and most of us no longer experience true darkness. In The End of Night, Paul Bogard restores our awareness of the spectacularly primal, wildly dark night sky and how it has influenced the human experience across everything from science to art.
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A little too poetic for my taste
- By Dan B on 03-18-19
By: Paul Bogard
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Both Feet on the Ground
- Reflections From the Outside
- By: Marshall Ulrich
- Narrated by: Adam Verner
- Length: 5 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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You’re stressed, tired of answering the beeps on your phone and computer. Your kids get too much screen time. You don’t know where your next meal was grown or raised. One of the best forms of therapy is simple: Get out and stay out - as often and for as long as you can. In Both Feet on the Ground, Marshall Ulrich champions “disconnecting to reconnect”, urging you to spend time unplugged, eat food whose origins you understand, and push yourself to try something bold and personally compelling.
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Excellent!
- By Sandy on 06-16-20
By: Marshall Ulrich
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No Shortage of Good Days
- By: John Gierach
- Narrated by: Mike Chamberlain
- Length: 5 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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In No Shortage of Good Days John Gierach takes listeners from the Smokies in Tennessee to his home waters in Colorado, from the Canadian Maritimes to Mexico - saltwater or fresh, it's all fishing and all irresistible. As always he writes perceptively about a wide range of subjects: the charm of familiar waters, the etiquette of working with new fishing guides, night fishing when the trout and the mosquitoes are both biting, and fishing snobbery, a pitfall he seems to have largely avoided.
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I fish, but rarely fly fish.. love Gierach’s work
- By BearheartRaven on 04-24-20
By: John Gierach
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Maphead
- Charting the Wide, Weird World of Geography Wonks
- By: Ken Jennings
- Narrated by: Kirby Heyborne
- Length: 10 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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It comes as no surprise that, as a kid, Jeopardy! legend Ken Jennings slept with a bulky Hammond world atlas by his pillow every night. Maphead recounts his lifelong love affair with geography and explores why maps have always been so fascinating to him and to fellow enthusiasts everywhere.
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A Romp through Maps
- By Lynn on 01-27-12
By: Ken Jennings
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Roadshow
- Landscape with Drums: A Concert Tour by Motorcycle
- By: Neil Peart
- Narrated by: Brian Sutherland
- Length: 15 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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For 30 years, drummer, author, and songwriter Neil Peart had wanted to write a book about "the biggest journey of all in my restless existence: the life of a touring musician." Finally, the right time, and the right tour. In the summer of 2004, after three decades, 20 gold albums, and thousands of performances, the band Rush embarked on a 30th Anniversary World Tour. The "R30" tour traveled to nine countries, where the band performed 57 shows for more than half a million fans. Uniquely, Peart chose to do his between-show traveling by motorcycle, riding 21,000 miles of back roads.
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Enjoyable, even for a non-fan of Rush
- By Jim In Texas! on 10-04-14
By: Neil Peart
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Lasso the Wind
- Away to the New West
- By: Timothy Egan
- Narrated by: John McLain
- Length: 11 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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Egan leads us on an unconventional, freewheeling tour: from America's oldest continuously inhabited community, the Ancoma Pueblo in New Mexico, to the high kitsch of Lake Havasu City, Arizona, where London Bridge has been painstakingly rebuilt stone by stone; from the fragile beauty of Idaho's Bitterroot Range to the gross excess of Las Vegas, a city built as though in defiance of its arid environment.
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Narrator mispronounces everything
- By Catherine on 01-27-22
By: Timothy Egan
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Reservation Restless
- By: Jim Kristofic
- Narrated by: Jim Kristofic
- Length: 9 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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In the powerful and haunting lands of the Southwest, rainbows grow unexpectedly from the sky, mountain lions roam the desert, and summer storms roll over the Colorado River. As a park ranger, Kristofic explores the Ganado valley, traces the paths of the Anasazi, and finds mythic experiences on sacred mountains that explain the pain and loss promised for every person who decides to love. After reconnecting with his Navajo sister and brother, Kristofic must confront his own nightmares of the Anglo society and the future it has created.
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It is a gift to see the world through Jim's eyes
- By Josh Boyle on 06-23-21
By: Jim Kristofic
What listeners say about America the Beautiful?
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- A. Teuscher
- 05-11-23
Wonderful
Great memoir/travelogue/story in the true road-trip tradition. Blythe’s voice is original and funny yet philosophical.
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- Chris Lane
- 06-10-23
A great book, especially if all you can afford is this book or a day trip
It is heart breaking that if I was ape era able to afford a trip such as this, it could be all gone. Go if you can but don’t steal the cactus :(
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- julie berndt
- 01-10-24
Laughter!
If you are looking to bring some positive energy and laughter into your life, then this is a listen for you.
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- Pamela
- 05-15-23
Any vanlifer could give the same thesis of this book
Hysterical. And unfortunately plagued with an ill-researched, biased, one-note portrayal of vanlife. The author seems to think only her road trip has given her an epiphany about community over individualism and somehow those living full time on the road are too myopic and self-obsessed and capitalist to have the same realization and to be actively taking steps to build dispersed community and give back to their temporary communities. It’s a real shame considering that vanlifers, being an actual community of full-time American roadtrippers, will make up about a quarter of the readers buying this book.
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- Erik A
- 06-16-23
Fun Travel Listen
An enjoyable listen, captures the moment and internal conflicts around the national parks while being a joy to hear.
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- Mallory Spiers
- 09-27-24
Fun read!
This book was a fun read with a great narrator! Tiny amount of political talk, but necessary.
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- Allen Kelne
- 10-13-23
Great
Picked this book up in a whim! Loved it and it inspired me. Thank you
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- Emily Mann
- 10-18-23
Loved story esp narrator
I hope the narrator does more books in the future! Really enjoyed her inflections etc
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- rachel
- 01-02-24
Returned
Unless you want a liberal lecture, I'd avoid this book. I listened to an hour and wanted to pull my ears off. I thought it was going to be about a roadtrip and self reflection. Maybe she gets to that later on. The first hour is just to let you know that she's a liberal. When I got to the part about the plastic straws, I decided I would just fast forward, but then we got to the Teddy Roosevelt park and I decided to return it. Not worth a listen unless you just hardcore agree with all of those stances and want to have them reinforced for you every other sentence.
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- Ellen
- 12-27-23
Amusing in parts, but felt padded
When the author is writing about one of her destinations, the history, the nature, the people she meets along the way, it’s not bad. But she spends too much time looping around about why she felt compelled to go on a road trip and WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN and it gets thin. She didn’t have a lot of time and she seems to have spent much of it driving frantically from one place to another. Too much time in the car, not enough in the field, I think. That considered it’s impressive that she managed to squeeze a book out of it. Next time she should plop down in some remote desert spot and not touch her car keys for a month or so. I think that book would be more to my taste.
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