
The Longest Road
Overland in Search of America, from Key West to the Arctic Ocean
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Narrated by:
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Pete Larkin
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By:
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Philip Caputo
September 1996 found Philip Caputo on Barter Island, a wind-scoured rock in the Beaufort Sea populated by two hundred Inupiat and a handful of whites. As he gazed upon an American flag above the only school for a 150 miles, he marveled that the children in that school pledged allegiance to the same flag as the children of Cuban immigrants on Key West, almost six thousand miles away. Awed by America’s vastness and diversity and filled with a renewed appreciation for its cohesiveness, an idea began to form. With enough time, gas money, and nerve he could drive from the southernmost point to the northernmost point of the United States that is reachable by road, talking to people as he went and trying to better understand what holds our great country together.
Cicada-like, the idea went dormant, not to be reawakened for 14 years. In 2011, America was struggling through the greatest economic downturn since the Depression and was more divided than it had been in living memory. 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.
©2013 Philip Caputo. Recorded by arrangement with Henry Holt and Company, LLC. All rights reserved. (P)2013 HighBridge CompanyListeners also enjoyed...




















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Would you consider the audio edition of The Longest Road to be better than the print version?
I did not read the print version, so I cannot tell a lie....I just don't knowWho was your favorite character and why?
This was a fabulous travel journal type of book, a lot like Bill Bryson' s stuff. I loved the whole storyWhich scene was your favorite?
Again, a travel diary is quite a bit different in its story telling technic than other forms so to difficult to pick one favorite chapter, they all had a little something wonderful.Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
When his wife had to fly home and he realized how much he loved being with her when originally he wanted to do the trip alone.Any additional comments?
I really did love this book, writer has a great grown up since humor and managed to add a bit of history as well as psychology to the story, hard to put down....actually I didn't put it down, stayed up all night to listen.Loved this book....loved it!!
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it's like you were there
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Commentary on Nature and Culture
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Fun with Facts
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The narrator has a most annoying tendency to have a certain predictable lilt in his tone whenever he took the voice of a non-white character. Is he trying to make the character sound innocent or naive? Sound curious or in wonderment? I don't know, but it almost sounded like he was stereotyping non-white characters. This completely goes against the author's illustration of the diversity of people in this country. While this is a book that I will certainly read, I will not listen to this audio book again.
Great book, poor narration.
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A condescending history lesson, with accents.
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What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?
Talk more about the trip and less on politicsAny additional comments?
I listen to audio books to get away from the politics of the day. This author spent way to much time on his left wing views. He seems to have a disdain for southerns, conservatives,and Tea Party folks. If I wanted to hear that, all I have to do is turn on the daily news. I tried to but all that aside, but I couldn't get pass chapter 10.Very Disappointing
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